Cinematic Technical Designer
$115,000–$140,000 year
On-siteSanta Monica, California, United States
Job Summary
Implement cinematic sequences in Unreal Engine 5 using Sequencer, including full cinematics, interactive cinematics, and blended in-world moments. Own the glue between mission scripting, player control handoffs, cameras, VFX events, and environment set dressing to ensure seamless transitions. Build and maintain Blueprint logic supporting cinematic events such as triggers, state management, player possession, camera blending, and post-cinematic flow. Collaborate with Mission Designers, Animators, Engineers, Audio, and Dialogue teams to integrate performances, facial animation, and sound events correctly. Pitch, playtest, and profile cinematic needs to resolve creative problems and improve narrative quality. Diagnose and resolve issues at the boundary of cinematic and open world systems regarding streaming, LOD, and world state. Write technical documentation for cinematic pipelines and proactively surface risks related to scope, performance, or complexity. Full-time on-site role in Santa Monica, CA, with a base pay range of $115,000 - $140,000 per year.
Required Qualifications
- 3+ years of experience as a Cinematic Technical Designer, Technical Designer, or similar role in the video game industry
- Experience supporting cinematic implementation on at least one shipped AAA title
- Strong hands-on expertise with Unreal Engine 5 Sequencer — shot tracks, event tracks, camera rigs, blending, and runtime playback
- Solid Blueprint scripting skills, with the ability to build and debug cinematic control flows independently
- Clear understanding of open world mission architecture — how cinematics are triggered, how player state is managed, and how streaming affects authored content
- Fluency in the language of camera and editing: you understand shot composition, coverage, and timing, and you can implement a director's intent
- Strong communication and cross-discipline collaboration skills. You can work across design, art, animation, and engineering without getting lost in translation
Desired Qualifications
- Experience with MetaHuman facial animation pipelines or driven performance systems in UE5
- Familiarity with Perforce and large shared codebases
- Background in film, screenwriting, or on-set production — people who think in shots tend to do this work at a different level
- Experience with narrative branching systems or dialogue trees that intersect with cinematic delivery
- Passion for narrative-heavy games and cinematics
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