Dan Kneece

First person to fly the Sony F23 camera on the Steadicam, 2007.

Named 1st Vice President of the S.O.C. (Society of Camera Operators) 2005.

He was the first person to put the Thomson/Grass Valley Viper HD camera on the Steadicam and built the Lo-Mode bracket himself in his machine shop to allow low angle shots for the shoot. This footage was shot for NAB 2003 is still used by Thomson/Grass Valley to demonstrate the capabilities of the camera system.

Founded, with David Allen Grove, the Steadicam Guild in September 2002.

In 1988, Dan assisted Ted Churchill in teaching Steadicam for Cinema Products.

In 1982, Dan was taught Steadicam operation by the inventor, Garrett Brown, with the assistance of Randy Nolen and Toby Phillips.

His animated thesis film, Cera, 1980, received a regional nomination for a student Academy Award and a print was presented to Shanxi University in China as part of their permanent collection soon thereafter by the University of South Carolina. Cera was also shown at the first Internation Animation Celebration in Los Angeles.

He began work as a professional Camera Operator in Columbia, South Carolina at WIS-TV in 1979.

He was awarded Associate of Arts (1976), Bachelor of Media Arts (1978), and Master of Media Arts (1980) degrees from the University of South Carolina, and a Certificate in Cinema from the University of Southern California (1976).

Dan Kneece spent the first 18 years of life in Blackville, South Carolina, and attended public school there. In 7th grade, he won a medal at Edisto Conference in for playing Overture Eroica on the Oboe. Dan won the John Phillip Sousa Award in 1974 for being the best Senior musician at Blackville High School.