Fred Koenekamp
Fred Koenekamp

Learn to talk.

It’s so important when a cameraman and the director can really talk with one another. The more you talk with the director, the more you know what he has in his mind and what he expects from you.

Become part of the story.

I think it’s terribly important for a cameraman to really become part of the story. The script dictates how you are going to light, whether you’re going to use more than one camera and how you are going to cover scenes, along with what the director has in mind.

Keep two scripts.

My routine was that I had two scripts. I kept one on the set and one at home. I’m a big believer in being prepared. Every night, I’d re-read the next day’s script and then in the morning my key grip would have my chair set up with my script. I’d get a cup of coffee, sit down and read that day’s work again.

You’ve got to believe in the story.

I think you’ve got to really believe in the story for a film to truly move people. It has to sink into your brain and body so you can relate to what the character is doing or to what is happening to him. I think that is probably the most important thing. If that happens, then the cinematography, art direction and actors fall into place.

Collaboration is the backbone.

I believe that the more time you spend with the director, the better you understand what he’s talking about. When I was working with Frank Schaffner, we would take one day in pre-production and sit in the office going through the script page by page and talk about how each scene should play. Was it night or day? Dawn or magic hour? Should we use a boom or multiple cameras? Did we want any special lenses? Film students call and write me letters asking for advice. I tell them to get to know the people they are working with and study the script with them. It’s the backbone of the picture.

It’s all the same.

Years ago somebody told me if you are going to do a comedy it should be brightly lit and have an upbeat look. I thought that made sense, but then I went on to find out it didn’t make sense at all. I treated comedy pretty much the same way I did any other picture. I believe that the audience wants to see people’s faces, even if it’s only a half face or a half tone. The best way to describe it is that I lit the picture honestly.

Learn by doing.

My early years in this business were like going to school. When you’re on the set, and you’re working around a famous cameraman, you watch and study everything he does. You watch his lighting and how he deals with people. I was the kind of guy who asked questions. If I didn’t understand something, I wanted to know why. I watched the cinematographer and then I’d ask his gaffer, ‘Why is he using that particular light on someone’s face?’ Most of them would explain.

Speak up.

I remember telling Irwin Allen I didn’t think a shot was right for an actor. The actor heard me and argued; he didn’t want to do it again. Irwin asked me if I was sure. I said, ‘I can’t fool you because you’ll see it on the print.’ I turned out to be right. You have to speak up when something isn’t right.

Get to know your crew.

If you have the right people on your crew, you don’t need to tell them what to do. They know how you think and what you like. The biggest thing I’ve missed since retiring is that camaraderie. I’d love to call my old crew and say we’re starting a picture tomorrow.

Filmography for Fred Koenekamp

Flight of the Intruder (1991)
Welcome Home (1989)
Listen to Me (1989)
Stewardess School (1986)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Two of a Kind (1983)
It Came from Hollywood (1982)
Yes, Giorgio (1982)
Wrong Is Right (1982)
Carbon Copy (1981)
First Monday in October (1981)
First Family (1980)
The Hunter (1980)
When Time Ran Out… (1980)
Love and Bullets (1979)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Champ (1979)
The Swarm (1978)
The Other Side of Midnight (1977)
Islands in the Stream (1977)
The Domino Principle (1977)
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
Embryo (1976)
Posse (1975)
White Line Fever (1975)
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)
The Wild McCullochs (1975)
The Towering Inferno (1974)
Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
Harry in Your Pocket (1973)
Papillon (1973)
Rage (1972)
Kansas City Bomber (1972)
The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972)
Stand Up and Be Counted (1972)
Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971)
Skin Game (1971)
Billy Jack (1971)
Flap (1970)
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
Patton (1970)
The Great Bank Robbery (1969)
Heaven with a Gun (1969)
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968)
Stay Away, Joe (1968)
Sol Madrid (1968)
Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding (1967)
The Karate Killers (1967)
The Spy in the Green Hat (1966)
One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966)
One Spy Too Many (1966)
The Spy with My Face (1965)

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