Movie-goers watching the new American action thriller Shadow Recruit may be interested to learn that a Cheshire-based engineering firm helped create some of the special effects.
The SFX team behind the latest Jack Ryan movie got in touch with Tarvin-based Renby Ltd after reading about its MicronFog system on the internet.
They realised the family-owned firm’s patented misting system would create the perfect atmospheric backdrop for some of the scenes in the movie, which stars Chris Pine – known for playing the young James T Kirk in Star Trek – Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley.
Robin Travis, Renby’s managing director, said: “I was really pleased we managed to beat an American competitor and it could potentially open up a new avenue for us.”
He added: “I think they found us on the web after they had become frustrated by the constraints they were being put under by their previous suppliers.”
The MicronFog system was actually designed for dust suppression in a factory environment but the way the fine mist wafts and the ease with which the system can be set up, means that it lends itself to landscaping, architectural features and special effects on film sets.
Over the last two years it has been used at Chester Zoo to offer a tropical atmosphere to their animatronic dinosaur and bug displays.
Renby also assisted James Wong with his stunning Chelsea Flower Show Canarian Garden.
The special effects are not the only local connection to Shadow Recruit as much of the filming was done around Liverpool and Birkenhead.
