What makes our Producing Program unique?

The New York Film Academy's Film and Television Producing Program is housed within our film school and is designed to illuminate one of the most important, yet misunderstood, jobs in film and television.

Students eager to control their own destiny in the business world of film and television flourish in this intensive hands-on program.

New York Film Academy degree programs are offered at our Los Angeles Campus at Universal Studios. Qualified students have the option of completing course work at the New York Film Academy in New York City in a one-year non-degree program and requesting that their course work be accepted for advanced standing and start in the second year of the degree program at the Los Angeles campus. In order to do so, students must apply and be accepted to the degree program in Los Angeles. Please click here for conditions for the acceptance of credit and number of credits awarded.

It is geared to students with little or no experience in producing, but who recognize that an intensive and demanding program, much like the job of producing itself, will provide them with the knowledge they seek.

Students are treated as Producers throughout the duration of the course, and are challenged at each step of the way. Students are encouraged, but not required, to bring a piece of intellectual property - a book, screenplay, show concept or treatment-at the beginning of the course that will be used throughout the year as the foundation of their final project. Students take this project through the various stages of development: pitch, treatment, script, talent search, budget, schedule, and plans for marketing and distribution. Students learn the real-word strategies for successful producing and are encouraged to develop the professional network needed within the film and television industry.

Students must be prepared for full-days of intensive work throughout the entire program. They must be committed to a fast-paced, intensive learning and production schedule, and willing to work collaboratively with our filmmaking, screenwriting, and acting students.

SEMESTER ONE OVERVIEW

Producers are confronted with a number of visual, dramatic, financial, legal, logistical, managerial, and technical challenges. Instructors encourage students to artfully work through these challenges while working to complete several film and television projects.

From the first day of class, students are immersed in a hands-on education. Students undergo a thorough regiment of class work and film production that lays the groundwork for a professional life in the film arts. They learn both the creative aspects of producing, as well as the more technical, line producing side. All students participate in an intensive sequence of classes and hands-on workshops.

Learning Goals
• Introduction of the roles, tasks, and obstacles faced by film and television producers: optioning, developing material, film festivals, networks and ratings, pilot season, studio distribution and marketing, independent film financing, and pitching.
• Gain understanding of the entire physical process of pre-production: scouting, securing locations, permits, casting, budgets, scheduling.
• Master the concepts of storytelling: elements, conventions, structure, style, forms.
• Understand basic principles of Entertainment Law.
• Understand filmmaking from the perspective of the director and screenwriter.

Production Goals
• Begin to develop a feature film project for the Year-One Final Project
• Perform a pitch to an audience of peers.
• Direct a scene with actors on digital video and edit that same scene for presentation with class.
• Break down a short script into a shooting plan.
• Prepare a budget and schedule from scratch.

SEMESTER TWO OVERVIEW

The second semester challenges students to develop their production craft artistically and technically. The focus is on hands-on production, and learning through immersion in the process. It is designed to enable students to create a fully conceived short film in collaboration with their peers. Working in groups, students oversee and manage all aspects of preproduction, production, and post-production.

Learning Goals
• Continue examining, analyzing, and mastering key elements of the producer's craft.
• Study production strategies through execution of production goals.

Production Goals
• Produce a reality show pilot.
• Produce a news segment or short documentary.
• Line-produce a short film
• Develop a feature film project

SEMESTER THREE OVERVIEW

At the beginning of Semester Three, students must form a thesis- committee and determine which Thesis Option they will pursue over the course of Year Two. Students must meet regularly (at least once per week) with thesis committee members in order to ensure compliance with New York Film Academy standards, and to seek assistance in the realization of their respective creative visions.

Semester Three classes are infused with an emphasis on perfecting craft, exposing students to emerging media and technology, and exposing them to the realities of the film industry and the business of filmmaking. The focus of the semester is on "professionalism." It is designed to prepare Master of Fine Arts students for their thesis projects as well as for a life in the industry after graduation.

Learning Goals
• In depth analysis of the television sitcom industry.
• Explore story and storytelling through an in-depth study of the elements, conventions, structure, style, and traditional forms of the art.
• Analyze budgets, schedules of films and television shows.
• Overview of the contract law and how it impacts the entertainment industry.
• Identify the techniques used by cinematic innovators.
• Survey of negotiations and drafting.
• Explore the evolutions of new media.

Production Goals
• Prepare a sitcom script for production
• Long Form project development

SEMESTER FOUR OVERVIEW

In Semester Four, students devote a majority of their time to their thesis requirements. Faculty meets one-on-one with students in an extensive series of advisements to assist them and coach them through the successful completion of thesis requirements.

Learning Goals
• Learn postproduction workflow.
• Further study of the strategies of financing, marketing and distribution
• Historical analysis of entertainment law
• In depth study of documentary production
• Production Goals
• Produce Thesis Project

Production Goals
• Produce Thesis Project

SEMESTER FIVE

Students who choose to complete NYFA Thesis Option C, stay for a paid fifth semester. During the fifth semester, in continuation of Semester Four, students produce a feature length film in collaboration with a NYFA Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking Student.

Students form an LLC or a Production Company in conjunction with the Production process of making the film, and are expected to guide a production from original concept and development, to pre-production and production, followed by a post-production schedule set to a final delivery date. All Marketing and distribution commences upon completion of the Feature.

Students are involved in all aspects of each phase on the film, including, development of script and story, casting, budgeting, scheduling, locations, hiring of crew, payroll, contracts, deal memos, equipment, vendors, talent negotiations, union Regulations, post-production, delivery requirements, marketing & distribution agreements, and Final MPAA ratings.

YEAR ONE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Producer's Craft
This study of the craft of Producing outlines the essential roles, tasks, and obstacles faced by film and television producers in Hollywood and independent production of film, television, and new media. Suitable time is spent on script coverage, which is the deconstructing of a screenplay's log line, synopsis, and commentary, which then leads to an understanding of style, genre, and story content of a submitted script. Everything from Distribution, Marketing, and Packaging to Networking is covered.

Producer's Roundtable
In this class, students begin to develop their year long producing project, which must be a feature film of any genre with a completed Sundance Lab grant application, television pilot of any genre, feature length documentary with completed ITVS grant application, or a concept and breakdown for a series of webisodes. Students develop the following for their project where applicable: logline, synopsis, treatment, partial spec script, business plan, basic marketing plan, basic distribution plan, budget, shooting schedule, potential attachment of a director and principle actors, and an explanation of the attachments.

Pitch Meetings
Students are instructed in the process and honing of pitching skills for narrative features, sitcoms, dramatic television content, reality TV, and/or feature length documentaries. They present their pitches in workshops and perform them for professionals and faculty.

Industry Speaker Series
These are information sessions featuring discussions with producers of American independent, foreign, and Hollywood films, network and cable television, as well as directors, actors, agents, managers, lawyers, foreign sales representatives and many others. These sessions may be coupled with screenings of new films or television shows brought by these guests.

Directing for Producers
Even if a producer never plans to direct anything, he/she needs to know how directors carry out their visions. Producers should create a nurturing and artistic production environment that enhances each director's skills and provide the support needed to make the best possible film or television show. Producing students learn how directors use the camera and work with actors – the two central tools of any director. In hands-on sessions students break down a short script into a shooting plan and direct a scene with actors on digital video. Students have the opportunity to edit the scene and present it at their final class meeting.

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