DreamWorks Feature - Previs Artist

DreamWorks Animation is looking for more adventurous dreamers who shoot for the moon. We tell stories about the journeys our unconventional heroes take to make dreams come true. As a growth-minded studio, we pride ourselves on being one of the world's leading producers of high-quality, award-winning, animated films and series, reaching consumers around the globe. We push to feel more, laugh more, and build immersive new worlds.

DreamWorks creates a diverse array of original content in a variety of formats, delivering compelling stories with unique characters. We place tremendous value on the experiences our talent brings to the table from their own non-traditional paths to success. We believe in frequent communication and that transparency and trust yield the best work. We are a community of artists, technologists, innovators, and creators, who are passionate about animation and also happen to love eating lunch together. 

A Previsualization Artist creates sequences of shots that convey the story through the application of traditional filmmaking principles in a 3D computer graphics environment.

Comcast NBCniversal has announced its intent to create a new publicly traded company ('Versant') comprised of most of NBCUniversal's cable television networks, including USA Network, CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel along with complementary digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. The well-capitalized company will have significant scale as a pure-play set of assets anchored by leading news, sports and entertainment content. The spin-off is expected to be completed during 2025.

If you are part of the fandom and believe teamwork makes the dream work, join us in #livingthedream and #doingyourdreamwork! 

“What would you say you do here?”

• Establish character blocking, camera positioning, and animate camera movement.

• Build an animatic interpretation of the story reel.

• Ensure that the vision of the Director and Art Director are incorporated into the film where possible.

• Work with existing storyboards, recreate and/or enhance story through cinematic layout of shots.

• May create rough pre-visualization models and environments to facilitate animatic work.

• Collaborate with the Editorial department to incorporate materials and animatic work into the production reel.

• Help guide the pre-visualization and layout work flow, tool and pipeline development with input and testing.

• Pre-visualize the look of the film - characters, locations, effects, look - in collaboration with the Art Department.

• Pre-visualize and layout sequences of shots that convey the story based on storyboards, story reel, and/or script pages.

• Model, surface, and rig pre-visualization and layout models, characters, environments, and effects.

• Optimize assets and scenes for real time interactive playback.

• Plan and prepare motion capture and camera capture sessions.

• Active participant at virtual shoots capturing motion capture data.

• Active participant at camera capture session capturing camera motion.

• Work in pre-visualization and layout on lighting, effects, rough character animation/blocking, camera motion, and rough editing.

• Motion edit motion capture and keyframe animation of characters.

• Deliver shot data to Final Layout Department that meet the need of production.

• Communicate with downstream departments to find solutions that facilitate the production process. 

“What do I need to have in order to do this job?”

• 3 years of computer graphics pre-visualization production experience

• Experience with motion capture based pre-visualization workflow

• Expertise in programs such as Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Motion Builder, Adobe Photoshop

• Expertise with editing software

• Moderate to advanced modeling, surfacing and rigging skills

• Moderate to advanced skills in effects animation

“What can I offer?”

• Film background and/or film education 

Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.

Salary Range: $78,312 - $110,000

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [email protected].