[4] His notable credits include The Fountainhead, Beyond the Forest, The Glass Menagerie, The Spirit of St. Louis, The Music Man, and A Patch of Blue.
He was known for his extensive involvement in pre-production, which was unusual for cinematographers of his time, using miniature models of sets to plan lighting and camera setups.
"[4] Burks' cinematography in Hitchcock's The Wrong Man has been described as "bleakly neorealist," though its style is hard to categorize precisely, falling "somewhere between documentary realism and Film noir, with elements of Italian neorealism and moments of modernist expressionism.
However, the film ultimately involved both New York City location shooting (utilizing then-new portable Garnelite lamps) and Hollywood studio work.
[9] This was complemented by extreme camera angles and wide-angle lenses which, unusually for Burks, drew attention to themselves, adding a notable noir quality.
These artistic choices diverged from Hitchcock's initial realist goal, demonstrating Burks' ability to capture the narrative mood through his photography.
[10] Burks was involved in the technically demanding final scene of the Brenner's driveway, requiring 32 exposures and one of Whitlock's matte paintings.
Hitchcock biographer Donald Spoto notes the director's instructions to Burks: "the camera was to come as close as possible, the lenses were almost to make love to her.
For a scene in which she is kissed by Sean Connery, the close-up is so tight, the frame filled so fully with pressing lips, that the tone is virtually pornographic.
[4] Hitchcock's expertise in special effects and his directorial style complemented Burks', enabling cinematographic experimentation, as his writing often suggested "unusual camera imagery.
"[4] Besides Hitchcock, Burks worked with several other directors on multiple projects:[2] Delmer Daves: To the Victor, A Kiss in the Dark, and Task Force Don Siegel: Hitler Lives!
and Star in the Night King Vidor: The Fountainhead and Beyond the Forest Gordon Douglas: Come Fill the Cup, Mara Maru, and So This is Love (The Grace Moore Story) John Farrow: Hondo, The Boy from Oklahoma Robert Mulligan: The Rat Race and The Great Imposter Burks had a significant working relationship with operative cameraman Leonard J.