Page 65 - Star Wars Insider #177

JOHN DYKSTRA

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within a tight production audiences and was met with an Ghost in the Shell (2017).
schedule and budget. Without Oscar for Best Special Effects, Within that vast body of work,

the Dykstraflex, it’s safe to say shared between Dykstra, though, one job stands apart.
that A New Hope’s 365 visual Edlund, mechanical-effects “A New Hope was by far my
effects shots (comprising some supervisor John Stears, chief best experience, and the most
3,838 different elements) would model maker Grant McCune, satisfying,” Dykstra refl ects. “It
have been vastly different. and optical-photography was brilliant and it was fun. I
“I’d like to believe,” says supervisor Robert Blalack. was working with my friends;

Dykstra, “that if we hadn’t built The Dykstraflex itself earned with like-minded people who
the stuff from scratch, and Dykstra, Miller, and Jeffress an were geniuses in their own
had allowed ourselves to be Academy Award for Technical rights. We were inventing. We
limited to what was currently Achievement. were taking on a challenge
available, we would not have In 1978, the year those and creating something that
achieved the same dynamics in Oscars were awarded, Lucas hadn’t been seen before. How
the fi nal product.” moved ILM from Van Nuys to much better can it get?

The Dykstraflex, he adds, the California Bay Area city of
“was quite a capable machine, San Rafael. Dykstra remained
probably with a broader range in Los Angeles and formed Special thanks to John
of capabilities than it needed the effects company Apogee, Dykstra for participating
to do the movie. We were but the motion-control system in this article. Thanks also
trying to make a device that that bore his name went north to Lucasfilm’s Pete Vilmur

would do everything rather with ILM. There, it was further for providing the technical
than just the specific thing we modified, remaining a vibrant drawings and the photo of

needed it to do. It’s that kind part of the company’s workfl ow Don Trumbull, and to Lucas
of desire and drive that causes for years. ILM artists continued Seastrom for additional

you to find and break through to find uses for the camera, research support. The
boundaries. You overcome even as it inspired subsequent author is further indebted
physical or technological motion-control systems with to J.W. Rinzler’s The Making
limitations in order to meet still more sophisticated controls. of Star Wars, as well as
some new challenge, and then In the 40 years since A the July 1977 and June
it has other applications.” New Hope, Dykstra has lent 1980 issues of American
ILM’s effects work on A his visual effects skills to an Cinematographer magazine.
New Hope universally wowed array of features, most recently

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