Senior Unreal Engine Artist (Cinematic Pipeline)

Senior Unreal Engine Artist – Cinematic Production

Location: Chennai / Remote / Hybrid

Experience: 3-5 years

Engagement: Full-time / Project-based, depending on experience

We are looking for a senior Unreal Engine artist with strong production experience to join our team on a large-scale, cinematic animated series currently in production.

This is not a generalist Unreal role. We are looking for someone who has a strong understanding of MetaHuman, animation retargeting, cinematics, cameras, lighting and real-time rendering, and who can take an animated sequence from technical setup to a polished cinematic shot.

What you will be working on

You will be working closely with our animation and production teams to build and polish cinematic sequences in Unreal Engine.

Your work will include:

• Working with MetaHuman characters and complex character setups
• Importing, retargeting and integrating motion capture and animation data
• Troubleshooting animation and retargeting issues and getting characters to move correctly and naturally
• Working with IK Retargeter, IK Rig, Control Rig and Animation Blueprints
• Cleaning up and refining animation inside Unreal where required
• Setting up and operating cinematic cameras
• Understanding camera language, composition, focal lengths, depth of field and camera movement
• Building and refining lighting setups for cinematic sequences
• Working with Lumen and Unreal's real-time rendering pipeline
• Creating cinematic sequences using Sequencer
• Working with environments, characters, props and animation together to create finished shots
• Understanding how lighting, camera and animation work together to tell a scene
• Identifying and solving technical problems that affect the final shot
• Optimising scenes and assets where required without compromising visual quality
• Working closely with the director, animation team and other artists to achieve the intended visual quality

We are specifically looking for someone who

• Has strong hands-on Unreal Engine experience in a production environment
• Has worked extensively with MetaHuman
• Has solid experience with animation retargeting and mocap workflows
• Understands IK Rig, IK Retargeter, Control Rig and animation systems
• Has strong knowledge of Sequencer and cinematic workflows
• Has a good eye for camera composition and cinematic storytelling
• Understands lighting for realistic/cinematic environments
• Can work with both technical and creative aspects of a shot
• Can troubleshoot problems independently instead of relying entirely on other departments
• Has a strong understanding of real-time rendering and Unreal optimisation
• Is comfortable working with complex characters, environments and animation data
• Can maintain quality and consistency across multiple shots and sequences

Bonus if you have experience with

• Rokoko or other motion-capture systems
• Maya animation pipelines
• FBX animation workflows
• Facial animation / MetaHuman facial systems
• Control Rig
• Unreal Engine Python tools or technical workflows
• Virtual cinematography
• Realistic historical environments and characters
• Large-scale action or combat sequences
• Film, animation, VFX or game cinematics

What we value

We are looking for someone who is not just technically proficient in Unreal, but has a strong cinematic eye.

You should be able to look at a shot and understand why it doesn't feel right — whether the problem is the animation, camera, lighting, staging, timing or composition — and know how to improve it.

You will have significant creative and technical responsibility, so ownership, problem-solving and attention to detail are extremely important.

Experience

5+ years of relevant professional experience preferred.

Candidates with exceptional Unreal cinematic experience may be considered based on their portfolio, regardless of the exact number of years.

Portfolio is mandatory

Please share your showreel / portfolio / Unreal work along with your application.

We are particularly interested in seeing:

• Cinematic Unreal sequences
• MetaHuman work
• Animation retargeting
• Mocap integration
• Camera work
• Lighting
• Sequencer work
• Character animation
• Before/after examples of animation cleanup or shot refinement

If your portfolio demonstrates that you can take a shot from animation data to a polished cinematic result, we would love to hear from you.