About CHE
We offer production-side overall VFX supervision, VFX production, and visual effects design to all studios for any scale film, commercial, or series. In collaboration with Robert Stromberg, we are maintaining both the highest quality of traditional visual effects and moving into next-generation visual effects using AI.
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*Recent work:
*2024-2025 Paul Graff contributed to the epic challenge of adapting THE WIZARD OF OZ into an immersive 360º, 4D film experience in the Las Vegas Sphere, working as visual effects supervisor at Magnopus.
*2023 overall VFX supervision & VFX production of the 20th Century Studios/21 Laps film THE BOOGEYMAN, based on a short story by Stephen King.
*(see timeline for all projects)
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*Brief History:
After several years of creating award-winning effects for Stromberg’s VFX company, Digital Backlot, Paul and Christina rebranded as Crazy Horse Effects (CHE). With Paul and Christina at the helm, CHE continued to create Emmy & VES award-winning visual effects. In 2016, Christina and Paul became department heads, supervising and producing solely for the studios beginning with STRANGER THINGS 2. Paul then went on to supervise STRANGER THINGS 3, and Christina produced the visual effects for Netflix’s JUPITER'S LEGACY. Both combined forces again when Paul joined the Jupiter's Legacy team later as VFX Supervisor. They continued together as overall Sr. VFX supervisor and overall Sr. VFX producer for the Netflix film trilogy FEAR STREET.
Our history:
In 2001, after moving to the United States from Berlin, Germany (where both Paul and Christina Graff worked in the local film and television industry - VFX and editing), Paul was given his first VFX job as a senior compositor on the movie CORONADO. Embracing the creative attitude and meticulously high-quality standards of Academy Award-winner Volker Engel and Marc Weigert's company UNCHARTED TERRITORY, Paul moved on to become a lead compositor and compositing supervisor, ultimately winning his first EMMY with Uncharted Territory for the mini-series THE TRIANGLE. While working on Peter Weir's MASTER & COMMANDER, Paul met 5-star matte painter & VFX designer ROBERT STROMBERG. The two teamed up with Christina for a host of projects ever since then.
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While Robert was deeply involved in the creation of alien environments for Jim Cameron's AVATAR, Paul and Christina Graff were in charge of operations at Digital Backlot. The company took on THERE WILL BE BLOOD, 3:10 TO YUMA, and finally JOHN ADAMS, with Robert as visual effects designer, Paul as visual effects supervisor, and Christina as visual effects producer. Their efforts were rewarded with several award nominations and even some wins: EMMYs (Paul Graff, Christina Graff, and Robert Stromberg) for the HBO mini-series JOHN ADAMS, which consequently won VES AWARDS in 3 categories.
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Shortly after the completion of JOHN ADAMS, Paul and Christina Graff incorporated CRAZY HORSE EFFECTS, Inc. (CHE). Continuing the same journey under a new structure, CHE established its name creating visual effects for numerous outstanding films and television series, including TROPIC THUNDER, THE ROAD, THE PACIFIC, and BOARDWALK EMPIRE. CHE collaborated heavily with HBO on the design and creation of the Atlantic City Boardwalk for Scorsese's pilot:, BOARDWALK EMPIRE. At the same time, CHE continued working once again with director Scorsese on both SHUTTER ISLAND and later THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and with Peter Weir on THE WAY BACK.​
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As a strong tide of projects flowed through CHE - GAME OF THRONES, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, WALL STREET: MNS, LIFE OF PI, GANGSTER SQUAD, SAVAGES, SNOWDEN, and BLACK SAILS - Crazy Horse Effects opened a branch in Upstate New York called Crazy Horse East. In NY and Los Angeles, CHE continued engaging highly talented artists and creating a friendly, cohesive environment where their work shined.
In 2016, Paul and Christina were selected to become The Duffer Brothers’ overall VFX supervisor/producer team for STRANGER THINGS: SEASON TWO (ST2). Paul and Christina led Netflix’s ST2 to an Emmy and a Visual Effects Society award nomination. Paul continued on with STRANGER THINGS: SEASON THREE, which was also nominated for the same awards. Meanwhile, Christina began a new project as overall VFX producer for the first season of Netflix’s JUPITER’S LEGACY. Paul joined her for the final leg of post-production as overall VFX supervisor during the COVID-19 summer of 2020.
Immediately thereafter, both joined director Leigh Janiak on her Netflix film trilogy, FEAR STREET, followed by 20th Century Studio’s and 21 Laps' film: The Boogeyman. Most recently, Paul completed his contribution to THE WIZARD OF OZ at THE SPHERE as VFX supervisor at Magnopus.
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Presently, Paul and Christina have once again joined forces with Robert Stromberg and continue to provide traditional VFX services with emerging technologies, creating high-quality cinematic work for film, series and commercials meeting the highest global standards.