Page 61 - Star Wars Insider #177

JOHN DYKSTRA

01

a lot of different things: placed to oversee development 01 X-wings (Dick), Alvah J. Miller, and
posterization; solarization; of a cutting-edge new camera. attack the William Shourt, would focus
Death Star in

extracting elements from Dykstra soon found and rented A New Hope. specifically on the development
complete images and bringing a disused warehouse in Van of the motion-control camera
those elements back together Nuys, Los Angeles (just north system. When Richard Edlund
in new confi gurations; of Hollywood), that would joined the fl edgling facility
using high-contrast house all of ILM’s departments. soon after as the production’s
fi lm; overdevelopment; “For better or worse,” he says, effects director of photography,
underdevelopment; controlling “the facility was patterned his input was solicited, too.
contrast; controlling color by after Doug’s, which meant “Don Trumbull had a
creating masks… It was kind of that it wasn’t particularly background in mechanical
the essence of optical printing. corporate.” With an eye toward effects,” says Dykstra. “He’d
So I was well suited for doing streamlined communications been building things for Doug

optical elements when I went and workflow, Dykstra brought for years. He was a genius in
to work for Doug. I also did together collaborators who mechanics and he understood
some model building. We all “knew one another and had optics. He was a really brilliant
did a lot of everything—and it worked together before. We guy. Dick Alexander is a
was great.” had a shorthand that allowed precision machinist, and he
Within a few weeks of us to present fairly complex and Don collaborated on the
meeting Lucas and Kurtz, hypotheses and prove or best way to design and build
Dykstra had offi cially signed disprove them without having the camera. Bill Shourt was
on to A New Hope. He was to go through a whole lot of involved in the mechanics of
well qualified to be the fi lm’s research and development.” the boom that we constructed.

special photographic effects As Dykstra assembled his And then Al Miller was the
supervisor, but there was a team, he enlisted the services electronics guy. Making a
whole other business side to of Trumbull’s father, Don, who, camera run was small potatoes
the job: building an all-new along with Richard Alexander for Al, but he had to fi gure
effects facility from the ground
up, and sourcing the tools and
staff for all of its departments. “THE PURPOSE BEHIND IT WAS TO
Was he confident that he was

up to the task? He laughs. “Of SIMULATE THE REALITY OF [LIVE-
course I was! What was I, 27?
I knew everything!” ACTION] CINEMATOGRAPHY AS OPPOSED
Youthful enthusiasm aside,
Dykstra was certainly well TO STOP-MOTION ANIMATION...”

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