Richard Demolski, sometimes credited as Bernie Demolski, is a physical visual effects technician, electrician, and grip. He worked at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) from 1989 through 2005 and was one of ILM's stage technicians on Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Demolski is now working at ILM's off-shoot company, Kerner Optical, and is Kerner's visual effects best boy grip on 2009's Star Trek.
During his time at ILM, Demolski was an effects stage technician or part of the stage crew on such films as Saving Private Ryan, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the special edition of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. He was also a grip on the saucer crash miniature and blue screen unit for the hit 1997 science fiction film Men in Black and worked on Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Demolski was part of ILM's practical effects unit on the 2003 film Hulk, which, like Star Trek, featured Eric Bana. Demolski remained with ILM's physical production facilities after they became Kerner Optical, and has since worked on such films as Evan Almighty (featuring Jimmy Bennett), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (featuring Bruce Greenwood), and Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Further connecting Demolski with 2009's Star Trek is his work as Kerner's best boy grip on the 2008, thriller Eagle Eye. This film was executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the writers and two of the executive producers on Star Trek. In addition, Demolski and fellow Kerner employee Ian Chriss took a freelance assignment as a grip on the film Bottle Shock. This film starred Chris Pine, who portrayed James T. Kirk in Star Trek.