Grand Rapids’ film and graphics veteran Arnie Jones will give Michigan filmmakers entr?e into the high-end world of Hollywood-caliber special effects when his new Digital Design Village is completed in a few weeks.
Jones’ has formed a strategic partnership with The Kerner Group of San Rafael, California, which is famous for creating cutting-edge film effects technologies, starting with Lucasfilm’s original “Star Wars” trilogy.
“It is quite exciting for a company like Kerner to agree to partner with a company like ours in Michigan,” Jones says. “We have access to Kerner’s name and talent and they have access to a growing Michigan industry.”
The partnership is also a terrific boon to the state’s fast-growing film business, notes West Michigan film director Rick Hert. “We need this kind of infrastructure in Michigan.”
Digital Design Village will be the only special effects/post operation in the state, outside of a half-dozen similar companies operating in and around Detroit.
Jones, who has owned four media companies during his 30 year career, says he spent a year researching the infrastructure of other film centers, like Vancouver and Louisiana, to see what helped their growth.
When he took a look at Michigan, he decided he needed a Hollywood connection, given the amount of major studio films shooting throughout the state. He found The Kerner Group through a mutual friend.
