Senior Cinematic Designer

To create revolutionary, story-driven RPGs which go straight to the hearts of gamers — this is our mission. Want to dive deeper into our company’s culture? Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel and Beyond the Game Blog where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members!

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Cinematic Designer to join our Boston team and help shape the cinematic storytelling in Cyberpunk 2, the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077.

As part of the Cinematics Team, you will craft highly interactive, gameplay-integrated scenes that seamlessly blend narrative, performance, and player agency. Your eye for composition, pacing, and visual rhythm will help transform gameplay moments into powerful storytelling experiences that feel grounded, reactive, and cinematic.

If your passion for cinema matches your love of real-time storytelling, and you thrive at the intersection of art direction, gameplay, and narrative design, this role is for you.

Nice to haves

Health & Well-Being

- Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) – $100 per month to use towards fitness, wellness, internet, home office equipment, learning, streaming services, and more.

Estimated pay range for this position: $118,800 - $196,000 USD annually

Responsibilities

Create dynamic, in-game cinematic sequences that merge storytelling with gameplay, maintaining player immersion and agency.; Implement scenes with a focus on character staging, lighting, and composition that enhance the emotional and visual impact of each moment.; Use Unreal Engine’s Sequencer and proprietary visual scripting tools to build and iterate on non-linear cinematic scenes.; Craft expressive facial performances by combining facial animation libraries with custom animation work to deliver believable, emotionally resonant interactions.; Collaborate closely with writers, cinematic designers, animators, quest, and gameplay teams to ensure seamless integration between narrative and interactive elements.; Participate in motion capture sessions, assisting with shot design, framing, and performance guidance.; Balance artistic vision with technical performance, ensuring all cinematic content meets quality and optimization standards for real-time execution.; Maintain the visual and narrative consistency of the project through close cooperation with art direction and cinematic leadership.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in cinematic development or related industries, including film, animation, or game development.; Strong hands-on experience with real-time game engines, such as Unreal Engine or equivalent.; Thorough understanding of cinematography, composition, and camera language within a real-time engine.; Deep knowledge of editing, timing, and pacing for both linear and interactive storytelling.; Proven experience implementing cinematics in a gameplay context, using Unreal Sequencer or similar tools.; Solid grasp of acting and posing for character-driven scenes.; Experience with visual scripting systems such as Unreal Blueprints or proprietary equivalents.; Familiarity with motion capture workflows and directing talent for cinematic performance.; Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.; Strong problem-solving ability and adaptability to proprietary pipelines.

Nice to have

Background in film, photography, or lighting.; Interest in narrative-driven RPGs and interactive storytelling.; Experience with MotionBuilder/Maya.; Experience working with animation

Benefits

Flexible working hours.; Trainings, lectures, and courses — internal workshops, knowledge-sharing initiatives, online tutorials, and e-learning classes are all available.; A welcome pack filled with goodies — to help you feel right at home once you join the team.