Electronic Arts

Cliffhanger Games is a newly formed Seattle Studio focusing on blockbuster action-adventure games and pioneering next-generation emergent storytelling beginning with Marvel’s Black Panther. Join us to pursue your passion to build unique, groundbreaking, and inclusive games that empower players to create incredible stories of heroic adventure. Become a foundational part of an ambitious, respectful, and diverse organization as we are looking for a Mocap Technician to join our team.

The Senior Mocap Technician is a contract role and will report directly to the Sr. Animation Director, overseeing a new optical motion capture studio in Kirkland, WA.  The Senior Motion Capture Technician will capture high quality motion capture data and is responsible for its overall pipeline and maintenance.  

You are passionate about motion capture production related to video games and have knowledge of industry-standard processes, protocols, and best practices related to motion capture, animation, and visual effects.  You run an optical motion capture studio and work as part of a team, collaborating with animation leads and directors, performers and other production personnel.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the development of a new optical system in Kirkland, Washington
• Maintaining the hardware, equipment and troubleshooting issues as they arrive.
• Ensure the studio is working at a high level of stability and professionalism.   
• Coordination with Cliffhanger Studio’s Animation and Presentation Team in planning and running shoots. 
• Create props and breakdown afterwards. 
• Mocap operator, capturing and processing top quality source data. Track, solve, retarget, and clean.
• Communication with developers, actors, external contracts and legal requirements.
• Maintain inertia mocap hardware and pipeline. 
• Evangelize for tools and workflow improvements in the motion capture studio and animation departments.  Establish and document workflows and best practices. 
• Collaborate with EA’s larger motion capture workforce to exchange workflow, tools, process.  Maintain a good reputation and rapport with our fellow motion capture teams. 
• Organize & maintain studio mocap source library.
• Perform animation tasks in support of the Gameplay Animation Department when not otherwise occupied by motion capture duties.  

Qualifications

• Minimum 6+ years' experience in motion capture production related to video games, television, film or other related industry. 
• Minimum 3+ years of experience with virtual production techniques, including proficiency in cinematic and animation language, camera terminology, and knowledge of real-world cameras of multiple types.
• Knowledge of industry-standard processes, protocols, and best practices related to motion capture and animation; vicon, xsens, motion builder, maya, unreal engine, and other relevant tools.  
• Experience maintaining motion capture hardware, including cameras, suits, markers, and facial capture systems.
• An understanding of programming languages commonly used for motion capture pipelines, such as Python or C++
• A Portfolio demonstrating past work.
• Located or willing to relocate to the Kirkland, WA area.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs). BASE SALARY RANGES

• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane)
  • $115,700 - $163,100 USD

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to temporary full-time employees scheduled to work full time.