Star Wars motion control

Although the Disney/Lucasfilm deal is largely about the acquisition of the 'Star Wars' franchise, Disney is also getting its hands on Industrial Light & Magic, probably the pre-eminent visual effects studio in the world.

ILM got its start in 1975 when Lucas needed a visual effects department to work on "Star Wars." According to ILM, "The young team at ILM pioneered the use of computers to control and move motion picture cameras. The invention, named the Dysktraflex, in honor of its primary inventor, John Dykstra, allowed camera moves to be programmed and repeated time and time again giving effects artists the ability to shoot multiple registered passes of miniatures such as the Millennium Falcon, which would later be optically composited together into a single shot."