Burke Heffner: It's a Vision Thing

Burke Heffner is many things: Noir photographer, film director, cinematographer, artist, dog-owner, key grip, gaffer, website entrepreneur and Big Apple cosmopolitan. He’s a deep thinker and has a great sense of humor, as you will see in the following interview. And he also happens to be one heck of a nice guy.

If you don’t believe me, just ask Miette, the frisky little canine who accompanied us on our virtual stroll around their Manhattan neighborhood, amongst cherry blossoms and flying Frisbees, while I prodded and wheedled and picked at Burke’s Brain. Lucky and lovable Miette—saved by Burke from an almost-certain early demise and named after the brave orphan in The City of Lost Children—will give it to you straight up.

Miette might also brag that her owner is the keeper of his own personal “castle in the sky” (high rise apartment) from which he surveys all of Manhattan while cooking up creative liaisons and inspired ventures with a gang of artist savants that includes Andy Samberg of SNL (remember Lazy Sunday?) and the lovely Veronica Varlow of Danger Dame. And don’t be offended if she drops a few names like Renee Zelweger or Donald Trump. I mean, after all, from pound puppy to artist’s bitch is a quite a leap. Can you really blame her for letting it go to her head just a little?

Angela: You’re a young thirty-something, living and supporting yourself as an artist. Do you ever pinch yourself? Say to yourself, "Wow, I’m living my dream."

Burke: Not as often as I should. It’s so easy to get caught up in all of my projects—When is my film going to get funded? How am I going to pull off my next shoot?—that I sometimes forget. But I really try. After all, I am living in New York City and am surrounded by an amazing, talented and adventurous team who will jump into anything with me (and I—with them). On top of that, some days I actually get paid to wrap naked girls in cellophane or cover them with candy hearts. Things could be worse. Right?

Angela: Actually, I don’t think they could get much better for you, Burke.

Burke: Well, I don’t want to give the impression it was easy for me. I worked hard to get here. I’ve had all the long hours and lousy jobs that everyone else has had. For more than a few years I was a wildland firefighter. I even did a four month stint as a forklift operator at a tampon factory. And I’m still working hard to be where I am. And to get to where I want to be. I still have a long way to go.

Angela: And, of course, you were a "tischie," weren’t you?

Burke: Ah, yes. I studied film production at The Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.

Angela: I’d say you’ve more than paid your dues. While we’re on the topic of film production, let’s talk about your movie trailer, for the movie that doesn’t exist, Revolver. What’s that all about?

Burke: It actually started with Veronica Varlow as a series of fantastic journal entries based on a dream life of road trips and bank robberies. I was the one who pushed to make it a screenplay, and then we wrote it together. I guess it’s a combination of my travels and Veronica’s longing—with a little gun slinging thrown in for flavor.

Angela: Umm, okay. So how did you happen to make the trailer without the movie?

Burke: Before we’d even finished writing Revolver, we were working on the trailer. I knew that selling me as a first time director was going to be tough. And we don’t want to sell the script. I want and am going to make the movie, myself. So I figured the trailer would be a great way to showcase my vision to potential investors rather than having them wade through pages and pages of a screenplay.

Angela: I saw at the Revolver website that the trailer actually won an award?

Burke: Yes. We spent thirteen days shooting—ten in Montana and three in NYC. Then we put together a slamming trailer which was good enough to win the Golden Trailer Awards. (Which is kind of like the Academy Awards for people with really tiny attention spans.)

Angela: Was Veronica, since she is the femme fatale of the movie, er trailer, er whatever... at the awards ceremony?

Burke: Oh yes. The awards were held in Los Angeles. When they announced Revolver, Veronica went crazy. She practically mauled the poor trophy girl. I mean it was way more than a courtesy hug and kiss. There was smeared lipstick, missing clothing; they even exchanged phone numbers. Ok, I may have imagined some of that, but there was definitely smeared lipstick. Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and we got a lot of press as a result—on television and even in the LA Times.

Angela: Watching the trailer—and I have, time and again—I find it hard to believe there isn’t a film that goes with it. It looks so complete, so finished. Like Pocket and Blue are just waiting for us to find our way around the corner to the rest of it, so they can tell us their story.

Burke: Thanks, Angela. People are really starting to take notice. I think they will be telling you their story very soon.

Angela: I want to get to your photography. But before I do, since your first love is film, would you mind telling me and our readers about this? What films you watched growing up? What influenced you? What you saw and felt that brought you to who you are today?

Burke: I was raised in Alaska and Montana and never got much television in either place, which is probably why I have such a rich and active imagination. But I did watch movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Blues Bothers and The Princess Bride are a few that top my list. Then there were some weird ones that also had an impact, like The Fantastic Planet (an animated feature about aliens that treat humans like pets but eradicate them if they start to multiply too quickly) and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. I think I saw Caligula when I was in fourth grade.

Angela: Oh my God! I did too! Right around fourth or fifth grade. Any stories or authors or books that you remember?

Burke: When I was younger, I liked Hans Christian Andersen. Then as an adolescent and teenager I got wrapped up in Tolkien. My mother used to sing these old, sad folk songs which I still remember. I’m sure they’re mixed up in all of it, too.

Angela: Now, I see at Things To Look At, that you’ve done a lot of photography for book and magazine covers. See what all that reading led to? Not such a bad deal, eh?

Burke: Touché. Yes I have. My buddy, Veronica, has even been the model for a couple of the shoots. If you look through the website, you will see her. She is on a couple of the Flipside magazine covers. You can find some of the book covers there, too. I did a couple for covers for Gena Showalter’s "alien huntress" novels, which you can find there, too.

Angela: You certainly get around, Burke. You have pictures of Martha Stewart’s kitchen and Donald Trump’s loft at your website. How did you manage to snare those?

Burke: I actually worked on both of their shows.

Angela: Wow! What other commercial projects have worked on? Who else do you know?

Burke: I’ve worked on a lot of mainstream stuff people will be familiar with: MTV’s Real World, Gangstarr Videos, and American Express Commercials. I’ve worked on shows for Renee Zelweger, Alicia Keys, the cast of the Sopranos and Ricky Martin.

Angela: You know so many fascinating people. How did you and Veronica Varlow hook up?

Burke: We met in the best way! It was on a film set in Sleepy Hollow. Neither of us was getting paid; we just showed up to help our friends. And we’ve been collaborating ever since. It was a good pay-off for volunteering. I do all the photography for Veronica’s femme fatale clothing boutique, Danger Dame. And of course she is the lovely Blue in Revolver.

Angela: Speaking of Veronica, as an artist/photographer, what is your definition of beauty?

Burke: Yeah, she is beautiful, isn’t she? Beauty is tricky because it’s not the same thing as being pretty. The pipes, rods and gears of a machine all working together can be beautiful. Or rows of shark teeth. Or a dragonfly. But are they pretty? Whereas a model with no flaws and perfect makeup might be pretty. But is she beautiful? It’s almost like appearance is secondary to what makes beauty. Maybe beauty is the accidental result of perfect function? For example, the wings of a bird, tremendous feats of aerodynamics, working to cheat gravity. Anything executed that perfectly cannot help but be beautiful.

Angela: And how about sexy? What is sexy?

Burke Heffner Photo from Things To Look At

Burke: I will tell you something a lot of people don’t realize. A lot of the girls on my site are not models. I was talking with a client before a shoot. She wanted some valentine shots for her sweetie and thought she wasn’t attractive enough. Which was ridiculous. She was a nice looking girl with some very sexy features and a few trouble spots, just like any one else. But looking through my portfolio, she assumed all my models were flawless. And I think most people make that assumption. Often the gap between the cover girl and a regular girl has more to do with the artists and the money surrounding the star than the actual individual. Take that all away and there’s not so much distance between the two.

Angela: I think women need to hear that more often. Thanks for saying it. So let me ask you this? Do you have any favorite photographers or mentors?

Burke: Actually, I don’t. That might sound weird, but you have to remember that photography is something I made up on my own. A friend once took me to a club called Manray in Boston. It wasn’t until years later that I learned it was named after the famous photographer. Most of my visual style comes from studying great cinematography and watching motion pictures. Or from fine art or graphic novels or even just looking around. I am influenced by ancient classics like The Iliad or Epic of Gilgamesh. There has to be something great going on for a story to survive as long as they have.

Angela: Where do your ideas come from? How does your creative process work?

Burke: Once I get an idea, I’m very analytical. It’s almost like an equation. It starts here and I want it to end here. So what can I drop in the middle to get me there? But that’s at the end of the process and never the inspiration. The images and ideas that strike me are almost subconscious, like little flashes or memories. Like when you are a child and something scares or excites you, yet it is much too big for you to understand. An emotional "pop." Most of my ideas start from little flashes like that. I stack a few of them together and then look for the story or the picture they make. Dreams are good sparks, too. Even times like when you’re all alone waiting for the train. Or at least you think you are alone. Sometimes I’ll be playing an idea out in my head and suddenly realize that someone else is there, and that I’ve been squinting and twisting around.

Angela: I do that with writing. I know exactly what you mean.

Angela: Burke, you’re only thirty-three years old, yet have experienced much success. What advice would you give the young "wanna be" artist?

Burke: I'm not sure I’m really that far along to have all that many "secrets of success." But I would say that the most important thing you can do is produce. Make your stuff and get it out there. It sounds really simple but a lot of people who want to be artists don’t actually make any art. No one is going to fund your creativity, so do what you can with what you’ve got. Every time you frame a photo or screen a video, or every time you see a project all the way through to the finish, you are that much further than you were before. Don’t wait for things to be perfect or you'll never do it. Just keep cranking away.

Angela: One more question. What’s next for Burke Heffner?

Burke: That's a great question. Revolver is really picking up steam, attracting a lot of interest. Along with that, I’ve got so many other irons in the fire. Then there are always the photo shoots. I can give you and your readers an exclusive peek at a few.

Angela: Oh goody! Can I keep them?

Burke: I said a "peek," Angela.

Angela: Okay. But let me ask you this: You wouldn't happen to have any extra tampons hidden away from that forklift gig that you could hook me up with, would you?