{{Short description|American cinematographer (1969–2004)}} {{Infobox person | name = Neal Fredericks | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Neal Leslie Fredericks | birth_date = {{Birth date|1969|7|24}} | birth_place = Newport Beach, California, United States | death_date = {{Death date and age|2004|8|14|1969|7|24}} | death_place = Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, United States | occupation = Cinematographer }}
'''Neal Leslie Fredericks''' (July 24, 1969 – August 14, 2004) was an American cinematographer best known for the 1999 horror film ''The Blair Witch Project''.
==Early life== Born in California, Fredericks grew up in Maryland, where he attended Montgomery College and graduated from Towson University in 1991.
==Career== He then moved to Florida, shooting films for students at the University of Central Florida. Fredericks met his partners on ''The Blair Witch Project'' at Central Florida and they filmed primarily in Maryland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Neal Fredericks, Obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1469856/Neal-Fredericks.html |work=The Telegraph |date=August 21, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Chris Kaltenbach |author2=Ann Hornaday |title=From 'Witch' to 'Dreamers'; Movies: Director of photography for the surprise summer hit turns to making a 'labor of love.' |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-10-15-9910150279-story.html |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=October 15, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Roger |title=Out of the Woods? |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2005-06-12-altered12-079-story,amp.html |work=Orlando Sentinel |date=June 12, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128171049/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2005-06-12-altered12-079-story,amp.html|archive-date=January 28, 2020}}</ref>
Fredericks's other credits include ''Dreamers'', ''Killer Me'', ''The Stonecutter,'' ''Erosion,'' ''The Burkittsville 7,'' and ''Abominable.''
==Death== Fredericks died while filming scenes for the film ''CrossBones''. A Cessna 206, the private aircraft he and the film's writer/director Daniel Zirilli were using to obtain aerial footage of Dry Tortugas National Park crashed into the sea when its engine failed. Though Zirilli, the pilot, and two other crew members were able to escape, Fredericks had tied himself into the airplane while he operated the camera. He was unable to free himself before the aircraft submerged and subsequently drowned.<ref>{{cite news |title=Neal Fredericks |url=https://variety.com/2004/scene/markets-festivals/neal-fredericks-1117909213/ |work=Variety |date=August 17, 2004}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Official website|http://www.nealfredericks.com}} *{{imdb name|id=0292864|name=Neal Fredericks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fredericks, Neal}} Category:1969 births Category:2004 deaths Category:American cinematographers Category:Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School alumni Category:Montgomery College alumni Category:Towson University alumni Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2004 Category:Deaths by drowning in Florida Category:Mass media people from Newport Beach, California