Most of you have seen Star Wars, right? It was a groundbreaking film during its time for many reasons, and not the least of them being special effects. While it may have been George Lucas’ vision, the man behind all those explosions, lasers, light sabers and miniature models was John Dykstra. Even though you may have never heard of him, you’ve definitely seen his work on the small screen before.
Born John Charles Dykstra on June 3, 1947, in Long Beach, California, Dykstra studied industrial design at California State University. His breakout job came when he worked on filming model effects on the film, Silent Running. From there he went on to lead the development at Industrial Light & Magic, creating the Dykstraflex motion controlled camera. That’s the one that is responsible for most of the special effects in Star Wars. Although Dykstra and George Lucas didn’t always get along, John went on to win that years Academy Awards for Best Special Effects and Special Technical Achievement.
While the majority of his work has been in the film industry, with such credits to his name as Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Spider-Man, Inglourious Basterds, and Hancock, Dykstra has dabbled in television from time to time.
You ever hear of a little show called Battlestar Galactica? Yeah, John Dykstra was the miniature and effects unit supervisor for the original series.
Science fiction films and television shows probably wouldn’t be what they are today without John Dyksta. For his contribution to the medium, he really is a TV visionary worth honoring. The next time you see a spaceship flying past your screen on television, give props to the man who invented the camera that probably filmed it, John Dykstra.
Comments
No comments.
Add your comment