MASTER OF FINE ARTS (MFA) IN PRODUCING

Overview of our MFA in Producing

The Academy makes the accelerated two-year schedule possible by creating an extended academic year allowing students to complete three full-length semesters in each calendar year.

New York Film Academy MFA in Producing program is offered at our Los Angeles Campus.

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.

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.

Course Description

Producers Craft Directing for Producers I Cinematography, Lighting & Editing Entertainment Law & Business Practices I Introduction to Screenwriting Producing Reality Television Short Film Production I Sound for Producers Producers Craft II Pitching , Business Plans, & TV Show Bibles Producing Documentaries Writing the TV Pilot Treatment Writing the Feature Film Treatment Business Affairs Short Film Production II Industry Speaker Series Thesis Development Workshop I

Writing the Feature Screenplay Writing the TV Pilot Screenplay Producing Alternative Media Budgeting & Entertainment Accounting Post for Producers Cinema Studies Thesis Development II Entertainment Law & Business Practices II Advanced Pitching Workshop Advanced Directing Workshop Acting for Producers Thesis Option C* Feature Prep* Feature Production* Feature Post-Production* Feature Marketing & Distribution*

*These classes are part of an additional fifth semester.

Producers Craft

This core introductory course outlines the essential roles, tasks and obstacles faced by producers in the entertainment industry. Topics include navigating the studios, television networks and emerging media as well as the relationship between producers and the unions, guilds and talent agencies. From the producer’s perspective, students will discuss and analyze their current projects in development or production. Relevant events in the entertainment industry will be presented and analyzed. Students will be introduced to and trained on the industry-standard software used by producers, Movie Magic Scheduling and Movie Magic Budgeting.

Directing for Producers I

Effective producers create a collaborative and artistic production environment that enhances each director’s skills and provides the support needed to make the best possible project. Students will work in collaborative groups to develop and shoot a short film. In addition, each student will direct his or her own individual mise-en-scène. Students will learn the basics of film directing and how to collaborate to tell a visual, narrative story. Students will learn film production standards and practices, working with basic production documents, working with actors and the fundamentals of telling a story through a camera.

Cinematography, Lighting & Editing

Students will learn the basics of live-action motion picture cinematography in a hands-on workshop environment. They will gain an overview of working with film and video cameras, lighting, image construction, and composition. Students are instructed in the basic techniques of digital editing. They will learn the basics of motion picture editing and post-production techniques. They will gain an overview of nonlinear editing, post-production audio, basic visual effects, and professional post-production workflow.

Entertainment Law & Business Practices I

This course is an overview of contract law and how it impacts the entertainment industry. Producing students will study legal issues regarding television, films, recordings, live performances, and other aspects of the entertainment industry. Topics include copyright law, intellectual property, and talent representation. Students will be introduced to finance, marketing, and distribution models for both studio and independent films.

Introduction to Screenwriting

Producing students will gain firsthand knowledge of fundamental screenwriting techniques and will develop strategies in communicating with the producer’s key collaborator in story development, the screenwriter. Each student will develop and write a five-page original narrative script to be produced in the Short Film Production I course.

Producing Reality Television

Students will learn the basics of producing for reality television, and the genre’s relationship to other platforms and formats through the analysis of existing successful reality programming. Students will develop, create and pitch an original reality television proposal.

Short Film Production I

Producing students will develop, prep and shoot their own individual short films. Students will receive instruction in a workshop setting on the fundamentals of sound recording. Working in teams, students will function as crew on each other’s productions. Scripts will be developed in Introduction to Screenwriting and finalized in this course. In the early part of Semester Two, students will edit and prepare their projects for a final screening.

Sound for Producers

Motion picture sound is often overlooked and taken for granted. In this course, students will learn about the fundamentals of both production sound and post-production sound and gain an understanding of how sound can enhance their stories. In a studio environment, students will get hands-on experience working as sound mixers as well as boom operators. They will also gain knowledge in how to add sound effects, music, and dialog replacement to their films.

Producers Craft II

This course continues the study of the essential roles of and obstacles faced by film and television producers. Topics include optioning and developing material, film festivals, networks and ratings and analyzing U.S. and international tax incentive and rebate programs. Students develop professional-caliber resumes, cover letters and lists of references. They will formulate a plan to secure an internship and participate in a supervised internship for academic credit.

Pitching , Business Plans, & TV Show Bibles

Through in-class examples, students are introduced to effective pitching styles and instructed on how to pitch to investors and development executives. Students will develop a brief and effective pitch of the material they choose to pitch at the Producers Pitch Fest. Each student will practice and gain critical and fundamental pitching skills. Through lectures and analysis of case studies, students will learn the critical skills to develop effective feature film business plans and television show bibles. The feature business plan or television-show bible developed in this course will be presented at the Producers Pitch Fest.

Producing Documentaries

This course offers producing students an introductory exposure to documentary storytelling and filmmaking. Working in small collaborative teams, students will pitch, develop, and shoot a short documentary.

Writing the TV Pilot Treatment

Students will revisit how the television industry operates and how television programs are pitched and developed. Each student will develop and write an original television pilot treatment.

Writing the Feature Film Treatment

Through in-class instruction and critique, students will develop storytelling skills within the industry-standard format of the film treatment. In a workshop setting, each student will develop and write a detailed feature film treatment. Students will also have the option of beginning the screenplay writing process in the last part of this course.

Business Affairs

Students analyze and discuss legal topics such as contract negotiations, marketing projects to financiers and distributors, and audience and research testing.

Short Film Production II

Students will further develop critical line producing skills. Working with NYFA filmmaking students, producing students will line produce a filmmaker’s Year One Film.

Industry Speaker Series

These informative sessions feature discussions with producers and other industry professionals. Each session includes a Q&A, providing each student access to first-hand impressions of real world circumstances faced by working industry professionals.

Thesis Development Workshop I

Students begin to conceptualize and develop their Thesis Projects. Topics include executive summary, logline, synopsis, story and character development, researching and analyzing comparable films or televisions shows and developing effective comparisons. Students will view and critique sample teasers for creative style and effectiveness. Through lectures and examples, students will learn the critical skills to develop effective feature film business plans and television show bibles. Students will participate in a supervised internship for academic credit, benefiting from real-world application of their proposed thesis projects.

Writing the Feature Screenplay

In a workshop setting, each student will develop and write a first draft screenplay. Structure, style, character development, and arcs are some of the topics that will be discussed and put into practice throughout this course.

Writing the TV Pilot Screenplay

In a collaborative workshop setting, each producing student will develop an original drama or situational comedy pilot.

Producing Alternative Media

It is essential for the producer to keep abreast of evolutions in new media technology and the many new outlets for distribution that continually emerge on an increasingly rapid basis. iPods, webcasts, the dynamic possibilities of multimedia tie-ins, and Alternate Reality Games, and the anti-piracy aspirations of digital 3D projection are a sampling of topics presented. Through in-class discussion and samples, students will be exposed to trends in these arenas. In this course, students will pitch, develop, and create an original piece of new media.

Budgeting & Entertainment Accounting

This course provides an overview of production budgeting and financial, cost and managerial accounting functions specific to the film industry, with application to other areas of media production, including television. Students analyze techniques and control procedures for accurate preparation and presentation of budgets and financial statements. Topics include budgeting, cost reporting, and film accounting terminology.

Post for Producers

This course will explore the entire post-production workflow for both film and digital formats. In addition to the technical aspects of physical post-production, the artistic and managerial aspects will also be addressed. Post-production for all current exhibition venues, including theatrical, DVD, satellite and streaming will be reviewed. Students will also learn more advanced post-production sound techniques to enhance their films.

Cinema Studies

Cinema Studies introduces students to the evolution of the motion picture art form as a visual storytelling medium and the motion picture industry from their inceptions. Students will be given a thorough creative, technological and industrial view of the filmmaking art. Students will be prepared for more advanced academic and production related studies and practice of filmmaking. The approach is historically developmental. Students will understand why a film creatively works or doesn’t work and why. The course considers primarily American film development though the impact of international filmmakers is given due analysis.

Thesis Development II

Students continue to refine and finalize their Thesis projects. Option A candidates will prepare for their production green lights, while Option B candidates will finalize multiple components of their required thesis documents. Students will participate in a supervised internship for academic credit, benefiting from real-world application of their proposed thesis projects.

Entertainment Law & Business Practices II

This course offers a deeper analysis of contract law and critical issues raised in contract negotiations. Copyright law and the protection of intellectual property are further analyzed. Focusing on domestic, international, and independent finance, marketing and distribution, and using case studies of actual campaigns, this course focuses on successful strategies for each of these vital aspects of producing.

Advanced Pitching Workshop

This course exposes students to a variety of successful pitch styles and formats in a workshop setting. Students will acquire advanced techniques in developing and executing effective pitches and they will develop and master an effective written pitch.

Advanced Directing Workshop

Through in-class exercises, students will gain a deeper understanding of the director’s integral creative role and directing craft. In a workshop setting, students learn advanced camera techniques, lighting concepts and production sound. Working with the Thesis Option A equipment package and through a series of exercises, students will develop a deeper understanding of cinematography, lighting and sound needs and how to creatively meet those needs.

Acting for Producers

In a workshop setting, students will develop a critical understanding of the acting process and what each actor brings to the collaborative process of filmmaking.

Thesis Option C

Through in-class study and critique, MFA students wrap the final stage of project development and prepare for the pre-production phase of their projects. Topics include a critical review of prep/shoot/post calendars; set up and review of spending procedures, required documentation, and cash flow; and script, schedule, and budget lock. Through exercises and in-class review, students will maintain an active presence on the film’s production company website, including project updates.

Feature Prep

Through supervised independent work and in-class check ins, MFA students undertake casting, hiring crew, securing locations and preparing and executing all pertinent agreements, contracts and other documentation required to receive a green light to shoot their feature films. Supervised steps include an all-cast and all-crew table read and production meeting; review and discussion of contract negotiations and deals undertaken; cast rehearsals; tracking spending during the pre-production phase; hiring and managing crew workflow for all departments.

Feature Production

Through a supervised production period, MFA students begin and complete principal photography of their feature films. Through on-set visits and consultations, students undertake the daily shooting schedule; troubleshoot delays on set; work with actors; and maintain open communication with department heads regarding footage shot and budget adherence.

Feature Post-Production

Through supervised independent work and in-class check ins, students undertake and complete post production on their feature films. Post deliverables include raw footage and two rough cut reviews and discussion; ADR prep and completion; final sound mix, picture lock and color correction; music score; and main and end titles.

Feature Marketing & Distribution

Through examples and in-class discussions, students prepare and execute the initial steps of their marketing campaign. Marketing deliverables include a detailed marketing calendar including festival deadlines and materials prep deadlines; regular uploads and updates on the film’s production company website. Financial deliverables for distribution preparation include a reconciliation of petty cash expenses; trial balance with outstanding deposits; a final cost report, detailing remaining amounts still to spend. Students will develop and create a distributor-ready inventory of production elements, documentation and pertinent paperwork including a thorough reconciliation of all production documents, including call sheets, production reports, script supervisor notes, deal memos and releases and financial documents itemized above.

Film Projects

• Thesis Option: A The student produces and delivers a Short-Form version of the Long-Form Project they developed and pre-produced in Long-Form Project Development. Students work under the guidance and advisement of the New York Film Academy Thesis Committee. Mandatory consultations with these appointed faculty members are necessary for students to gain guidance and an understanding of the many tasks inherent to long-form production. These consultations also include a clear template of delivery dates for script deadlines, casting calls, production meetings, budget breakdowns, location lockdowns and a demonstration of financial responsibility to obtain approval to shoot. Due to the significant amount of time required to produce and fully complete Long-Form Projects, students produce shortform versions which are considered useful marketing tools for financing long-form or feature length projects.
• Thesis option: B The student self-incorporates a Limited Liability Corporation production company. The student must find, acquire, and develop a stable of at least three properties, develop and preproduce them, and deliver a completed production package (including a polished script, storyboards, budget, production schedule, list of potential actors for consideration in each role, plans for set construction, etc.). The student must also produce and deliver a finished trailer for at least one of the developed and pre-produced properties. These corporations are formed with the guidance and advisement of the New York Film Academy Thesis Committee. Mandatory consultations with these appointed faculty members are necessary for students to gain guidance and an understanding of the tasks inherent to entrepreneurial endeavor in the entertainment industry.
• Thesis Option: C Students may choose to produce a feature length film in collaboration with a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking Student. By choosing Option C the student agrees to remain for a paid fifth semester before completion of his/her certificate. Students enter Pre-production of a feature film in Semester Four with the guidance of an appointed faculty member. Mandatory consultations with these appointed faculty members are necessary for students to gain guidance and an understanding of the grueling tasks inherent to feature length film production. These consultations also include a clear template of delivery dates for script deadlines, casting calls, production meetings, budget breakdowns, location lockdowns and a demonstration of financial responsibility to obtain approval to shoot. Students must receive a "green light" before beginning production on their thesis films.
• Semester Five (Optional): Production of Feature Length Film (Thesis Option C)
  
  A continuation of the work started in Semester Four. Students complete and deliver a feature length film in collaboration with a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking student.
  
  Prerequisite: Thesis Project C

Faculty

• Tony Schwartz
  Chair of Producing BA in Film & Television Production from California State University, Fullerton. Spent 25 years as an assistant director and line producer for television and feature films of varying budgets. Also developing several projects with his company, Kohler Schwartz Productions. His credits include "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion," "Firefly," "Freaks and Geeks," "The Unit," and "CSI: New York."
• Denise Carlson
  Producing, Emphasis in Cinematography Denise Carlson is a producer and development executive with 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. She was at Disney Channel for nine years as the Director of Original Movies, responsible for overseeing the development and production of 47 television movies, including the megahit HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, as well as other highly successful films such as WENDY WU and THE CHEETAH GIRLS movies. She is on the board of the LA Femme film festival, which is dedicated to presenting films that are made by and about women. Denise began her career in entertainment as a founding member of the ComedySportz Improv Troupe, and also toured with the L.A. Children's Museum Reader's Theatre. She became an agent trainee at the William Morris Agency, and then worked extensively as a freelance story analyst before accepting her job at Disney. She has a BFA from Rollins College and a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology from Ryokan College.
• Lydia Cedrone
  Thesis Film Production; Feature Thesis Pre-Production; Thesis Film Crew Participation; Internship; Producing MBA, New York University Stern School of Business; BA in Economics, Boston College. Oversaw company operations for Michael Mann, and production operations for "Ali." At The Walt Disney Co., Trimark Pictures and Savoy Pictures, managed production spending on over two-dozen studio films. Developed and produced two feature films, including the 2009 MGM film "The Betrayed."
• Clay Epstein
  Finance, Marketing & Distribution BA, California State University at Northridge. Currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions at The Little Film Company, a worldwide film sales and marketing firm that also theatrically distributes, finances and executive produces independent motion pictures.
• Adam Finer
  Finance, Marketing & Distribution, New Media, Branding and Marketing BS, University of Phoenix. Served as Director of Market Research at Universal Pictures. Co-founder of Arpil Entertainment, a literary management and production company. Consults individuals in career planning, as well as working with content creators, writers, directors, producers, and studio executives to design marketing plans, and business and branding strategies.
• Ralph Greco
  Producing Reality Television BS in Cinema and Photography, Ithaca College. Reality TV producing credits include "The Bachelor 3," "Joe Millionaire," "Deal or No Deal," and "Take Me Out."
• Mitchell Gutman
  Developing the Feature Business Plan & TV Show Bible MFA in Film Production, Columbia University; BA, University of California, Berkeley. Currently serves as Director of Development at Little Engine Productions. Worked in production on several television shows, including “Law & Order” and “Human Giant.” Read and analyzed scripts for Happy Madison and Tribeca Films.
• Greg Hemstreet
  Entertainment Accounting BS in Business Administration, USC. Currently serves as Senior Director of Production Finance at Universal Pictures. Production accountant credits on numerous films including “Walk Hard,” “State of Play,” “The Prestige,” “Murder by Numbers,” and “Skeleton Key.”
• Jonathan London
  Commercials, Webisodes and Music Videos, New Media and Branding MFA in Directing, Columbia University; BA, University of Pennsylvania. Producer and director of numerous webisodes, music videos, and commercials for Fox Studios, Nickelodeon, and Coca Cola. Weekly co-host for popular podcast and website at Geekscape.net.
• Stephen Miele
  Entertainment Law, Business Affairs JD, Glendale University College of Law; BA, State University of New York, Albany. A practicing lawyer for more than 25 years, with clients including songwriters, musicians, actors, business and personal managers, producing companies, banking institutions and manufacturers. Appointed and acted as judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Courts.
• Sean Mullin
  Short Film Production I; Elective: New Media MFA in Filmmaking, Columbia University; BS, The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Writer/director/producer; Short film "Sadiq" was nominated for an MTV Movie Award. Hired to write screenplays for Oscar-nominated director Henry-Alex Rubin as well as pop star Britney Spears. Writer/producer on commercials for award-winning Smuggler Productions.
• David O'Leary
  Screenwriting for Producers BA in Film, Vassar College. A screenwriter and producer, currently writing movies for Offspring Entertainment and Original Film. VP of Production at Bellevue Productions. Previously staffed on Development/Production teams at Valhalla, Kopelson, Rogue Pictures, Warner Bros., and Industry. Former story analyst for Team Downey, The Gersh Agency, Village Roadshow, and Silver Pictures.