Machine Shop Special Effects

Here at MACHINESHOP, we specialise in the design, fabrication and on-set operation of in-camera special effects, atmospheric floor effects, precision mechanical rigs, model-making, and animatronics. 

We make rigs move, props behave, walls breathe, rain fall, smoke drift and the occasional impossible thing look entirely normal on camera. Whether on stage or location, our focus is simple: make it work properly, make it safe, and make it feel intrinsic to the design.

For nearly three decades, we’ve fostered hands-on craftsmanship to translate creative intent into safe, reliable, and production-ready reality. We understand that what we build must support the design, not distract from it, so we are problem-solvers first and foremost. 

This is why we bring together design, engineering, fabrication, electronics, automation, CNC machining, 3D printing and finishing under one roof, where ideas can move quickly from sketch to prototype to something production ready. With workshops in London and Yorkshire, we can cover the whole of the UK and beyond.

In 2020 we became an employee-owned company. This means that our people are directly invested in everything we do: whether it’s the project manager quoting your job, the workshop technicians building your effect or the supervisor standing beside our machines on set.  

If you can draw it, describe it, or vaguely wave your hands at it: we’ll figure out a way to make it happen.