Neal L. Fredericks, R.I.P.

[Alex]

Neal L. Fredericks, Director of Photography on the Blair Witch Project, died in a small plane crash while filming, he was 35.

You can know more by visiting a memorial forum set up to honor his memory...Neil L. Fredericks Memorial Forum

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ September 04, 2004 08:16 AM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>

[The Cavity]

The director of photography on "The Blair Witch Project?"

[untamed_aggression]

Originally posted by The Cavity:
The director of photography on "The Blair Witch Project?"

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's what I thought, but I visited the forum and...

On his Web site, Sanchez wrote about how Fredericks handled the challenge of working on a project as unique as ``Blair Witch.''
?
``Blair Witch didn't need to be lit, so he didn't light it,'' Sanchez wrote. ``It didn't need a camera operator, so he didn't operate. What he did do was make sure those actors knew everything they could and had everything they needed to keep shooting, to keep getting those images into the camera.''

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So there you go. Condolences all round.

[Alex]

Just think what it must have been like to be working on a film like Blair Witch. Fredericks DP ego has to be completely contained, and then their little independent movie with a production budget of 35,000 dollars grosses $140,539,099 U.S. Worldwide Gross, $248,300,000. (aka 1/4 of a billion dollars).

[Nigel]

I had tickets to the Blair Witch opening at Sundance in 1999...I sold them at the door. I am glad I did. For some reason I don't feel as though the world is missing out because of a one hit wonder.

Good Luck

[Alex]

Blair Witch was more than a one hit wonder because it grossed a quarter of a million dollars, perhaps a one blockbuster wonder is more accurate.

What a fascinating story to find out how much money Mr. Fredericks personally made from Blair Witch and then to see how he chose to live his life after the movie came out and what career decisions he chose to make as a result.

The guy died making a movie. He didn't hire someone to shoot the scene, he was shooting it and died as a result.