Unreal Engine Animator & Render Artist – Cinematic Animation | Long-Term Opportunity

We are an emerging animation studio developing original narrative content using a modern real-time production pipeline built around Unreal Engine, Reallusion, AI-assisted workflows, and virtual production techniques. We are looking for a highly capable Unreal Engine Animator & Render Artist who can take prepared characters, environments, animation, and camera setups and bring them to a polished cinematic final-pixel standard inside Unreal Engine. This is a long-term opportunity for the right artist. We are not looking for someone who only knows basic Sequencer operation or game animation. We need an artist with a strong understanding of cinematic storytelling, character performance, camera language, lighting, rendering, and Unreal Engine optimisation. The Role You will work on narrative animation projects and help take shots from animation blocking through polish, lighting, rendering, and final delivery. Depending on the sequence, you may receive: MetaHuman or custom characters Character Creator / Reallusion characters iClone animation Motion-capture data Facial animation Environment assets Storyboards or animatics Camera references Shot lists and scene direction Your responsibility will be to turn these elements into compelling, polished cinematic shots. Key Responsibilities Create and polish character animation inside Unreal Engine 5 Work extensively with Sequencer Refine body mechanics, timing, posing, weight, and character performance Clean and improve imported mocap or iClone animation Create secondary animation where required Work with facial animation and MetaHuman performances Build cinematic camera compositions Create camera movement, lens choices, focus pulls, depth of field, and shot transitions Improve scene staging and visual storytelling Set up and refine cinematic lighting Work with Lumen and/or path-traced workflows where appropriate Configure hair, cloth, physics, and secondary simulation for final shots Troubleshoot character, groom, cloth, shadow, flicker, and rendering issues Optimise scenes for reliable cinematic rendering Render high-quality sequences through Movie Render Queue Produce high-quality image sequences such as EXR Maintain correct frame ranges, handles, naming conventions, and project organisation Ensure continuity between shots Work collaboratively with the director, production team, and other artists Animation Quality We are looking for someone who understands that good cinematic animation is more than simply importing motion capture. You should be comfortable improving: Body mechanics Weight and balance Character intention Eye direction Hand placement Facial performance Idle motion Interaction between characters Contact with props and environments Timing and spacing Emotional beats Silhouette and posing Animation continuity between shots Cinematic Camera Skills Strong camera skills are very important. You should understand: Shot composition Lens selection Camera height and angle Establishing shots Medium and close-up coverage Over-the-shoulder shots Inserts and cutaways Motivated camera movement Depth of field Rack focus Screen direction Eyelines Continuity Visual rhythm We want shots that feel directed and photographed, not like a game-engine viewport recording. Rendering Responsibilities You should have strong practical experience with Unreal Engine cinematic rendering, including: Movie Render Queue Temporal and spatial sampling Anti-aliasing Motion blur Lumen Virtual Shadow Maps Ray tracing where appropriate Path Tracer where appropriate Groom rendering Cloth simulation High-resolution textures Nanite EXR output Render passes Alpha / matte requirements Camera exposure Colour management Render optimisation Troubleshooting flicker, ghosting, noise, shadow artefacts, and temporal issues Preferred Pipeline Experience Experience with some of the following would be highly valuable: Unreal Engine 5 MetaHuman MetaHuman Animator Character Creator 4 / 5 iClone 8 Live Link Blender Maya Motion capture Control Rig IK Rig / IK Retargeter Animation Blueprints Chaos Cloth Groom systems Niagara Substance DaVinci Resolve After Effects Nuke AI-assisted animation or production tools You do not need to use every application listed above. We care primarily about your ability to deliver high-quality cinematic shots efficiently and reliably. Modern Workflow We are actively building a modern animation pipeline. We are therefore interested in artists who are comfortable combining: Unreal Engine + Reallusion + Motion Capture + AI-assisted tools + traditional animation judgement We are not interested in unnecessarily rebuilding everything manually when modern tools can accelerate production. At the same time, automation should never replace artistic judgement. The final result must still feel intentional, cinematic, and professionally animated. What We Are NOT Looking For This role is probably not suitable if your Unreal Engine experience is primarily: Game mechanics Blueprint programming only Environment walkthroughs Architectural visualisation Basic Sequencer editing Dragging mocap clips directly into Sequencer without animation polish Simple real-time renders without cinematic finishing We are specifically looking for someone focused on narrative cinematic animation. Quality Bar Our target is suitable for: High-end animated short films Streaming-quality narrative content Cinematic trailers AAA-style real-time cinematics Film-festival presentation Close-up character performance Long-Term Opportunity We are looking to build an ongoing relationship with the right artist. Initially, we may start with a small number of shots or a short sequence to establish workflow, quality, communication, and turnaround time. Successful artists may then work with us across multiple scenes and future productions. We are flexible on rate and are willing to increase the rate for an artist who consistently delivers exceptional work. Quality, reliability, communication, and the ability to solve Unreal Engine production problems are more important to us than choosing the lowest bid. When Applying Please include: Your strongest Unreal Engine cinematic animation reel Examples of character-driven cinematic work Examples showing animation polish rather than only raw mocap Unreal Engine lighting and rendering examples MetaHuman work, if available Examples of Movie Render Queue output Details of your Unreal Engine version and primary animation workflow Your experience with iClone / Character Creator / MetaHuman / mocap Your typical turnaround time per cinematic shot Your hourly or per-shot rate Please also briefly describe your process for taking a shot from: Imported animation → animation polish → camera → lighting → simulation → Movie Render Queue → final EXR/render. Application Screening Question In the first line of your proposal, please answer: “What are the first three things you check when an Unreal Engine cinematic shot looks technically correct but still feels visually amateur?” Generic proposals will not be prioritised. We are looking for an artist who combines technical Unreal Engine knowledge with animation judgement, cinematography, and visual storytelling and who wants to grow with us over the long term.