Blendshape Director

Job Description

Blendshapes Character Director (Face Focused) EA Create

EA Create is a collective of content production teams partnering with EA Studios game teams to bring outstanding visuals, audio and technology to life. Our teams consist of artists, engineers, technicians, designers and development directors. Worldwide, we combine our teams to form a global group of extraordinary individuals fueled by imagination and a unified passion for creating amazing visuals, sound and experiences. We're a diverse team that is unified through collaboration, culture and craft.

Blendshapes

EA Create Blendshapes, the multifaceted team mostly based between Orlando, Florida and Vancouver, Canada is best known for creating amazing work in titles such as Madden, UFC, Need for Speed, Dead Space, and Battlefield to name a few; and we're looking for a Blendshape Artist to work on upcoming titles.

Blendshapes Character Director

The Blendshapes Character Director oversees the Blendshapes Department. Voice of the department in collaboration with Facial Capture, Scanning, Animation, and external technical groups. You will report into the Production Technical Art Director and have direct reports on the team. You will be responsible for multiple projects, being a point of escalation without daily production support being your main focus.

Responsibilities:

• Guide Creative and Quality of all Blendshape projects
• Drive Facial Motion / FACS quality
• Lead improvements within the Blendshape space, both visual and technical
• Establish quality benchmarks for Game Teams
• Regular check ins with Artists, Leads and Production to support their needs
• Mentor a diverse team of artists
• Blendshape team reports into you as their Manager
• Collaborate with department technical leadership to align development
• Define and estimate tasks / deliverables
• Oversee the documentation of workflows
• Work with external vendors to maintain Blendshape quality

Qualifications:

• 8+ years experience with multiple shipped Game Titles or VFX / Feature Animation
• Expertise in FACS
• Expertise in Facial Motion / Blendshapes
• Experience working with Creative, Technical, and Business Partners
• Background in Character Art
• Expertise in Maya, Photoshop, and ZBrush
• Expertise in Neutral Head and Blendshape creation
• Experience with human anatomy, proportion, silhouette, topology and deformation

Bonus:

• Experience with Substance Painter and Wrap3
• Game Engine Experience (Commercial or Proprietary)
• Experience in Animation

BC COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these locations. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the base salary range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Salary offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):

o $126,000 - $176,300 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. We also offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.