Ubisoft Montréal is seeking a visionary Storyboard Artist to join the elite development team behind Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. This role is a pivotal bridge between narrative intent and visual execution, requiring a blend of cinematic flair, technical proficiency in 3D/2D hybrid workflows, and a deep understanding of tactical storytelling. As a Storyboard Artist, you will be the architect of the player’s visual journey, crafting the blueprints for high-stakes cinematics, gameplay transitions, and narrative beats that define one of the world’s most popular tactical shooters.
Job Overview
| Category | Details |
| Company Name | Ubisoft Montréal |
| Project | Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege |
| Job Title | Storyboard Artist |
| Location | Montréal, QC, Canada |
| Employment Type | Full-time |
| Contract Type | Permanent |
| Work Flexibility | Office-based (Studio Presence Required) |
| Language Requirements | English and/or French (Bilingualism preferred in the Montreal hub) |
Estimated Compensation & Benefits
Note: Specific salary offers are determined based on the candidate’s experience, portfolio strength, and internal equity.
| Component | Estimated Range / Details |
| Base Salary (Annual) | $72,000 – $105,000 CAD (Commensurate with experience) |
| Performance Bonus | Annual profit-sharing and project-based incentives |
| Health & Wellness | Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage from Day 1 |
| Retirement | RRSP matching program |
| Relocation | Assistance packages available for international or out-of-province hires |
| Perks | Studio gym, subsidized cafeteria, free games, and social events |
Company Description: The Ubisoft Legacy
Ubisoft is a global powerhouse in the electronic entertainment industry, renowned for its commitment to creating “original and memorable gaming experiences.” With a portfolio that includes titans like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs, Ubisoft has spent decades pushing the boundaries of what is possible in interactive media.
At the heart of this global network lies Ubisoft Montréal, the flagship studio and a cornerstone of the Quebec tech ecosystem. Here, diversity isn’t just a buzzword—it is the fuel for innovation. We believe that bringing together different perspectives allows us to build worlds that resonate with a global audience. When you join the Rainbow Six Siege team, you aren’t just taking a job; you are becoming part of a legacy of tactical excellence and community-driven development.
Detailed Job Description
As a Storyboard Artist for Rainbow Six Siege, your primary mission is to translate abstract narrative concepts and high-level artistic direction into tangible visual roadmaps. You are the “first responder” of the visual pipeline. Before a single frame is rendered in-engine or a character model is finalized, your boards will define the rhythm, the tension, and the perspective of the experience.
This role requires a unique hybrid of skills. You aren’t just drawing static frames; you are creating animatics—living, moving sequences that incorporate timing, sound cues, and camera choreography. In the context of Rainbow Six, this means understanding the “tactical” nature of the brand. You must be able to visualize the weight of a breach, the tension of a silent roam, and the explosive impact of a gadget deployment.
The Core Mission
Your work supports the animation, VFX, and level design departments. By providing clear, sequenced visual guides, you help the entire team align on a unified creative vision early in the production cycle. This prevents costly “re-dos” and ensures that the final product maintains the high cinematic standards that the Siege community expects.
What You’ll Do: Responsibilities & Impact
1. Narrative Visualization & Sequencing
- Drafting Animatics: Create high-fidelity animated storyboards that outline narrative beats, action sequences, and emotional arcs.
- Visual Translation: Take complex scripts or “mood” documents and turn them into clear visual sequences that respect the established artistic direction of the Siege universe.
- Action & Pacing: Organize image sequences to establish the specific rhythm and “heartbeat” of a scene, ensuring that the clarity of action is never sacrificed for style.
2. Technical Integration (2D/3D Hybrid)
- Multi-Dimensional Staging: Utilize tools like Blender (Grease Pencil) to animate 2D sketches directly within 3D environments. This allows you to block out camera movements and spatial relationships with extreme accuracy.
- Visual Effects Intent: Clearly illustrate the intended “feel” of VFX—such as smoke, debris, or lighting shifts—to guide the specialized VFX teams.
- Animation Fundamentals: Execute key poses and “in-betweens” to convey character weight and movement logic.
3. Collaboration & Communication
- Cross-Departmental Synergy: Work side-by-side with Animation Leads, Visual Designers, and Technical Directors to ensure your storyboards are technically feasible within the game engine.
- Stakeholder Presentations: Regularly present your progress to Project Directors. You must be able to articulate why a specific camera angle or timing choice was made and how it serves the broader goals of the game.
- Feedback Integration: Actively seek out critique. You will iterate on your designs based on feedback from different departments, refining the vision until it is airtight.
4. Autonomy & Project Management
- Task Ownership: Manage your own pipeline and deadlines. Ubisoft values “autonomous professionals” who can identify what needs to be done and execute it with minimal hand-holding.
- Asset Management: Ensure all boards and animatics are properly organized and documented for easy access by the production team.
Qualifications: What You Bring to the Team
The Ideal Candidate Profile
We are looking for a storyteller who thinks in motion. Whether you come from the world of feature film, TV animation, or AAA gaming, you possess a “cinematic eye” that can find the most compelling way to frame a moment.
Hard Skills & Experience:
- Cinematographic Mastery: You have a deep, instinctual understanding of camera lenses, depth of field, composition rules (rule of thirds, leading lines), and film grammar.
- Software Proficiency:
- Expertise in Blender (specifically the Grease Pencil toolset) is highly valued.
- High proficiency in After Effects for compositing animatics.
- Familiarity with standard storyboarding software (Storybook Pro, Photoshop, etc.).
- 2D Animation Foundations: A strong grasp of the 12 principles of animation (squash and stretch, anticipation, timing) as they apply to storyboards.
- Industry Background: Professional experience in film, TV animation, or game development. While video game experience is a “plus,” we welcome candidates from linear media who are eager to adapt their skills to an interactive format.
Soft Skills:
- Synthesis of Ideas: You can take a 10-page design document and boil it down to the three most important visual “hits.”
- Adaptability: Production requirements change. You need to be someone who views change as a creative challenge rather than a roadblock.
- Attention to Detail: In Rainbow Six Siege, every gadget and movement has a function. Your boards must reflect that precision.
Why Ubisoft Montréal?
Working at Ubisoft Montréal means working at the epicenter of the Canadian gaming industry.
- Innovation First: We provide our artists with the latest tools and tech. If you want to push the limits of Blender or explore new ways to use VR in storyboarding, this is the place to do it.
- A Culture of Learning: We host internal masterclasses, workshops, and “Lunch & Learns” where you can pick the brains of industry legends.
- Community & Inclusion: Our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) ensure that every voice is heard, and our studio culture is built on mutual respect and a shared love for the craft.
Application Requirements
To be considered for this role, your application must include:
1. A Professional CV: Detailing your career trajectory, software proficiencies, and specific contributions to previous projects.
2. A Portfolio or Demo Reel: This is the most critical part of your application. Your reel should demonstrate:
– The transition from rough sketches to polished animatics.
– Examples of 3D camera movement and 2D integration.
– Clarity of storytelling and a strong sense of pacing.
– (Optional) Process work showing how you iterated on a sequence based on feedback.
Ubisoft Montréal hiring Storyboard Artist, Canada
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