Page 113 – NYFA

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS FEATURED IN NEWBEAUTY MAGAZINE

Photographers are inspired in any number of ways to capture an image, but have you ever seen an image inspired by an unnamed scent? New York Film Academy (NYFA) Photography students were recently faced with this question when approached by NewBeauty magazine to capture the essence of three new perfumes, and the results were both striking and intriguing.

The project, Blind Faith, began when NewBeauty Beauty Director Brittany Burhop Fallon approached the Photography department at NYFA-Los Angeles. Six Photography students were given unmarked bottles of three new fragrances, and were asked to capture the essences they picked up from the perfumes with their cameras. The perfumes included Sakura by Christian Dior, Eleventh Hour by Byredo, and Staggeringly Beautiful by Diana Vreeland.

The six students who participated in the project were Alina Grafkina, Daryl Spiegel, Karyna Dobra, Jazmin Hamilton, Baz Here, and Lotta Lemetti. The results were interesting, to say the least. Not only were their images somewhat similar in tone, they also were fairly accurate in representing the fragrance designers’ original inspiration for the scents.

“Most fragrances are designed to evoke emotions,” Beauty Director Brittany Burhop Fallon tells NYFA, “so we thought it’d be a fun experiment to see what photography students felt when they smelled some of our favorites in a blind test, shooting imagery to reflect their feelings. What’s fascinating is that the photographs very much mimic the intentional storyline behind each scent, which represents the perfumers’ artistry in creating them.”

Several of the images captured by the students can be seen featured in the article. According to the piece, Sakura by Christian Dior was inspired by perfumer François Demachy’s trip to Japan and his love of the nation’s cherry blossoms. The students responded to the scent, unaware of this, with light, pastel images, photos of flowers, and an Ikebana-esque tablescape.

Eleventh Hour by Byredo was inspired by no less than the Apocalypse, which NYFA’s students captured in images of the high-desert, a paper airplane, a fig and tonka bean, and a shot of molten lava that photographer Karyna Dobra described as “the time when darkness lays upon the kingdom.”

Staggeringly Beautiful by Diana Vreeland was inspired by the late Vreeland’s love of the Mediterranean. NYFA’s Photography students once again seemed to subconsciously pick up on this, offering images of coastlines, blue skies, and even a woman dancing in the summer wind.

Clearly, connections between the students’ photos and the inspiration for the three fragrances could not be described as pure coincidence, and the experiment proved the link between emotions and both the senses of smell and sight. Adds Fallon, “The talented students at NYFA helped bring these perfumes to life on our pages.”

The New York Film Academy thanks Brittany Burhop Fallon and NewBeauty for giving our Photography students a chance to participate in a very fun and interesting experiment!

Representatives From Jinling Institute of Technology (JIT) Visit New York Film Academy (NYFA)

Earlier this month, representatives from the Jinling Institute of Technology (JIT) visited New York Film Academy (NYFA) at its New York City campus near Battery Park in downtown Manhattan. The Jinling Institute of Technology is an officially accredited higher education institution located in Nanjing, Jiangsu.

The distinguished representatives included Mr. Chen, Professor, Party Secretary, Jinling Institute of Technology; Mr. Dai, Professor, Dean, School of Animal Science and Technology; Mr. Xing, Professor, Dean, School of Art; Ms. Zhao, Deputy Head, School of Animation; and Ms. Fang, Deputy Chief, Foreign Affairs Section, Office of International Exchange & Cooperation.

The representatives sat down with Michael Young, President of New York Film Academy, Mr. David Klein, NYFA Senior Executive Vice President, and Dr. Joy Zhu, NYFA Executive Vice President for the China Region.

At the gathering, President Young and Dr. Zhu introduced the history of the New York Film Academy, its various disciplines, and the characteristics of each discipline. They highlighted NYFA’s commitment to an intensive, hands-on approach to education in the visual arts.

Additionally, the representatives from both institutions discussed their respective student bodies. The student body of NYFA is not only talented but diverse in many ways. Not only can students from China attend NYFA workshops, but also teachers and other administrators.

Mr. Chen noted that roughly half of the students of JIT study engineering, mathematics, art & media art, but that the school is interested in cultivating more composite talents. He also expressed his thoughts on less theory-oriented and more hands-on education for students in general.

Both parties shared mutually agreeable views on co-cultivating additional students that are especially talented in their respective fields, including 3D Animation & Visual Effects, and both looked forward to further cooperation between the two educational institutions in the near future.

The New York Film Academy thanks the representatives from the Jinling Institute of Technology for their visit and for a meaningful and intelligent discussion over several topics both schools find very important.

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism Alum Covers Kunlun Red Star

So what happens to student projects after New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism students graduate? In the case of Alisa Arvind, they take on a life of their own.

Now a published author, in 2016 Alisa posted a video about the Holi Hai Festival in New York City on YouTube. The news package was produced for one of her Broadcast Journalism classes. Since then, it’s had 100,000+ views!

Three years ago she wrote: “They call it ‘the happiest festival of NYC!’ Holy Hai is an Indian festival of Spring where people come to dance their hearts out and get colorful.” And colorful it is… It wouldn’t surprise me if Alisa was still getting some of that color out of her hair…

NYFA Broadcast Journalism grad Gillian Kemmerer, now based in Moscow, continues her journey through Eurasia. Most recently she was in China.

More than 120 Under-11 players arrived at the Little Wolf Arena in Beijing last month to compete in an event run by the Kontinental Hockey League coaching staff. Gillian reports the kids were competing for the chance to head to Astana, Kazakhstan and Sochi, Russia for two tournaments this April.

Kunlun Red Star is sending a youth team to the Gazprom Cup for the first time in franchise history. The young athletes participated in workshop activities, as well as actual games in which their skill levels were assessed.

Q&A with Oscar-Nominated Producer, Director, and Editor Sam Pollard

Legendary producer, director, and editor Sam Pollard led a spirited “Conversation with…” and Q&A session after a rousing screening of his latest documentary Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me at New York Film Academy (NYFA). A capacity crowd at NYFA’s Theatre in New York City was captivated by the film, which traces the iconic entertainer’s life from his youth in Harlem to international stardom— from Hollywood to Broadway to Las Vegas and beyond.

NYFA students were inspired by Sam Pollard’s recollection of his early career, when he gravitated towards an editing career after a Public Broadcasting internship program. He went on to cut narrative features as well as documentaries, most notably working with Spike Lee on films including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Clockers, and Bamboozled. In 1998, Pollard and Lee were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 4 Little Girls.

Pollard moved into producing and directing while working on Eyes on the Prize, still considered the seminal work on the American Civil Rights Movement. Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me capped NYFA’s celebration of Black History Month. Made for American Master/PBS, other Sam Pollard projects made for the series include works about August Wilson and Zora Neale Hurston.

“Filmmaking is hard work but it’s like magic when it works. Now it feels seamless, and that to me is that magic of filmmaking,” Pollard explained to the audience.

The evening was a co-production of NYFA’s Producing, Screenwriting, and Documentary departments, moderated by respective Chairs, Neal Weisman, Randy Dottin, and Andrea Swift. Pollard told the students in attendance, “If you’re here because you love to create, be compassionate, committed, and willing. Learn the craft and be proud of what you’ve done.”

He added, “As aspiring filmmakers, you should be committed to making the best possible film you can make, and if you hang in there, you will be rewarded.”

The New York Film Academy thanks Oscar-nominated producer, director, and editor Sam Pollard for sharing his experience and wisdom with our students and encourages everyone to check out Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me.

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Artist Isabelle Adriani Donates Cinematic-Themed Artwork to New York Film Academy (NYFA)

Isabelle Adriani, an Italian artist, author, and actress, recently generously donated her cinematic-themed artworks to the New York Film Academy and to the Director of the NYFA Q&A Series, Tova Laiter. On Friday, February 22, Adriani came to visit NYFA’s Los Angeles campus.

Adriani donated a total of four pieces to the New York Film Academy; The two pieces donated to the Los Angeles campus are La Dolce Vita, which features images from the 1961 Frederico Fellini film of the same name, and Charlie, which features photos of the English silent movie era actor and director giant, Charlie Chaplin.

The two pieces donated to the New York campus are Once Upon a Time in America, which features images from the 1984 Sergio Leone masterpiece film of the same name, as well as one of star actress, Marlene Dietrich.

The four works are collages of photographs, posters, reviews, books and original accessories that Adriani has collected throughout her life from antique shops, fairs, and auctions all over the world. The way in which the media is arranged resembles modernists like Hannah Hoch and Mimmo Rotella and the use of color, subject matter, and desire to honor Hollywood’s history and pop culture are evocative of Andy Warhol’s quadtych-panels portraits. One of the things that distinguishes Adriani’s style from her predecessors is the “glassing” technique that she uses to make her works shine like glass and to protect the media material in the collages; Adriani keeps this technique a secret.

As an actress, Adriani has acted in over 30 Italian and American productions including The American (2010) with Academy Award winner George Clooney, Twice Born (2012) with Academy Award winner Penelope Cruz, and The Young Messiah (2016) directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Stoning of Soraya M.) who also directed her in The Trial (tentative title) with with Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ).

She also produced the documentary Open Quantum Relativity (2014), which explored the concept of time travel with scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Adriani has published 14 books and writes columns about the history of movies called Once Upon a Time in the Cinema. She also recorded two music albums of her unique Whistling to accompany her recent art collection called Tribute and To Movies with Love.

The New York Film Academy would like to thank Adriani for her generous donation to the arts and the art of cinema for our students to enjoy for years to come.

LUNAFEST: SHORT FILMS BY, FOR, ABOUT WOMEN® SCREENS AT NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY LOS ANGELES

The 18th Annual Women’s Film Festival was hosted by the Zonta Club of Burbank Area at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) in Burbank, CA, on March 9. LUNAFEST: Short Films By, For, About Women® is a fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women’s issues, highlighting women filmmakers, and bringing women together in their communities.

Comprised of eight curated short films by women filmmakers, LUNAFEST highlighted women as leaders in society. The films ranged from animation to fictional drama, and covered issues such as women’s health, body image, relationships, cultural diversity, and breaking barriers. The event was held at the NYFA Theater at New York Film Academy’s Riverside campus.

“LUNAFEST is one of the most beautifully curated short film festivals I’ve ever seen,” says Crickett Rumley, NYFA Director, Film Festivals. “These diverse, moving, incredibly human stories will touch every heart. As the host of this year’s program for the Zonta Club of the Burbank Area, the New York Film Academy is proud to celebrate women filmmakers from around the world.”

Noemi Durivou, a student of NYFA’s MFA Producing program, couldn’t have agreed more. “The films presented by LUNAFEST were all amazingly unique and truly inspiring,” Durivou tells NYFA, “but most importantly, all of the films had beautiful and informative messages for women and men alike.”

The festival is also a fundraising event; all proceeds from LUNAFEST benefit the Zonta Club of Burbank Area and Chicken & Egg Pictures, a nonprofit organization that supports women nonfiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change. To date, LUNAFEST—which is created and funded by LUNA®, The Whole Nutrition Bar—has raised more than $4 million for nonprofit organizations across the US and Canada.

The Zonta Club of Burbank Area brings together volunteers with a passion for empowering women through service and advocacy. Since its chartering in 1936, the Zonta Club has brought together business people and community members willing to volunteer their time to raise money, advocate, and provide direct service to women in need.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman, 43rd Assembly District, California State Legislature attended the event and presented both the Zonta Club of the Burbank Area and the New York Film Academy with Certificates of Recognition for hosting LUNAFEST, saying “It’s important to show women’s work, to tell our stories, because our voices need to be heard. We all know there are huge diversity issues in Hollywood, so it’s crucial that we provide a platform that shows works by women, by women of color, and by women from all over the globe.”

“This is our eighth annual LUNAFEST event,” says Nickie Bonner, LUNAFEST co-chair for the Zonta Club of Burbank Area. “We got involved initially because it was an easy fundraiser that several other Zonta clubs had already done and a festival of films by, for, and about women fit perfectly with our mission to empower women. As time went on and we became more aware of the challenges facing women filmmakers, we began to see the festival as a way to advocate on their behalf, which seemed entirely appropriate as we are rooted in Burbank, a community at the center of the entertainment industry. LUNAFEST allows us to support women filmmakers and raise money to empower women in general through our ‘Wings’ community grants program.”

Crickett Rumley, NYFA Director, Film Festivals moderated a Q&A with two of the filmmakers after their screenings. The filmmakers on the panel were Jackie Files (Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday) and Marie Jamora (Flip the Record).

“The films were varied and really meaningful,” says Leslie Bates, NYFA Instructor of Producing and Entertainment Law and Business. “Since I was there with my daughter, it was great for her to see what women can do and how they think—just like her!”

Psychiatrist and Visual Collage Artist Steven Rudin Speaks With New York Film Academy (NYFA)

On February 20, New York Film Academy (NYFA) welcomed Steven Rudin, a psychiatrist turned visual collage artist, for a special guest lecture and Q&A at NYFA’s New York campus as part of NYFA’s monthly photography guest speaker series.

Having led more than 24,000 psychotherapy sessions over the course of 20 years as a psychiatrist, Rudin now creates hand-cut paper collages that explore nostalgia and optimism, using the concept of perspective to create a unique participant-observer experience through art. He applies his extensive understanding of the human mind and mental health to his artwork, creating collages that require introspection and offer a look inside one’s struggles and triumphs.

Led entirely by Rudin, the special lecture entitled “Psychology of Collage” explored the aesthetics of memory and identity for which his collages are a metaphor. Rudin encouraged students to reflect on the ways in which stories emerge and are altered by the arrangement of our memories, similar to the way that films navigate through past, present, and future narratives.

Rudin also inspired students to appreciate the way that new experiences and emotions can change perspectives on the past, drawing a comparison between the scenes his collages represent and those that are edited in the filmmaking process. Students also considered how the media affects both the accessibility of information and memory overall.

Through the exploration of psychological theories, neurobiology, and cognitive behavioral therapy—of which he is an expert—Rudin opened students’ minds to the direct relationship between psychology and creating art, whether that be visual collages, photography or filmmaking.

The New York Film Academy thanks Steve Rudin for sharing his experiences and offering his unique insight into the psychological processes behind perception and creativity, and wishes him the best as he continues to explore the relationship between psychology and art, bridging the gap between these worlds and encouraging others to do the same.

AAFCA and ABA Film Society Hold ‘Celebrating Black Excellence in Cinema’ Event at New York Film Academy (NYFA)

On Monday, February 18, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) partnered with the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the African Black American (ABA) Film Society to present a special discussion exploring the past, present and future of Black creative excellence in Hollywood through an inaugural learning lab, Celebrating Black Excellence in Cinema at its Los Angeles campus. The event featured Outlier Society’s Alana Mayo, and was moderated by AAFCA Founder and President Gil Robertson.

Gil Robertson said, “AAFCA is thrilled with our partnership with NYFA as we celebrated Black excellence in the industry during BHM. Our panel with Alana was excellent. She was very generous in sharing her experiences with the students as a Creative Executive, as well as providing them with inspiration on how they can follow in her path.”

Alana Mayo was Vice President of Production at Paramount and Vice President and Head of Originals at Vimeo before becoming Head of Production and Development for Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society Productions. At Paramount, Mayo helped develop the cinematic adaptation of Fences starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

Mayo discussed her background, how her parents influenced her career, and navigating her trajectory as a Creative Executive for three of the top studios in the industry.

Three students who attended the event gave NYFA their thoughts on the experience. Folake Kehinde, recent NYFA MFA grad and ABA’s Events Chair and Interim Communications Chair, had this to say:

My favorite things about this event were the access. Alana was welcomed by one of the ABA members who is also queer. I had no idea of this connection when I was scheduling volunteers and was so happy to be able to give Jamie the opportunity to meet and welcome Alana. Alana has greatly inspired Jamie and she was thrilled for the opportunity to meet and welcome her.

Alana attended the pre-reception briefly. She took pictures with the ABA and was so polite and happy to be with us. Her humbleness was so sweet and unexpected. Then during the event I appreciated her learnedness. It was so wonderful to hear from a production executive with a degree in film studies. So often production executives studied English or something slightly unrelated to filmmaking—it was nice to hear from someone with an extensive study of cinema as well as years of employment with various studios and production companies.

It was interesting to watch her talk so passionately about her favorite films, Polish Cinema, and the discussions she has while watching TV with [her fiancee] Lena Waithe. They’re very different in how they communicate but both have obtained vast success.

I also loved hearing how nice Michael B. Jordan is. I was so moved by her saying that Michael will give out her email at various places around town to people who have an idea and that they’re even going to make one of the ideas a person he met on the street wrote. I love that Michael is so kind, contemporary, and cutting-edge. The fact that he cares about people and is interested in talking with them and helping them to make their work blows me away. I also love that he is starring in several projects his company is making as well as other projects outside of his company. It’s inspiring to watch his career as an actor and now producer unfold. As an actress and producer myself this helped to confirm for me that I can achieve my dreams!

My final favorite moment was when Jamie told Alana that she is also a queer woman and that she has been so inspired by Alana’s career and bravery to be heard and make a path in the entertainment industry.

After the Q&A, legendary casting director Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd (who cast Michael B. Jordan and others in the film Fruitvale Station and so many other projects) stayed and did an impromptu Q&A with actors and filmmakers. It was fantastic! She had a very frank conversation with us where she challenged us to tell our stories! She talked about being on a panel that read scripts for a Festival and how so many of the ideas were so similar. She knows that all black people didn’t grow up in ‘the hood’ and she wants creators to be unafraid to share their middle-class or wealthy upbringing. She advised actors to look their best at all times—even at the gym. She also told actors to put our pictures on our business cards, and avoid putting too much of another actor on their reels.

It was an extraordinary evening. I’m very grateful to New York Film Academy, Professor Kim Ogletree, and the founder of AAFCA for putting the event together.

Toyin Adewumi, 8-week Producing student, learned a few lessons from the event as well. The first was to take risks! A former HR professional, Adewumi loved that Mayo talked about leaving her comfortable job at a studio she had been at for years: “Having that clarity of there’s more out there. Yes I’m here… but… not being connected with the culture there.” Adewumi was impressed that Alana was brave enough to leave and find her ideal job.

She also loved that Alana isn’t ashamed of her personality. “Her acknowledgement that she needed to change some things. Her boldness to be humble… being willing to drop some things I (she) learned when I’ve (she) grown up. Her being humble helped lead to her breakthrough….Taking risks, knowing when to work on herself, being humble” are lessons Adewumi will treasure for a long time to come.

Brianna Dickens (AFA Acting For Film ’18) was moved by the ABA events held during Black History Month. Dickens had a wonderful chat with Twinkie Byrd and at the ABA Careers in Television event, she was invited to visit a set for a day with some friends. She tells NYFA:

I’m so thankful I found the ABA. I didn’t even know they existed. Luckily my class was invited to a screening event of theirs (the Q&A with Chuck Hayward). The second I arrived, the leaders of the group welcomed me and introduced themselves to me. In less than a month of being an ABA member, I’ve attended three events that have truly inspired me, opened my eyes, taught me things no one else has, and even opened the doors for me to have real on-set experience!

Everyone in this group is focused, supportive, kind, and encouraging. They uplift each other. I think we will do great things for one another and together. I’m thankful to have them.

The New York Film Academy and ABA Film Society thank Alana Mayo and Tracy “Twinkie” Byrd for sharing their experience and advice with our students!

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism Student Covers New York Fashion Week

Studying in New York City provides students with opportunities that are simply not available anywhere else. Recently, New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism student Nicole Abebe was able to cover New York Fashion Week as an accredited journalist.

Nicole was backstage and on the runway. She shot, wrote, and edited her stories—all of which were then distributed by a New York media company.

Obviously, this situation is unique. It is rare a student from any school gets a chance like this. That said, New York City is filled with many tremendous opportunities.

But you have to be here to take advantage of them. And you have to go to the right school to get the skills you’ll need…

NYFA News at New York Fashion Week from Bill Einreinhofer on Vimeo.