Senior Gameplay Animator - job 1 of 2

As a Senior Gameplay Animator at CD PROJEKT RED, your key responsibilities include creating visually appealing first-person animations, editing motion capture data, and collaborating with the Animation Lead and Gameplay Design Team. You're expected to manage the animation-related aspects of the game, from prototyping animations to designing key gameplay animation features, ensuring an immersive player experience.

To apply for the Senior Gameplay Animator role at CD PROJEKT RED, you should have experience working on at least two AAA titles and possess a strong animation reel showcasing immersive first-person view model animations. A solid understanding of animation principles, professional knowledge of Unreal Engine and Motion Builder or Maya, as well as excellent communication skills are also essential.

While not explicitly required, skills in setting up and troubleshooting node-based state machines, motion matching, and developing animation pipelines can significantly enhance your candidacy for the Senior Gameplay Animator position at CD PROJEKT RED. Additionally, a proactive attitude and eagerness to mentor less experienced peers are highly valued.

At CD PROJEKT RED, employee growth is a top priority. For Senior Gameplay Animators, the company offers various professional development opportunities, including training, workshops, online tutorials, and knowledge-sharing initiatives, ensuring you continue to develop your skills and stay updated with the latest industry trends.

The work environment at CD PROJEKT RED is casual and inclusive, providing a dog-friendly office for pet lovers and a truly international team atmosphere. You’ll have flexible working hours, a supportive culture that encourages innovation, and the opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals from diverse backgrounds.

To answer this, start by outlining your approach to understanding the gameplay mechanics and character behavior. Describe how you use storyboards or animatics to plan animations, the tools you utilize, and how you iterate based on feedback from team members to refine your work into a polished final product.

Emphasize the importance of teamwork. Discuss how you regularly meet with designers and other animators to ensure alignment on project goals. Highlight specific experiences where collaboration improved the final animations, demonstrating your interpersonal skills and willingness to incorporate feedback.

Share specific games or animations that have inspired you and how they influence your work. Discuss your passion for crafting emotional experiences through animation and how you strive to create memorable interactions that resonate with players on a deeper level.

Provide an example of a time you received constructive feedback and how you incorporated it into your work. Emphasize your willingness to listen, adapt your animations, and how responding positively to feedback has improved your skills and created better results.

Discuss your time management strategies, such as breaking projects into smaller tasks, setting clear deadlines for yourself, and using tools like checklists or software to keep you organized. Give examples of how you've successfully met deadlines while maintaining quality.

Talk about the animation principles you apply to your work, such as weight, timing, and space. Describe how you reference motion capture techniques for realism, study character movements, or leverage collaboration with designers to ensure consistency with gameplay.

Explain your experience creating or refining animation pipelines. Mention specific tools you’ve developed or improved, how you collaborated with other departments to ensure seamless workflows, and the impact these improvements had on the production process.

Recall a specific project where you faced challenges, detailing the obstacles and how you overcame them. Highlight your problem-solving skills and your capacity to stay flexible in a dynamic game development environment.

Discuss your methodology for finding a balance between artistic freedom and technical constraints, perhaps citing instances where you had to iterate on designs to better fit gameplay requirements while still keeping the animations engaging and visually appealing.

Express your enthusiasm for the Cyberpunk franchise and the opportunity to push the boundaries of animation. Discuss how you’re eager to contribute to an innovative project, your admiration for the game's story-driven nature, and your desire to create unforgettable gameplay experiences for fans.