A Vista Cruiser motion control camera system built by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and used extensively on ILM's films of the 1980s and 1990s. The camera debuted on Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, though its first extensive-use project was Richard Marquand's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

From the beginning and throughout the company's history, ILM had to develop tools and technologies to achieve the shots it endeavored to create. The two core technologies that made the first Star Wars film's award-winning visual effects possible were motion control camera passes and bluescreen compositing technology. Motion control allowed camera movements to be recorded exactly and repeated, allowing for complex shots with camera movements that also feature multiple elements shot in different motion control passes. Without these, the film's many aerial dogfights, breathtaking fly-bys, and other seemingly impossible shots could never have been achieved.

The original Dykstraflex motion control camera crane - custom-built by ILM for A New Hope and named for visual effects supervisor John Dykstra - was a breakthrough piece of technology, but also had specific flaws and limitations. The Vista Cruiser (hereafter referred to as V.C.) was ILM's second attempt at a custom motion control camera system and was designed to improve on the Dykstraflex's flaws. Essentially Dykstraflex 2.0, the V.C. was used at ILM for many years afterwards as its primary motion control camera.

ILM named the camera system for its capacity to shoot both 8-perf VistaVision film as well as traditional 4-perf. The VistaVision film format, originally developed in the 1950s when studios were attempting to provide superior alternatives to television, turned traditional 35mm film horizontal to create a sumptuous widescreen film frame (covering eight perforations of the film stock instead of four). VistaVision was regularly used in visual effects work from the era, as the larger negative area maintained higher quality when being duplicated through the optical compositing process. Vista Cruiser was also the name of an Oldsmobile automobile made in the 1960s and 1970s, and a badge off one of these Vista Cruisers was salvaged by ILM and mounted to the side of the camera head.

Work began on the V.C. camera system during production of The Empire Strikes Back circa 1979 after ILM relocated to Northern California. Visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund said at the time: "We are now working on a new Vista Cruiser camera. It will have an 80-foot track, as opposed to the 42-foot track which we have now. It will have a longer boom arm, be a steadier camera, and have a greater film capacity. It will also have a better video viewing system, a better follow focus system, and a better motion control system."

Edlund later added: "The Vista Cruiser camera was a project that I wanted to instigate because it would solve all of the problems we had with the original Dykstraflex camera, which were numerous. The Dykstraflex - it was possible to do a lot of things with it, but it had a terrible viewfinder."

The new camera was a completely custom design and was largely engineered by ILM's Bill Neil, with assistance from Gene Whiteman, Mike Bolles, and others at ILM. "The plan was to have a 100' track, and something like a 12' boom, and a steady camera using the trojan helmet camera again. This was a key part of the photographic system," recalled Edlund. "I had Bill Neil designing it because it was a three-dimensional nightmare. It was very complicated - a very small camera with a shuttle movement that was steady. It had two shutters that worked in tandem as I didn't want to have a big shutter that would make the camera too bulky. It used a 200-foot Arriflex magazine, modified it so it could run forward and backwards."

The body of the V.C. was designed to interchange ground glass elements in custom frames with film movements for both 8-perf and 4-perf shooting. Operators lined up shots using the manual viewtube or a tube-mounted video tap, in conjunction with the ground glass, then changed the ground glass for the film movement and the viewing tube for the film magazine to capture the final shot.

Ultimately, however, the improved camera system was not completed in time for use on Empire. It was first employed on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial before being used extensively on Return of the Jedi. Said Edlund, "The Vista Cruiser was much smaller and narrower than the previous camera. The dynamics of the shots in [Return] depended to a great extent on how close the camera could get to the models. Zooming through the innards of the Death Star, that whole sequence was shot with the Vista Cruiser."

After Return, ILM used the V.C. throughout the 1980s on every film that required motion control camera work, including notable titles like the Back to the Future films and Indiana Jones sequels. Circa 1987, ILM built two additional copies of the camera. Originally developed under the project name "Vista Cruiser, Jr.," they were later dubbed the MooseFlex and D.F. cameras (the latter named due to being mounted on the original Dykstraflex crane for a time). At that point, ILM had multiple options for motion control crane cameras and could utilize motion control cranes on multiple stages simultaneously. The camera system appears in numerous photos from the production of Return as well as other key ILM titles of the 1980s. Many of ILM's noted wizards worked directly with the V.C. system over the years, including Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, Mike McAlister, Peter Daulton, Pat Sweeney, Craig Hosoda, and many others.

The primary components of the Vista Cruiser are the camera itself; the "trojan helmet"-shaped rotator head that facilitates pan, tilt, and roll movements; the camera crane, which was also motorized and computer-controlled; and the custom-built electronic control system, which includes the custom-built electronic V.C. control box and a MotionMaster control box. Included in this lot are the original camera, trojan rotator head, the mount that attaches the head and camera to the crane, and the electronic control system. The rotator head and camera are presented on a hydraulic stand fabricated from an engine hoist. Mounted on the camera's body is an original Nikkor lens from ILM. The camera and rotator head are in operating condition, while the camera control box's complete electronic functionality is unknown. The original crane, which was fabricated outside of ILM, is not included.

The trojan rotator head, based on a design by noted effects technician Don Trumbull and named for the resemblance of its side profile to a trojan warrior helmet, is driven by stepper motors. The "Vista" badge on its side is original, though the "Cruiser" badge is a replacement as ILM's original was lost over the years. The head is tagged with a metallic ILM inventory tag.

The MotionMaster control box was responsible for saving specific motion patterns and making them repeatable. ILM had several MotionMasters, with this one numbered "3." While it is complete and intact, its electronics are currently nonfunctional. The MotionMaster has a small sticker attached indicating it was completed in July 1981. The electronic control boxes are tagged with vintage Lucasfilm property tags.

Dimensions: (largest) 42" x 65" x 65" (107 cm x 165.25 cm x 165.25 cm)

Special shipping required; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Contains electronic and mechanical components; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Estimate: $100,000 - 200,000