Theo Kamecke
Encyclopedia
Theo Kamecke is a sculptor, who previously worked as a film director during the 1960s and 1970s. Kamecke's best known film is Moonwalk One
- a NASA commissioned documentary feature film to cover their Apollo 11
mission in the summer of 1969. Theo's other influential films included The Incredible Bread Machine Film, and To Be Alive, which he worked as a film editor on. Since the 1980s, Theo has worked as a sculptor, working in the medium of early electronic circuits. His work has been purchased by film director James Cameron
.
, leaving after his second year because he felt the urge to hitch-hike around the country and discover life. Following this first road trip he settled in California
and lived around Los Angeles
for a couple of years before returning to Boston where he found work with a publisher near Harvard Square. This vocation held little interest for him however, and he had by now decided that he wanted to make films. So in 1962 he came to New York City which was then the center for non-theatrical film production.
In 1969 he was called back by Francis Thompson to take on the feature-length documentary for NASA about the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, which came to be called Moonwalk One. That film was shown at Cannes and was subsequently in the first program of New American Directors at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
In the years that followed, Theo Kamecke wrote, directed and filmed many documentary short films on subjects as varied as computers, coal mines and cowboys. He created a film projection for Jesus Christ Superstar
, an award-winning three minute long television commercial for IBM, and the first program for the children’s television series Big Blue Marble
. Among his short films was the avant-garde and controversial The Incredible Bread Machine Film, for the World Research think tank in California (1974).
His films had taken him to many parts of the world but by the 1980’s he was growing weary of a life revolving around schedules and meetings, and craved creativity on his own schedule.
. It became the depository for various things of visual interest which he had collected while making films. One day in the mid-80’s when an impulse to be creative struck, he looked at a pile of circuit-boards he had collected because of their graphic qualities, and began to build something. His first shows in New York City came a couple of years later. Kamecke's website displays images and a more detailed description of his artwork.
Theo Kamecke’s circuitry sculpture is held in private, institutional and museum collections internationally.
Other film awards not listed
(Partial Listing)
Moonwalk One
Moonwalk One is a feature-length documentary film about the flight of Apollo 11, which landed the first humans on the moon. Besides portraying the massive technological achievement of that event, the film places it in some historical context, and tries to capture the mood and feel of the people on...
- a NASA commissioned documentary feature film to cover their Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
mission in the summer of 1969. Theo's other influential films included The Incredible Bread Machine Film, and To Be Alive, which he worked as a film editor on. Since the 1980s, Theo has worked as a sculptor, working in the medium of early electronic circuits. His work has been purchased by film director James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
.
Early years
Theo lived for several years in Kansas, before his family relocated to the Boston area. He attended Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, leaving after his second year because he felt the urge to hitch-hike around the country and discover life. Following this first road trip he settled in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and lived around Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for a couple of years before returning to Boston where he found work with a publisher near Harvard Square. This vocation held little interest for him however, and he had by now decided that he wanted to make films. So in 1962 he came to New York City which was then the center for non-theatrical film production.
Film career
Kamecke’s experience in the film world began only shortly before joining Francis Thompson and Alexander Hammid in New York City, to edit the multi-screen film To Be Alive! which became the hit of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, and won the Academy Award for best short documentary. After editing another Francis Thompson multi-screen film for Expo 67 in Montreal, Kamecke set off on his own to direct other creative documentaries.In 1969 he was called back by Francis Thompson to take on the feature-length documentary for NASA about the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, which came to be called Moonwalk One. That film was shown at Cannes and was subsequently in the first program of New American Directors at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
In the years that followed, Theo Kamecke wrote, directed and filmed many documentary short films on subjects as varied as computers, coal mines and cowboys. He created a film projection for Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
, an award-winning three minute long television commercial for IBM, and the first program for the children’s television series Big Blue Marble
Big Blue Marble
Big Blue Marble was a half-hour children's television series that ran from 1974 to 1983 in syndication. Distinctive content included stories about children around the world and a pen-pal club that encouraged intercultural communication...
. Among his short films was the avant-garde and controversial The Incredible Bread Machine Film, for the World Research think tank in California (1974).
His films had taken him to many parts of the world but by the 1980’s he was growing weary of a life revolving around schedules and meetings, and craved creativity on his own schedule.
Sculpture
While still keeping an apartment in New York City, in the 1970s Kamecke bought a home in a rural area in the northern Catskill MountainsCatskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
. It became the depository for various things of visual interest which he had collected while making films. One day in the mid-80’s when an impulse to be creative struck, he looked at a pile of circuit-boards he had collected because of their graphic qualities, and began to build something. His first shows in New York City came a couple of years later. Kamecke's website displays images and a more detailed description of his artwork.
Theo Kamecke’s circuitry sculpture is held in private, institutional and museum collections internationally.
Awards and nominations
1972 Cannes Prix Special, for Moonwalk OneOther film awards not listed
Filmography
- 1964 To be Alive!, Film Editor
- 1970 Moonwalk OneMoonwalk OneMoonwalk One is a feature-length documentary film about the flight of Apollo 11, which landed the first humans on the moon. Besides portraying the massive technological achievement of that event, the film places it in some historical context, and tries to capture the mood and feel of the people on...
, Film Director, Writer, Editor - 1974 The Incredible Bread Machine Film, Film Director and Cameraman
(Partial Listing)