Senior Animation Artist

About the role

Position: Animation Artist at Rodeo FX

The Animation Artist at Rodeo FX is entrusted with delivering premium, hyper-realistic performances for creatures, characters, and dynamic objects. Success in this role demands a keen sense of timing, weight, and emotional resonance to instill life and credibility within animated elements. The artist functions as a key creative and technical partner, working in tandem with the Animation Lead and Supervisor. This collaboration ensures that every shot adheres to the project's artistic vision, technical standards, and production timelines while maintaining a high level of quality.

Core Responsibilities

Master Your Craft

You are expected to consistently produce polished animation that aligns with both the creative vision and technical production requirements. This involves demonstrating a firm command of foundational animation principles, including timing, weight, arcs, and posing, applied across a spectrum of performance styles. The ability to rapidly adapt to diverse animation contexts-from lifelike creatures and mechanical devices to stylized characters-is essential.

Creative Quality

The role requires a proactive approach to interpreting creative direction and reference material to construct nuanced and expressive performances. You will be expected to contribute original ideas and motion choices that strengthen narrative impact and enhance the shot's storytelling value. Constructive integration of feedback is a critical component of the process, ensuring continuous elevation of the animation's quality.

Technical Quality

Delivering animation that is clean, functional, and ready for downstream processing is a primary obligation. You must anticipate and troubleshoot potential rigging or scene-related challenges in coordination with technical teams. Adherence to pipeline standards, including the maintenance of strict naming conventions and organized file structures, is mandatory for all deliverables.

Communication

Clear and proactive communication underpins successful project execution. You will provide realistic time estimates, immediately communicate any issues or potential delays, and work with production to adjust priorities as necessary. Maintaining open lines of communication with production staff, leads, and cross-functional departments ensures smooth transitions and effective problem resolution. You are expected to flag obstacles early and present viable solutions when technical or creative challenges emerge. Active participation in dailies and reviews, along with the ability to present work clearly and respond to notes, is a core requirement.

Continuous Learning and Growth

Professional development is encouraged through knowledge sharing and active participation in studio learning opportunities. You will share tools, tips, and methodologies with peers to foster collective improvement. Engagement in learning sessions, studio initiatives, or internal mentorship programs is valued. Staying current with evolving industry trends, software updates, and animation methodologies is necessary to refine your practice and maintain a competitive edge.

Position Requirements

• A minimum of 6 years of professional experience within a VFX studio environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Autodesk Maya; experience with additional animation tools is advantageous.
• A strong foundational understanding of body mechanics and facial animation.
• The demonstrated ability to animate from reference material while constructing compelling acting performances.
• Meticulous attention to detail, coupled with the autonomy required to effectively manage multiple deadlines.
• A positive, collaborative mindset accompanied by strong communication skills.
• Prior experience with production tracking systems such as ShotGrid is an asset.
• Familiarity with rigging fundamentals or custom tool development is considered an asset.
• Residency in the Province of Quebec is required.
• Legal authorization to work in Canada is mandatory. This includes Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or possession of a valid open work permit.

Engagement Details

This is a 3.5-month temporary contract position. The start date is scheduled for the period between July and August 2026. The role is based in the Province of Quebec.

About Rodeo FX

Rodeo FX is a high-end creative company with a global reach, offering services in visual effects, advertising, animation, and experiential production. Diversity is a core company value, and the organization is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace where varied perspectives drive innovation and elevate creative output.

Rodeo FX has been repeatedly recognized as one of Montreal's Top Employers and received the Employer of the Year award at the 2022 Mercuriades Awards. The company has also earned a reputation for excellence, with multiple Emmy® nominations for productions such as *Stranger Things* season 4, *The Witcher* season 2, and *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* season

1. The independent, Oscar®-winning studio employs nearly 900 artists across studios in Montreal, Québec City, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Rodeo FX partners with leading storytellers, including Netflix, HBO, Disney, Marvel, Amazon Studios, Warner Bros., and Sony, and has contributed to acclaimed advertising campaigns for YouTube, NBC, and Apple. Current projects include *Blue Beetle*, *Monarch: Legacy of Monsters*, and Zack Snyder's *Rebel Moon*. Recently released projects include *John Wick: Chapter 4*, *Black Adam*, Disney's *The Little Mermaid*, and *Love, Death and Robots Volume 3*, for which the company won a 2023 VES award.