Read all about MTFX special effects. See what we've been up to and get in touch if something inspires you!
It’s not always about deep, heavy snowfall when it comes to producing snow effects for TV productions and video/photo shoots. Effects can vary from brief to brief. We’ve created snow storm like conditions where wind equipment is brought in to the equation. We’ve produced Calm “after the storm” scenes with the use of snow candles and snow banks to create a windswept look. Just as commonly, clients require the need for a light snow or frosting effect. This is especially fitting for the United Kingdom, where realistically, we don’t see a lot of real snow.
The UK based clothing company Fat Face, required just that, a cold, and frosted winter effect to capture the pure essence of exploring outdoors in the UK.
Our C-90 Paper Frost snow played the main part for this setting. A fine, powder like product that creates a fresh, frost look. In larger quantities it can also be used to create a laid snow effect.
In this instance, we’ll let the photos do the talking and show you how paper frost can be used to create a crisp, winter look.
In the 25 + years that we've worked in the live events & TV/Film industry, it would be fair to say we've seen and created almost every effect you could think of.
With this comes a huge amount of varying & specific equipment. During lockdowns we've come to realise that we have far too much of this equipment to keep to ourselves and it's time to share this amongst industry professionals and even collectors.
These items include Ex-Demo/Hire & Pre-Loved equipment in the form of full size replica Pirate Cannons, all the way to Ex-Demo Snow Machines.
A full sized pirate ship cannon, replica. This was used as an effect for a Captain Morgan’s advertisement campaign. Just one of our many weird & wonderful Pre-Loved items.
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Confetti Master Blasters require no electric mains power and produce a continuous stream of falling confetti. This is what makes them a firm favourite when it comes to live events and music shows.
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If you've ever been to a festival or concert and witnessed a huge amount of confetti and streamers during a performance, then there's a very strong chance you've seen the stadium shots in action. These Confetti Cannons fire up to 50mtrs!!
OUT OF STOCK
We have a very small handful of large 15" Plasma Balls left in stock. These interactive lightning globes are super cool to touch and look at.
OUT OF STOCKChristmas in a box!! Introducing our new Snow Boxes. Snow boxes are packed full of ingenious winter themed items that will bring a touch of Christmas to your home, office or event.
Get creative and use an array of different snow products to construct and create your very own snow display.
The ULTIMATE box of Christmas goodness will include the following handpicked items -
Too many items? No problem, we stock a Large sized Snow Box for those who still want to add a winter touch, just without as many snowy treats!
We attempted it, but unfortunately we couldn't fit all of our exciting snow products in to just one box. Luckily our ingenious winter web shop is packed full of snowy products for you to explore. www.MTFX.com/shop/snow-effects
Please do get in touch with any questions you may have. We love talking about snow!!
It’s that time of year where we’re creeping towards Christmas and many of us look to decorate our homes, offices and gardens with seasonal decorations.
Our 400ml cans of Snow Spray are one of those products that make things much easier when it comes to Christmas decorating. This spray on snow is perfect for covering Christmas trees, garden hedges, windows, furniture and any non-lacquered surfaces. This winter effect will transform any area in to a crisp, snow covered Scandinavian scene, in minutes.
1 can of MTFX 400ml snow spray will cover a 4ft tree with a light snow effect, with 2 cans offering a thicker appearance. It also produces a semi-permanent effect that will last the Christmas period through.
At only £6.85 per can, this is an affordable and realistic way of creating some Christmas magic.
For more great ideas on how to decorate your home during Christmas 2020, check out our Snow Shop and Christmas Snow Boxes.
We’ve had some exciting, high voltage equipment heading out the door this week.
Our vibrant blue, interactive Plasma Panel is on its way to its new home within the UK whilst 2 of our new 15 Inch Large Plasma Balls are making their way to the City of Arts & Science museum in Valencia, Spain. We’ve worked closely with the museum in previous years, supplying them with various high voltage props and equipment. Our most exciting and largest project was the installation of an SG75 Tesla coil. Housed within a large faraday cage , the Tesla Coil can be found in the museums “Electricity Theatre”
We stock a wide variety of High voltage equipment props for both sale and hire. If you have any questions or are perhaps looking for a custom designed product, please do get in touch.
Confetti and streamers are always a great way to enhance a special occasion or moment.
Even as large gatherings remain halted, this hasn't stopped people celebrating special moments and sharing news with family and friends through video chat platforms, YouTube videos or even just celebrating with members of their household.
Our most popular confetti cannons at the moment are our custom filled gender reveal cannons. Custom filled means that our ingenious team fill each one individually to the details specified on the customer order.
Select from 3 sizes of cannon and a variety of materials of confetti to create the perfect cannon for your special moment.
Our confetti cannons start at just £3.99 and are available in a variety of colours and shapes.
You can buy your confetti here!
Whilst many of us remain at home during the current pandemic, it has been a great opportunity for many to pick up a new hobby or get a little bit creative from the comfort of their own homes.
We've seen some stunning, creative work over the past few weeks. Our favourite is the work from Erin Sullivan (right) who, under normal circumstances would be found travelling the world finding wonderful places to explore.
Whilst this is not possible at the moment, she has instead brought her adventures closer to home, and on a much smaller scale. Using Rosemary clippings and artificial snow products she has been able to create this magical, miniature winter snow scene.
We love snow and that’s why we stock a whole variety of artificial snow products. with an array of different materials, finishes and sizes we are confident we have the right snow for your needs. Our fake snow products start from just £8.40 with quantities ranging from as little as 1kg all the way up to 20kg.
Tommy Hilfiger unveiled their Spring collaboration clothing line with Lewis Hamilton & HER Music last month at The Tate Modern in London.
To add to this already diverse event and location, we went along to add a bit of atmospheric smoke to the mix.
As the show is about to begin, 8 of our large wind machines are in place, quickly and effectively dispersing the smoke on queue, revealing the runway models beneath.
As the in house lights, change colour and flicker through the remaining smoke, a light haze remains in its wake, bringing a moody and atmospheric feel to this fashion show.
In November we headed to London. Armed with our bags of biodegradable paper snow we set about tackling trees, fencing & numerous cabins. Covering the area in a blanket of paper snow we began to transform the experience site in to a bright, white winter scene. Along your way through this magical forest, visitors will be greeted by Santa’s elves and invited to join in with a number of Christmas themed activities.
Along with the dressing of snow, we supplied a range of our exterior foam snow machines. These foam falling snow machines are built-in to flight cases and come with a handy 10mtr hose to allow extra length and height. Perfect for creating that wonderful slow falling snow moment.
November and December are incredibly busy months for us at MTFX. We visit a variety of winter events and experiences adding the important finishing touch – SNOW!!
When you throw a group of people in to a dark room with copious amounts of rum available, it’s always going to be a barrel of laughs. To make things even more interesting, we were asked to immerse them in ‘A Perfect Storm’
For this we used every single one of our Rain Tiles to create a perimeter of heavy rain surrounding the guests as they tucked in to a sea inspired dinner. Wind machines were thrown in to the mix to further add to the effect that the guests have just set sail on a stormy ocean voyage.
With help from Tandem Set & Scenery we helped transform a blank white canvas in to an immersive storm experience.
Another fantastic year at Ascot Racecourse with our effects seeing this incredible week come to a close.
This year we not only supplied our XL Master Blasters that filled the sky with Red, White & Blue confetti as racegoers sang some classic songs around the band stand, but also supplied a variety of effects for the Royal Enclosure after party. Smoke machines, bursts of confetti and as always, the crowd favourite… the Smoke Bubble Machine, which pumped out a sea of smoke filled bubble as guests partied in to the night.
If you’d like to throw your ideas at us, get an instant quote or just grab a bag of confetti? Get in touch with us here or call us on 01452 729903.
To discuss using confetti to promote your event, get in touch today!
It might not appear this way with the recent weather we are having here in the UK, but summer is here! With it brings an array of exciting festivals,parties and live outdoor shows.
With our current climate situation coming in to question, ways of reducing our plastic footprint are becoming more and more important! Everyone from large event organisers to parents throwing kids birthday parties are seeking alternatives to plastic consumables that don’t oppose a threat to the environment.
For this reason we are really pushing our Water Soluble confetti for outdoor events. This dissolvable product is an eco-friendly alternative for other forms of confetti. The confetti made from starch extract is soluble in water and will begin to instantly dissolve once in contact with water, making for a quick clear up and also leaving no toxins or harmful materials in its wake. This environmentally friendly confetti is available in 1kg bags and is selling fast
To discuss using confetti to promote your product, get in touch today!
A Canada goose campaign promoting their spring range of ultra-waterproof clothing saw us produce an ingenious water system for this pop up exhibition.
An array of different sized, 3D teardrops were erected in 7 major cities around the world. The teardrops, coated with a reactive paint would change colour once in contact with rain.
Working alongside a creative construction company, our job was to produce a constant and steady stream of water that would flow from the top of the teardrop and fall down and around, ensuring full coverage of the sculpture.
The integrated ‘Return to tank’ system made sure that this water activated reaction would continue to happen no matter the weather.
To discuss a water system to promote your product, get in touch today!
We thought we’d add another Wind Machine to our already stacked arsenal of machines, because why not? You can never have too many wind machines, right?
In all seriousness, we wanted to build a high quality machine, exactly how we wanted it! A few key features for us were:
Power – Kicking up a storm! We spent a lot of time designing a powerful machine that didn’t sacrifice its size. The Panther reaches speeds of up to 50mph with a variety of speed settings to match the desired output speed.
Ease of use – it’s 2019, nobody wants to encounter a cryptic trail of buttons to get a machine going. With equipment being easier than ever to use we wanted a control box that was easy to navigate.
Manoeuvrability – 4 corner wheels and a heavy duty frame, means the machine can be easily moved in a number of scenarios, whether it be indoor or outdoor. Options to tilt and rotate the main fan mean you don’t have to turn the whole unit around to pin point where your gust of wind goes.
Size – Removable legs, combined with an already small frame allow the unit to be easily stored and most importantly, it fits in to a box van. Compared to our larger, bulkier wind machines, the size of this powerful wind unit allows us to dry hire this wind machine, making it a more cost effective way to produce high end wind effects.
To discuss using The Panther Wind Machine for your event, get in touch today!
If you’d like to find out how you can hire The Panther Wind Machine, get in touch with the team now.
The BBC One Show’s, Rory Reid stopped by our High Voltage Lab to help explain what happens when lightning strikes an aeroplane during flight. Unfortunately for him, this involved a few minutes in our Faraday cage (also known as the cage of Death) to show exactly what happens.
This experiment involved 2 large Tesla Coils to produce around 1 Million volts of electricity.
When the cage is struck by the lightning, rather than it passing through the cage, it is instead conducted around the cage. This keeping the objects within the cage, or in this case the person safe while the electricity travels around them.
Click the video to view the full segment.
Dry Ice, when combined with heated water creates a stunning, atmospheric low smoke effect. Most commonly used for musical performances and theatre/TV & film Productions, the smoke effect creates a moody effect that thanks to the weight of the Co2 makes the smoke hover around the floor.
The weight of the smoke comes in handy for a recent test of ours. The Dry ice curtain sees the dry ice pumped through a raised feature. The weight then forces it down slowly creating a curtain of falling smoke.
Check out the test video opposite.
It’s been over 26 years since we first opened our doors and began creating effects from our first HQ in Bristol. A lot has changed over those years!
Apart from better camera quality and a new logo, we've expanded in to the Bristol Bottle yard Studios and also in to Wales which has allowed us to continue pushing the boundaries within the Special Effects industry. We’ve opened Olympics ceremonies, filled the streets with snow, travelled to over 20 countries and so much more.
But, the one thing that will never change here at MTFX is the high standard of Effects that we consistently deliver!!
Welcome to MTFX. The Ingenious effects people.
The Scented Misting System is a water effect that disperses fine water particles, whilst also releasing a fragrant aroma. Created as an aesthetic visual effect the misting system is most commonly used as a cooling device for outdoor events and festivals. Although being a water effect, the fine output of the water means that you feel refreshed without getting soaked.
Designed to be fully tailored to the users need, misting systems are perfect for brand promotion, at Festivals & Sport Events as a refreshing cooling agent or, as a creative standalone feature. The possibilities are endless.
Apart from its main role as a cooling device, a misting system is an intriguing feature which allows the consumer to interact with a unique display.
In a time of social media high, effects such as the misting system are a power tool for brand marketing. Attracting people to engage, capture and share the experience across a wide range of platforms and, in turn maximising exposure.
To discuss a Scented Misting System special effects for your event, get in touch today.
The Triple Shot Confetti Gun is as fun as it looks and does exactly what it says on the tin. 3, electrically triggered shots of confetti, streamers or both, firing up to 20 metres in to the air depending on cannon size. The gun can be fired either simultaneously or with each cannon fired separately.
The Triple Shot Gun is an easy, fun and unique way of creating a falling confetti or streamer effect, making it perfect for events and stage performances.
Our guns are fully loaded and ready for action – contact us now for more information.
Watch the Triple Shot Gun in Slow Motion action here.
Yep, we’ve upgraded our Snow Shaker falling snow machine to now not only distribute a huge variety of artificial snow products but to also deliver our 17 x 55mm confetti as a slow falling confetti effect, with a full load lasting for several hours. Purpose build for themed shop window displays, weddings, photoshoots and pretty much anything where an atmospheric falling effect is needed.
The shaker features a removable base insert, giving the user the option of a variety of output holes depending on the size of the product they are using and also the desired effect.
After a long Christmas period and the important job of covering the UK’s towns and cities with the white stuff, the fleet of Snow Storms are back at HQ before they head out on their next winter mission.
The Snow Storm unit is a powerful and incredibly quiet snow machine. Built in to a flight case, the Snow Storm is durable as well as manoeuvrable. A 20l fluid tank contained within the flight case will give you approx. 2 hours on continuous output at 50% with the option to set a number of different snow flake sizes and intervals to give you a longer lasting effect.
Not only has the Snow Storm been out filling the sky with falling snow for a wide variety of winter events it has also had its fair share of screentime with its most recent appearance on SKY Atlantics hit series FORTITUDE.
Yep, you heard Lionel right! Is it you we’re looking for?
We’re looking for a highly motivated, skilled, team player to join our special effects team.
You’d be joining our main team in Gloucester, supplying visually spectacular, high end special effects for the live events and TV/Film industry.The ideal candidate will have previous experience within the SFX industry, but fear not, this is not essential.
Please send over your CV with a cover letter outlining why you think you would be a good candidate for this exciting position to Mark@mtfx.com
The Brightarcs Musical Tesla Coil is a musically modulated, highly advanced, high voltage piece of equipment which can be used as a single unit or as a pair. 500,000 volts are used to produce the sparks that create the sound you hear. The coil can be programmed to play a variety of melodies and songs with the option to be connected to a number of instruments.
The Musical Tesla is an impressive piece of kit. Its dynamic lightning and sound offer a unique experience for its audience. The coil has been implemented in to many events, displays and as permanent installations at attractions around the world.
We’ve been playing around with a number of our favourite songs recently. Here’s one of them.
Sometimes, size does matter, especially when it comes down to creating gale force winds strong enough to unbalance your average individual.
Our range of Wind machine effects start from as small as 9” with the 84” Machine being the largest amongst our arsenal of wind machines. Capable of producing wind speed of up to 75mph this powerful machine has played huge roles creating turbulent wind conditions within the TV/Film world, with it most recently spotted on SKY Atlantics Series ‘Fortitude’ and also BBC’s, Deadly Dinosaurs featuring Steve Backshall.
Discover more of our Ingenious Wind Effects and how you can hire them here
Yep, it’s on its way. 2019 is nearly here and it’s almost time for the New Year’s Eve festivities to begin. What better way to see the New Year in than with our MTFX Handheld Confetti & Streamer Cannons. Easy to use, party approved, and with prices starting at just £4.79. Simply choose from a variety of our pre-made filled cannons or customize your own with your chosen colours or shapes.
So grab your Cannon, pour yourself a glass of Prosecco and celebrate the start of the year in style.
At the Beginning of March 2018 we braved the Arctic condition of Svalbard, an archipelago island between Norway and the North Pole. Known for its rugged winter terrain, Northern lights hotspot and Polar bears, it was clear that Svalbard was always going to make the perfect location to film SKY Atlantic’s Arctic thriller – Fortitude, with this being its final season.
With 3 weeks of filming ahead we packed our warmest winter jackets, braved the -30C conditions and of course, took with us a number of our beloved snow and wind machines to help add visual effects to the already stunning surrounding of Svalbard.
After 3 weeks of battling the harsh winter conditions with our equipment still standing when many others did not, we had completed the bulk of filming for the 3rd and final series of Fortitude. It was time for us to head back to Bristol, UK where we would finish shooting the final scenes at The Bottle yard Studios.
Fortitude will be hitting your screens on the 6th of December and we can assure you, it’s definitely not going to be one to miss.
Another year, and another exciting, jam packed couple of days at the Showman’s Show in Newbury. The Showman's Show is the UK's original and most comprehensive exhibition of products, services and entertainment for the festival, outdoor and special event industry.
The show consists of 2 days of which, companies within the event industry come together to showcase their services. With a huge variety of exhibitors, from luxury marquee displays, Extreme Mountain bike demonstrations to, of course, Ingenious Special effects, there is plenty to keep you occupied.
This year at the Showman’s Show we went all out winter themed. Bringing a winter wonderland to the showground and unveiling several of our new snow machines for the upcoming winter, combined with a large selection of our ingenious winter consumable products. We were on hand to talk to visitors through all our products and offer expert advice on utilising special effects that have a lasting impact.
Check the recap video here
The Reusable Handheld Confetti launcher is a cost effective way to provide a celebratory effect that can be customised to your needs. The cannon can be filled with confetti blocks or tissue & metallic streamers, which are available in a variety of colours.
The cannon can be filled with up to 10 blocks of confetti in total, giving you the option to manually fill the cannon to your desired size of output.
A 16g CO2 cylinder bulbs that is screwed in to the base of the cannon is used to fire the confetti.
The MTFX Ice cubes come in a huge variety of sizes, shapes and quantities, with an array of functions. Most commonly used by Visual Merchandisers, photographers and stylists to create picture perfect imagery and displays without the hindrance of melting ice.
Our ice effects begin at just £3.12 with products including artificial icicles, XL ice rocks and grated ice effects.
Although our ice cubes will make your drink look realistically delicious, unfortunately it won’t be as chilled as it looks.
You can find our full range of winter effects here.
Or alternatively reach us at info@mtfx.com
Introducing the newest member to the Snow Special Effects team – The Snow Storm. A professional DMX compatible foam snow machine which can easily be rigged on to a standard truss, tripod or simply used handheld. Adjustable air volume and fluid rates allows the user to produce a variety of snow effects from fine snow to a full blizzard.
Being built into a flight case, also gives the unit the added bonus of protection and also the plus of low level noise during use.
The Snow Storm was put through its paces during its first outing to the Norwegian Archipelago island of Svalbard. The Machine proved its worth, performing in harsh -30C Conditions while filming for SKY Atlantics TV Thriller series, Fortitude.
If you’d like to hire a Snow Storm or find out more information on our snow special effects click here
We can’t quite believe that it’s 2018, a whole year of amazing events approaches; festivals, tours, concerts, weddings, corporate events, parties and more. With a huge range of Confetti Blowers, Spinners and Cannons; MTFX can provide a very high standard of confetti equipment for dry hire, or with our highly skilled technicians to operate the equipment to create the optimum effect.
Our CO2 Confetti Blower, The Master Blaster comes in a range of sizes and throwing lengths. Simply hook up the CO2, pull the lever, sprinkle in the confetti and watch as it creates a huge shower of confetti over your crowd. For more information click here.
Make confetti fall from the sky with our Spinner units. Hung from a truss, the spinners work to create a shower of confetti on cue. Check out this ingenious job we did for Ford in Cologne…
Perfect for a range of confetti shapes and streamers, our Confetti Cannons come in a range of shapes and sizes to cater for all levels of experience and events.
From our Powershot Kit and Single Shots, to our Stadium Shot Confetti Cannons which’ll fire up to 30mtrs we have something for everyone.
For more information click here.
Need a super impressive stage effect to wow the crowd this festival season?
Look no further than our Ingenious CO2 Effects range!
Our CO2 Jets will create an impressive burst of CO2. The plume on our standard model will reach 6-8 mtrs – for extra magic try the XL model firing a Jet of CO2 up to 20mtrs!
If your performer needs that extra ego boost on stage, why not give them the ultimate CO2 effect? The CO2 Gun!
Our Single & Multi Shot T-shirt Guns and Launchers are the ultimate effects for firing your brand into the crowd!
You heard that right!
Would you like to gain valuable qualifications at Cirencester College whilst learning a unique trade working in the TV/Film Industries?
We are getting busier and busier so we're looking to expand our team of INGENIOUS special effects technicians and engineers.
If you have experience of providing ingenious engineering ideas and solutions we would love to hear from you.
