First Assistant Camera for Spike TV's MANswers: Bob Fredericks
Film grad always brings his 'A' game to feature film work and TV show shoots
Some people are just born with an eye for what looks good on film. “I really love being behind the camera,” Full Sail graduate Bob Fredericks shares. “I like taking the time to set up shots, and play with the focal length, and make pretty pictures. It’s just my thing.”
Since graduating from Full Sail’s Film program in 2002, Bob’s love of photography has helped him work his way up through the ranks, and he’s currently working freelance as both a First Assistant Camera (A.C.) and Director of Photography (D.P.) in Los Angeles. His resume features a diverse batch of projects, including a number of television shows and commercials, as well as five feature films like the upcoming Contract Killers and Night of the Templar.
“I’ve had my hand in all parts of this industry at some point, which has helped my career out a lot,” he shares. “Bouncing around and doing a little bit of everything has been great because I can work in so many positions and so many areas. I’ve been very lucky.”
Bob’s latest career turn has seen him land a gig as the First A.C. on the Spike TV series MANswers. The show, which is currently the highest-rated program on Spike, is basically a cross between Mythbusters and The Man Show.
“It’s the kind of stuff that people would sit around and debate at a party,” Bob explains. “Questions like, what’s the biggest hand gun that you can buy in the United States? If you get attacked by a tiger, what do you do to try to survive? Or which type of deadly snake can kill you the fastest? Just goofy stuff like that.”
The project has put Bob in some of the most exciting and unexpected situations in his six years in the industry. Some of which even he can’t believe as he goes through the list.
“In the last month alone I’ve shot everything from massive firearms at a gun range, to three huge Siberian tigers out of their cages,” he laughs. “We get to fly in helicopters and see stuff blow up, and go to foreign countries and get paid for it. I mean, in the past year I’ve been to Trinidad, England, Sweden, and the Canary Islands. Who could complain about that? It’s an amazing existence.”
Despite all the fun, the one thing Bob Fredericks doesn’t play around with is his approach to his job. In this visual medium, the camera department is one of the most demanding areas of a film crew. And as he explained, it definitely takes the right patience and dedication to keep the images you see on screen looking good.
“You have to be on your ‘A’ game pretty much the whole time because it takes a lot of concentration – pulling focus is no joke,” he explains. “You can’t fake it as an A.C. or D.P., you have to know what you’re doing. And I like that. I work well under pressure, and I love having the ability to use my head and exercise my craft. There’s a crazy energy on a film set, and you can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”
Since graduating from Full Sail’s Film program in 2002, Bob’s love of photography has helped him work his way up through the ranks, and he’s currently working freelance as both a First Assistant Camera (A.C.) and Director of Photography (D.P.) in Los Angeles. His resume features a diverse batch of projects, including a number of television shows and commercials, as well as five feature films like the upcoming Contract Killers and Night of the Templar.
“I’ve had my hand in all parts of this industry at some point, which has helped my career out a lot,” he shares. “Bouncing around and doing a little bit of everything has been great because I can work in so many positions and so many areas. I’ve been very lucky.”
Bob’s latest career turn has seen him land a gig as the First A.C. on the Spike TV series MANswers. The show, which is currently the highest-rated program on Spike, is basically a cross between Mythbusters and The Man Show.
“It’s the kind of stuff that people would sit around and debate at a party,” Bob explains. “Questions like, what’s the biggest hand gun that you can buy in the United States? If you get attacked by a tiger, what do you do to try to survive? Or which type of deadly snake can kill you the fastest? Just goofy stuff like that.”
The project has put Bob in some of the most exciting and unexpected situations in his six years in the industry. Some of which even he can’t believe as he goes through the list.
“In the last month alone I’ve shot everything from massive firearms at a gun range, to three huge Siberian tigers out of their cages,” he laughs. “We get to fly in helicopters and see stuff blow up, and go to foreign countries and get paid for it. I mean, in the past year I’ve been to Trinidad, England, Sweden, and the Canary Islands. Who could complain about that? It’s an amazing existence.”
Despite all the fun, the one thing Bob Fredericks doesn’t play around with is his approach to his job. In this visual medium, the camera department is one of the most demanding areas of a film crew. And as he explained, it definitely takes the right patience and dedication to keep the images you see on screen looking good.
“You have to be on your ‘A’ game pretty much the whole time because it takes a lot of concentration – pulling focus is no joke,” he explains. “You can’t fake it as an A.C. or D.P., you have to know what you’re doing. And I like that. I work well under pressure, and I love having the ability to use my head and exercise my craft. There’s a crazy energy on a film set, and you can’t get that feeling anywhere else.”
