The man responsible for showing the entire country (on a weekly basis) how beautiful the city of Providence can appear is naturally a long time resident of that city. Cinematographer Brian Heller created all those gorgeous tracking shots that show up in the hit NBC-TV series PROVIDENCE. A specialist in aerial photography, New York native Heller has lived in Providence for nearly thirty years. He has found extensive work in television commercials (for clients ranging from Nike to the US Navy), weekly series (such as LAW AND ORDER and SPIN CITY), corporate films for companies like Exxon and IBM, and feature length films with budgets both big (DUMB AND DUMBER) and small (OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE, HOME BEFORE DARK).

Perhaps New England’s most omnipresent Aerial Director of Photography, Heller was probably the most logical choice for the producers of PROVIDENCE to visually represent the show’s titular city, not only for the pilot but also beyond. Heller says, "(For subsequent episodes) they would call me up and tell me what they needed. They trusted me to deliver what they wanted after seeing the level of my work."

One of Heller’s other high profile jobs of the last few years was shooting the aerial shots of New York City that appear in the opening credits of THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. Heller recalls working with the show’s director, Hal Gurnee, on that assignment: "It isn’t often that the director will fly with you in the aircraft! A helicopter with no doors spiraling over New York City can be a little disconcerting."

For Heller, such excitement is commonplace, but not always so for the occasional famous actor he gets to work with. Working on the opening credits of SPIN CITY, he recalls the shooting a sequence where Michael J. Fox is on the front of the Staten Island Ferry, a la Leonardo DiCaprio in TITANIC. Heller says, "He (Fox) wasn’t prepared for us to come as close as we did–a helicopter can be quite loud (and) unnerving on the receiving end! Tied to a boat, he couldn’t get out of the way, but he was a good sport about it and the shot worked very well."

PROVIDENCE star Melina Kanakaredes (left) and Brian Heller (right) at an on-location shoot for the hit NBC-TV series.

Photography has always been a hobby for Heller, but in high school, he says it quickly developed into a passion. At that time he shot pictures for the school newspaper and yearbook and also found work as a wedding photographer. After majoring in English at Holy Cross, he studied theater at Brandeis’ graduate program. There, he became involved in the University’s film school, working as a DP on numerous student productions. This enabled him to develop a network of friends that he says would prove fruitful in building up a resume after school.

He also spent some time in the US Air Force. This was where his love of flying and love of photography came together, as he was summoned to make military films. Settling in Providence after leaving the Air Force in 1971, Heller received some training from Adrian Hall at the Trinity Repertory Theater that would gradually change the course of his career, influencing him to take on more dramatic work. He says that from Hall, "I learned a tremendous amount about directing. It helped me to understand the role of actors."

He added, "(In film and television), it’s all about the acting. Not many understand ... the amount of work and preparation involved."

Although he gets many of his assignments from Hollywood, Heller has remained East Coast-based, spending roughly a third of his time working in New England and the rest in New York City. He offers this analogy as an explanation: "Many great actors don’t act in (Hollywood) films because they do not have the physical attributes that are required to get there. (However), they just want to work. You work to perfect your craft." Heller says that likewise, remaining in a less competitive market has allowed him to work and perfect his craft.

Additionally, Heller says that Rhode Island is an ideal state to shoot in, both in terms of natural beauty and attitude. "Filming in Boston can be difficult," he says, recalling time spent trying to conduct a shoot with large vehicles and equipment in a residential neighborhood where parking was scarce. "In Providence, the pace of life is slower, parking there is not a major issue."

As a skilled artist, however, Heller does not subscribe to the notion that the look of a film should be credited solely to the cinematographer. When asked about how much he contributes to a film’s overall vision, he replies, "It’s not a vision. That’s mostly a myth of what a cameraman can bring to a project." He adds, "The DP is usually given credit for something they had nothing to do with–anyone shoot a beautiful picture of Montana, for instance."

Preparing for this issue’s cover page shoot, from left to right: Mike Peavey, Pilot, Wiggins Air; Brian Heller, Cinematographer; Joe Christofori, Camera Assistant; Mike Travis, Art Guy for Imagine. Photo by Margot Balboni

For Heller, his work is more of a collaborative process. He says, "Not to denigrate what a director does, but with a strong crew, anyone can make a movie." The most successful projects, though, are result from a strong working relationship between the DP and the director. According to Heller, if there is a unifying vision to the operation, the director is usually behind it. However, a cinematographer must also have "the ability to interpret a script in such a way that (he/she) and the director understand where the film is going; for many, it’s not always easy to visualize the work." In his own career, Heller says such unions have resulted when working with "world class directors" like Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING) and Nicholas Hytner (THE CRUCIBLE).

As for other cinematographers that he admires, Heller cites Gordon Willis (THE GODFATHER trilogy) and Nestor Almendros (DAYS OF HEAVEN) as prime influences. He says, "They’re masters of light–it’s all about light and lighting." He adds that the best cameramen study script changes and locations to enhance the photography and in turn, enhance the entire project.

Providence resident Brian Heller, behind the camera: "You work to perfect your craft."

Equally adept in film and video, Heller has been working with the latter more as of late and anticipates the growing use and affordability of digital video. However, he notes that in addition to the financial obstacles that DV will face (such as the grave cost of purchasing expensive new projectors for theaters), the new technology will probably never fully replace film, although film "is not going to be what it is today." He says, "Serious artists directionalize– (after all), the photograph did not erase easel painting."

Recently, in addition to PROVIDENCE, Heller has shot some anti-smoking spots for TV and a globetrotting American Airlines commercial that required him to travel to and capture images of Paris, London, and Rio de Janeiro. He has also done aerial shots over Boston for a BBC-TV production and recently finished shooting a feature film, THE GENTLEMAN FROM BOSTON, with former Secretary of State Michael Connolly. On the latter, he says that there has been talk about getting it ready for a screening at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

Heller notes that in the future, he’d like to work as a DP on more features; in particular, independents and projects with a lower profile. He says, "From the standpoint of a cameraman, your input and involvement on lower profile films is often much greater than that on (something with) a larger budget. The schedules can be horrendous, but there’s more creativity and flexibility (allotted)."