About the role
Role Overview
We are seeking a Cinematic Designer to join Rogue Studios and help shape memorable, high-impact cinematic experiences that bring our stories, characters, and worlds to life. Working closely with directors, writers, artists, animators, and game designers, you will translate narrative and creative direction into compelling sequences through camera composition, staging, pacing, lighting, transitions, and visual storytelling. The ideal candidate has a strong cinematic eye, a passion for interactive storytelling, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines to create polished, emotionally engaging moments that elevate the player experience.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and implement cinematic experiences in Unreal Engine 5 using Sequencer, ranging from fully authored cinematics and interactive sequences to seamlessly integrated in-world narrative moments.
- Partner closely with Animators to integrate, polish, and enhance character performances, facial animation, and motion-capture data, ensuring cinematic sequences achieve the intended creative direction while meeting technical requirements.
- Diagnose and resolve technical and integration challenges across cinematics, including streaming, LOD management, world and gameplay states, and player-state transitions, to deliver stable and seamless cinematic experiences.
- Collaborate with Directors, Designers, Artists, Animators, and Engineers to translate creative vision into compelling, technically robust cinematic sequences.
- Refine camera work, transitions, timing, pacing, and sequencing to create polished cinematic experiences that support narrative, gameplay, and player immersion.
Core Qualifications
- Strong command of cinematic language, visual storytelling, and editorial principles, with a keen understanding of shot composition, coverage, pacing, rhythm, and timing.
- Ability to interpret and translate a Director's creative vision into effective cinematic staging, camera work, sequencing, and gameplay integration.
- Advanced hands-on proficiency with Unreal Engine 5 Sequencer, including shot and event tracks, camera rigs, blending, transitions, sub-sequences, and runtime cinematic playback.
- Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across Design, Art, Animation, Engineering, and other disciplines to align creative goals with technical execution.
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to identify technical constraints and develop practical solutions without compromising the cinematic experience.
- A strong eye for detail and polish, with an understanding of how performance, camera, editing, lighting, environments, and gameplay systems come together to create impactful cinematic moments.
Compensation and Logistics
- Salary: $85,000 - $110,000 / year. Range depends on experience, education, and qualifications.
- Location: Onsite in Los Angeles, California.
- Start Date: Late September 2026.
- Contract: Initial 3–4 week contract, with a strong likelihood of extension for up to one year based on project needs, performance, and business requirements.