In an exclusive interview with Behind The Lens Online, NewRuleFX Founder and President Ryan Johnson reflects on rebuilding after the fire that destroyed years of molds, tooling, inventory, and hard-earned craftsmanship. Within weeks, Johnson had secured a new facility in Northridge and started rebuilding around the people whose skills make the company’s work possible.
More than props
NewRuleFX creates the practical effects that help filmmakers tell stories safely and convincingly. From hero knives and breakaway glass to foam, rubber, and plastic versions of everyday objects, the team builds props designed to move, break, shatter, and perform on camera without putting actors or crew at risk.
The details that sell the illusion
The interview explores the craft behind washable stage blood, artificial dirt, lightweight brick and cement rubble, resin teeth, rubber bones, and other effects that look real while remaining safer and easier to control on set. NewRuleFX can customize color, viscosity, texture, and performance for each production, from major studio work to independent films.
Craft, technology, and story
Inside the Northridge shop, molding and casting work sits alongside 3D printing, testing, painting, finishing, and careful packaging for shipments around the world. Johnson sees technology as a way to accelerate hands-on craftsmanship, helping the team move faster from an idea to a physical prop while keeping the final work tangible.
That same attention to story appears in everything from historically accurate replicas and large event pieces to photo-ready fake cocktails. The goal is simple: make the audience believe what they are seeing.
Rebuilding from the ashes
Months after the fire, NewRuleFX is still replacing lost molds, restocking materials, and finishing its new space. The equipment can be replaced over time, but the company’s real strength is the accumulated knowledge of its team, the practical problem-solving, and the craftsmanship that makes movie magic feel real.
Read the full interview: From Ashes to Breakaways: Inside Ryan Johnson’s Practical Magic at NewRuleFX
Learn more about NewRuleFX and the team’s practical effects work.
