Joel Gerlach works at post-production company Luma Pictures in Los Angeles, doing special effects for movies such as “The Avengers.”A couple of weeks ago, moviegoers put “The Avengers” into the record books with a $207 million opening weekend, the biggest ever. Worldwide, the Marvel superhero blockbuster is well on its way to raking in a billion dollars.
For Chattanooga native Joel Gerlach and his family, staying to watch the credits for “The Avengers” on opening weekend was just as exciting as watching all the explosive action and whiz-bang special effects that unfurled in the movie itself.
Gerlach helped create some of those special effects, and his name is listed in the credits of a movie that is entertaining millions every day.
Two years ago, at age 20, Gerlach moved from the Tennessee Valley to Los Angeles, where he now does special-effects work for some of the industry’s biggest films at the post-production company Luma Pictures.
It all began with a dream he had as a child.