, Rodeo FX is the largest independent visual effects company in Canada; the firm fully conceives and executes visual effects, from concepts in development, previsualization in preproduction, on-set supervision during live action filming and everything from layout to compositing in post-production. We invited SebastienMoreau to tell us more. Animating the Industry Clients of Rodeo FX are amongst the biggest film studios in the world, including 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, MGM, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. The firm have worked on over 80 films, including last year’s Oscar Winner for Best Picture ‘Birdman’, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, ‘Arrival’, and ‘Fast and Furious 7’, as well as receiving an Emmy award for the popular, television show ‘Game of Thrones’. Sebastien notes that there are lots of steps and stages in the process of bringing worlds and characters alive, and it requires dedication from Rodeo FX’s team to realise the potential of these ideas. “We have been doing this for over ten years, and have expanded globally with an outstanding team of over four hundred visual effects artists working at our facilities in Los Angeles, Montreal and Quebec City. We are building a creative studio and fostering an imaginative culture that inspires our talented artists to create outstanding world-class visual effects for films, TV series, commercials and beyond. “Our approach is to hire the best, build a studio that is artist friendly, and harbour a spirit of collaboration and teamwork to solicit opinions and ideas from all staff, from the PAs to the President. A key value of our company is excellence, and we increase efficiency through transparent communication. This approach allows us to deliver on budget and on-time without ever compromising on quality. “Here at Rodeo FX, we recognise that at the heart of every project is the story. From the biggest blockbuster to the smallest independent film, it is the story that matters most. Our job in visual effects is to support every director’s vision and to bring that vision to life. We are very proud that ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ and ‘Arrival’ are on the shortlist for VFX Effect at the Oscars.” It is the mission of Rodeo FX to consistently exceed their clients’ expectations; Sebastien explains that the first thing the firm ensure is that they have cast the right team of talent for the right project. “We begin communication with the client as early as possible and constantly check in to ensure things are progressing well. This company is built on and driven by creativity, and we are young, nimble, flexible and ready to try anything that might serve the shot. We want each frame to look amazing and beautiful, and we put the time and money into ensuring this outcome. “The industry has grown incredibly well in Quebec over the past three years. Prior to this, Montreal became one of the top three places in the world to complete VFX; Montreal offer a great environment for artists and MTL is a creative city, offering a great school for VFX, a low cost of living and great tax credits. Recently, we have noticed that talent has become both harder and easier to find, in accordance with the influx of resources in Montreal. We expanded into Quebec City in an effort to be where our competitors are not, and in order to stake a claim to being a truly independent Quebec studio.” “We keep a watchful eye on all of our productions, from a global perspective and are well equipped to make changes quickly to ensure that the client is fully satisfied. The projects that we work on and the fact that we do not work our employees to an unreasonable extent has built us a great reputation within our industry. We uphold and maintain a fun workplace culture that inspires our artists to flourish. On every project there is a team of producers, coordinators, PA’s and supervisors to support the talented work that comes out of this company, and we believe that you just need to step into one of our facilities to feel inspired.” Rodeo FX recognises that quality content creation has never been more important, and as such the need for visual effects is constantly growing. Sebastien explains that Amazon and Netflix insist on 4K deliveries, so the additional resolutions associated with this brings the need for more time and further resources. “We have also noted that VR deliveries are becoming more commonplace, and as these encompass near-360-degree CG environments, higher resolution and more time are required on these projects. Owing to these developments, it is a very exciting time for our industry. Our creature work is finally getting released, through ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and ‘Tarzan’, which is opening people’s eyes to how much more we can do; we are now being asked to handle on-set supervision from pre to post production, which gives us even more creative direction in the projects we work on. Due to advances in technology, the most remarkable creatures, characters and environments can now become realized, and the limits of what we can create are limits of the imagination.” K Company: Rodeo FX Name: Sebastien Moreau Email:
[email protected] Web Address: www.rodeofx.com Address: 90 Queen St. second floor, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3C 6X4 Telephone: 1 514 397 9999 1701CV23