Agog SFX – Practical Special Effects for Film & Television

Agog SFX is a UK practical special effects company for film and television, established by Special Effects Supervisor Jason Troughton in 1998. His first supervisory feature was Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast, followed by more than 25 years of film, television, commercial and international production work.

Agog provides rain, wind, snow, fog, smoke, steam, fire, pyrotechnics and mechanical effects, from controlled work around performers and sensitive locations to large-scale weather and atmosphere across major exterior sets.

Weather & Atmospheric Effects

Wind systems can produce in excess of 100 mph, while Agog’s rain and atmospheric equipment has covered sets encompassing aircraft, vehicles and extensive exterior scenes.

Mechanical Effects, Rigs & Bespoke Builds

When something off the shelf will not do the job, Agog designs and builds what the production needs. Work includes practical props, mechanical assemblies, specialist rigs, functional set pieces and bespoke SFX equipment, from camera rigs for otherwise impossible shots to rigs for a 100 ft ship and floating breakaway structures exceeding 40 metres.

In-house CAD/CAM, 5-axis CNC machining, additive manufacturing and conventional fabrication allow specialist effects and equipment to be designed, built, tested and modified in-house.

Large-Scale & International Productions

Jason’s career as a Special Effects Supervisor has taken him across five continents and more than 45 countries, working with production teams and local crews worldwide. Credits include Sexy Beast, The Imitation Game, The Great, The Eight Hundred, Wednesday, Inside Man and Bodies.

For The Eight Hundred, Jason spent several months in China, combining Agog expertise with local SFX crews. On The Great, work ranged from period interiors to large battlefield sequences, with low-lying fog and atmosphere across extensive landscapes.

International work means taking the right personnel and specialist equipment, working effectively with local crews and adapting to the production, location and scale.

Historic & Sensitive Locations

Agog has considerable experience in historic and sensitive locations, achieving effects without damage to buildings, finishes or surroundings. The effect has to work for the camera. Protecting the location is part of the job.

Equipment & Production Support

Agog maintains more than £2 million of specialist effects, engineering and production equipment, including 30+ wind machines, rain and weather systems, smoke and fog equipment, hydraulics, pneumatics, fire and pyrotechnic systems and equipment developed in-house. Equipment hire is also available.

Agog can coordinate related trades through the SFX department, giving production a single point of control for communication, creativity, quality and oversight.

Practical Effects, In Camera

The approach is straightforward: understand what needs to happen physically, work out how to achieve it safely and repeatedly, then design, build or adapt whatever is needed to make it happen in front of the camera.

Built to work. Built to repeat. Built for the camera.