Daniel Sipes
daniel.sipes @ gmail.com
Experience
IO Interactive | Animation Director
Nov 2023 - Present
Projects:
Project 007 (In Development)
Responsibilities:
• Define a cohesive animation style for the project.
• Maintain animation quality across both gameplay and cinematics.
• Collaborate and unify vision with the Game and Art Directors.
• Provide creative and technical feedback to collaborating departments.
• Direct motion capture sessions.
• Direct and feedback cinematic layout and editorial.
• Provide guidance for animation technology development.
• Grow and mentor the animation team.
Guerrilla | Cinematics Animation Director
Feb 2018 - Oct 2023
Projects:
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5 / PS4)
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (PS5)
Responsibilities:
• Oversaw the entire cinematic animation pipeline including
previs, mocap acquisition and direction, layout,
animation, and final implementation.
• Managed internal cinematic animation team.
• Provided feedback and direction to external vendors.
• Directed and assisted on stunt and performance capture shoots.
• Provided feedback for facial animation pipeline.
• Assisted produciton in scheduling.
• Collaborated with multiple art, programming, and design departments.
• Created various tools for MotionBuilder and Maya.
Ready At Dawn | Lead Cinematic Animator
Dec 2011 - Jan 2017
Projects:
Lone Echo (Oculus)
The Order: 1886 (PS4)
Responsibilities:
• Oversaw the entire cinematic animation pipeline including
previs, mocap selection, editing and shot selection,
animation critiques, and final implementation.
• Managed internal cinematic animation team.
• Directed and provided feedback to external animation team.
• Collaborated with multiple art, programming, and design departments.
• Provided feedback for developement of facial solving pipeline.
• Assisted produciton in scheduling.
• Created tools and pipelines for MotionBuilder.
• Created and defined internal motion capture studio pipeline.
WB Games | Lead Animator
Jul 2009 - Mar 2011
Projects:
LOTR: War in the North (Xbox / PS3)
Responsibilities:
• Managed and implemented in-game conversation system including
camera shots, facial animation, body motion, and setup.
• Managed and scheduled a small animation team.
• Created animation for various design prototypes.
• Created animations and animatics for multiple game pitch videos.
Surreal Software | Senior Animator
Feb 2008 - Jul 2009
Projects:
This is Vegas (Xbox / PS3) Cancelled
Responsibilities:
• Animated or directed all facial animation for cinematic and in-game
characters.
• Created and implemented in-game animation from motion capture
and key-framed data.
• Trained and mentored a small team of animators in facial animation.
• Developed python and mel scripts to improve animator workflow.
• Assisted prototype teams exploring different game systems.
• Directed and assisted motion capture shoots.
Zombie Studios | Lead Animator
Oct 2005 - Oct 2007
Projects:
CQC: Combat (PC)
Live Fire Virtual Trainer (PC)
Responsibilities:
• Managed a small internal and external team of animators.
• Directed motion capture shoots and defined integration pipeline.
• Animated realistic characters and weapons.
• Created motion trees for primary and secondary characters.
• Created and animated multiple facial setups using FaceFX.
Zombie Studios | Producer
Feb 2002 - Jan 2005
Projects:
Combat: Task Force 121 (Xbox / PC)
Shadow Ops (Xbox / PC)
Delta Force: Task Force Dagger (PC)
Responsibilities:
• Created schedules and milestone definitions for multiple game projects.
• Led and organized game design teams for multiple projects.
• Managed character modelers and animators.
• Rigged and integrated character models into Unreal.
• Directed multiple motion capture shoots.
• Managed and integrated art assets into multiple game engines.
• Developed and trained artists on pipelines and tool sets.
Education
Animation Mentor | Character Animation (Graduate)
Oct 2005 - Dec 2007
Art Institute of Seattle | Computer Animation (AAA)
Sep 1999 - Mar 2001
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