3D Layout Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Blizzard Entertainment is seeking a highly accomplished, visual storyteller to join our award-winning Cinematics team as a Senior Previz Artist. This premium cinematic division is responsible for creating the next generation of industry-defining, high-fidelity animated sequences that support legendary game franchises such as Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®.

The ideal candidate, Senior Previz Artist, possesses deep professional experience previsualizing complex narrative sequences, translating abstract story concepts, and executing a director’s creative vision. This requires masterful command over 3D cinematic language, including staging, spatial blocking, virtual camera mechanics, lens selection, environmental composition, character motion, and structural editing.

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for an organized, highly creative professional capable of solving complex technical and artistic problems under tight deadlines in a fast-paced production environment.

Workspace Flexibility & Location Designations

• The Hybrid Structure: This role is designated as a hybrid position, balancing structured on-site studio access with work-from-home flexibility.
• The Irvine Studio: The primary physical hub and potential home studio for this position is our state-of-the-art campus in Irvine, California.
• Flexible Remote Exceptions: We understand that individual geographical and personal circumstances vary. Blizzard talent professionals are fully prepared to explore alternative working options during the application process, which may include entirely remote, work-from-home arrangements for qualified applicants residing outside of Southern California.

Hourly Compensation Structure for Senior Previz Artist job.

In strict compliance with transparency standards, the standard base pay spectrum for this temporary contract position (Senior Previz Artist) in the United States is $39.54 to $73.16 per hour. These values reflect the broad range expected for new hires across all nationwide regions.

The finalized hourly rate offered to a successful candidate is negotiable and will be calculated based on a combination of professional factors, including:

• Total years of verified experience within high-fidelity film, VFX, or AAA game layout departments.
• Demonstrated technical competencies during artistic portfolio evaluations and interview rounds.
• The chosen geographic work location and corresponding cost-of-living index.
• Potential eligibility for discretionary incentive compensation or milestone premiums, though bonus pay is not guaranteed.

Holistic Benefits (Benefits for Every World)

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage. Access to Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA), specialized healthcare flexible spending accounts, and dedicated dependent care spending accounts.
• Financial Protection: Studio-sponsored Life Insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) protection, and robust short-term and long-term disability insurance programs.
• Retirement & Education: A structured 401(k) savings program featuring a competitive corporate matching scheme, tuition reimbursement for ongoing professional education, and charitable donation matching platforms.
• Paid Time Off: Standard paid holidays, accrued vacation time, paid sick leave, floating holidays, parental leave, and compassionate bereavement support windows.
• Lifestyle & Perks: Mental health support programs, corporate fitness incentives, free or discounted Activision Blizzard video games, identity theft protection, group legal services, and discounted renter’s insurance.
• Relocation Support: If the studio mandates structural geographic relocation to our Irvine facility, candidates may be eligible to receive a comprehensive relocation assistance package.

Key Responsibilities & Daily Deliverables

The cinematic production landscape is highly dynamic, requiring flexibility, speed, and precision. Your core responsibilities as a Senior Previz Artist will encompass the following production tasks:

1. Shot Creation & Visual Composition

• Construct complex, beautifully balanced 3D shots that clearly communicate critical narrative story beats.
• Utilize advanced staging, character blocking, environmental placement, and virtual camera animation to dictate the physical rhythm and emotional weight of a scene.
• Animate rough character performances and proxy geometry to establish clear physical interactions and line-of-sight tracking before assets are passed to final animation teams.

2. Stakeholder Collaboration & Ideation

• Work in direct partnership with directors, cinematic supervisors, layout leads, and writing staff to transform loose scripts or concept art into cohesive, three-dimensional animatics.
• Ingest multifaceted feedback rapidly, altering shot trajectories, lens selections, or editing cuts efficiently to match changing creative direction.
• Actively pitch staging ideas, camera choreography, and structural narrative adjustments verbally and visually to corporate leadership.

3. Pipeline Cleanliness & Technical Accountability

• Maintain clean, unbloated technical organization across all digital scenes, Maya files, and workspace directories.
• Take personal accountability for deadline delivery, ensuring asset hierarchies, reference files, and frame ranges comply with downstream department needs.
• Proactively identify structural anomalies, rigging limitations, or scaling bugs in proxy assets, flagging potential technical issues before they disrupt production timelines.
• Communicate clearly with production coordinators and managers to track task durations and manage multiple layout assignments simultaneously.

Position Requirements

Candidates must demonstrate a mature balance of high-end cinematic taste and advanced technical proficiency within standard digital content creation (DCC) pipelines.

Required Professional Experience

• Industry Longevity: A minimum of eight (8) or more years of active, professional experience working in feature film, VFX, high-end animation, or AAA game cinematic production as a dedicated previsualization or rough layout artist.
• Portfolio Pedigree: A proven track record of successfully designing complex, high-fidelity sequences and fast-paced action shots from initial layout to editorial handoff.
• Software Mastery: Extensive, expert-level studio experience utilizing Autodesk Maya. Candidates must be deeply proficient in Maya’s keyframe animation system for previz blocking and possess a foundational working comfort with basic modeling, proxy rigging, and rudimentary lighting/shading setups.

Technical & Artistic Knowledge

• Cinematic Literacy: An instinctual, comprehensive grasp of real-world filmmaking principles, including camera sensor formats, focal lengths, depth-of-field, continuity editing rules, composition theories, and traditional film grammar.
• Storyboard-Free Ideation: Proven ability to rapidly build cinematic shots entirely from scratch, using text scripts or verbal prompts without relying on prior storyboards or visual reference material.
• Constructive Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated capability to maturely grow through peer feedback while providing clear, empathetic, and honest critiques to fellow team members.
• Pipeline Interconnectivity: A thorough understanding of how previsualization influences subsequent production departments, including Asset Modeling, Character Rigging, Final Layout, Technical Animation, FX, and Lighting.

Preferred "Extra Points" Qualifications

• A passionate familiarity with the underlying themes, artistic styles, lore, and visual identity of Blizzard game franchises (Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, StarCraft).
• Practical experience operating physical camera capture setups, virtual production volumes, or tracking systems, alongside the technical knowledge needed to process and retarget resulting data.
• A strong background in practical, real-world photography or videography, displaying a natural eye for lighting exposure, framing, and manual lens operation.
• Advanced technical capabilities within Autodesk Maya, specifically utilizing Python or MEL scripting languages to automate repetitive layout tasks, build custom UI toolsets, or optimize scene assembly.

Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility Commitment

Blizzard Entertainment is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We know that diverse teams operating in an inclusive environment enhance our ability to build immersive worlds. We strongly encourage applications from women, members of under‑represented communities, and individuals with disabilities. If you require reasonable physical or mental accommodations during the application or interviewing process, please submit your confidential request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com.