Slamdance Interview: Burke Roberts

Question Time With Peter Baxter

Best not complain next time your budget falls through. Burke Roberts' Bizzurke Army crafts films with no budget. Here he shares some of their trade secrets...

What is Bizzurke Army?

If had nickel…. And as a disclaimer, there are many others that would answer this differently. The brief is it’s the largest Guerilla Film militia in the world. The military metaphor creates a language of revolution that quickly weeds out the faint of heart. Comprised of over 300 artists and technicians, I founded this ever expanding network because I realized money people are too often afraid of my projects.

But what does the money pay for? Equipment and talent. Both are possessed by the people who CAN relate to my ideas – “The Creatives”. So the Bizzurke Army philosophy is: Skip that middle man and hunt down what it takes to create high production value via human relationships.

I try to be honest with myself about what the strengths and weaknesses are in my filmmaker skill set, and I stand by my belief that my greatest talent as a filmmaker is my taste in the other artists I work with. Which is one of the main things they can’t teach you in film school...not that I went to film school.

In your Manifesto your number 1 point is "It's just my opinion - but I tend to agree with it". How is this statement applied to the filmmaking of Some Of An Equation?

Everybody’s got opinions, so if I am going to take other’s as merely that; “opinions” – I better do the same with my own.

Although I have allot to say about allot – I do not like films that condescend with their “holy-er than thou” commandments. You know, pieces of shit like Crash that are little more than safe, self righteous, 6th grade level morality sermons.

So in my work I prefer to just examine difficult questions – whether it is about society or the human condition. In Some Of An Equation we are forced to face our judgment of a man for his actions. But because of the style in which his scenario unfolds - the “fill in the blanks” kind of relationship to the man - that is quickly developed by every viewer, the audience is left with a question about themselves as well. A scary question, that nobody can answer for them.

The production value of your film is impressive...and incredible when you take into account it cost nothing to make...how did you do that?

This particular film was actually one of my least difficult achievements in production value on a shoestring budget. However, the fact that we had to do it in one day (rehearsing in the morning/shooting in the after noon) made it the most elaborate shot I have pulled off.

Because my network expands beyond filmmaking into other artistic ventures, I have factions in the crew that have unique skills. I wanted one shot, no post affects. So these Kat’s used available materials and invented a camera cage and drop rig that allowed us to do the extensive, choreographed move all the way until the camera drops off of a 5 story building, at actual gravity speed.

I will say that having about 30 friends in cars, show up to a desolate area of Downtown L.A. to create a fake traffic jam without a permit, was a bit nerve racking and surreal.

How much did your no budget environment affect the decision to shoot your film in one continuous shot?

Absolutely zero. Some of an Equation was always intended to be one long shot because that is how the viewer becomes trapped in the reality of the situation. Many people do not even realize that it never cuts. The budget is usually fairly irrelevant in dictating my cinematic choices. If I have something in my head that I cannot do without more money, I choose to not do it at all.

But at this point, holding up the ever falling sky on production is the Bizzarmy style of shooting. And the department heads can gracefully handle more than your average low budget crew. Including photo-shopped permits for when the cops show up. And they almost always do.

All your filmmaking elements appear to be exact yet music composition sounds like it holds a special place...why?

You do ask the right questions! Well to be honest – I, admittedly, have a bit of a rock star complex. The majority of my friends in life have been musicians. I am pretty well versed on a major cross section of music and music history. And the way I apply this to my films is no different than the way I apply shooting style or the use of color. I believe a story should be told in the style of the story. For example: how much more affective is it to watch a Viet Nam film that has Hendrix playing as apposed to a John Williams score. One feels honest the other feels manipulative.

I have films that are entirely electronic glitch and others that are only cello and banjo. The choice of music in this craft is as important as casting.

Tell us about The Engine, your current project.

When a couple of my flicks started to get cult followings in the underground film scenes of over seas, I decided to follow that momentum. Again, because I grew up with musicians I had been on allot of tours - so I decided to start doing exactly what my friend’s bands do, but with films. Over the last 5 years I have toured to dozens of cities all over Europe with half a dozen of my films. In doing that, I started to see allot of interesting venues. Not just cool movie theaters, but bars, art galleries, clubs, music halls, all sorts of places that had nice projection systems. I started to look at; the amount of filmmakers versus the lack of places to screen back in the states.

So because I am also very interested in designing installation art and sculpture, I came up with this thing called The Engine.

It is a transportable projection system, featuring a 1000 pound light and steel sculpture that kinetically supports a 17 foot screen. It debuted at The Architecture and Design Museum of Los Angeles in 2007

It was the first Bizzurke Army project that is not a film, but rather a piece of art to house film.

We use it to show motion picture of all kinds at a vast array of events. We hope it inspires a growth of more truly independent screening venues as well as more experimentation as to what these venues can be.

Although it can be rented to go anywhere, it is Currently stationary in a very unique showroom that we have built called: Engineering Cinémathèque. We are having both private and public screenings there every weekend, presented by different programmers. People who are early to get with the future of cinema viewing, such as Adult Swim, Nolan Void and, of course, Slamdance.

For more info on that: www.theenginetheater.com

With everything you are currently involved with, what does the future of Bizzurke Army hold in store?

Well…. Uh…Gotta make this short flick for Slamdance by December. ….After that, it is time for my first feature.
As well as, of course, bringing more awareness to other filmmakers about The Engine, so they can perpetuate more freedom in their options.

Really though - Who knows what I, and mine, will get ourselves into.   Probably whatever is the next thing some hack tries to tell us “we can’t do”.

A lot of indie filmmakers are finding it tough to keep things going at the moment. You're thriving...how do you do it?

Sleep deprivation.

What's the Burke Roberts number 1 filmmaking rule filmmakers should always break?

Any rule someone else gives you. Make different rules for yourself that you stick to, but remember there is always a way to tell the story that you want to tell.

Onward and upward Burke!

And cheers to you m’man.