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Cinematic Designer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

NYFA

Cinematic AI Specialist

Burbank, CA · On-site +1

$55 - $75/hr

... cinematic AI, generative design, and emerging creative technologies ... The program is designed for students and professionals working across filmmaking, content creation ...

NYFA

Cinematic AI Specialist

Burbank, CA · On-site

$55 - $75/hr

... cinematic AI, generative design, and emerging creative technologies ... The program is designed for students and professionals working across filmmaking, content creation ...

The Walt Disney Company

Senior Sound Designer

Glendale, CA · Remote

$95K - $128K/yr

Design, edit, implement, and polish sound effects, ambiences, cinematic audio, and gameplay systems ... Expertise designing and implementing interactive audio using Unreal Engine and middleware tools ...

MM International

UX/UI Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Title: UX/UI Designer- They need to have the streaming service exp Location: Remote or Hybrid in ... Ability to execute high-aesthetic, cinematic UI that balances usability and brand expression

Zwift

Senior Designer, Creative

Long Beach, CA · On-site +1

$70K - $110K/yr

Capture cinematic in-game imagery from the Zwift video game world for use across global marketing ... Experience designing for sport, gaming, or culturally relevant consumer brands. * Experience art ...

Tavus

Brand & Product Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$222K/yr

About the Position As Brand & Product Designer , you will be the connective tissue between how the ... You'll ensure our identity feels as bold, cinematic, and innovative as the bleeding-edge AI ...

TP-Link Systems Inc.

Sr. Motion Designer

Irvine, CA

$130K - $150K/yr

Overview: We're looking for a Senior Motion Designer to bring our consumer hardware products to life through cinematic, precision-driven motion graphics. You'll create the launch videos, product ...

TP-Link Systems Inc.

Sr. Motion Designer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$130K - $150K/yr

Overview: We're looking for a Senior Motion Designer to bring our consumer hardware products to life through cinematic, precision-driven motion graphics. You'll create the launch videos, product ...

Zwift

Senior Designer, Creative

Long Beach, CA · On-site +1

$70K - $110K/yr

Capture cinematic in-game imagery from the Zwift video game world for use across global marketing ... Experience designing for sport, gaming, or culturally relevant consumer brands. * Experience art ...

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Cinematic Designer information

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How much do cinematic designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 29, 2026, the average hourly pay for cinematic designer in California is $26.41, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $23.27 and $31.30 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a cinematic designer do?

A Cinematic Designer is responsible for creating in-game cutscenes, scripted events, and cinematic sequences that enhance storytelling in video games. They work closely with narrative designers, animators, and game directors to choreograph scenes using camera work, character animations, and visual effects. Cinematic Designers often use game engines like Unreal Engine or Unity, leveraging tools such as timeline editors and scripting to bring scenes to life. Their goal is to ensure that cinematic moments are visually compelling and seamlessly integrated into gameplay, enhancing the player's overall experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a cinematic designer?

To thrive as a Cinematic Designer, you need expertise in visual storytelling, 3D animation, camera composition, and digital art, often backed by a degree in game design, animation, or a related field. Mastery of tools such as Unreal Engine, Maya, MotionBuilder, and cinematic editing software is typically required. Strong collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and attention to detail help designers excel in dynamic, multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure that in-game and narrative cinematics effectively engage audiences and elevate the player's immersive experience.

What does a typical day look like for a cinematic designer working in the game industry?

A typical day for a Cinematic Designer involves collaborating with narrative writers, animators, and programmers to storyboard, block out, and refine in-game cutscenes or cinematic sequences. You may spend time using tools such as Unreal Engine to choreograph camera movements and character animations, as well as reviewing feedback and making iterative adjustments for pacing or emotional impact. Regular meetings with art and audio teams are common to ensure visual and sound elements align with the overall story vision. This dynamic workflow requires both creative input and technical execution, making each day both challenging and rewarding.

What are the most commonly searched types of Cinematic Designer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Cinematic Designer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Cinematic Designer jobs in California?

For Cinematic Designer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Cinematic Designer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Cinematic Designer jobs in California are:

Cinematic Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cinematic Designer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 26% Internship, and 74% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $54,926 per year, or $26.4 per hour.

Cinematic Technical Designer

Absurd Ventures

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

$115K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 19 days ago

Job description

Summary
We are looking for a Cinematic Technical Designer to join our team and help bring story moments to life across an all-new open world IP built in Unreal Engine 5. This role lives at the intersection of mission design, cinematics, and systems - responsible for implementing cinematic sequences, building tools for cinematic systems, and owning the connective tissue between player control, mission scripting, and authored content.
As a Cinematic Technical Designer at Absurd Ventures, you will work closely with Mission Designers, Animators, and Engineers to build, integrate, and polish cinematic moments across a broad range of contexts - from quiet interactive scenes to large-scale scripted set pieces. You are equally comfortable in Sequencer and Blueprint, and you understand how both tools behave in development environments and inside a live, streaming open world.
Core Responsibilities
  • Implement cinematic sequences in Unreal Engine 5 using Sequencer, including full cinematics, interactive cinematics, and blended in-world moments.
  • Own the "glue" between mission scripting, player control handoffs, cameras, VFX events, environment set dressing and cinematic playback - ensuring transitions are seamless and state is always clean.
  • Build and maintain Blueprint logic supporting cinematic events: triggers, state management, player possession and de-possession, camera blending, and post-cinematic flow.
  • Implement and modify narrative implementation in our writing tools to ensure we're ingesting the correct data with the correct timing.
  • Collaborate with Mission Designers to identify where cinematics serves the design and problem-solve where authored content and systemic gameplay intersect.
  • Pitch, playtest and profile cinematic needs to resolve creative problems and improve overall narrative and gameplay quality.
  • Work with Animators to integrate character performances, facial animation, and mo-cap data into sequences correctly and to brief.
  • Partner with Audio and Dialogue teams to ensure VO, music, and sound events are timed and triggered correctly across all cinematic contexts.
  • Diagnose and resolve issues at the boundary of cinematic and open world systems - streaming, LOD, world state, and player state edge cases.
  • Write and maintain clear technical documentation for cinematic pipelines, workflows, and implementation patterns.
  • Proactively surface risks related to cinematic scope, performance, or implementation complexity and communicate them to Production and leads.

Core Qualifications
  • 3+ years of experience as a Cinematic Technical Designer, Technical Designer, or similar role in the video game industry. Experience supporting cinematic implementation on at least one shipped AAA title.
  • Strong hands-on expertise with Unreal Engine 5 Sequencer - shot tracks, event tracks, camera rigs, blending, and runtime playback.
  • Solid Blueprint scripting skills, with the ability to build and debug cinematic control flows independently.
  • Clear understanding of open world mission architecture - how cinematics are triggered, how player state is managed, and how streaming affects authored content.
  • Fluency in the language of camera and editing: you understand shot composition, coverage, and timing, and you can implement a director's intent.
  • Strong communication and cross-discipline collaboration skills. You can work across design, art, animation, and engineering without getting lost in translation.

Plus if...
  • Experience with MetaHuman facial animation pipelines or driven performance systems in UE5.
  • Familiarity with Perforce and large shared codebases.
  • Background in film, screenwriting, or on-set production - people who think in shots tend to do this work at a different level.
  • Experience with narrative branching systems or dialogue trees that intersect with cinematic delivery.
  • Passion for narrative-heavy games and cinematics

Description
  • Full-time job with benefits.
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica - near metro and freeways.

The base pay range for this position is $115,000 - $140,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

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