Lead Animator Resume Example

Feature film character expert specialized in 3D Maya. This senior-level lead animator resume example shows how to present your experience, skills and results so they stand up to both recruiters and applicant tracking systems.

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Full lead animator resume text

Walt Disney Jr. · Burbank, CA

Professional summary

Senior 3D Animator with 12+ years of experience in character animation, performance capture, and visual effects for major feature films and high-fidelity gaming. Expert in Maya, ZBrush, and Unreal Engine. Dedicated to breathing life into complex characters through nuanced performance and anatomical precision.

Work experience

Lead Character Animator

Hyper-Motion Animation Studios, Burbank, CA · Sep 2014 – Present

Lead the animation team for 3 major theatrically-released feature films, overseeing 50+ minutes of character-driven performance
Direct the performance-capture sessions for lead characters, collaborating with actors on nuanced physical storytelling
Developed a proprietary facial-rigging workflow that reduced post-capture cleanup time by 40%
Mentored a team of 15 animators through structured critiques, workshops, and technical onboarding
Successfully lead the integration of real-time animation tools (Unreal) for pre-visualization and final-pixel delivery
Regularly featured in industry publications (AWN, Variety) for innovation in motion-capture translation

Senior 3D Animator

Global Pixels VFX, Vancouver, BC · Jun 2008 – Aug 2014

Created high-fidelity creature and character animation for several award-winning television series (Emmy-winning VFX team)
Developed custom rigs and tools in Maya to optimize the animation pipeline for tight broadcast deadlines
Collaborated directly with directors and art leads to define character movement styles and signatures
Achieved a consistent 5/5 rating for efficiency and creative delivery on all assigned internal sequences

Skills to put on a lead animator resume

Maya & ZBrush
Character Performance
Motion Capture
Facial Rigging
Unreal Engine
Visual Storytelling
Team Leadership
Pre-visualization
Anatomy for Animation
Post-Production Workflow

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Character Animation · California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) · May 2008

Projects

Award-Winning Animated Short "Breath": Writer and Director of an Oscar-qualified animated short focusing on subtle human emotion and lighting.
Feature Character Rig "Xenon": Designed and implemented the core mechanical and facial rig for the lead protagonist of a major 2023 sci-fi release.

What makes this lead animator resume work

Link to a portfolio and keep the resume to the process and impact behind the work.
Describe the problem, your role, and a measurable outcome for each project.
List design tools and research methods plainly so applicant systems pick them up.

At senior level, emphasize leadership, scope and business impact. Hiring managers look for the decisions you drove, not only the tasks you did.

Build your own lead animator resume

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