Apogee Productions, Inc. (originally known as Apogee, Inc.) was a full service special effects company created by John Dykstra in 1978 after he left ILM, and had its office located in Van Nuys, CA. [1] It was formed after the Battlestar Galactica movie (which became the series pilot) moved to Universal Studios. Apogee was primarily formed out of ILM employees working on the project before the move. The first major project for the company was models and miniatures manufacturing as well as shooting key effects scenes for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, as the company was brought in by Douglas Trumbull to help out with the troublesome production of that film.

The company's model shop built a number of studio models for the film, including a one-foot version model of the Enterprise, the Epsilon IX station, interior and exterior sections of V'Ger (for which Gregory Jein was brought in) as well as extensively modifying Magicam's D7-class model for it to become the K't'inga-class model.

The company nearly ceased its existence in the fall of 1982, when Dykstra dismantled the company due to the lack of commercial projects. However business picked up shortly afterwards, beginning with Clint Eastwood's movie, Firefox, and the company was revitalized (as "Apogee Productions, Inc." from 1989 onward) [2] Ten years later however, late 1992, Dykstra closed down the company permanently, when he left to join Los Angeles based "Eggers Films". [3]

Employees on The Motion PictureEdit

• Dick Alexander
• Chuck Barbee
• David Bartholomew
• Deborah Baxter
• David Beasley
• Mat Beck
• Cosmos Bolger
• Mark Cane
• Angela Diamos
• Roger Dorney
• Dennis Dorney
• Janet Dykstra
• Robert Elswit
• Chuck Embrey
• Jon Erland
• Joe Garlington
• Bruno George
• Pete Gerard
• Rick Gilligan
• Philip Golden
• Phil Gonzales
• Richie Helmer
• Phil Joanou
• Jack Johnson
• Paul Johnson
• Proctor Jones
• Michael Joyce
• Denny Kelly
• Deborah Kendall
• Greg Kimble
• Steve Klein
• Mark Kline
• Martin Kline
• Don Kurtz
• Michael Lawler
• Steve Mark
• Pat McClung
• Grant McCune
• Syd Mead
• Mike Middleton
• Alvah J. Miller
• John Millerburg
• Harry Moreau
• Harry Moreau
• Erik Nash
• Ron Nathan
• Debbi Nikkel - Production Accountant
• Jerry Pooler
• John Ramsay
• Gary Rhodaback
• Steve Sass
• Dennis Schultz
• David Scott
• Robert Shepherd
• Bill Shourt
• John Shourt
• Tutt Shurtleff
• Dick Singleton
• Richard Smiley
• Doug Smith
• David Sosalla
• John Sullivan
• Michael Sweeney
• Don Trumbull
• Susan Turner
• Don Webber
• Gary Weeks
• Diane E. Wooten

ReferencesEdit

• Don Shay, Star Trekking at Apogee with John Dykstra, Cinefex, Issue 2, August 1980, pp.50-71

External linkEdit

• Apogee, Inc. at the Internet Movie Database
• Apogee, Inc. at the Internet Movie Database (as Apogee Productions, Inc.)