ILM were definitely badass
There was a story circulating, possibly apocryphal, about a bunch of union reps turning up to the studio where ILM were working on shooting with the Dykstraflex. They were complaining that the camera was being operated by a non-union member. During the robust discussion, one of the techs surreptitiously programmed a series of moves into the Dykstraflex. Suddenly, the camera rears up off the floor, performed a complex series of pirouettes in the air and came to rest inches off the face of the lead union guy.
The ILM guy then said, "Show me a cameraman who can do that, and repeat it perfectly time after time, and I'll hire him!"
Biting the hand that feeds IT
