Animation Studios In State Jobs in Orange, NJ (NOW HIRING)

About the job Hybrid | Character Animator (Facial & Performance Capture) - $50-$80/hour

We are sharing a specialised part-time opportunity for experienced character animators with deep expertise in facial animation, performance capture, and translating subtle human expression into convincing character performance.

This role supports advanced AI research focused on performance transfer - preserving an actor's timing, emotion, facial expression, and physical nuance when transferring a performance into new visual outputs. Selected animators will help establish professional evaluation standards, curate challenging benchmark examples, and define how AI-generated character performances should be assessed.

Key Responsibilities

Character Performance Evaluation

• Evaluate AI-generated character performances for emotional authenticity and physical fidelity
• Assess whether timing, expression, gesture, and movement accurately preserve the original performance
• Identify subtle losses in emotional beats, micro-expressions, facial movement, and body language
• Evaluate whether performances feel natural, coherent, and believable
• Apply professional animation judgement to distinguish technically correct movement from convincing character performance

Facial Animation & Performance Capture

• Assess facial keyframe animation, motion-capture solving, cleanup, and motion editing
• Evaluate facial expressions, eye movement, lip behaviour, and subtle performance cues
• Identify inconsistencies introduced during performance transfer
• Review facial and performance rigs from the perspective of expressive fidelity
• Apply knowledge of performance capture pipelines to complex evaluation scenarios

Evaluation Standards & Rubric Development

• Define clear criteria for high-quality character and facial performance
• Develop evaluation guidelines covering emotional resonance, timing, movement, and physical fidelity
• Identify weaknesses or blind spots in existing evaluation methodologies
• Translate expert animation judgement into structured and repeatable assessment criteria
• Refine standards for difficult or ambiguous performance cases

Benchmark & Sample Curation

• Identify representative examples of performances ranging from straightforward to technically challenging
• Curate benchmark material that tests nuanced character-performance capabilities
• Select examples involving subtle emotional transitions, complex expressions, or difficult motion
• Generate visual samples for targeted testing and comparison where required
• Help establish meaningful reference points for measuring model improvements

AI Evaluation & Visual Analysis

• Review AI-assisted visual outputs using professional animation standards
• Translate subtle performance differences into clear and precise written descriptions
• Produce observations suitable for evaluation templates, captions, and structured research data
• Identify recurring model weaknesses across character and facial performance
• Use AI tools and workflows to support testing and comparative evaluation

Collaboration & Calibration

• Work with other animation and visual subject-matter experts to maintain consistent evaluation standards
• Participate in calibration sessions and structured review processes
• Discuss complex performance cases and establish shared quality thresholds
• Help define the expertise and evaluation criteria required for larger reviewer teams
• Collaborate with research and programme teams on evolving evaluation methodologies

Ideal Profile

• 4+ years of hands-on professional experience as a Character Animator, Facial Animator, Performance Animator, or closely related specialist
• Character or human performance must be a core part of your professional animation work
• Verifiable credits on at least 2 feature films, animated features, or AAA game cinematics with recognised studios
• Direct experience with facial animation and/or performance capture
• Relevant experience may include facial keyframing, motion-capture solving, cleanup, motion editing, or technical design of facial and performance rigs
• Exceptional eye for micro-expressions, emotional beats, timing, and subtle physical performance
• Strong understanding of what makes animated human or character performance feel authentic
• Familiarity with AI tools and visual-generation workflows
• Ability to generate visual samples for evaluation and comparison
• Excellent written English and ability to describe complex visual and performance details precisely
• Reliable access to a 4K-resolution monitor is advantageous
• Candidates should have specialised character-performance experience rather than backgrounds focused primarily on cinematography, lighting, colour, compositing, editing, environments, effects, layout, or generalist 3D work
• Must be based in the United States and able to attend occasional in-person working sessions in Playa Vista, Los Angeles or New York City

Engagement Details

• Part-time engagement
• Hybrid working arrangement with work primarily completed remotely
• In-person working sessions approximately once or twice per month
• Onsite sessions will take place in Playa Vista, CA or New York, NY
• Compensation: $50-$80/hour
• Projects may be extended, shortened, or concluded based on project needs and performance
• Work must be completed without using confidential or proprietary information belonging to any employer, client, studio, institution, or other third party

About the Platform

This opportunity is available through 24-MAG LLC. We connect experienced professionals with remote consulting opportunities across technical, evaluation, and project-based workstreams.

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