RIC WAITE

Born: 10 July 1933, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA, as Richard Waite.

Died: 18 February 2012, Los Angeles, Calif., USA.

Education: University of Colorado.

Career: Started his career in New York City where he owned and operated a photography studio with Playboy, Vogue, Jaguar, a.o. as his clients. Moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and entered the film industry. Moved to Denver in 2002 where he has been busy shooting real estate, portraits and weddings.

'People are always asking me "how do I get into the movie business?" That's kind of a tough question to answer. I can tell them how I got into the movie business. ten years before I tried for the "industry". I had met a lovely young gal who said to me one day, "why don't you go out to California and get into the movie business." It was a statement, not a question. As the saying goes, behind every successful man there is a good, smart woman. Well, my wife was just that. So, in all my ignorant bliss, I took my portfolio of still photos - I had no reel at that point - and went to Los Angeles. I bought the local production guide and started knocking on doors. Only commercial producers mind you. Five days later I knocked on Chris Peterson's door. Chris had a commercial producing company and was then very successful. For some reason he hired me! As a director/cameraman. So my bride and I moved to Los Angeles. A few weeks after I'd started with Chris I got my first assignment - as a cameraman - on a Navy training film. The next day I arrived at the stage, introduced myself to the director. Imagine - a young kid from Chicago via Korea [war] via New York was actually on a Hollywood sound stage about to start shooting his first picture. Only problem was, I didn't know how to even begin. The director gave my my first set up. A nurse leaves a room down the hall, comes toward us to the nurse's station, chats with another nurse for a moment, then walks away up another hall. I thought to myself - she's going to move? Hell, I'd been photographing people on a seamless background using strobe lights. How the heck do you light a person to get from A to B? I hadn't the foggiest. So I confessed my sins to the gaffer. His name was Cal Bassin and what a terrific guy he was. He just smiled, told me to follow him around and pay attention to what he did and how he did it. I followed his advice. Finally, he announced we were ready and I should tell the director so. I did and he - the director - said "fine Ric - just climb on the dolly and we'll get a rehearsal." I took one look at this huge camera mounted on this funny looking device that had a hand wheel in the back and another small hand wheel on the side. I thought to myself, what the hell's that? I'd been used to a small tripod and either a Rolleiflex or Hasselblad. So, I conjured up myself and said to the director: "You know, I really like to sit in a chair and watch the actors - make sure they're hitting their marks, staying in their lights, etc." He said "okay, we'll get an operator over here right away." Well, that's how it went for the first six months I was there. A bit of lying, a hint of cajoling; a little bit of stalling and a lot of watching, learning and keeping my mouth shut - but a smile on my face - Always! And I began to learn how to be a cinematographer.' [From Ric Waite's blog, January 12, 2009.] I was a fashion photographer in New York for

Taught at the Colorado Film School and at the International Film & Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine. 'I've been taking for 30 years, and now I'm giving back. Some folks say, "Ric, I worked for a director of photography and asked him how to do something, but he won't tell me because it's a little secret." I say, "Well, that's petty. I'll share any shred of knowledge that I have. I mean, first of all, I respect that you're here because you want my job, which is fine." I tell them anything they want to know, and I share all of my 'secrets'. We all have a few, but I have no compunction about revealing mine. I really enjoy the teaching.'

Was a member of the ASC since 1984.

His son Richard R. is a c.asst.

Awards: 'Emmy' Award [1976/7] for 'Captains and the Kings' [Chapter 1]; 'Emmy' Award nom [1976/7] for 'Tail Gunner Joe'; 'Emmy' Award nom [1977/8] for 'The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish'; CableACE Award nom [1993] for 'Last Light'; 'Emmy' Award nom [1996] for 'Andersonville' [Part II].

Website [blog]: Ric Waite

FILMS

1971	The Day of the Wolves [Ferde Grofé, Jr.] c
1972	[The Deja Vu] A Time for Love/Forever/Forever My Love [Rick Jason] p/c
1973	Goodnight Jackie/Games Guys Play [Jerry London] c
1973	Dead of Night [Dan Curtis] c; comp of 3 ep ('Second Chance', 'No Such Thing as a Vampire' & 'Bobby') of unaired tv-series; released in 1977
1975	The November Plan [Don Medford] c; comp of first 3 ep of tv-series 'City of Angels'; see Television (1975)
1977	The Other Side of the Mountain Part II [Larry Peerce] c
1978	Defiance [John Flynn] c; assoc ph New York: Harvey Genkins
1979	On the Nickel [Ralph Waite] c
1979	The Long Riders [Walter Hill] c
1980	The Border [Tony Richardson] p/c; addph (started film, but left due to writers' strike): Vilmos Zsigmond
1981	Tex [Tim Hunter] c
1982	48 Hrs. [Walter Hill] c
1982	Class [Lewis John Carlino] c
1983	Footloose [Herbert Ross] c
1983	Uncommon Valor [Ted Kotcheff] c; addph; ph: Stephen Burum
1983	Red Dawn [John Milius] c; 2uc: Frederick Elmes; spec title ph: Dana Kershner
1984	Brewster's Millions [Walter Hill] c; ph New York: Leroy Patton; addph: Charles F. Wheeler
1984	Volunteers [Nicholas Meyer] c; addph: Jack Green
1985	Summer Rental [Carl Reiner] c; + 2ud
1985	Blue City [Michelle Manning] c; addph; ph: Steven Poster
1985	Cobra [George Pan Cosmatos] c; addph: Nick McLean; filmed 1985-86
1987	Adventures in Babysitting/A Night on the Town [Chris Columbus] c
1987	The Great Outdoors [Howard Deutch] c; 2uc: Robert Thomas
1990	Marked for Death/Screwface [Dwight H. Little] s35/c; addph: Robert Thomas; 2uc: John M. Stephens
1990	Out for Justice/Price of Our Blood [John Flynn] s35/c; addph: Robert Wagner
1991	Rapid Fire [Dwight H. Little] c
1992	Scam [John Flynn] c; shown in May 1993 as a tvm
1993	On Deadly Ground [Steven Seagal] Clairmont-Scope/c; addph Alaska: Theo van de Sande; 2uc: John M. Stephens; aph: David Nowell; vfx ph: Bill Neil; wildlife ph: Scott Ransom
1996	Truth or Consequences, N.M. [Kiefer Sutherland] c; 2uc: Leo Napolitano
1998	Woman Wanted [Kiefer Sutherland] c; 2uc: Curtis Petersen
1999	The Watcher [Joe Charbanic] c; addph; ph: Michael Chapman
2003	Fallacy [Jeff Jensen] c
2007	A Handful of Beans [?] announced for October start; status unknown
2008	Best Ribs in Town [David Mikalson] c; reshoots in February 2009
2009	Assassins' Code/Serpent Rising [Larry Riggins] c; cph: Richard Lerner
2011	Legacy [Jon Lee Brody & Jon Knitter] pre-production

TELEVISION

1973	Police Story [ep #7 'Collision Course' dir by David Friedkin, #10 'Man on a Rack' dir by John L. Moxey, a.o.] 89-part series, 1973-77 + 15 2hr specials, 1977-80 & 1988; other ph: Jack Woolf, Emmett Bergholtz & Robert L. Morrison (pilot)
1973	Nakia [Leonard Horn] pilot (1974); followed by 13-part series, 1974
1973	New Temperatures Rising [ep #12 (38) 'Four of a Kind' dir by William Asher, #14 (40) 'Big Brother' dir by Richard Kinon, #15 (41) 'Is There a Lady Doctor in the House?' dir by Herbert Kenwith (HK), #16 (42) 'Kid Genius' dir by HK, #17 (43) 'Three Faces of Edwina' dir by HK, #18 (44) 'Healer Man' dir by HK & #19 (45) 'Shafted' dir by Roger Duchowny] 20-part series, 1973-74; other ph: Henry Cronjager; followed 26-part series 'Temperatures Rising' (1972-73)
1974	Emergency!/Emergency One [20 ep dir by various] 122-part series (+ 7 specials, 1972-79), 1972-77; 4th season, 1974-75 (22 ep); other ph: Bud Thackery
1975	City of Angels [various] 13-part series, 1976; see Films (1975)
1975	Captains and the Kings [Douglas Heyes & Allen Reisner] 6-part miniseries; other ph: Vilis Lapenieks & Isidore Mankofsky
1975	Medical Story [ep #12 'The Quality of Mercy' dir by Robert E. Collins] 12-part series, 1975-76
1976	Wonder Woman/The New Adventures of Wonder Woman/The New Original Wonder Woman [ep #13 'The Bushwhackers' dir by Stuart Margolin & #14 'Wonder Woman in Hollywood' dir by Bruce Bilson] 59-part series, 1976-79 + 2 pilots, 1974 & 1975; 1st season, 1976-77; other ph: Joseph Biroc (pilot 1974), Dennis Dalzell (pilot 1975), Robert Hoffman & Ted D. Landon
1976	Tail Gunner Joe [Jud Taylor] tvm
1976	Red Alert [William Hale] tvm
1976	The Life and Assassination of the Kingfish/Every Man a King [Robert E. Collins] tvm
1977	Nero Wolfe/The Doorbell Rang [Frank D. Gilroy] tvm
1977	The Initiation of Sarah [Robert Day] tvm
1977	A Question of Guilt [Robert Butler] tvm
1977	Leave Yesterday Behind [Richard Michaels] tvm
1978	Dear Detective [Dean Hargrove] pilot; followed by 4-part series, 1979
1978	A Guide for the Married Woman [Hy Averback] tvm
1978	Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill [Joel Schumacher] tvm
1978	Charleston [Karen Arthur] tvm
1978	Steeletown [Robert E. Collins] tvm; cph: Gil Hubbs
1978	Greatest Rescues of Emergency! [R.A. Cinader & Randolph Mantooth] special; co-seg ph; ph: Frank Thackery; ep series 'Emergency!/Emergency One' (1972-77)
1979	And Baby Makes Six [Waris Hussein] tvm
1979	The Comeback Kid [Peter Levin] tvm
1980	A Perfect Match [Mel Damski] tvm
1980	Baby Comes Home [Waris Hussein] tvm
1980	Revenge of the Stepford Wives [Robert Fuest] tvm
1980	Freebie and the Bean [ep #1 'The Seduction of the Bean' dir by Lawrence Dobkin] 9-part series, 1980-81
1983	Dempsey [Gus Trikonis] tvm
1985	Midas Valley [Gus Trikonis] pilot
1986	You Ruined My Life [David Ashwell] tvm; ep 'Disney Sunday Movie'
1988	Police Story: Burnout [Michael Switzer] tvm; see 1973
1993	Last Light [Kiefer Sutherland] tvm
1995	Andersonville [John Frankenheimer] 2-part tvm
1995	Nowhere Man [ep #2 'Turnabout' dir by Tobe Hooper, #3 'The Incredible Derek' dir by James Darren, #4 'Something About Her' dir by James Whitmore Jr. & #5 'Paradise on Your Doorstep' dir by Thomas J. Wright] 25-part series, 1995-96; other ph: James Chressanthis & Isidore Mankofsky
1995	Money Play$ [Frank D. Gilroy] tvm
1996	Last Stand at Saber River [Dick Lowry] tvm
1996	Heart Full of Rain [Roger Young] tvm
1997	Hope [Goldie Hawn] tvm
1999	Ratz [Thom Eberhardt] tvm
1999	Absence of the Good [John Flynn] tvm
2000	Love and Treason/Aladdin Window [Lewis Teague] tvm
2000	The Triangle [Lewis Teague] tvm; uwph: Paul Guenette
2001	A Mother's Fight for Justice/Crash Course [Thomas Rickman] tvm

MISCELLANEOUS

2007

A Single Beam of Light [E.S. Knightchilde; short/2m] cons prod; ph: ?