Since the studio's inception in 2004, Twisted Pictures has captured the attention of audiences worldwide due to their most well-known property, the Saw franchise. This week I had the unique honor of interviewing the studio's President of Production, Dan Heffner, who has also produced a great deal of films over the years. Most recently, Netflix's Rebel Ridge and Saw X. Together we discussed the film industry, our shared alma mater, and his very unexpected favorite movie!
Rua: "Welcome, Mr. Heffner. First off I was wondering what really inspired you to work in the film industry?Can you point to a specific event?"
Heffner: "That's a good question. I kind of always knew that this is what I wanted to do. My dad was in the industry in a related area, not what I do, but in the industry. I don't know whether that was cause and effect or what. But I was one of those kids running around always, you know, doing stuff. When I was 16, I was a camera operator and programming technician at a cable TV in New York city where I grew up. I think just, you know, as life goes on, you kind of hone in a little bit more. I've said to the students at Ithaca College that I think one of the most important things you can get out of your four years there is just a better sense of what you want to do. There's nothing wrong with coming out of college, not knowing what you want to do forever. But it's certainly helpful if you have some idea."
Rua: "And speaking of film school, would you consider a degree in film to be necessary for success in the industry?"
Heffner: "That's a question I get asked a lot. You know, I'm getting close to 70 years old and I've been working in this business since before I went to college and I've never been asked to present a diploma. But that being said, I think that applies in a lot of different fields. Obviously there's certain areas like, you know, doctors and lawyers and all that where the piece of paper is really necessary. But I think that's a double edged sword. Takeaway is everything you've learned during that four year process, all the experiences you've had everything you've been exposed to, the internships, the facilities, you know, all of that, I think is what is the important part of going to school. I guess the short answer is that it's really about the knowledge you come away with, not so much the piece of paper in your hand. And I hear all the time that the most valuable thing you get out of film school are the connections you make in the industry."
Rua: "Speaking of work in the industry, you recently produced Rebel Ridge on Netflix, and that critically has been a huge success from what I've seen. How does it feel to see a project you worked on be received so well?"
Heffner: "It's always nice! It was a little surprising because during the process of making that, it was somewhat disjointed. Yeah. That's one of the things about this industry you never really know. I mean, I've been involved with films that have won Academy Awards, but while we were making them, everybody was like, this thing really is not going to go anywhere. And I've always been amused by the fact that when a movie is successful, you know, everybody is like 'oh, it's just successful because this or that, or the other thing' with no knowledge of what it took to get there. If people knew the process, they would be shocked at where the real responsibility lay for the success of the project."
Rua: "I know you've produced a lot of low budget films, the biggest of which being the original Saw. Were you surprised by Saw's initial success despite its humble origins?"
Heffner: "Well, we were all surprised by it, none of us expected it to become a franchise. None of us expected it to make, you know, $85 million domestically off of a million dollar budget. You know, there, there've been some very low budget successful movies and there've been probably even more unsuccessful super high budget movies. So I think that ultimately the amount of money you have is not necessarily relevant. It's a testament to the filmmakers as to, you know, being able to pull off a great movie on a low budget."
Rua: "And like Saw, a lot of your career has been in the horror realm, was that intentional? Do you find yourself naturally gravitating towards horror?"
Heffner: "No, I hate horror films."
Rua: "Wow! Really?"
Heffner: "I kind of fell into the horror world as a favor to a friend to help, you know, get Saw made and if that movie had ended up, making like $10 million dollars and never became a franchise, I probably never would have made another horror movie ever. I just love making movies. I like the process as a producer, as a physical producer, that's what I enjoy, so the genre is not really that important to me. Genre really comes into play choosing what you want to watch, not necessarily when you're choosing what you want to make."
Rua: "So if you don't like horror, what's your favorite movie?"
Heffner: "Um, I mean, my favorite movie, uh, it's a movie called Harold and Maude."
Rua: "You're kidding me! I literally have the poster tattooed on my arm!"
Heffner: "I saw it when it first came out, so a very long time ago. And then as my career progressed I was working at Columbia Pictures, and I was doing a lot of screen tests of actors for projects. And one of the days we were doing it, Hal Ashby was directing so I was his first assistant director for that, and that was like one of the highlight moments of my career!"
Rua: "That's so incredible! I can't even begin to tell you how much that movie means to me. I discovered it at the perfect time in my life and it's been a favorite ever since."
Heffner: "That movie also introduced me to one of my favorite musicians: Cat Stevens. They just re-released the soundtrack album for the, I guess 50 year anniversary."
Rua: "I literally have the vinyl right next to my bed right now. My high school graduation cap had some of those Cat Stevens' lyrics on it."
Heffner: "You know, a lot of that music you could never find. It was only on the soundtrack album, and the album didn't stay out very long when the movie came out."
Rua: "The last question I ask all my guests is the infamous: what's your favorite swear word?"
Heffner: "I have no idea. That's the first time anybody's ever asked me that one. You know, when you're on a movie set, we, we tend to curse a lot. I always find that when I finish a movie, I have to remind myself to like, clean up my language a little bit. Um, yeah. But nah, I don't have a favorite one!"
Rua: "Well thank you so much for joining me today, I really appreciate it!"
Heffner: "Thank you for having me, I'll see you next time I'm in Ithaca!"
Thanks once again to Mr. Heffner for appearing on our publication and continuing to use his platform for education. Make sure to check out Rebel Ridge on Netflix and remember to never stop watching
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