A Visit to a Different Magic Kingdom - Kerner Optical

In case you missed the news, a few months ago Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) split into two groups. The digital group moved to the Presidio facilities in San Francisco under the ILM banner, and the physical production group stayed at its home port in San Rafael & was subsequently renamed Kerner Optical. I recently visited a colleague of mine at the Kerner offices, Roger Nelson, who is part of the newly renamed Kerner team. For special effects fans and film buffs, a visit to the Kerner facility is truly a magical experience. You never know what you'll find during a visit there -- they could be building the Black Pearl pirate ship for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, or an ark for "Evan Almighty", or blowing up a galaxy on the back lot. It's truly like going to the Wonka factory (in more ways than one).

Tucked away in a group of unmarked buildings in an industrial part of San Rafael, the Kerner offices house full wood and metal shops, huge warehouses to build full scale models, plenty of open space for blowing stuff up -- and they even build their own cameras on-site. It's quite a self-contained facility.

If you're interested in learning more about the Kerner game plan -- and seeing some cool photos, check out this article on Kerner Optical. It's worth a peek into this world of wonder; a playground for some truly talented adults. Serious fun!