This past weekend I finally visited San Francisco for the first time! I’ve heard so many great things from friends who have been there and have often felt like the only person who hasn’t yet been to the city – so glad that’s all now changed! I can totally see what all the hype is about!
San Francisco is such a beautiful city with so much to see and do – way more than my friends and I could fit in the two days we were there! Not going to lie though, we PACKED in a lot! I’d love to do a post sharing all that we did if I get the chance – I think it’d make a great guide for others who only have a weekend in the city but want to do a bunch of different things.
For this post, however, I’m going to focus on one particular highlight of my San Francisco trip: THE LUCASFILM TOUR.
In case you didn’t know, Lucasfilm is the production company founded by George Lucas and best known for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises. Many geeks would consider working at its headquarters their dream job. One of my good friends, Meg, earned a job here last year and it’s all thanks to her that I got this fantastic tour as Lucasfilm does NOT do public tours.
Lucasfilm Headquarters is located in the Letterman Digital Arts Center in the Presidio. Although it isn’t open for public tours, it’s definitely worth a visit – especially if you a Star Wars fan! The life-size Yoda fountain statue out front is a great photo op and the lobby, which is full of fun Star Wars memorabilia, is open to the public during business hours 9am-5pm on weekdays.
Can you tell I was excited for this tour?
How did I get a tour?
As mentioned above, my good friend Meg works for Lucasfilm in the animation department. Every Friday, the company does a “Friends and Family” day where loved ones can get a sneak peek tour of the building. We all were so grateful to Meg for taking the time to show us around and acting as our personal host and guide.
All guests have to be checked in and receive a key card and guest ID badge (which they let you keep!).
The Tour
We came just before noon to meet up with Meg and get our ID badges. We were then treated to a fascinating behind the scenes montage of several of their recent films showing how a scene goes from the original filmed footage/rough sketch to all the different layers of CGI to what we finally see on screen. Very cool, especially watching it all in their 298-seat, state-of-the-art THX-equipped private theater!
This is the original door that was the entrance to the longtime ILM facility in San Rafael, CA (1978-2005). Due to so much fan and media interest in Lucas and ILM projects at the time, they used the pseudonym “The Kerner Optical Research Lab” so that the company could keep a low profile.
We then began our tour down the various hallways and corridors. Everywhere you looked were movie posters, matte paintings, models and more from your favorite movies. It was surreal.
Also, while photography was allowed, video was not.
Lucasfilm has had so many great speakers – including my favorite actor, Gary Oldman!
Looking at the Howard Anderson Optical Printer – it has been used to create elements to nearly every Lucasfilm movie since their creation.
The working title for Solo was Red Cup.
This maquette was built for the shot where the Ford Explorer goes over the wall during the T-Rex escape. It was the only practical shot in the film.
This is a study model of the T-Rex from Jurassic Park. They bent his tail so he would fit in the case.
The velociraptor model on the left was created as reference for Jurassic Park as well to produce stop motion models.
I got such a laugh out of the different yearly ILM visual effects crew photos
Standing in the corridor of models that connects two of the buildings
The house (and bird’s nest) from A Series of Unfortunate Events
SO many posters! Lucasfilm/ILM has worked on so many films!
This matte painting was used in the opening scenes of E.T. shortly after E.T.’s arrival to earth. Small holes were punctured in the surface and it was lit from behind to create the appearance of a real city.
There’s a little coffee bar in one of the hallways with the clever name Javva the Hutt.
The Gift Shop
Of course, they have a company gift shop and it was filled with plenty of Star Wars goodies and exclusive Lucasfilm/ILM merch not found anywhere else! Click HERE for in-depth post about the shop and its merch in a separate post!
The Gourmet Cafe & Cafeteria
The eating area had such a beautiful view! Love all the natural light too!
The Lobby
As I said earlier, the lobby IS open to the public during regular business hours on the weekdays. We spent some time looking around after our tour. Lots of fun and interesting memorabilia were scattered all over the spacious room. There is a wall lined with bookcases filled with Star Wars artifacts and various Lucasfilm/ILM awards and trophies. In between the bookcases, is a life-sized and incredibly detailed Darth Vader and K-2SO.
Some prestigious awards
K-2SO from Rogue One
With my friends John and Kyle and our wonderful host/guide, Meg!
Yoda Fountain
I concluded my time at Lucasfilm with some photos in front of the the iconic bronze Yoda statue located in front of the lobby. It’s supposed to be life-sized which makes you realize just how small Yoda really is.
I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this tour and feel so lucky that I’m among the few that get to see this sneak peek into Lucasfilm Headquarters! As a Star Wars fan, I was in heaven! I don’t know how employees don’t get distracted every day working around all this incredible stuff!
Even if you don’t know anyone to manage a Friends and Family tour, I still definitely recommend stopping by and checking out the fountain and public lobby if you’re in the Presidio area your next San Francisco visit!
