Freelance Animator

At Lively, we pride ourselves on making games full of character. The world is fun and silly and sad and infuriating and banal and beautiful and ugly, and all of those things have a place in our games.

Lively hunger for difference, we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, products, and community. Lively is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are currently looking for an Animator to join an exciting project.

What does an Animator do at Lively?

• An Animator at Lively will work as part of the animation team working on the character pipeline from rigging to implementing gameplay character move sets. This hybrid technical and creative role will involve building flexible game-ready rigs to bring a range of high-energy characters to life. You’ll be working on a range of high impact action motions to personality packed idle states.

• Reports into the Lead Artist

• Works with the Lead Technical Animator to establish a reliable pipeline to author gameplay and performance  animations.

• Is responsible for the creation and integration of world-class character animations in the game engine

• Applies animation principles to create high-quality animations while optimising them to meet technical constraints and making any changes that are requested based on artistic direction.

• Works in close collaboration with the Lead Artist, Game Designers, and Programmers to understand quality objectives, gameplay intentions, and engine capabilities to deliver at a high quality for work objectives.

• Communicates and works closely with Game Designers and Programmers to find effective solutions or fix issues and achieve goals on time.

• Quickly prototypes and previsualises animation systems and ideas that will serve as a basis for animation and gameplay-related discussions.

• Supports the requirements for in-game cut-scenes and performance animation as required at Lively, the worlds we create are crucial to our games and in delivering fantastic experiences to our players. 

Requirements

• Animation production experience on at least one shipped mobile game, with experience or a portfolio showcasing stylized motion.
• Advanced skills in games development software such as Maya & Unity Game Engine.
• Must excel at creating flexible joint hierarchies, skin weighting and engine-optimized deformation set-up.
• Exceptional key frame animation skills and a reel that showcases world leading animation quality in character and other related gameplay animation systems.
• Expert level of understanding of the principals of animation.
• Strong understanding of animation and how it applies to gameplay.
• A passion for character animation, playing games and film.
• Traditional art skills are a distinct advantage.
• A passionate and self-motivated individual, willingness to work in a team and communicate effectively.
• Ability to prioritise one's own tasks and be responsive to deadlines.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills. Must be able to quickly identify issues and proactively resolve them.

Animation production experience on at least one shipped mobile game with a portfolio showcasing stylized motion. Advanced skills in Maya and Unity Game Engine. Must excel at creating flexible joint hierarchies, skin weighting, and engine-optimized deformation set-up. Exceptional key frame animation skills and a reel demonstrating world-leading character animation quality. Expert understanding of animation principles and their application to gameplay. Passion for character animation, games, and film. Strong traditional art skills are an advantage. Must be passionate, self-motivated, a team player, and able to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines with exceptional problem-solving skills.