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Cinematic Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

AGBO

Sr. Cinematic Layout Artist

Raleigh, NC

Both upcoming Avengers films are directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and co-produced by AGBO and ... Position Summary: AGBO is seeking a Senior Cinematic Layout Artist to help bring our in-game ...

AGBO

Sr. Cinematic Layout Artist

Raleigh, NC · On-site

Both upcoming Avengers films are directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and co-produced by AGBO and ... Position Summary: AGBO is seeking a Senior Cinematic Layout Artist to help bring our in-game ...

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ProbablyMonsters

Cinematic Media Artist

Dallas, TX · On-site

$110K - $161K/yr

We are looking for a multidisciplinary Cinematic Media Artist to help create external/internal ... Proven ability to work closely with creative directors, producers, and marketing executives to ...

ProbablyMonsters

Cinematic Media Artist

Dallas, TX

$110K - $161K/yr

We are looking for a multidisciplinary Cinematic Media Artist to help create external/internal ... Proven ability to work closely with creative directors, producers, and marketing executives to ...

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$24.5K

$86.8K

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How much do cinematic director jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for cinematic director in the United States is $86,824.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $55,000.00 and $108,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a cinematic director typically collaborate with other departments during game development?

A Cinematic Director works closely with multiple departments, including art, animation, audio, and narrative teams, to ensure cinematic sequences align with the game's vision and storytelling goals. Collaboration often involves regular meetings to review storyboards, motion capture sessions, and coordinating feedback to maintain consistency in tone and pacing. Effective communication and adaptability are essential, as changes in gameplay or narrative may require quick adjustments to cinematic plans. This cross-departmental teamwork is crucial for delivering a seamless and immersive player experience.

What does a cinematic director do?

A Cinematic Director is responsible for overseeing the visual storytelling and direction of cinematic sequences in films, TV shows, or video games. They collaborate with writers, producers, and artists to create compelling scenes that drive the narrative and evoke emotion. Their duties include planning camera angles, supervising animation or live-action shoots, and ensuring that the final product aligns with the creative vision. Cinematic Directors also manage teams of cinematographers, editors, and visual effects artists to achieve high-quality results. Their work is crucial in shaping the look and feel of a project, making sure each scene supports the overall story.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a cinematic director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Cinematic Director, you need a solid background in film production, storytelling, visual composition, and team leadership, often supported by a degree in film or related experience. Familiarity with editing software, camera equipment, and industry-standard production tools is crucial. Strong communication, creative vision, and problem-solving abilities help set standout directors apart. These skills and qualities ensure effective collaboration, impactful storytelling, and successful execution of a cinematic vision.
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Cinematic Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cinematic Director job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $86,824 per year, or $41.7 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 5 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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