• The ability to work independently and collaboratively in a high-pressure creative environment
• In-depth knowledge of and experience with the art and craft of acting for film and television
• Experience with multiple modern and classical approaches to performance, script interpretation, and character formation
• Understanding of avenues for exposure using new media
• Ability to act confidently in front of the camera as demonstrated in several film projects in collaboration with NYFA filmmaking students.

In this course students learn to analyze scripts and break them down into units or "beats". They develop a solid grounding in establishing a character based on their own experiences and imagination. They also learn to bring together all of the disparate disciplines learned in all of their other courses.

In this course students learn the approach to acting taught by the late Sanford Meisner. Meisner is largely based on listening and observation that helps actors to be ground in the reality of the moment.

This course teaches students to access their natural voice through relaxation exercises designed to improve alignment and alleviate habitual tension. They also study Standard American Speech and IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) in order to get rid of regional dialects and attain more resonant speech.

In this course, students begin to get comfortable getting in front of the camera. Film set. Terminology is addressed, with an emphasis on getting performances out of the actors that is geared for the specific shot size.

Actors learn the history and development of the craft of acting for the screen. An overview of the development of film and television as mediums and how actors fit in to that historical landscape, Theatre to Film gives students a unique perspective on the world of film and television.

An introduction to the art and architecture of various geographical areas around the world from antiquity through the medieval period. The course will provide foundational skills (tools of analysis and interpretation) as well as general, historical understanding. It will focus on a select number of major developments in a range of media and cultures, emphasizing the way that works of art function both as aesthetic and material objects and as cultural artifacts and forces. Issues include, for example, sacred spaces, images of the gods, imperial portraiture, and domestic decoration.

In Monologues, students will learn the skills necessary to hone and focus their acting skills when they cannot rely on a scene partner to carry them through. Students will work on monologues from theatre and film sources that will help them learn how to command attention in their acting.

In order to truly be effective actors, students must learn how to abandon fear of disapproval and freely release their impulses in the moment they occur. Through a variety of exercises designed to help cast off inhibitions, actors experiment with group dynamics and individual expression vital to vibrant and truthful performances.

In this class, students will learn the etiquette and unique skills needed to audition well. Students will work in a mock audition format that will be videotaped for critique.

This class focuses on the marketing skills and the tools needed to get interviews with casting directors and agents. It also addresses etiquette used when dealing with industry professionals under a variety of circumstances.

In this course students begin to experiment with different ways of becoming physically “present” in their work. Elements of various approaches will be taught, including some or all of the following: modern dance, yoga, Alexander technique and Laban movement.

Production Workshops are opportunities for the actors to practice what they have learned in class in a “hands-on” way. Actors collaborate with the filmmakers on film projects that are shot either on the studio sets at Universal or on location in and around Los Angeles.

In this course, students go further with the work done in Scene Study I, with an emphasis on classical or stylistically different material. Students learn how to be emotionally honest in a universe that is markedly different from their own.

A continuation of Meisner 1, students learn how to apply the “moment to moment” work to characters outside of their own experience.

An extension of Voice 1, Voice 2: Speech focuses on using the techniques learned in Voice 1 for performance. In addition, students will use IPA in order to successfully master dialects including (but not limited to) Standard British, Cockney and Brooklyn.

Actors take what they learn in Acting for the Camera I and apply it to in-class exercises. On a weekly basis, actors will prepare a script and digitally tape the scene. Actors learn the basics of editing and will edit their own scenes for critique in class the following week.

In this series of classes, students will learn directing, producing, screenwriting, etc. from the actor’s perspective. Learning the roles of all the players on a film set dramatically increases the actor’s ability to collaborate with the filmmakers in developing dynamic performances.

An introduction to the art and architecture of various geographical areas around the world from the fifteenth century through the present. The course will provide foundational skills (tools of analysis and interpretation) as well as general, historical understanding. It will focus on a select number of major developments in a range of media and cultures, emphasizing the way that works of art function both as aesthetic and material objects and as cultural artifacts and forces. Issues include, for example, humanist and Reformation redefinitions of art in the Italian and Northern Renaissance, realism, modernity and tradition, the tension between self-expression and the art market, and the use of art for political purposes.

Actors continue with ever more demanding physical work designed to heighten performances. Elements of period movement and dance are addressed for specific works that require historical accuracy.

Students will learn historical perspective on the works of Shakespeare to better understand these classic works of theatre. Text analysis will be done using a variety of approaches including scansion, the Freeman method (using the First Folio text), soundings, and poetic and rhetorical devices in order to gain a better appreciation of this master playwright.

In this class, student will learn the basics of digital editing using Final Cut Pro. Students will learn by experience exactly what is needed in order to “match” shots so that they can tailor their performances accordingly.

Students learn how to safely portray choreographed violence for the screen. Elements of various martial arts are employed to create interesting fight sequences that keep the actor safe from injury.

These performance opportunities (spaced evenly throughout the program) allow our students to incorporate all of their learning and experience into performing for a live industry audience. While the focus of the Associate of Fine Arts in Acting for Film is entirely on acting in filmed work rather than in live theater performances, film actors often perform in live showcases for casting directors and industry professionals. This course will prepare AFA candidates for such showcases, and further their dramatic skills for use in later filmed projects.

In this course students examine contemporary playwrights like Chekov, Miller and Beckett. Text analysis and plot structure are treated as fundamental tools for rehearsal and performance. Students learn how to use certain elements of the writing, like mood and sub-text, to enhance performance

Students continue developing the skills acquired during Movement 1 and Movement 2 by learning advanced techniques in yoga, modern dance, and Tai Chi. Student must challenge themselves to move into a new realm by discovering and pushing boundaries.

Using scripts written by NYFA filmmaking students, acting students will use class time to break down the script of the projects they will be collaborating on. This class serves as an intense rehearsal for those projects.

Students will explore new media outlets from the perspective of an actor. Websites that specialize in “user created content” such as YouTube are useful marketing tools in the evolving new media world. In order to successfully complete this class, students must complete a new media project of their own design. One such project may include creating a website featuring their resume and samples of their work. The basic idea of the project is to find a creative way, using new technology, to market yourself as an actor. This project will be included in the Final Portfolio.

In this seminar students are taught to identify techniques that they may use in their own films through screenings and discussions. They learn how filmmakers have approached the great challenge of telling stories with moving images from silent films to the digital age. The course explores ways that the crafts of directing (particularly shot construction), cinematography, acting, and editing have developed. Instructors select films for screening and discussion from among the great cinematic innovators. The course gives students an understanding of how cinema has developed to the present moment and where they find themselves in that development.

Film actors will learn the techniques necessary for a multi-camera shoot for television by rehearsing a pilot sitcom. Students will learn the technical aspects of working on a set with multi camera set-ups.

Students are introduced to the fundamentals of speech and diction for actors, and to basic dialects that are used most commonly in contemporary dramatic texts.

Acting students will collaborate with NYFA Filmmaking students and complete several projects. The filmmakers will direct short projects in which the acting students will perform. Students will compile all completed work onto a DVD and this will account for a portion of their Final Portfolio.

This course covers comic character development, sit-com material, sketch comedy, scripted and improvised material taught through monologues, exercises, improvisations, and theatre games. Students will learn to distinguish different styles of comedy to create characters for sitcoms as well as sketch comedy and develop audition techniques for comedic film roles. Students will screen comedic material for the purposes of analysis.

Film Actors will continue to create and design their own unique film acting craft and further develop acting techniques. In continuation of Scene Study 3, students will bring to class scripts from projects they are currently collaborating on with NYFA Filmmaking students. This class will serve as an intense rehearsal.

In this course students will study the works of contemporary playwrights such as Stoppard, Mamet, and Kushner. Students will look closely at style as it relates to current forms and genres.

In this class, students will be challenged to develop their audition and cold reading skills needed to land highly competitive roles in the industry. Students will work in a mock audition format that will be videotaped for critique.

Actors will learn to fully integrate the mind-body connection through performance for the camera. Emphasis will be given to fully incorporate the techniques learned during the first three semesters into performance. Film actors will work on advanced and/or experimental projects by collaborating with NYFA Filmmaking Students.

Industry professionals will give special lectures to help the students understand the current trends in headshots, resumes, representation and reels.

In the beginning of Semester Three, students will be assigned and advisor to oversee the completion of their Final Portfolio. The materials contained in the Final Portfolio are designed to be the student’s “passport” into the professional world of acting. Projects, assigned by instructors, must be completed in order to graduate. Students should design a Career Blueprint, a personal statement that fully outlines a plan for life after NYFA, in consultation with their advisor. All work should represent the best work a student is capable of and be of professional industry quality.


Contents of Final Portfolio:

• Headshots
• Film Acting Reel
• New Media Project
• Resume
• Career Blueprint

Students must study and perform scenes that demonstrate that they have gained a working knowledge of the following skills:

• Scene Study
• Meisner
• Voice
• Movement
• Audition Techniques
• Improvisation
• Complete Final Portfolio

Students must successfully complete every course of study with a “Satisfactory” grade or better. In order to graduate and receive a AFA degree, students must also adhere to the Academy’s Attendance Policy and Code of Conduct. Additionally, students must fulfill all financial obligations to The New York Film Academy.

Satisfactory completion of 65 Semester Credit Units is required for graduation from the New York Film Academy’s Associate of Fine Art in Acting for Film Program. The Associate of Fine Art in Acting for Film Program is an accelerated full-time study program and does not provide for multiple tracks of study. All courses are mandatory. This is a highly specialized program, and there are no majors or minors. The program may not be completed in less than four semesters. Classes are taught in either a lecture, seminar or laboratory format. Students are also scheduled for hours of practicum. For the designation of instruction hours lab and practicum are treated as “studio hours” as is customary in visual arts studies.

Students must pay a refundable fee for a magnetized Student ID Badge. This ID is required for access to several areas of Universal Studios. If badges are lost or damaged, the deposit will not be returned. Students may elect to rent a parking space within the perimeter of Universal Studios for a monthly fee.

An Associate of Fine Arts degree is a two-year degree that indicates a focus of study in a specific artistic discipline with no general education courses (i.e. English, math, sciences, etc.) included. The degree and credits earned are often transferable to other institutions. Please see "Credit Transfer" below.

The New York Film Academy’s Associate of Fine Arts Degree in Acting is conferred at our Los Angeles location at Universal Studios upon successful completion of our two-year AFA degree program. While the first year of study may be taken at any of our three year-round locations – New York, Los Angeles or Abu Dhabi – the second year of study must be done in Los Angeles.

The proposed Associate of Fine Arts in Filmmaking degree and the proposed Associate of Fine Arts in Acting for Film degree are not, and never have been, intended as a General Education transfer degree. In spirit with the traditions of the AFA degree, the curricular structure of the proposed degree programs focuses heavily on professional artistic development. Also in line with many AFA degrees, the general education requirements generally incorporated into a traditional AA, BA, or even BFA degree, are not satisfied upon conferral of the degree. Although designed to meet the transfer requirements of many institutions, the AFA degree does not complete the full general education requirements generally accepted by NASAD standards for the successful completion of an Associate of Arts (AA) degree. Rather, the AFA degree allows qualified, career-oriented students to properly focus on their intended majors earlier than the Associate of Arts degree allows.

It is the general policy of New York Film Academy Degree Programs neither to accept transfer credits from other academic postsecondary institutions, nor to consider prior experiential learning for application toward any degree or non-degree course of study. Furthermore, the New York Film Academy makes no representation whatsoever that credit earned in the Associate of Fine Arts Degree Programs or any non-degree program or workshop operated by the New York Film Academy will be accepted or applied toward the completion of any degree or certificate by any other postsecondary institution. The acceptance of transfer credits is always governed by the receiving school.

Transfer admission is competitive. Students will need to fulfill the General Education requirements of the school to which they transfer. Completion of the AFA does not guarantee admission either to a baccalaureate program or to upper division art courses. Students may be required to demonstrate their skill level through audit, placement test or portfolio review. Most schools require a portfolio review for admission to a bachelor in fine arts program, for registration in a second studio course in a medium, and/or for scholarship consideration. Students are encouraged to complete the AFA degree prior to transferring.