Breathe Life into Alien Characters! 3D Animation for Kids' Exercise Show (Blender or Maya)

Project Description: Character Animator for Sci-Fi Exercise Show We are seeking a talented, cost-effective 3D character animator (outside the US) to bring high-energy, expressive performances to a unique, gamified fitness show aimed at older elementary school audiences. The concept revolves around a live-action host—played by a well-established podcaster—acting as a coach/teacher who interacts with our 3D animated trainees. The core heart and humor of the show come from the journey of learning through making mistakes. Characters will initially fail exercises, stumble through physical challenges, and miss objectives inside a shifting simulation. However, the emotional payoff comes when they learn from those mistakes, adjust, and finally achieve hard-earned successes. We need an animator who can capture this full arc: the comedic frustration of failure, the determination to try again, and the high-energy triumph of nailing the exercise. Our characters are already fully rigged (Body and Face) utilizing a mix of Mixamo and ARKit facial tracking. Clear Expectations & Deliverables We work on an hourly basis and expect efficient, milestone-based progress. You will be responsible for animating character reactions, physical comedy, the contrast between exercise failures and successes, and dialogue interactions with our live-action host. Deliverables & Output Requirements To ensure seamless integration into our production pipeline, all assets must meet the following strict criteria: Compositing Ready: All animations must be delivered "compositing ready" so they can be dropped directly into our editing software (Final Cut Pro / Adobe After Effects) with zero green-screen keying or background cleanup required. Alpha Channel & Flat/Ambient Lighting: Final animations must feature a fully transparent alpha channel. Please render the characters using a clean, neutral, and flat ambient lighting setup (similar to a viewport material preview) with no harsh or baked directional shadows. We will handle all environmental lighting matches, custom shadows, and dynamic color grading in post-production. Required Format: Deliverables must be provided strictly as ProRes 4444 (.mov) with Alpha. Skills Required for This Work Expert Character Animation: Proven experience in comedic timing, physical comedy, and highly expressive facial animation. Dynamic Acting Range & Creative Instincts: Ability to convincingly animate the physical contrast between clumsy mistakes and sharp successes, bringing your own creative ideas to the character's performance. Technical Rig Familiarity: Proficiency working with Mixamo body layouts and ARKit facial blendshapes/shape keys in either Blender or Maya. Target Audience Awareness: Ability to create stylized, high-energy acting choices that connect authentically with older elementary school kids (ages 8–11). Details About How We Like to Work Clear Environmental Goals: We will clearly communicate the specific environment and objectives for our scenes. Initially, most of the animation will take place in a sci-fi dojo/classroom setting, where the characters learn how to do the exercises and train for their objectives. Character Scale & Simulation Dynamics: Because the alien character is a player inside a simulation, it will visually interact with the live-action host at a unique scale—appearing approximately the size of an action figure to a human. Your animations will need to account for this fun, miniature-to-human physical dynamic. Snappy, "Splashed-In" Format: Rather than long, continuous shots, our current direction is to pop the characters in and out of scenes. Your animations will be fast-paced, highly expressive sequences splashed throughout the episode to punctuate the host's commentary. Comedic timing and instant visual impact are key here. Direction Without Micro-Management: We will lay out the core ideas, timing, audio tracks, and live-action reference videos for what we want the animations to accomplish, but we will not be storyboarding every single frame. We want to give you clear goals while leaving plenty of room for your professional expertise to determine what physical choices or comedic beats would work best in a scene. Agile & Iterative: We love a collaborative approach. We prefer blocking out the main movements (especially the physical comedy of the failures and the energy of the triumphs) for approval before you spend hours polishing the final keyframes. Good Communication & Collaborative Vision Fulfilling a Shared Vision: For this project, open communication is absolutely key. We are building a unique world, and we want to work with you to realize its full potential. We look forward to a healthy dialogue where you can pitch ideas that elevate the humor and energy of the show. An Evolving Work in Progress: Please note that we are actively tweaking and refining this project as we go. Some parts are a work in progress, which means flexibility, adaptability, and a problem-solving mindset are highly valued. Proactive Updates: Since we are working across different time zones, clear and proactive communication is vital. We expect regular check-ins and video previews (playblasts) via platform chat so we can align quickly. English Proficiency: Ability to understand English audio tracks and written creative briefs clearly to capture the nuance of the dialogue and humor. Trial Period & Initial Engagement To ensure a mutually successful partnership and strong creative alignment, our collaboration will begin with an initial, limited-hour trial period. During this introductory phase, we will evaluate specific, short-form tasks focusing on: Nuanced Facial Expressions: Capturing the precise comedic or emotional reactions required for our younger audience. Key Character Poses: Establishing strong, dynamic silhouettes that communicate clear physical acting. Short Animation Test Assets: Evaluating workflow efficiency, technical pipeline compatibility, and performance timing. Our ultimate goal is to identify a long-term creative partner who gels perfectly with our team dynamic and possesses the artistic instincts necessary to truly bring these characters to life. How to Apply If you are an international animator who thrives in a collaborative, evolving creative environment and loves physical comedy, please apply with: A link to your character animation reel (specifically highlighting facial expressions, body mechanics, and physical comedy). Your standard hourly rate. Your software preference (Blender or Maya).