Ricardo Passos has spent nearly a decade in the animation and visual effects industry in Brazil, founding Big Studios, a premier production house based in São Paulo. Specializing in 3D animation, with additional expertise in 2D and live-action, Big Studios has evolved into one of the top five animation studios in the country, boasting a diverse portfolio that spans advertising, entertainment, and branded content. In this interview, Ricardo reflects on his first experience at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, shares his thoughts on emerging technologies, and discusses his long-standing relationship with Fox Renderfarm. Join Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry, to discover how technology empowers creators like Ricardo to push the boundaries of animation.
Fox Renderfarm: Thank you, Ricardo. Thank you for joining us for the interview. Please briefly introduce yourself and your studio.
Ricardo: Hello, guys, my name is Ricardo Passos, but my nickname is Big, so that's why our company is called Big Studios. We’re a production house based in São Paulo, Brazil, and we specialize in 3D animation, sometimes 2D animation, and some live-action work. Nowadays, I would say we’re one of the top five production houses in Brazil.
Ricardo Big Passos
Fox Renderfarm: How has your experience been during the Annecy festival?
Ricardo: Nice. This is my first time here. I came before for the Cannes Festival, which is the advertising festival happening next week in France as well. We came to Annecy to understand what goes on here since it is the biggest animation festival in the world. My first impression has been really good because I know how big this market is right now. There are so many studios and people working in animation. I am really impressed. Now, I plan to make more connections, expand my network, and help people better understand what Big Studios is and what we are here for.
Big Studios Website: http://www.bigstudios.com.br/
One of Big Studios’ Works: Princess on Periods
Fox Renderfarm: Since you are a user of Fox Renderfarm, do you have any opinions or suggestions for us? Is there anything you would like to share?
Ricardo: Of course. If I remember well, we have been using Fox Renderfarm for almost 10 years now, so we started this relationship a long time ago. It has been really good. I love Fox Render Farm, especially because it supports almost all the render engines used in our market.
Supported Software at Fox Renderfarm © Fox Renderfarm Website
So if we have a problem or a project and we are not sure where to render it, I am sure I can call Fox Renderfarm, and you guys are going to help us. This is a really strong point for Fox Rendefarm. Especially from my side, the way you approach clients is really good. We feel very comfortable, and if we have any questions, it is easy for us to contact you guys, and you always help fix any problems we have. Thank you so much!
Fox Renderfarm: Many new techniques are emerging, such as Unreal Engine. What is your opinion on these new technologies and the overall direction of the industry?
Ricardo: This is a really good question. I will try to answer based on what I feel. There are so many new tools, especially outside Autodesk, which I think is one of the biggest software companies. But you can see how fast Blender is growing, and now Unreal Engine is coming in really strong. These new tools are changing much faster than Autodesk, and because of that, I think Autodesk is starting to lose importance.
You can see this with Maya and, in some cases, with other production houses using 3D Studio Max. These tools are not evolving as quickly as the others we mentioned. That is kind of dangerous because the market is demanding these new technologies. I think it is unfortunate, and it makes me a bit sad because I really love Maya, but we will see what happens.
Even though these new techniques are emerging, the one that I think is going to be the most challenging is artificial intelligence. Nobody really knows how it is going to blend into the 3D market, but I am pretty sure that soon we will see AI and 3D software working together, making our lives really faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
Fox Renderfarm: Do these new tools affect your workflow or pipeline?
Ricardo: Okay, so for Unreal Engine, we are still testing how far it can go as a render engine. It is good and it is fast, but it is not as good as the traditional render engines. However, I am pretty sure that for some specific projects, it works really well and can be more affordable to use.
As for AI, we are already using it, and it has definitely changed our workflow. We are using it especially for automotive projects, where all the backgrounds are being generated by AI. This makes the process much faster and often even better than using 3D. I think that tool is going to be a major change for everything in the industry.
Ricardo's Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-passos-7058b564/
