Page 133 – NYFA

End of August Update from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism School

It is no secret that viewership of legacy media — like network TV — is down, while audiences for digital services — like Mic — are skyrocketing. The problem is that digital program producers are still searching for a way to actually make money. At the end of the day, a business has to be just that — a business.

According to Digiday, Mic attracted a huge number of viewers with fast, short-form non-fiction videos. But they didn’t attract enough sponsorship dollars. So Mic is shifting to “long-form” (around 15 minutes) programs that incorporate both studio and field elements. (Their premiere series is called Mic Dispatch.) Sound familiar? It’s a case of “everything old is new again,” as I produced program segments like this for 20 years. Of course, the content here is a lot edgier. Now digital outlets are looking to license content produced by others (why not you?) and many of the deals they are making are for a full year.

Mic publisher Cory Haik says a greater percentage of people are choosing to watch Mic Dispatch beyond the three-second view mark than for the type of short-form news-feed videos his platform used to crank out.

People say that things slow down for the summer. But that doesn’t seem to be true for some NYFA Broadcast Journalism grads, or myself for that matter…

The biggest news of the week is the graduation on Friday of the Summer 8-week workshop. An outstanding class, with people from everywhere. They are inventive, hardworking, collaborative, and talented. We will be hearing more from them…

Congratulations!

Friday evening saw NYFA alum Elizabeth Wilson hard at work at NBC Sports, where she works in the marketing department. And she got to spend Sunday there too! It’s a reminder that our profession isn’t a typical 9-5 job…

But, whatever the sacrifices, there are times in which we actually influence history. As regular readers of this Update know, Broadcast Journalism grad Antia Efraim works at Radio Globo in Brazil. The network is doing a series of interviews with presidential candidates, and Anita is right in the middle of it. And she’s not just behind the scenes, but on air as well. And in cyberspace too, as the program is digitally streamed. Which is how I know about it. (And yes, it isn’t summer in Brazil…)

Myself, I am back to Beijing next week. I’m the host of the international version of a CCTV cultural documentary series called Century Masters. Each program tells the story of a 20th century composer, performer, writer, or musician who transformed their field, and in doing so changed China. (This is my second season with the program, which means the first season must have been successful. They don’t bring you back if a series is a flop!)

While I am in Beijing, I will be making two presentations for NYFA. The first will be at the Beijing Film Academy, where NYFA has its China office. (NYFA is the only international school invited to locate on the BFA campus.) I will be speaking to potential students about NYFA, and its various programs. Including, of course, Broadcast Journalism.

I will also be speaking at the China Film Group. It is the largest film distribution company in China, and a major player on the entertainment scene. Part of what I will be discussing is my soon-to-be-broadcast documentary Shanghai 1937: Where World War II Began, which in part mirrors the story told in the Chinese feature film The Flowers of War. (I’ll have some big news for you about my doc in the next Broadcast Journalism Update.) Also on the agenda will be a discussion of post-production in New York. or “every dream has its budget.”

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) FILMMAKING ALUM CLAUDIO CASALE PREMIERES FILM AT VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking Alum Claudio Casale came to New York City to study filmmaking, but it’s his home country of Italy where he’s already making a name for himself. His short documentary, My Tyson, is premiering at this year’s Venice Film Festival, an incredible achievement for someone still relatively early in their career.

Casale hails from Rome and began studying at NYFA’s New York campus in April 2017, attending the 8-week Filmmaking workshop. NYFA’s short-term workshops create an especially intensive environment for film school students looking to study the craft of filmmaking in a short amount of time, focusing on hands-on learning with state-of-the-art equipment. Over a period of two months, Casale was challenged with producing five films.

Casale proved more than capable to live up to that challenge. His directing instructor, Thomas Barnes, spoke highly of Casale’s time at NYFA: “Claudio was one of those students a teacher is so happy to have in the class — brilliant, passionate, original, and supportive of his colleagues.” About Casale’s recent successes in Venice and elsewhere, Barnes continued, “I am delighted but not surprised to hear of his latest accomplishments. He has a unique voice and a fearless attitude that’s going to carry him far.”

After finishing his short but productive stint at the New York Film Academy, Casale made the most of his newly-learned skills, working on his own projects and getting jobs on others’. He got to work with Italian director Mimmo Calopresti as assistant director, which Casale called “a good, intense learning experience.”

Casale also quickly got to work on his own film, a short documentary called My Tyson. The 15-minute film focuses on a young boxer in the suburbs of Rome, Alaoma Tyson, who was born in Italy from Nigerian parents. The documentary received funding from MiBAC, Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities.

The important story has been well-received and was included in the MigrArti Selection of this year’s Venice Film Festival along with other short films focused on the topic of migration and immigration. Being included is a huge opportunity for filmmakers like Casale. The Venice Film Festival is one of the “Big Three” international film festivals, along with the Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival. Established in 1932, the Venice Film Festival is celebrating its 75th year this summer.

MigrArti shorts also get screened on the Italian public broadcast network RAI, which will give My Tyson and Casale even further exposure. Casale is continuing this strong momentum by directing a narrative short film soon after the Venice Film Festival, using 35mm film. He is also developing a longer documentary that previously won him a first pitch contest in Italy earlier this summer.

The New York Film Academy congratulates Claudio Casale on his incredible success, and looks forward to following his fruitful, accomplished career as a young and fearless filmmaker!

Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.

Greenlight Women and New York Film Academy (NYFA) Screen “The Girls in the Band”

On August 22, 2018, the New York Film Academy and GreenLight Women hosted a screening of the film The Girls in the Band, followed by a Q&A with director and producer Judy Chaikin, and moderated by GreenLight Women chair Marion Rosenberg.

Chaikin started in front of the camera but found that she was more interested in the exciting challenges behind the camera and set her sights on directing. Since then, she has worked consistently in film, television, and theater, winning several awards including two Cine Golden Eagles, a Billboard Best New Music Video Director nomination, nine Best Film Festival awards, and an Emmy nomination for the PBS documentary Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist.

Her current film, the feature length documentary The Girls in the Band, is about the unknown history of women jazz instrumentalists from the early 1900s to the present day. The film took top prizes at five film festivals including the prestigious Palm Springs Film Festival.

Rosenberg opened up the Q&A by asking Chaikin about why she chose the topic of women in jazz: “I came from a family of musicians; my mother was a songwriter, my brothers are … both professional musicians, my sister and I both were trained musically … she played flute, I played piano and trumpet and so music has been a very integral part of my life.”

Chaikin shared that when she was 13 years old, she was in her junior high dance band as a trumpet player and experienced gender discrimination like the musicians in her documentary. She added, “I absolutely adored it, but the boys … didn’t want a girl in their band, and I was discouraged … so I gave it up.” Chaikin later regretted this so much that she jumped at the chance to produce a documentary about other women who experienced the same thing.

Rosenberg asked Chaikin how she typically decides on the subject matter of her projects. Chaikin replied, “When you make a documentary, you gotta know going in that you’re committing yourself to a real long process. It’s gonna be years of your life, and if there isn’t something that’s in the documentary that is so personal to you — that has such meaning for you — it’s gonna be really hard to stay with it.” She continued, “It’s [also] very important to me to know that the subject matter I’m covering has deep roots in our society.”

The New York Film Academy thanks Judy Chaikin for discussing her compelling documentary and for sharing her advice for film school students.

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NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) ACTING FOR FILM ALUM LANA CONDOR STARS IN NETFLIX ORIGINAL FILM TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Alum Lana Condor has already had an incredible amount of success in her acting career considering both the competitive nature of the industry and the fact that she’s only 21. But her talent and hard work have been paying off, and she’s already co-starred with Mark Wahlberg and played one of the most famous X-Men. However, it’s her latest role, the lead in Netflix’s new hit original movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, that may prove to be her biggest achievement yet.

The romantic teen comedy is directed by Susan Johnson and is an adaptation of the New York Times Best Seller young adult novel of the same name, written by Jenny Han. Lara Condor plays its protagonist, Lara Jean, an awkward, introverted 16-year old girl whose secret love letters to all her crushes go public, leading to unexpected twists and turns in an already confusing, adolescent time in her life. The film boasts a diverse, young, energetic cast of up-and-coming performers, including NYFA former student and Vine superstar, King Bach.

The novel and movie are also important for boasting a half-Korean, female lead — in contrast to the mostly white, male protagonists that have typically dominated the industry. It’s fully fleshed out, multidimensional characters such as Lara Jean that help tell richer, fuller, and more relatable stories to an increasingly broad and diverse movie audience. Lara Jean has been lauded as one of the nervous young heroines of 2018, a role model to many teenagers who don’t often identify with many of Hollywood’s typical protagonists.

Lara Jean is certainly a significant character to play in that regard, but Lana Condor was more than up to the task, imbuing her with a life and multifaceted personality that made her feel deeply genuine. Lana was born in Vietnam and raised in Chicago, before attending multiple acting camps at the New York Film Academy’s New York City campus in the summer of 2011. The camps, offered to both high school students and younger children, and located in various cities around the world, immerse these budding artists in an intensive, professional educational experience — combining fun, experiential, interactive classes with direct, hands-on acting in front of the camera.

After picking up the skills in performance at NYFA’s camps she’d need, Lana later graduated high school and began a fruitful acting career. To date, she’s already co-starred as popular mutant Jubilee in the summer blockbuster X-Men: Apocalypse, as well as acted in the Mark Wahlberg true-life thriller Patriots Day, co-starring fellow NYFA alum Themo Melikidze. And there are even bigger projects on the horizon for Lara, who will be appearing in the upcoming sci-fi epic Alita: Battle Angel, a collaboration between Hollywood giants James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez.

What else is in store for Lana Condor’s already exciting career? Hopefully, Netflix will produce the two sequels to To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before based on the second and third novel in Jenny Han’s trilogy, considering how vital and well-received Lara Jean has been for audiences.

But in the meantime, the New York Film Academy congratulates Lana Condor on her latest success and looks forward to her future roles in Hollywood and beyond!

Chinese Consulate Visits New York Film Academy (NYFA)

Representatives from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles visited New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus on Thursday, August 22^nd, 2018. The representatives included Mr. Zhizhe Zhuang, Vice President of Chinese Consulate General; Mr. Jin Gu, Cultural Consul of Chinese Consulate General; Mrs. Jin Wang, Cultural Consul of Chinese Consulate General; and Mrs. Haiying Cai, Education Consul of Chinese Consulate General.

These representatives sat down with administration faculty from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) to discuss cultural and education affairs between the US and China, as well as potential future partnerships between NYFA and the Chinese Consulate. Faculty and members from the senior administration from the New York Film Academy included Mr. Jean Sherlock, CEO and owner; Mr. Dan Mackler, Director of the Los Angeles campus; Mr. Sonny Calderon, Dean of the College (Los Angeles); and Joy Zhu, Executive Vice President for the Asia Region. Mr. Bo Jiang, a longtime friend of NYFA and President of the Shanghai Film and Art School, was also in attendance at the meeting.

Both parties introduced their respective schools and organizations, and shared common goals for cultural and education exchange. The common theme through the meeting was that art has no boundaries. The meeting was widely successful, as both parties discovered that there are many commonalities between the two. Mrs. Haiying Cai, Education Consul, had many great questions regarding Chinese students, and the representatives from the Consulate were both impressed and excited by the work that NYFA is doing and has achieved with our Chinese student population. Furthermore, they graciously offered their assistance in any matters that they may provide support on. Talks of future cultural events were also a highlight, and both parties look forward to these future opportunities to work together.

After the meeting, the Consulate representatives were taken on a tour of the campus. They had the opportunity to explore the main building on Riverside Drive, as well as the classrooms and studios in Burbank Studios. After the tour, the two parties congregated for dinner, which proved to be both enjoyable and enlightening. During dinner, both parties further explored the cultural and education relations between the East and West as well as future opportunities to work together. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, and the evening was a great success for all involved!

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Women in Comics: New York Film Academy (NYFA) and Final Draft Host “Write On” Podcast

On August 20, 2018, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) partnered with Final Draft to host a live taping of Final Draft’s podcast, Write On, focused on women in comics. The panelists were Shannon Watters, Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, and NYFA screenwriting school instructor Christina Weir. The event was moderated by Pete D’Alessandro.

Shannon Watters is the senior editor at BOOM! Studios and co-creator and co-writer of the award-winning comic book series, Lumberjanes. Kirsten Smith is a writer and producer (Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s the Man, Ella Enchanted, The House Bunny and The Ugly Truth) and Christina Weir is a writer (New X-Men, Skinwalker, Three Strikes, Maria’s Wedding, Bad Medicine, Play Ball, Dragon Age: Deception).

The panelists were first asked what makes comics unique as an artistic medium. Smith said that, in her opinion, comics are special and intimate because they are “a work of art.” Weir added that, in the comic medium, it is essential to keep things moving; even if the scene is just a conversation, it’s important to keep it visually interesting to the reader. Watters shared that she likes using “the page turn” as a tool to surprise and entertain readers of comics in book form.

The production of a comic is similar to the production of a play or TV show or film because, to be successful, the comic has to tell a story and, in order to tell a story well, there must be trust and communication between all parties involved. Watters described the relationship between a comic writer and artist as symbiotic and “like a marriage.”

Weir added that comics are “great learning tools for screenwriting” because they “force [the writer] to get to what’s important… You only have so much space to get your point across.”

The panelists were asked what they believe the future of the comic industry looks like. Watters said that she believes that in the next couple decades, there will be more and more women, people of color, and LGBTQ comic writers and artists. Weir added, “We are in an age now where kids are encouraged to read comics… Comics are cool!”

Lastly, Watters’ advice for aspiring comic writers and artists is to “Get your stuff out there!” She encouraged students to share their work on the web and to meet other creative people to network, collaborate, and grow.

The New York Film Academy would like to thank Shannon Watters, Kirsten Smith, and Christina Weir for sharing their experiences and advice for young writers.

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Chinese Students Thank New York Film Academy (NYFA) For Photography Workshop

Earlier this August, students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy attended a 1-week Photography workshop at New York Film Academy’s New York City campus. The Shanghai Theatre Academy is a public university in China dedicated to dramatic art education and was founded in 1945. Its predecessor was Shanghai Municipal Experimental Theatre School, cofounded by the famous educator Gu Yuxiu.

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) photography school provides a unique experience not found elsewhere; with a passionate focus on the practical elements of photography, NYFA empowers students to master not only the essential basics taught by other good photography schools, but also the technical and business practices that will set them apart in their professional photography career.

NYFA’s photography school offers several programs and courses, including youth camps in the summer. The young students from Shanghai Theatre Academy visited for one week, and were able to practice hands-on with state-of-the-art-equipment.

After the completion of their course, the Chinese students wrote NYFA a very grateful and heartwarming thank you letter:

“Thank you, New York Film Academy!

This summer, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in the camp organized by the New York Film Academy. The staff members from the Academy provided us with everything we needed to learn about filmmaking: knowledgeable teaching staff, filmmaking equipment, lively teaching environments, new filmmaking concepts, on-site practice, and much more! We have learned so much in so short a time. The skills we have learned and the practice we have observed will help us significantly in many ways moving forward!

We want to say, once again, that we truly appreciate this lifetime experience at New York Film Academy. Who knows? Someone from this camp group may become a filmmaker, all because of this first taste of filmmaking in the US, at the New York Film Academy! Thank you, the New York Film Academy!”

The New York Film Academy congratulates the students from Shanghai Theatre Academy and congratulates them on a job well done!

“Unbroken” Sequel Screened For New York Film Academy (NYFA) Veterans

On August 13, 2018, the New York Film Academy’s Department of Veteran Services, was honored to host an advanced screening of the next chapter in the Louis Zamperini story, Unbroken: Path to Redemption. The film is the sequel to the 2014 film, Unbroken, directed by Academy Award Winner®, Angelina Jolie, and hits theaters later this year. Following the screening, producers Matthew Baer and Luke Zamperini, son of Louis Zamperini, treated the audience to a Q&A moderated by Navy veteran and New York Film Academy (NYFA) MFA Acting Alumnus, Ron Ringo.

The event was part of the NYFA DVS series of events that includes guest speakers, film screenings, master classes, workshops, and employment trainings — all which promote industry engagement for NYFA’s veteran-students and the wider veteran communities in Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami (South Beach).

Baer and Zamperini shared their experiences creating the film, as well as stories about Louis Zamperini himself. With having only 20 days to shoot the entire film, Baer addressed the challenges that he faced along with sharing a lot of valuable information for aspiring filmmakers. Zamperini shared stories of his father and explained how powerful it is seeing his father’s inspirational story depicted on the big screen for everyone to experience. Being on set and seeing his family members being portrayed by actors was incredibly surreal to him.

BFA Producing student and US Navy veteran Jonathan Garza commented, “Louis Zamperini’s inspirational and powerful story should be seen by everyone. He is a true American Hero.” He added, “I also enjoyed hearing from Matthew and his insight from years of producing. He mentioned that he still runs into the same problems producing studio films that he did when he was in film school, but on a larger scale.”

Luke Zamperini is the President and CEO of the Louis Zamperini Youth Ministries Foundation. Matthew Baer’s other producing credits include The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington, City by the Sea with Robert De Niro and James Franco, and the first chapter in the Louis Zamperini story, Unbroken — among many other successful films.

The New York Film Academy thanks Matthew Baer and Luke Zamperini for their generosity and willingness to share their stories and to help students pursuing careers in the film industry.

Silicon Valley’s John Altschuler Speaks With New York Film Academy (NYFA)

On August 15, 2018, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) hosted a screening of HBO’s Silicon Valley followed by a Q&A with creator and showrunner John Altschuler. NYFA Director of the Q&A Series, Tova Laiter, moderated the event.

As a student at University of North Carolina, Altschuler created the first comedy sketch show on the university student TV. He and his co-writer, looking to capitalize on their venture, sent written material in three boxes to three owners/editors of the National Lampoon magazine, adding a dollar to each to get their attention. It worked! He became a writer for the most iconic humor magazine of its time, until he moved to Hollywood.

After moving to Los Angeles however, he realized that his previous work was not going to magically open doors in the industry, so he worked odd jobs until he started getting gigs as a production assistant. He was careful not to pitch himself, instead concentrating on the job at hand. He told students, “Whatever job you get, just do that well… make their lives easier and they will look out for you; they will want to help you because you made their day that much easier.”

His first writing job, on HBO’s The High Life, led to his becoming an executive producer and showrunner on FOX’s King of the Hill for 12 years and the relaunch of Beavis and Butt-head for MTV. He then co-created Silicon Valley for HBO, and Lopez for TV Land, starring George Lopez. He’s also produced Mike Judge’s film, Extract (2009) starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis and Ben Affleck, and co-wrote Blades of Glory (2007) starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder.

A student asked Altschuler about his inspiration for Silicon Valley. He replied, “I was reading a biography of Steve Jobs and there was a quote in there where Bill Gates was ridiculing Steve Jobs: ‘The guy can’t even write code!’ Altschuler thought: “The guy created the biggest brand in the world and there’s somebody up in Silicon Valley sniping at him; I was like, “This is hilarious!'”

To the question of whether the creators knew Silicon Valley culture or only did research when they wrote the pilot, the answer was, “Both.” Altschuler had family members who were engineers, but they also did further research:

“We went up to Silicon Valley… and it was so funny, because… everybody kept talking about how they were making the world a better place… The sanctimony was so thick that I thought, ‘well this is something to make fun of.’ It’s… fun to take on the big guys and try to deflate them.”

Laiter noted that sometimes it’s easier to make fun of something when you’re outside of it, and Altschuler concurred.

One student asked about Altschuler’s tips for pitching a show or movie to a producer. Altschuler advised, “[When] you go in, have your story and try to start off with a topic sentence or a personal story… try to make it a conversation, not a laundry list of ‘first this happened and then that happened.'”

Altschuler imparted to the students that no matter what, they have to like what they’re making or no one will want to consume it. And when they write, and a scene doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to let it go. “If it’s really great, it will get its way in back later.”

The New York Film Academy would like to thank John Altschuler for sharing his industry expertise and advice for our film school students!