Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! May the 4th be with you! Thanks for joining me for part two of this walk down memory lane as I show you a little bit more of what went into the restoration of the Dykstraflex motion control camera system. For the uninitiated among you, this was the groundbreaking motion […]
The Dykstraflex: Restoring the Motion Control System That Changed The World – Part 2 Read More »
Please join me as I take a walk down memory lane and show you a little bit of what went into the restoration of the Dykstraflex motion control camera system. For the uninitiated among you, this was the groundbreaking motion control camera system that brought to life the most exciting special visual effects that first
The Dykstraflex: Restoring the Motion Control System That Changed The World – Part 1 Read More »
This past Sunday, July 28, 2024, was the last live demonstration of the Dykstraflex at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, for now at least. Now it heads back into storage and some continuing restoration work. My heart was warmed by the huge crowds that came to see this amazing machine at work, and listen
A Farewell to the Dykstraflex (For Now) Read More »
The culmination of all the efforts that myself, Gene Kozicki, Joe di Gennaro, Peter Anderson, Les Bernstien, Andre Bustonaby, Joe and Miles Lewis, and many of the museum crew, was a live demonstration of the Dykstraflex in the Spielberg Family Gallery on the 47th anniversary of the release of the first “Star Wars” film. On
Demonstrating the Dykstraflex: May 25, 2024 Read More »
As part of my involvement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences History and Technology Subcommittee, we have been hard at work getting the Dykstraflex cleaned up and ready to be exhibited at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. This was a long and tedious process, involving a fair amount of logistics, cleaning,
Preparing for May the 4th: The Dykstraflex at the Academy Museum Read More »
Some 40+ years ago, I had the privilege of being one of the engineers and cameramen at the Universal Studios Hartland visual effects facility. One of the many things I designed and built there was a 3-axis motion control model mover. My friend Peter Anderson rescued part of one of these model movers and kept
A Visitor from the Past – the Hartland 3-Axis Model Mover Read More »
Way back in 2019, I was asked to rebuild the missing sections from the Dykstraflex camera moving system so that a working Dykstraflex could be demonstrated at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Galactic Innovations event. This project happened on a tight schedule, and in the middle of me moving my business across
Further Adventures with the Dykstraflex Read More »
While I continue my long and protracted battle with an Arri BL 4S, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Star Wars Day. As they say, May the 4th be with you! This got me to thinking about the ongoing work I have been doing for the Academy of Motion Picture
Happy Star Wars Day! Read More »
It’s a little late for Star Wars Day, but we wanted to share this latest project in anticipation of the premiere of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” tomorrow. Previously, in 2019, I completed a major restoration of the Dykstraflex camera crane for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The restored Dykstraflex was prominently displayed at the
Dykstraflex: Preparing to Service the Camera that Shot the original Star Wars Trilogy Read More »
The Dykstraflex made its first public reappearance at the Academy Science and Technology Council’s Galactic Innovations event last night after decades in storage. I am thrilled to have been instrumental in bringing this amazing piece of equipment back to life. My thanks to Joe Di Gennaro, Gene Kozicki, Joe Lewis, and Miles Lewis for their
The D-Flex at Galatic Innovations Read More »
