Concept Artist / Character Designer — World Shift

I'm looking for a concept artist/character designer to help establish the final visual identity of World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

The main characters already have established appearances, personalities, clothing, and story roles. Your job will be to translate those written concepts into finalized visual designs that can later be used by the modeling and animation team.

Work may include character concept art, expression sheets, character turnarounds/reference sheets, alternate outfits, props, and additional visual development when needed.

Visual Style: World Shift is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid look. The final animation should have dimensional characters, environments, lighting, and camera movement while maintaining a strong illustrated/2D-inspired appearance.

Main Characters: Elisha Mercer, Leon Sterling, Maya Hayes, and The Hunter.

What I'm looking for: Strong stylized human character design, expressive faces, consistent proportions, clothing design, and the ability to work from detailed written character descriptions. You should also be comfortable collaborating with the rest of the art/animation team so the designs can eventually be translated into animation.

Application: Please include examples of your artwork or a portfolio. Character designs, expression sheets, turnarounds, or similar work are especially helpful.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All artists will receive proper credit for their work.

Storyboard Artist — World Shift

I'm looking for a storyboard artist to help translate completed World Shift episode scripts into visual sequences that can be used by the animation team.

World Shift is an original sci-fi animated webseries about a 19-year-old named Elisha Mercer who develops the ability to travel between alternate realities. Season 1 is currently planned for 7 episodes and includes comedy, character-driven dialogue, reality exploration, chase sequences, and action scenes.

What you'll be doing: Creating storyboards from scripts, planning shot composition and camera angles, blocking character movement and expressions, establishing scene pacing, and clearly communicating action to the animation team.

Visual Style: The series is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid look, with dimensional environments, cinematic camera movement, and an illustrated/2D-inspired final appearance. Storyboards do not need to be highly rendered or polished—the priority is clear visual storytelling.

What I'm looking for: Someone with a good understanding of cinematography, composition, character acting, action blocking, continuity, and visual storytelling. You should be comfortable collaborating and making revisions when necessary.

You will be provided with scripts, character references, reality/environment information, and other production material as it becomes available.

Application: Please include storyboard samples, animatics, sequential artwork, or another portfolio demonstrating your ability to visually plan scenes. Rough boards are completely acceptable if they clearly communicate the scene.

Multiple storyboard artists may be accepted depending on the workload.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

3D Character Modeler — World Shift

I'm looking for a 3D character modeler to create animation-ready character models for World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

The goal for World Shift is a stylized 2D/3D hybrid appearance. Characters will be three-dimensional, but the finished animation should maintain a strong illustrated/2D-inspired look rather than realistic CGI.

You will work from character designs and reference sheets developed with our concept artist and translate those designs into consistent 3D models for the animation pipeline.

Main Characters: Elisha Mercer, Leon Sterling, Maya Hayes, and The Hunter. Additional characters may be needed later as production develops.

What you'll be doing: Modeling stylized human characters, clothing, hair, and other character-specific elements; maintaining consistent proportions between characters; preparing clean models that can be passed to the rigging/animation stage; and collaborating with the character designer, rigger, animators, and other artists when necessary.

What I'm looking for: Experience with stylized character modeling, good understanding of human proportions and topology, and the ability to translate 2D character designs into 3D without losing their illustrated personality.

Experience with toon/cel-shaded or NPR (non-photorealistic) animation styles is especially welcome.

Application: Please include a portfolio or examples of your 3D character work. Stylized human characters, toon/cel-shaded models, wireframes/topology, and examples showing a 2D design translated into 3D are especially helpful.

You do not need to handle the entire animation process yourself. Modeling, rigging, animation, environments, and other parts of production are being treated as separate roles so contributors can focus on their specialties.

Multiple artists may be accepted depending on workload.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

3D Character Rigger — World Shift

I'm looking for a character rigger to prepare the 3D character models for animation in World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

World Shift is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid appearance. Characters will be three-dimensional but rendered and animated with a strong illustrated/2D-inspired look.

You will work with character models created by our modeling team and build rigs that allow the animation team to create expressive character acting, dialogue scenes, running, fighting, and other physical performances.

What you'll be doing: Creating functional character rigs, facial controls, IK/FK systems where appropriate, deformation/weight painting, and testing rigs to make sure they're practical for animation.

The main cast consists of Elisha Mercer, Leon Sterling, Maya Hayes, and The Hunter, with additional characters potentially being added later.

Because World Shift has both dialogue-heavy scenes and action sequences, the rigs should support expressive faces and body language as well as more physical movement.

What I'm looking for: Experience with character rigging, weight painting, facial animation systems, and troubleshooting deformation issues. Experience working with stylized characters is especially helpful.

Application: Please include examples of rigs you've created, rig demonstrations, animation tests using your rigs, or other relevant work.

You are not expected to model or animate the entire project yourself. Modeling, rigging, animation, environments, and other stages are being divided between specialized roles.

Multiple contributors may be accepted depending on the production pipeline and workload.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

3D Environment Artist / Modeler — World Shift

I'm looking for a 3D environment artist to help create the locations and alternate realities featured in World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

World Shift takes place primarily in present-day Chicago but follows its characters through multiple alternate realities, each with its own visual identity. Season 1 locations range from ordinary apartments and city streets to abandoned cities, flooded worlds, dangerous environments, a massive white void known as the Hub Zone, and other variations of reality.

The series is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid appearance. Environments should have real three-dimensional depth and support cinematic camera movement while still fitting an illustrated/2D-inspired final style.

What you'll be doing: Modeling and assembling environments, buildings, streets, interiors, terrain, and environmental props; working from concept art and storyboards; helping establish scale and layout; and preparing scenes that can be used by the animation and lighting teams.

Some locations will be reused throughout the series, while others are unique to individual realities.

What I'm looking for: Experience with stylized 3D environments, composition, architecture/terrain, scene layout, optimization, and translating concept art into usable 3D spaces.

Experience with toon/cel-shaded or NPR (non-photorealistic) styles is especially welcome.

Application: Please include a portfolio or examples of your environment work. Stylized environments, interiors, city scenes, landscapes, toon/cel-shaded work, and examples showing concept art translated into 3D are especially helpful.

You will be working alongside concept artists, storyboard artists, character artists, animators, and other members of the production team.

Multiple environment artists may be accepted due to the number of locations and realities featured throughout Season 1.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

3D Character Animator — World Shift

I'm looking for 3D character animators to help animate World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

The series is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid look. Characters will be three-dimensional, but the final animation should maintain a strong illustrated/2D-inspired appearance rather than traditional realistic CGI.

What you'll be doing: Animating character performances using prepared character models and rigs. This includes dialogue scenes, facial expressions, body language, walking/running, comedy, emotional performances, and action/fight sequences.

World Shift relies heavily on character personality. Elisha is physically awkward and reserved but becomes increasingly aggressive throughout the season; Leon is energetic and expressive; Maya is confident and physically reactive; and The Hunter is extremely controlled and restrained until his composure begins breaking.

Animation Style: I'm looking for expressive, stylized movement rather than strict photorealism. Poses, timing, facial animation, and body language should help preserve the illustrated feel of the series while still taking advantage of 3D camera movement and environments.

What I'm looking for: Experience with 3D character animation, posing, facial acting, dialogue/lip-sync, body mechanics, and animation timing. Experience with stylized, toon-shaded, or NPR animation is especially welcome.

Application: Please include a demo reel or examples of your animation work. Character acting, dialogue animation, action scenes, stylized animation, or animation using toon/cel-shaded characters are especially helpful.

Multiple animators are welcome and expected. Season 1 is planned for 7 episodes, and I do not expect a single animator to handle an entire animated season alone. Work can be divided by scenes/sequences depending on the eventual production team.

Models, rigs, storyboards, scripts, and other production material will be provided as they are completed.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

VFX / Compositing Artist — World Shift

I'm looking for a VFX/compositing artist to help create the visual effects and final stylized presentation of World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

World Shift is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid appearance. Characters and environments will have three-dimensional depth, while the final image should maintain a strong illustrated/2D-inspired style.

This role will help bring together character animation, environments, lighting, and effects into cohesive finished shots.

Effects featured in the series include: reality-shifting transitions, characters disappearing and reappearing, reality distortion/glitching, red energy/string-like effects associated with reality manipulation, energy weapons, environmental effects, and other supernatural visuals.

What you'll be doing: Creating and integrating visual effects, compositing animated characters with environments, enhancing lighting and atmosphere where needed, adding distortion and energy effects, and helping maintain a consistent final visual style between shots created by different members of the team.

What I'm looking for: Experience with compositing, animation VFX, glow/energy effects, distortion, masking, lighting integration, and combining multiple visual elements into a finished shot. Experience with stylized, cel-shaded, NPR, anime-inspired, or 2D/3D hybrid projects is especially welcome.

Application: Please include a demo reel or examples of your compositing/VFX work. Stylized effects, energy effects, animation compositing, glitch/distortion effects, or before-and-after compositing examples are especially helpful.

You will collaborate with animators, environment artists, character artists, and other members of the production team.

Multiple VFX/compositing artists may be accepted depending on workload.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

3D Lighting / Rendering Artist — World Shift

I'm looking for a lighting/rendering artist to help establish and maintain the final visual presentation of World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

World Shift is aiming for a stylized 2D/3D hybrid look. Characters and environments will be three-dimensional, but the final result should retain an illustrated, 2D-inspired appearance rather than looking like traditional realistic CGI.

Lighting will be especially important because the series takes place across many different realities, each with its own atmosphere. Season 1 includes present-day Chicago, an empty city, a world with an extremely dangerous sun, an ocean-dominated reality, a city where it never stops raining, a seemingly endless white Hub Zone, and a destroyed wasteland.

What you'll be doing: Lighting 3D scenes, helping establish the mood and atmosphere of different realities, setting up stylized shadows and highlights, working with toon/cel-shaded materials and rendering, maintaining visual consistency between shots, and preparing rendered material for the compositing/VFX stage.

What I'm looking for: A good understanding of lighting, composition, color, atmosphere, rendering, and stylized/non-photorealistic visuals. Experience with toon shading, cel shading, NPR rendering, or 2D-inspired 3D animation is especially welcome.

The goal is not photorealism. Lighting should support the illustrated appearance of the characters and environments while still providing the depth and cinematic presentation that 3D allows.

Application: Please include examples of your lighting/rendering work. Before-and-after lighting examples, stylized renders, toon/cel-shaded work, atmospheric environments, or animation lighting are especially helpful.

You will collaborate with the environment, character, animation, and VFX/compositing teams.

Multiple artists may be accepted depending on workload.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All contributors will receive proper credit for their work.

LEAD ROLE — ELISHA MERCER

Elisha Mercer is the 19-year-old protagonist of World Shift. He's shy, sincere, cautious, insecure, and introverted. After convincing himself he'll never be good enough for his longtime crush, Maya, Elisha unexpectedly develops the ability to travel between alternate realities.

Elisha begins the series as a fairly normal, awkward guy. Around his best friend Leon he's relaxed and casual, while around Maya he becomes noticeably nervous and has difficulty expressing how he actually feels.

As Season 1 progresses, his fascination with reality shifting begins changing how he thinks. His curiosity develops into obsession, defensiveness, anger, and eventually regret.

Voice: Young adult male. Elisha should sound around 19. I'm looking for a natural voice rather than an exaggerated "teenager" voice or stereotypical deep protagonist voice.

Performance: This is an emotionally demanding lead role. The actor needs to convincingly handle casual conversations, comedy, nervousness, panic, fear, anger, arguments, exhaustion, and vulnerable dramatic scenes.

Elisha should NOT sound depressed or miserable all the time. He jokes around, gets excited, hangs out with his friends, and can be pretty relaxed. His darker emotional progression should feel gradual.

Chemistry with the actors playing Leon and Maya will be especially important.

Commitment: Elisha is the primary protagonist and appears throughout Season 1, which is currently planned for 7 episodes. Please only audition if you're comfortable committing to a recurring lead role.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All voice actors will receive proper credit.

LEAD ROLE — LEON STERLING

Leon Sterling is Elisha's 19-year-old best friend and one of the main characters of World Shift. The two have been best friends for around 12 years, with Leon essentially viewing Elisha as his little brother.

Leon is confident, flashy, extroverted, cocky, energetic, and constantly willing to mess with Elisha, but underneath all of that he genuinely cares about his friends and is extremely protective of them.

Early in the series, Leon is immediately excited by Elisha's ability to travel between realities. He sees the possibilities for adventure and encourages Elisha to experiment with it. As Elisha becomes increasingly obsessed with his ability, however, Leon becomes one of the first people willing to stand against him.

Voice: Young adult male. Leon should sound around 19. His normal delivery should be confident, energetic, expressive, and conversational. He frequently jokes around and teases Elisha, but shouldn't sound like he's performing a comedy routine.

Performance: Leon needs strong comedic chemistry with Elisha while also being capable of becoming genuinely serious, frightened, protective, and angry. His louder emotional moments should feel like the same person whose confidence normally allows him to joke about everything.

Leon is physically expressive and rarely hides what he's feeling. When he's excited, everyone knows it. When he's pissed, everyone DEFINITELY knows it.

Commitment: Leon is a major recurring character throughout Season 1, which is currently planned for 7 episodes.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All voice actors will receive proper credit.

LEAD ROLE — MAYA HAYES

Maya Hayes is a 19-year-old close friend of Elisha and Leon and one of the main characters of World Shift. She is confident, caring, blunt, intelligent, and usually more grounded than either of them.

Maya has known for a long time that Elisha has feelings for her. What Elisha doesn't know is that Maya feels the same way. She's avoided acting on those feelings because she's afraid a relationship could damage the friendship and dynamic between herself, Elisha, and Leon.

After discovering Elisha can travel between alternate realities, Maya becomes increasingly concerned about what the ability is doing to him. While Leon initially encourages Elisha's adventures, Maya is much quicker to question whether they should be using the ability at all.

Despite this, Maya is fiercely protective of her friends and repeatedly puts herself in danger to protect them.

Voice: Young adult female. Maya should sound around 19. Her normal delivery is confident, natural, and direct. She's comfortable being blunt with Elisha and sarcastic with Leon, but she is not cold or emotionless.

Maya is Peruvian and occasionally code-switches between English and Spanish, particularly when she's angry, excited, or highly emotional. This can happen naturally in the middle of a sentence rather than as completely separate Spanish dialogue.

Because of this, Spanish pronunciation and the ability to naturally deliver short Spanish phrases are strongly preferred. Fluency is welcome but is not required, as most of Maya's dialogue is in English.

Performance: The role requires casual dialogue, sarcasm, comedy, concern, fear, anger, emotional vulnerability, and intense dramatic scenes. Maya's confidence can break when she's genuinely frightened or overwhelmed.

Commitment: Maya is a major recurring character throughout Season 1, which is currently planned for 7 episodes.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All voice actors will receive proper credit.

LEAD ANTAGONIST — THE HUNTER

The Hunter is the primary antagonist of Season 1 of World Shift. He is an extremely experienced reality shifter who has spent an enormous amount of time hunting and killing other shifters because he believes they inevitably become threats to entire realities.

For most of Season 1, The Hunter is self-imposed mute. He communicates through body language, staring, gestures, and sign language rather than speaking. His silence is intentional, not an inability to speak.

As his attempts to kill Elisha become increasingly frustrating, his normally extreme self-control begins to crack. When he finally speaks, it should feel significant.

The Hunter is calm, patient, intimidating, and controlled. He does not need to constantly sound evil or threatening. Much of what makes him intimidating is how little emotion he outwardly shows.

Voice: Male. The Hunter is an alternate version of Elisha Mercer who has repeatedly manipulated his own age and has lived far longer than his appearance suggests. His voice should therefore resemble a more mature, worn-down version of Elisha, rather than an elderly man.

His delivery is generally low-energy and restrained. When his composure breaks, however, he can become extremely frustrated and aggressive.

Performance: Because The Hunter speaks very little during Season 1, the actor needs to make his limited dialogue memorable. The role requires restrained intimidation, exhaustion, frustration, anger, and quieter moments where traces of the person he used to be become visible.

Important: The Hunter and Elisha are alternate versions of the same person, but they are being cast as separate roles. You do not need to perfectly imitate Elisha's actor.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All voice actors will receive proper credit.

Composer / Original Soundtrack — World Shift

I'm looking for a composer to create original music for World Shift, an original sci-fi animated webseries.

The soundtrack will need to support several sides of the series. World Shift can be funny and casual when Elisha, Leon, and Maya are hanging out, but it gradually becomes more mysterious, emotional, tense, and dangerous as Elisha's abilities develop and The Hunter becomes a larger threat.

What you'll be doing: Creating original background music and themes for episodes, characters, locations, emotional scenes, action sequences, and major story moments. You'll work from scripts, storyboards/animatics, and eventually edited scenes so the music can be written around what's happening on screen.

I'm especially interested in giving different parts of the series their own musical identities. The normal lives of Elisha, Leon, and Maya should feel different from exploring alternate realities, encountering The Hunter, entering the Hub Zone, or witnessing reality manipulation.

The Hunter in particular should have a recognizable musical presence that can develop as more about him is revealed.

What I'm looking for: Someone comfortable writing music for character-driven scenes as well as sci-fi, mystery, emotional, atmospheric, and action sequences. The ability to develop recurring themes or motifs across multiple episodes is especially welcome.

I don't want every scene constantly covered in music. Knowing when music should become subtle—or disappear completely—is just as valuable as writing a large dramatic track.

Application: Please include examples of original music you've composed. Soundtrack work, character themes, atmospheric pieces, emotional music, action music, or music written to picture are especially helpful.

You don't need to already have a specific World Shift track prepared just to apply. Existing examples of your work are enough.

The exact musical identity of the series will be developed collaboratively rather than requiring you to imitate an existing show's soundtrack.

This is currently an unpaid passion project. All original composers will receive proper credit for their work.