Len E Burge III: Master of Space & Time

Sculptor, illustrator, jewelry, fine art fabrication- installation, animation, prototypes, production, director, art direction, Len E. Burge III is a never-ending river of astonishing talent and a true artist that knows his craft like no other in his field. Millions of people have viewed the films and videos of his exceptional work. [endif]

IVCS3 CUSTOM CONTROLLER

Custom controller for iPad mini app "iVCS3" front panel-keyboard is a customized Arturia minilab. The 30 knobs on upper panel controlled by livid instruments brain V2. 3 ten-turn potentiometers. Joystick modular provided by Doepfer.

ANIMOOG CUSTOM CONTROLLER

This is the Animoog controller. Like the iVCS3 controller it is a custom controller for iPad mini app "Animoog" with a custom Animoog template that lays over original iVCS3 graphics. Front panel-keyboard is a customized Arturia minilab. The 30 knobs on upper panel controlled by livid instruments brain V2. 3 ten-turn potentiometers now controlling Animoog's Attack. Joystick modular provided by Doepfer.

FILM

Battle Beyond The Sun 1959 Redux - Score additions by Len E. Burge III "Full Film"

Science Fiction Classic with new score additions.

For More Music Visit Len Burge on : SOUNDCLOUD

SCULPTURE

ANIMALS - FX

ART

TOYS

JEWELRY

ILLUSTRATION

Museum Installation 2012

Len's Specialties: "To Create and Fabricate Anything and Everything."

Gifted in the Arts, Len commands respect with his exquisite accomplishments, spending many years working in Commercial, Video & Art Direction and Production. His intense passion and outrageous ingeniousness has been felt within film effects, sculpture, design and on-set management which include such films as “Jonah Hex”, Punch-Drunk Love”, “Jurassic Park”, “Batman 2”, “Terminator 2”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Predator 2”, “The Watchmen”, “I am Legend”, “No Such Thing”, “300”, and “The Last Samurai”.

Another area of expertise is Len’s masterful Toy Invention and Prototype Production. Len has worked with such companies as Spinmaster, Hasbro, Mattel, Sota Toys, Ravensburger, Jakks Pacific, Mcfarlane, K-Nex, Playvisions inc.

Len E Burge III has worked as a Senior Dimensional Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as a sculpture for Dreamworks, Creature Effects, and an Art Fabricator for CB Studios, Inc. Len has also spent 15 years functioning as a Producer, Director and Art Director in Hollywood on many live action and animation videos and commercials, including working directly with Olivier Gondry on his "Vineyards" commercial for Beringer wineries. Major tasks were to interpret his vision and create sets and characters and create stop motion timing tests.

Additional honors include being nominated for an MTV award.

MEET LEN E. BURGE III

Amy Fulton: Hello Len! Thanks so much for this incredible opportunity to allow us to learn more of the man behind the artwork. Your never-ending flow of creativity is brilliant and I just love it. Does your family carry the same artistic talents?

Len Burge: In a sense they do, or did at one time. I had the unique experience to witness it from time to time growing up. Whenever we went out to eat my father would have either an after dinner coffee or martini or both. After a while he would start drawing the greatest little pictures on the drink napkin. The detail was amazing. It was always one of two things, an aerial view of a WW2 plane flying through the clouds or a very surreal 2d sculpture of a flat, twisting disc with a large arrow piercing it through and a martini precariously balancing on the tip. Then there was my mother who only doodled on the cover of the phone book when talking on the phone, By the end of the year the cover was in tatters but in my opinion could have been framed and hung next to a Dali. I saved them when I could. Wish I still had them. I’m still jealous of their unconscious talents.

Amy Fulton: I think one of my favorite memories was watching my father draw. Love that answer...Please share some of your interests with us …

Len Burge: Science/Physics. Particle Physics to be exact. I truly enjoy trying to artistically vision what we cannot see. It’s a sort of translation for me. And what comes out of my head has more freedom then the things I usually have to create for the entertainment industry.

Ambient/experimental music. Playing and recording sounds either from vintage or new synthesizers and field recordings has got to be the best therapy imaginable for me in recent years. When the sculpting finally stops the music will always continue.

Amy Fulton: What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

Len Burge: Let’s see, the late teens early twenties had me doing some dishwashing, busboy. Then moved to Hollywood and was a night manager at a rehearsal studio. Met some interesting people there. Wall of Voodoo, couple guys in Guns and Roses and Jimi Hendrix’s harmonica player. Crazy place. After that, vintage clothing stores and was a frozen yogurt pusher. At about 22 years old I got an apprenticeship with Stan Winston Studios and that was it. No more jobs like before.

Amy Fulton: What is the most difficult part of your job?

Len Burge: Clients and discipline.

Amy Fulton: What do you like in particular about your work?

Len Burge: Variety.

Amy Fulton: For sure. You have such a capacity for creating a variety of artwork that comes to life right before our eyes. The talents you carry that go into that alone are incredible. What are some of the projects you have worked on with Walt Disney?

Len Burge: All I can say at this point is some design work for the new Avatar and Star Wars parks that are currently under construction. I can talk more after they open.

Amy Fulton: What work do you most enjoy doing?

Len Burge: Music and sound design is the new passion. Creating hybrid synthesizers and experimenting with their new sounds.

Amy Fulton: Do you still play bass, or any other instruments?

Len Burge: I never played bass really. I play every instrument. Just not that well. I love to just pick something up and get a sound out of it, then rearrange it into an experimental track.

Amy Fulton: How about motorbikes, are you still into them?

Len Burge: No, I decided I wanted to live.

Amy Fulton: Do you currently work on any projects together with Paul D’Amour?

Len Burge: Paul and I have been buddies since 4th grade. We’ve done a few things together. Notably we directed a video for his band after Tool called “Lusk” all filmed in Seattle. Good times. (See the video HERE. )

Amy Fulton: Have to ask… In the movie predator there is a scene where some skinned bodies are hanging from a tree, did you make those?

Len Burge: Not for the first Predator but I did help create the skinned bodies for Predator 2. That and Edward Scissorhands were my first films I worked on in the late 80’s.

Amy Fulton: How do you get your anatomy work so spot on?

Len Burge: Is it? I’m glad. I can’t even tell you the names of bones or muscles. I just sculpt what I see.

Amy Fulton: Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?

Len Burge: You do spend a lot of alone time of course but with time I tend to love my time and spend it discovering and thinking about ambient experimental music. All this time sculpting and working alone has led me to start creating my own music. Whether someone thinks it’s good or bad makes no difference. It’s a kind of personal, mental yoga/therapy. Very tranquil.

Amy Fulton: What is your Dream Project or plans for the future?

Len Burge: Scoring a very interesting and visionary film. Preferably foreign.

Amy Fulton: I know quite a few young people that would love to get into your line of work. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Len Burge: I would have to simply say do it. Choose a field you love and master it. Never settle for security. You will die of boredom.