New photos and poster from next summer's blockbuster
Details
AKA: John C Dykstra
Nationality: American
Birthdate: 06/03/1947
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, USA
biography
Modern-day special effects, for all its reliance on computers, digital graphics and ultra high-end technology, owed much of its existence to John Dykstra. One of the first technicians to merge traditional photography with developments in electronics, Dykstra created the groundbreaking visual effects for “Star Wars” (1977), which earned him an Academy Award, and inspired a generation of filmgoers and future filmmakers. With his invention of the “Dykstraflex” camera, Dykstra literally turned movie special effects on its head with an electronically controlled moving camera that dove, swooped
Worked as a cinematographer shooting miniatures for a psychological study sponsored by the National Science Foundation regarding responses to various architectural forms
Worked as a special effects cameraman and industrial designer for special effects expert Douglas Trumbull's Trumbull Film Effects
1972
Feature debut, credited for special effects photography for Trumbull's "Silent Running"
1973
Worked for Berkeley's Institute of Urban Development on a project applying cinematography and visual effects to the construction of miniature cityscape models
Served as director of special effects photography for a program entitled "Voyage to the Outer Planets" for the Ruben H Fleet Space Theater in San Diego, California