Until Star Wars (1977), shots of ships in space were filmed with large- and small-scale models, allowing for slow and rigid movements. All that changed when Star Wars visual-effects supervisor John Dykstra devised a new computer-controlled motion camera system -- dubbed the the "Dykstraflex" -- for Star Wars. Now a spaceship model could be filmed against blue screen in a single position while the camera moved around it, the idea being to provide the illusion of movement.