We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bao Er Ho. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bao Er below.

Bao Er, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I was honored to work at Arrivant – a game publisher building the next era of sociable online gaming communities. I was specifically working on their auto battler title, StarGarden. It is a social game – built to hang out and strategize with friends. It is built on uniquely interesting lore and beautiful one-of-a-kind creatures that you can collect and battle with. It had been such a meaningful project for me because the game is built for a caring community who are passionate about the creatures and the stories. The community is so supportive and making a game for them has been so wholesome and rewarding. Other than the awesome community, my workmates were all very passionate and we all want to put our best out there. The energy in the workplace was fun and exciting every day. I learned so much and I find myself constantly searching for ways to make my art better. It was a blast!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi all! My name is Fiona Ho. I am a character animator. I started in the movie industry as a previs/postvis animator. I had the pleasure of working in movies like Ad Astra (2019), Ford V Ferrari (2019), The Tomorrow War (2021), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) to name a few. As a previs/postvis animator, I am responsible for creating shots in 3D before the movie is shot – especially shots that are CGI-heavy. This way, studios can gauge how much money is to be splurged on CGI, whether there are any ways to tell stories better without using excessive shots, etc. I work closely with the directors, cinematographers, VFX supervisors, and sometimes even the costume designers and propmasters in the early stages of production. It is a ton of fun!

I also dipped my toes in the gaming industry in the past year. It is a different kind of beast – workflow, schedules, etc. But it was a nice change of pace – designing the character of the creatures with their movements and attacks and watching them battle to their deaths was a ton of fun too.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up in a small town in Malaysia, in a somewhat strict but loving family, I didn’t grow up with animated movies. I took an interest in them later in life when my boyfriend – a huge movie person – started showing me the deep and fascinating movie cultures. I immediately fell into a trance, especially animations. I wanted so badly to animate for Pixar that I traveled halfway across the world to learn about animations and finally step foot into the movie industry. I have learned so much along the way, it broadens my mind and widens my view. My goal has broadened and I have yet to reach it.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Right out of university and following my dream, I was looking for a character animation job in an animation studio. It is a competitive environment, I couldn’t find a job and my student visa was going to expire. I was at my lowest low when a friend recommended me to Proof Inc. Proof Inc. is not an animation studio, it is a previs/postvis house – they help directors see their vision/their movie in 3D before it is shot. It helps them plan out every aspect of their movie to its fullest potential while saving budget. It was a nerve-wracking interview and I got it! Atlas, it is not a job I had dreamt about but I have so much fun and I learn A TON about storytelling and cinematography. It essentially fuels me with even more knowledge while I still look forward to the day when I finally land my animation studio job!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fionahobaoer.com/
• Instagram: @_fionaho_
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fionahobaoer/
• Other: https://vimeo.com/showcase/7413758

Image Credits
Proof Inc.