PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Apr 3, 2015) - Local production studio and self-proclaimed "Creature Shop" Refuge VFX makes its home in the valley below the northern hills that line the Willamette River. A little out of town, and just under the St. Johns Bridge, the studio is a hotbed of activity. Specializing in bringing scary monsters to life, it is here that a select group of artists works day and night, dreaming up the animation realities that many TV and movie viewers may take for granted. Not only is Refuge a major creative force behind the unabashedly awesome special effects for NBC's Grimm, now in its fourth season, the production house is also responsible for some of the special effects in LAST KNIGHTS, the new action film which stars Academy Award® Nominee Clive Owen (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Closer, 2004), who delivers an electrifying performance as a fallen warrior who rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master, Academy Award® Winner Morgan Freeman (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Million Dollar Baby, 2004) in this epic, sword-clashing adventure of loyalty, honor, and vengeance. LAST KNIGHTS will be released by Lionsgate in select theaters and On Demand on April 3rd.
Refuge's Compositing Supervisor Tarn Fox, best known for his work on projects such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest, and 2014's 21 Jump Street, was instrumental in the studio's work on LAST KNIGHTS. "It was a great experience to work with the Director, Kazuaki Kiriya, and really fulfilling creatively. He had a strong vision that left a lot of room for collaboration, so we had a great time going back and forth. It wasn't the standard sort of movie set-up. The most challenging aspect was the same as the most fulfilling. Making it real is something that Refuge is great at. Everybody here has a lot of expertise with that, and can do it easily. Really hitting somebody else's vision, and really knowing what it is, even if they don't know-it's the challenge and the fun part as well."
"Refuge is a multi-faceted computer graphics and animation company," says owner and founder Fred Ruff. "We do work for visual effects in TV and film, our own live action production, and we also work on branded content." Inspired to continue to create widely, Refuge may have some surprises up their sleeve. "I'm really excited that we just started Refuge Studios, which is a partner company for Refuge VFX, in which we can do live action production for film and television," continues Ruff. "That's going to be the next leg of Refuge as a whole. We are also Refuge Animation, and that means we will be going after branded content and advertising. My job here at Refuge is to keep these guys with exciting work, and to keep them getting paid for it," says Ruff. "It's kinda what we do."