Film School Blog - Acting

NYFA Tours America

Published on September 25, 2012

Can’t make it out to New York City or Los Angeles just this second, but want to find out what the New York Film Academy is all about? Worry no more. We’re coming to a city near you! The New York Film Academy admissions team is anxious to meet with aspiring filmmakers, actors, and artists from all across America. We’re hitting up 19 cities across the country over the next month and a half!

To find out when we’re coming to a city near you, visit our special tour site NYFA ON THE ROAD.

We look forward to meeting you all!

NYFA Instructor Performing with Plácido Domingo

Published on September 24, 2012

New York Film Academy acting instructor Anastasia Coon is currently performing with the LA Opera in The Two Foscari, alongside legendary tenor Plácido Domingo. The production of the Verdi opera opens the 2012 season. “It’s directed by a young director who is really pushing the envelope. The costumes are incredible. The singing is gorgeous and the story line is really relevant to today’s headlines,” says Anastasia. “And Plácido Domingo is a living legend. It’s important to see these artists in the flesh. This is his 140^th role!”

Anastasia, a self-professed “theater nerd,” has been working on the stage for 20 years, and working in film and television for just as long, including roles on Eastwick and Friday Night Lights, and work for Comedy Central, TLC, and A&E. She teaches Movement for Actors, Voice and Speech, and Accent Reduction at New York Film Academy, as well as courses at 2 other schools. “It keeps me honest,” says Anastasia. “I can’t teach something I’m not actively practicing. All students have their own talents, and it’s my job to recognize that and cultivate those skills in a way that is relevant to the story they’re telling.”

Adding to her busy schedule, Anastasia is currently developing a stage show in conjunction with the L.A. Writers Center. And, as she jokes, “I’m always hitting the pavement, auditioning for film and TV like it’s going out of style.”

New York Film Academy students can see The Two Foscari at a discounted rate by joining the Opera U program. Performances continue on September 20, 23, 29, and October 7 and 9.

MFA Filmmaking Grad’s Film on Jay Leno

Published on September 18, 2012

MFA Filmmaking alum Anthony Cook

MFA Filmmaking graduate, Anthony Cook is looking forward to sharing his film with the world. One of his actors was on Jay Leno’s Pitch to America segment last week, showing clips from Anthony’s thesis film, Wal-Bob’s. The feature length film is about a young man who blows his chances to play college football by bombing the SATs. He takes a job at a local drug store in Cincinnati, where he finds love and a crew of comical characters that help him get back on track.

Anthony says the film is semi-autobiographical. The Cincinnati native played three years of college football in the NCAA at Wittenberg University. While at Wittenberg, he explored the worlds of theater, creative writing, and management. He also discovered a love of screenwriting. One of his instructors told him about New York Film Academy, and soon he was on his way to pursuing an MFA in Filmmaking at the school’s Universal Studios campus.

I truly appreciated the hands on teaching method,” says Anthony. “The opportunity to learn all crew positions and how to work with different departments was unparalleled to anything I’ve even heard of from any other school. Learning through experience is an extremely effective teaching philosophy.”

Anthony opted to do the optional 5^th semester to complete his feature film. The demanding program emphasizes all the rigors of filmmaking, including script deadlines, casting calls, production meetings, budget breakdowns, and more. “The filming process was the greatest experience of my life,” he says. “There were many ups and downs, but it really felt like I was answering my call in life.”

With the film completed, Anthony is now in discussions with distribution companies to get the film released. You can keep up to date with the latest news on the Wal-Bob’s website.

Anthony Cook with the cast of Wal-Bob’s

Shakespeare Under the Sun This Weekend!

Published on September 13, 2012

A cast of New York Film Academy acting students and alumni invites you to this weekend’s performances of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Directed by Louis Fantasia, Department Chair of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the free production plays this Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16 at 2 p.m. at the Buena Vista Branch Library in Burbank.

“I love Shakespeare. He’s so poetic and creates such beautiful images through his language,” says cast member Krystal Brock, a graduate of the One-Year Acting for Film program. “It’s magical and comedic. I want the audience to have an afternoon of fun and laughter.”

Director Louis Fantasia is certainly no stranger to Shakespeare. He served for over a decade as Education Director at the Shakespeare Globe Centre, and is currently the director of Shakespeare at the Huntington at the historic Huntington Library. He is also the author of Instant Shakespeare, and has produced and directed over 150 stage productions on five continents.

The following weekend, the cast will also hold a private performance for EngAGE, a nonprofit program that provides arts and education resources for some 5,000 seniors in the Los Angeles area. One of their greatest successes is the Burbank Senior Artists Colony, a state-of-the-art housing complex with studios, a video editing room, a theater, and classrooms. The innovative program has been featured in the New York Times and Huffington Post, and on This American Life.

Casting Intensive with Sig De Miguel

Published on September 6, 2012

The New York Film Academy is hosting an evening with casting director, Sig De Miguel. Learn the business of acting from one of the most experienced casting directors in the industry. Sig De Miguel partnered with Stephen Vincent in January 2006 to form S2 Entertainment, with the mission to cast and produce high-quality independent films. Over the past six years, the duo have served as casting directors on over 40 feature films. Their credits include the Oscar-nominated film Rabbit Hole; Sundance films Adam, Holy Rollers, For Ellen, and Gun Hill Road; TIFF award-winning feature Stake Land; and Union Square. While at Mackey/Sandrich Casting, Sig cast such award-winning films as United 93, The Good Shepherd, and The Cooler.

Sign up now for this exclusive event on Eventbrite!

Auditions and Open House in Brazil

Published on September 5, 2012

Given the extraordinary level of talent that has gone through the New York Film Academy from Brazil, it’s no wonder we booked another trip to the beautiful country. “I was amazed at the level of talent and enthusiasm that I found in Brazil the last time we went,” said Director of Acting Admissions, Roger Del Pozo. ”Everyone was passionate and ready to advance to the next level.” In addition to his work at NYFA, Roger has been a casting director for over a decade, having casted many television commercials, as well as films, plays, voice-overs, video games, music videos and industrials for many of the top casting companies and advertising agencies in New York City.

Kristy Cates as Elphaba in Wicked

“The United States, specifically New York and Los Angeles, is still the epicenter of the entertainment business. If you are looking to do film and theatre at the highest level, you have to try it in the U.S. Also, the level of faculty in NYC and LA is unsurpassed. All of our teachers are working professionally and that makes such a difference in terms of training and opportunity.” In fact, joining Roger will be musical theatre performance and private voice instructor, Kristy Cates. Kristy is best known as Elphaba in the Broadway, Chicago, and National Tour of Wicked. She holds the honor of being only the third person to perform the role on Broadway. Prior to playing the role full time, she was in the Original Broadway Cast as the understudy to TONY winner, Idina Menzel and can be heard singing several solo lines on the cast recording. Participants at our open house will have the honor of attending a Musical Theatre Master Class with Kristy on September 21st from 12:00pm-2:00pm at the beautiful Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras.

Just last month another member of the NYFA family, Brazilian native, Gabby Egito, came home with two festival awards for her thesis film, Stuffed. Gabby maintains a popular bilingual blog, Brazilian Girl in LA, where she tells all about her filmmaking adventures and the life experience of studying at NYFA.

If you’re in Brazil and would like to audition or check out an Open House, here’s where you need to be!

São Paulo

September 17th – Auditions 12-8PM
September 19th – Auditions 12-5PM
September 19th – Open House/Info Session 6PM – 8 PM

Location: Comfort Suite Oscar Friere
Rua Oscar Freire, 1948 – Jardim Paulista Sao Pauto, 05409 – 011, Brazil

Rio

September 20th

Auditions 5:00-9:00pm

September 21st

12:00pm-2:00pm Master Class with Kristy Cates

Auditions 3:00-9:00pm

Location:

Casa das Artes de Laranjeiras

Rua Santo Amaro, 44 – Glória 22211-230 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil

CLICK HERE for more information or contact Roger Del Pozo at Brazil@nyfa.edu.

Our Road Trip doesn’t stop in Brazil. Find out where we’re heading next on our South American tour!

Photo Students in the Spotlight

Published on August 31, 2012

MFA Photography graduates Giovanna Lanna and Andreas Poupoutsis at the opening of Surfaces.

Students and staff at New York Film Academy’s Universal Studios campus recently celebrated the graduate exhibition of MFA Photography students Giovanna Lanna and Andreas Poupoutsis. Held at the prestigious CB1 Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, the students welcomed guests for the show, entitled Surfaces.

In Surfaces, Giovanna Lanna examines the many forms of the human body in the 21st century, commenting on the standardization of beauty throughout the history of society. Andreas Poupoutsis’ work uses the human face as a canvas, exploring questions of identity and persona, transforming his subjects through the photographic process.

New York Film Academy also celebrates the opening of the exhibition for graduates of the One-Year Conservatory program this Saturday, September 1 from 5 – 9 p.m. at the New York Film Academy’s downtown gallery space in Los Angeles’ Historic Core: 215 W 6th Street at Spring St. Have a look at the flier below, as well as images from the last exhibition!

: Outstanding photo taken by MFA Photography School student, Andreas Poupoutsis.

: Outstanding Photo taken By New York Film Academy’s MFA Photography student, Giovanna Lanna.

: MFA Photography graduates Giovanna Lanna and Andreas Poupoutsis at the opening of Surfaces.

Underground Talent

Published on August 27, 2012

New York Film Academy graduate, Enrique Pedraza’s short film, The Yellow Card, was screened at the 5th Annual Columbia Gorge International Film Festival and took home the jury prize for Best Student Documentary! The Yellow Card is a documentary based on the talent that exists under New York City. Showing the music and variety of the subway performers, the film explores the lives of two musicians who dedicate their lives to perform underground.

“The Yellow Card started as a very small and personal project. I wanted to experiment with documentary filmmaking and my teachers were very supportive of the idea. I’ve always been very involved in music, playing the drums at an early age. When I moved to New York to study filmmaking, I was very impressed by the subway performers. I found so much diversity and personalities that I was eager to talk to them about their lives and passions.”

Enrique is originally from Bogota, Colombia. He first came to NYFA to take a 4 Week Acting Course. From there, he enrolled into the Filmmaking BFA, studying one year in New York and finishing up the other two in Los Angeles. “NYFA has been a great platform for me to develop my projects and build a great portfolio. I think film school is very useful in terms of allowing students to find their own style. I enjoyed the support and creative freedom the school gave to its students. It is important to guide people, having in mind the kind of movies they really want to make.”

Enrique also recently won a competition at Reelshow International for a 30 second Nintendo spec commercial. He just finished working on a music video for equal rights, featuring Jean Shy, a jazz musician from Chicago. He’s currently in post production for his one year thesis from New York, Intent of Innocence. “I think the important thing is to keep working on projects where you can meet people and find collaborators.”

From Hollywood to Bollywood

Published on August 22, 2012

Originally from Kolkata, India, Sharad Malhotra took an early interest in sports. He played soccer and cricket as a child. He went on to play professionally for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). He also spent some time working as a financial advisor. He hadn’t really considered a life on the silver screen, but at his girlfriend’s suggestion, Sharad got in contact with scouts from Zee TV, a leading entertainment channel in India — a choice changed the course of his life.

After getting good feedback and support from Zee TV, Sharad moved to Mumbai where he began going on auditions. He modeled for a number of national and international print campaigns before landing a leading role on Banoo Main Teri Dulhann, a wildly popular Indian soap opera.

He won several Best Actor awards for his work on the television show, but Sharad says, “I was hungry to learn more and better the craft. So as soon as my show ended, I headed toward the mecca of acting and filmmaking.” Impressed by New York Film Academy’s list of notable grads (including Paul Dano and Owen Kline, and Bollywood actors Imran Khan and Ahana Deol), Sharad decided to move from the west coast of India to the west coast of America, to attend the school’s Universal Studios campus.

“It was a beautiful amalgamation of students of different… creeds, color, religions, nationalities, all coming under one roof with their own unique creative abilities and bonding over a common passion called cinema,” he says. “As we say in India, NYFA is a complete paisa wasool — worth every penny!”

Since completing an Acting for Film program in 2009, Sharad has been busy at work in Mumbai. He recently completed his first Bollywood feature film, From Sydney With Love – the story of a small town girl from West Bengal who finds a new love and a new life while attending school in Australia. Sharad is looking forward to the Indian premiere of From Sydney With Love on August 31. The buzz about the film has already led to interest from film directors looking to book him for future projects.

Sharad describes his journey as, “nothing short of a beautiful roller coaster ride…. It helped me mature as a person and made me realize that the essential five ingredients that are solely responsible for fulfilling dreams: patience, hard work, determination, belief, and finally the luck factor to put it all in place. From a cricketer to a financial advisor to a model and now an actor, it’s been one helluva fun trip.”

Understanding the Craft of Acting

Published on August 14, 2012

Grant Turnbull with Liam Neeson

Since Grant Turnbull graduated from New York Film Academy’s Acting for Film in 2011, he’s been booking steady work. Hailing from a small town outside of Belfast, Ireland, Grant took the risk to move to New York City, where he felt was the place to fulfill his acting aspirations. While most of his acting peers stayed local, Grant went for it all. It is that drive and ambition that has sustained his early career. “I have always been a deep person with a love for the performing arts, but the New York Film Academy taught me about ‘depth.’ Depth in my performance, depth in myself, and the ability to see depth in other people. Respect: respect for my fellow actors, respect for people’s stories, where they came from, what their hardships where. Understanding: understanding people’s troubles and always trying to help. This was something I was always good at, but now I could use it in my acting.”

With his maturity and formal education, Grant was ready for the competitive world of acting. After shooting a commercial for Royal Caribbean Cruises, Grant landed commercial spots for major brands like Just for Men, Gold Bond, Alfani Suits, ESPN, Major League Baseball, and an NFL catalogue advertisement. He is currently working with the Bella Agency where he is constantly on call for auditions. For the second year in a row, Grant starred in Shakespeare in the Parking Lot’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The play, held in the Lower East Side, performed in front of record crowds of 300 people per night. Grant is currently gearing up for an independent feature film, 19th Hole, which will be shooting this September in Connecticut.

Grant’s strongest recommendation to current students is to put everything they have into the program. Be prepared for every class and never ever be late! “I made sure I put everything I had into the school and, in return, three of my teachers cast me in two plays and a feature film. I acquired an agent from a faculty recommendation, and was able to audition for The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire, The Big C, and Gossip Girl. After that, I landed parts on White Collar, Smash and The Good Wife. My first day at NYFA an instructor told me, ‘Grant you may be in school, but your career has already started.’ He was right.”