Page 15 – NYFA

NYFA Broadcast Journalism Faculty: Interview with Fred Silverman

From the legendary Walter Cronkite to modern names like Lester Holt, broadcast journalism has a long and storied tradition of investigating, uncovering, and disseminating information to the public. Though the methods have changed over the years, branching out to the web, podcasts, documentaries, social media, and more, the key tenets of journalism – to inform, educate, and illuminate – have remained steadfast elements of that tradition.

Whether it’s breaking news or documentary filmmaking, Fred Silverman, Broadcast Journalism Chair at NYFA’s New York campus, has experience with all of it – and now he’s passing that experience on to the next generation to ensure the tradition continues.

NYFA Broadcast Journalism Chair, Fred Silverman

Fred has produced television in 34 states and ten different countries. He spent five years creating original programming for Miami’s NBC affiliate, WTVJ. For ten years, he worked at Miami’s WSVN, crafting original programming, news series, special event coverage, and daily newscasts. Before coming to NYFA, he was the Chief Creative Officer of Animus Entertainment, which primarily focused on health and wellness programming and consulting with international programming companies. He’s worked on programs that can be seen on A&E, Discovery, Fox, History, Travel, CBS, and more.

We spoke to him about his beginnings in journalism, the most interesting stories he’s covered, and why it’s important to treat students as journalists – rather than just people learning about journalism.

NYFA: How did you first get interested in journalism?

FS: When I was a kid, I would devour the information in the newspaper sports section every morning. I couldn’t get enough. As a high school student, I realized my state school, the University of Missouri, had one of the best journalism schools in the country. So, I went there to become a sports journalist. I wanted to be a sportscaster. While in the program, it quickly became apparent that I could find out information and tell people about it. In my mind, I was pursuing the truth and things people wanted to know.

NYFA: What have been your favorite projects/productions to work on to date?

FS: I have been very fortunate in the television industry, producing segments and shows in 34 states and ten countries. I’ve covered presidential campaigns and space shuttle launches, produced the first underwater live report, documented American students on a trip to the Soviet Union, and been able to learn a little bit about a lot of different things. I have two favorite projects. After Midnight was a series for the Discovery Network about what happens in a city after midnight. I learned all sorts of things about people who work overnight. Very cool. Transplant was a documentary for A&E about a team of doctors doing transplants of all kinds at a hospital in Miami. That was intense, and I got to witness all of it.

NYFA: Tell us about your time at NYFA.

FS: I have been an instructor at NYFA for more than four years. I’ve been lucky enough to work with terrific instructors, and we’ve been able to instill the important skills that every journalist needs, whether for a news station, social media, website or just about any platform. It is so gratifying to work with students and suddenly see ‘the light bulb’ go off, and they become capable content creators.

NYFA: What are your favorite courses to teach?

FS: I teach Broadcast Journalism, but within that, I really love teaching students how to research, write and perform on a podcast. I find that having them learn the importance of gathering quality audio to tell a story helps students with their video storytelling, too.

NYFA: How would your students describe your teaching style/methods?

FS: Laid back, yet offering a gentle push to keep them engaged and motivated. As the year goes on, I begin to treat them like broadcast professionals and expect them to take charge of their journalism careers.

NYFA: What are your favorite aspects of the broadcast journalism community in NYC?

FS: The broadcast journalism community in New York is still really driven by the big three networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC, but the great thing is you can encounter journalists from across the spectrum – from Buzzfeed to Vice and everything in between.

NYFA: Who do you believe have been some of the most significant journalists to date?

FS: There’s no question that Walter Cronkite is still considered the father of broadcast journalism but what’s great about this time is it’s easy to find great journalism in a lot of places across the web. There are terrific podcasts and print journalists who do great reporting. I love Steve Hartman at CBS News, who is a master at connecting an audience to just about any story. Jonathan Dickerson, also at CBS, is a masterful interviewer.

NYFA: What are some of your favorite stories/features?

FS: I like finding simple stories that elicit an emotional connection…that make the viewer feel something. One of my favorite stories was part of the Transplant documentary for A&E. We were there when a patient got the call that an organ had been found for her liver transplant. It was quite a moment to witness. And, I love stories about how things work…everyday stuff all around us that viewers may not have ever considered. I pitched a series of stories once on the top items for which the U.S. led the world. At the time, it was like breakfast cereals, diapers, supercomputers, and nails. What a list…right?

NYFA: What advice would you give a prospective student looking to get started in journalism?

FS: The skills we teach at NYFA are what every journalist learns to do – how to find information, how to verify, and how to write and produce information that engages an audience. What makes an NYFA education special is that, from day one, you’re actually doing it. Learning how to shoot quality video, how to write an interesting script, and how to edit it. Every student in the 1-year version of our program will get a chance to make podcasts, learn how to anchor in a studio, and produce a newscast. I’ve always thought that every storyteller and communicator needs to understand the skills that are important to working in a newsroom. That will make them better able to process information, make informed decisions about what every story means and be able to communicate that to a given audience.

Get Started in Broadcast Journalism at NYFA

Want to learn how to tell your own breaking stories? Check out our broadcast journalism certificates and workshops!

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Time is one of the most valuable resources a filmmaker can have, so creating a short film in a crunch can be quite the challenge.

Time is one of the most valuable resources a filmmaker can have, so creating a short film in a crunch can be quite the challenge. New York Film Academy has pooled advice from the chairs and faculty of our many different departments—including Cinematography, Producing,Filmmaking, and Digital Editing—to give a well-balanced list of offered tips and best practices for creating the best possible short film in a short amount of time:

Story

Try to come up with a great idea that works in a few minutes. Keep the concept simple and focused. A good logline can help you focus your idea and keep you from wandering too far off course.

Come up with a story that can believably occur in a very short amount of time, even ten minutes. Your actual film’s running time doesn’t need to be that long, but you will be able to dramatize shorter events in a more grounded way.

Actors

Cast carefully. Some actors may be more comfortable with ample rehearsal time, so make sure they know the time restrictions of your shoot.

Allow your actors to contribute. If they’re inventive, give them a chance to improvise. Shoot takes with alternate lines of dialogue. This can be especially effective in comedies.

When directing your actors, remember these tips:

Let your actor know what their objective in each scene is.
Make sure you and your actor are on the same page about their character and their motivations. If you disagree, take a few minutes to discuss, listen, and compromise.
Be there for your actor. While some actors may prefer to do things their own way, most seek and thrive on direction, even if it’s just pointing them the right way, metaphorically speaking.
Or literally speaking! Blocking is very important not just for your framing but for the intensity of the scene itself. Work with your actors to find the right blocking for each scene–what feels right for them and what looks best for the camera.

NYFA: What made you want to come to NYFA?

ZT: I was impressed that faculty was chosen from working artists and experts. I come from a corporate background, so I care a lot about practicing and learning from those experiments and failures. I sensed that the coursework would go beyond foundational theory and intellect around the matter and really teach through practice, and that grabbed me. Understanding that I am joining the game much later than my classmates, I needed to be as ready as I possibly could in order to launch myself into the work straight out of school.

Producing

Make sure your schedules are detailed out to the minute and remember that communication between cast and crew is key. By having everyone’s contact information and by communicating clearly where everyone is expected to be and when, you can avoid unnecessary delays in production. Give them directions and expected travel times to the set.

Organize your days so you can shoot several scenes in one day. If you have multiple locations, select the key location for the day and then find your other locations in the immediate area. Moving locations can be a killer and waste tons of time. Try to group scenes together that use the same cast members and costumes. Be efficient in your scheduling and don’t be afraid to shoot out of order or out of sequence. Schedule your exteriors first—that way, if it rains you have the option of delaying those scenes until the following day. And have a cover set (or interior) waiting to go, so you can move inside and not lose a shooting day.

Equipment

Put together an inexpensive but effective equipment list. Your story won’t be improved with more pixels, but you also don’t want your camera breaking down in the middle of your shoot. Test all the gear before you leave for the set.

Once you’re on location, if something breaks and has to be replaced, you’re going to lose valuable time. Don’t be afraid to be inventive. You may not have a professional dolly but some of the most inventive directors come up with novel solutions that actually make their shots more interesting.

Make sure all batteries and other accessories are charged before the shoot, and spares are being charged during the shoot. Remember, with only three days to shoot, every minute counts and every delay needs to be avoided at all costs.

NYFA Filmmaking Faculty: Interview with Claude Kerven

Life has a funny way of throwing you a curve when you least expect it. For Claude Kerven of NYFA’s Filmmaking department, that curve hit when he first went to college. His aspirations for being a doctor were quickly dulled, but they were replaced by something for which he would be even more passionate – filmmaking. That passion would lead him into a career that would see him work with living legends like Stevie Wonder, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, and more.

He’s been a member of the faculty of NYFA for over 15 years, but his career stretches back even further, arming him with a wealth of knowledge he can use to educate and inspire students in our New York campus’ filmmaking programs.

NYFA Filmmaking Faculty Claude Kerven

Claude’s career began as a producer, director, and editor of the short film Candy Store, which won the Academy Award for Best Dramatic Student Film. He went on to serve as a director for the venerable late-night comedy franchise Saturday Night Live, where he accumulated over 20 short film credits from 1982-1985. He also directed multiple ABC Afterschool Specials, including High School Narc, The Almost Royal Family, A Very Delicate Matter, and Starstruck. More recently, he directed the short They Never Found Her (2007) starring Elizabeth Moss and Peter Stormare and co-directed Man Under the Moon (2015). As a writer, he’s crafted screenplays for Mortal Thoughts (1991), which starred Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, as well as The Shadow War and a Darkman sequel called Circus of Fear.

We talked to him about his beginnings in the industry, his biggest influences, and how he works to connect with his students.

NYFA: How did you first get interested in filmmaking?

CK: After high school, I headed off to SUNY Buffalo with the intention of becoming a doctor. But after taking my first calculus test, I realized that wasn’t going to happen. Then one day, someone told me I could get a degree in filmmaking. And the rest is history.

NYFA: What have been your favorite projects/productions to work on to date?

CK: Working at Saturday Night Live was a thrill. I had always been a huge fan of the show, but it never occurred to me that I would ever be directing short films for them. I got to work with Stevie Wonder, Lily Tomlin, and all the great SNL players like Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Julia Louis Dreyfus.

NYFA: Tell us about your time at NYFA.

CK: It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 15 years. Watching the film department grow, and being a part of that growth, has been an enormously gratifying experience. I don’t think students realize what a profound impact they have on their instructors. I can still fondly recall the students from my very first class.

NYFA: What are your favorite courses to teach?

CK: I love teaching directing and screenwriting, which now almost seem inseparable to me. And, of course, being on the set with my students.

NYFA: How would your students describe your teaching style/methods?

CK: I think they would say that I relate to them as filmmakers and not students. I never talk down to them. And I don’t b.s. them. I think that by being real with them, I’m able to form a bond of trust. I want each of them to succeed, and I think they feel that. But most importantly, I think they would say that I’m able to communicate my passion for filmmaking to them.

NYFA: What are your favorite aspects of the film community in New York?

CK: It’s not Hollywood. In New York, filmmaking is just another profession. But in Hollywood, a one-industry town, filmmaking is everything. I think this leads to a lack of perspective and an overly inflated sense of importance.

SEE MORE: New York Film Academy Looks Back at the 2022 Highlights

NYFA: Who do you believe have been some of the most significant individuals in filmmaking?

CK: Edison & the Lumiere Bros. Chaplin. D.W.Griffith. Adolph Zucker, Louis B Mayer, and the Warner Bros. Alfred Hitchcock. Billy Wilder. Howard Hawks. Kurosawa. Bergman. Fellini. Godard. Truffaut. David Lean. Coppola. Scorsese. Speilberg. Woody Allen. Fincher. Ridley Scott. Spike Lee. Alfonso Cuaron. Soderberg. Wong Kar Wai. Tarantino. Wes Anderson. Christopher Nolan.

NYFA: What are some of your favorite films?

CK: On the Waterfront. The Graduate. Jaws. The Godfather. Taxi Driver. Young Frankenstein. The Pink Panther. King Kong (the original). Lord of the Rings. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. The Right Stuff. A League of Their Own.

NYFA: What advice would you give a prospective student looking to get started in filmmaking?

CK: The film business seems like it’s a million miles away. It’s not. It’s much closer than you think. But it’s a highly competitive business that demands passion, talent, resilience, tenacity, and people skills.

Develop Your Film Reel at NYFA

Ready to create your own short films and start or add to your film reel? Check out our film degrees, certificates, and workshops!

In Conversation with Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky, ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Co-Executive Producers and Writers

On June 15, New York Film Academy welcomed Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky, co-executive producers and writers of the Hulu hit series, Only Murders in the Building at the Los Angeles campus for a Q&A.

The evening, moderated by Creative Director Lynda Goodfriend, was filled with laughs and inspiring stories from the writing team. Borghese and Turbovsky, have a long list of credits including Silicon Valley, Lady Dynamite, Black Monday, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Detroiters. They have developed original pilots at Comedy Central, TBS, ABC, and Fox. In film, they have contributed to the scripts for Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse, Ghostbusters (2016), Office Christmas Party, The Peanuts Movie, and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, among others. Borghese and Turbovsky have been writing partners for ten years and both received an MFA in screenwriting from USC. They are Emmy, Golden Globe, PGA and two-time WGA award nominees.

The Hollywood Reporter named them “Best Hollywood Punch Up Guys”— “Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky are Hollywood’s go-to guys when Phil Lord and Chris Miller or Paul Feig need a script to be funnier.”

Lynda Goodfriend, Matteo Borghese and Rob Turbovsky during the Q&A at NYFA LA Campus

Rob and Matteo talked about their own journey as writers. They explained that they originally met as students in the Masters for Screenwriting program while at USC. Borghese quipped, “After graduation, the first step was to completely bottom out, to feel like you’re never going to accomplish anything, you’re going to have to move back to your parents’ house, and you sit with that for 6 months and then realize you have to do something. So, you call your best friend Rob.” Rob Turbovsky, who was interning for Judd Apatow at the time, then joined with Matteo to write a pilot script. The script got them an agent and their first writing job on the show, Silicon Valley. Thus, a writing team was born.

The duo, who is currently working on the 3rd season of Only Murders in the Building, shared their advice to the writers in attendance and spoke to the writer’s career in the television industry:

Q: How did your writing classes as a student help you as a professional writer?

A: They both felt the best lesson was that “you just have to do it.” “Even if it is terrible you have to finish it.”

Q: How do you get an agent?

A: You have to have material. It doesn’t really matter what kind of writing sample it is, don’t limit your interest. But you need a sample that is good! An agent can always come later, they are always looking for good writers. Once you have some good samples ask anyone you know who may be connected- an agent’s assistant, somebody in the mailroom, another writer, a friend on a show to pass it along.

A still of Only Murders in the Building. Courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar

Q: How do I know if a script is good?

A: The most valuable thing is a first impression. Start with people you know but don’t put much stock in one person’s opinion. If you hear the same note several times, be willing to make the changes. Get a sense of what the script needs. Some notes are technical, such as “I can’t track what the characters are doing.” Pay attention to those.

Q: What is your process?

A: The importance of the outline cannot be overstated. The outline is difficult but you have to have it first. Once the outline is together it helps to have the Big picture. We split it up and write sections. Inevitably we will need to write a new outline and work again from that.

Q: Where do writers get their ideas?

A: Some people see articles, some just write down a list of ideas. You don’t have to have a lot of information. Sometimes a producer has an idea they want to write. It can come from somebody else, but we have learned we can still bring our own essence to it and get passionate about it.

Q: Who decides who is in the Writer’s Room?

A: It’s a decision made by a lot of people – the show runner, producers, network. On Only Murders [in the Building] they also have novelists and playwrights on the writing staff as well as writers who’ve written on other shows. It’s really about if your material would fit the show.

Q: How do you get invited to the Writers Room?

A: When meeting to be hired for a show, a lot of the meetings are about finding out if you like the show, how much you like the show and do your ideas for the show demonstrate that you “get the show. Enthusiasm goes a long way! Even if you go in with ‘I’d be lucky to have this job,’ it really has to be ‘I’d die to work on this show.’ When we met on Only Murders [in the Building] we had read the pilot script and loved it- really loved it. And we loved Steve and Marty. Our work was also tonally very close to what they were looking for.

Q; What’s a pitch session like?

A: It’s a 15-minute explanation of the idea for the show. Networks want to know why it’s you- why are you the one writing this?

Q: What kind of work besides television can writers look for?

A: There are other writing focused jobs-punching up voice over, writing for reality shows, commercials, and public service announcements. Writing is writing. You still have to craft something and it’s good practice.

Rob Turbovsky and Matteo Borghese ended the evening with some final words of advice to our students:

“Keep writing. When you’re on a show you don’t know if you‘re coming back for another season so you need to keep writing your own stuff rather than waiting for a staffing job…You can’t wait for inspiration. You just have to go to work and write.”

Turbovsky said, “I don’t think the insecurity ever goes away. It’s important to know that writing is hard for everyone. Everyone makes bad work but you keep writing. Because you will write good work too.” Borghese added, “When I see an audience laugh at something I wrote it’s really wonderful. The feeling that something you write is enjoyed by an audience powers you through.”

The audience enjoyed the writing team of Borghese and Turbovsky and left with some excellent words of wisdom to help them on their own journeys.

Only Murder in the Building is streaming on Hulu!

NYFA FACULTY JENNIFER SHARP ON DIVERSITY IN FILM & CREATING ‘UNA GREAT MOVIE’

NYFA Instructor Jennifer Sharp behind the camera

After graduating from an acting conservatory in 2000, New York Film Academy (NYFA) Filmmaking instructor Jennifer Sharp quickly learned that as a Black woman, there were a limited number of acting roles available for her. In an interview with Dayton.com, she said, “I could either be Halle Berry or the ghetto girlfriend.” After coming to this realization, Sharp pursued independent filmmaking to regain control of her career. The NYFA filmmaking instructor studied acting and wrote her first short film with the intention to serve in the lead role. However, something changed. According to Sharp, “ I ended up directing it, and I never turned back … I realized I belonged behind the camera.”

Sharp’s most recent feature film Una Great Movie, tells the story of Zoe, a Black screenwriter fighting to hear her voice over the Hollywood machine. Zoe, who is writing a story about a character named Susan, changes the script after speaking with studio executives. The script, originally about Susan’s reflection on her past relationship while on vacation in Mexico, turns into a romantic comedy with an all-white cast. Director Sharp shared with NYFA that in Una Great Movie, comedy was a vehicle for truth. She says, “I used comedy to reflect on relevant contemporary issues and shine a light on the absurd reality of the filmmaking industry.”

Sharp commits to creating the kinds of films she wants to see. The lack of representation during her own childhood negatively impacted her own perception of herself. As a result, Sharp works to ensure the next generation can see themselves in her projects. She says, “I’m thick. I’m not a skinny white girl…that influenced me as an artist. When I make movies, I don’t want to show just one body type. I don’t want to perpetuate that. I want to show beauty in all sizes.”

The director pulled from her own experiences with studios and rejection to build Zoe’s experiences, “For the most part, every bit of feedback Zoe receives in the film comes from lines straight out of rejection letters I saved.”

A still from Una Great Movie

Una Great Movie is available for streaming on Amazon, Google Play, Tubi and Youtube.

NYFA congratulates Faculty member Jennifer Sharp on her groundbreaking film!

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.

NYFA FACULTY JENNIFER SHARP ON DIVERSITY IN FILM & CREATING ‘UNA GREAT MOVIE’

The representation of Black people in Hollywood has improved in the last couple of years, but Sharp noticed a trend: many of the films were biopics or “revisited history.” With Una Great Movie, Sharp challenges stereotypes and places Black people in the present. By doing this, she creates a space for Black characters to exist in new ways outside the confines of history and martyrdom. “My film opens the door to (recognizing) Black people travel, and Black people can swim. It’s important for everyone to see [Black people] as humans doing human things. We just happen to have a different color than the people usually doing it. And that’s diversity – and that’s how we evolve.”

Una Great Movie is available for streaming on Amazon, Google Play, Tubi and Youtube.

NYFA congratulates Faculty member Jennifer Sharp on her groundbreaking film!

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.

A Conversation with 1-Year Filmmaking Conservatory Alum & Director Florian Gunzenhauser

New York Film Academy (NYFA) 1-Year Filmmaking alum Florian Gunzenhauser is a filmmaker and assistant director from Switzerland. His directing, writing, and filmmaking credits include the television shows Voice of Switzerland, The Bachelor (Switzerland), and The Bachelorette (Switzerland).

Gunzenhauser’s thesis short film Glasgow, as part of his conservatory program with NYFA, won ‘Best Drama Short’ at the 2022 Coney Island Film Festival. The film follows the story of a young delivery man named Kyrie who befriends an older widower named George. Following their unusual friendship, the two men rethink how they approach their own lives.

The director Gunzenhauser is currently in pre-production as a first assistant director for the upcoming feature film Silver Star, starring Sydney Sweeney and Shameik Moore.

Gunzenhauser spoke with NYFA about his filmmaking journey, career trajectory, and upcoming projects.

New York Film Academy (NYFA): What brought you to New York Film Academy to pursue filmmaking?

Florian Gunzenhauser (FG): I’m 31 years old and from Switzerland. I was working as a television director for roughly five years and directed shows like Voice of Switzerland, The Bachelor (Switzerland), and The Bachelorette (Switzerland). I came to NYFA because I wanted to see whether the film world was something for me after the extensive work I did in television.

NYFA 1-Year Filmmaking Conservatory alum Florian Gaunzenhauser

NYFA: What was your experience directing The Bachelor (Switzerland) and The Bachelorette (Switzerland)?

FG: Directing television shows is fascinating, even though I’ve done it a few times now. I had the chance to travel to places like South Africa and Thailand to see real people potentially fall in love. I was fortunate enough to work with very interesting characters over the years, so I always enjoyed going back to those productions.

NYFA: What projects have you worked on since graduating from NYFA’s 1-Year Conservatory Filmmaking program?

FG: Since graduating, I’ve been working in commercials as a 1st assistant director for brands like BoohooMAN, LIDL, and JVN, and the TV pilot for Here She Comes. I’ve also been working on the television film From Paradise With Love.

My thesis film Glasgow just won ‘Best Drama Short’ at the 2022 Coney Island Film Festival!

NYFA: What is Glasgow about?

FG: The short film follows a young delivery man, Kyrie’s, friendship with an older widower named George. Their unusual friendship helps both of them rethink their own lives and provide introspection.

NYFA: Tell us about your latest project and how you got involved?

FG: Right now, I am in pre-production as the 1st assistant director for the feature film Silver Star. I saw that they were looking for a 1st assistant director on a Facebook group and apparently had very good chats with the current directors and producers of the film.

I’m also directing two music videos for two successful musicians from New York in the upcoming weeks.

NYFA: What did you learn at NYFA that you applied directly to your short film and other projects?

FG: At NYFA, I learned how filmmaking works, as silly as that may sound. Television and film are so different in many aspects, so everything that I know is because of NYFA.

NYFA congratulates conservatory alum Florian Gunzenhauser for his great work, well-deserved successes, and the best of luck as Glasgow continues on the film festival circuit!

NYFA Alum Nathan Hale: Cinema as a Vehicle for Advocacy

NYFA alum Nathan Hale is an award-winning filmmaker, best-selling author and entertainment attorney. Hale is a two-time NAACP Image Award® nominee, the recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Prestige Award for Excellence; and his film, Burden, about an educated Black man who, in spite of his success, still must confront the micro and macro aggressions that come with being a Black man in America face, premiered “Best Picture” at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). Another film of Hale’s, Dirty Laundry, won at ABFF for Best Picture.

Nathan Hale is also passionate about HIV/AIDS advocacy. He partnered with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Hale’s upcoming project Love Will Save the Day, zeros in on the subject in an effort to destigmatize and educate the black community on the virus. In the film, A guarded Chicago lawyer who’s given up on love discovers that her chance for true love might be found in the unlikeliest person – her political opponent. The two navigate their past issues while trying to build their own relationship. One of them is also HIV positive.

Hale’s reputation as a storyteller with an eye for nuance precedes him, and his sophomore film is expected to be as groundbreaking as All Boys Aren’t Blue. The 40-minute film, based on the memoir of the same name by George Matthew Johnson, tackles issues of masculinity and queerness in relationship to Blackness. Each character represents Johnson at different stages of their life, chronicling their story of growing up and challenging gender identity norms, as well as learning to adapt to living with HIV/AIDS. The film won a GLAAD Media Award, and two Telly Awards, including one for Nathan Hale’s ‘Outstanding Direction,’ an inaugural Anthem Award, and Best Narrative Feature at the NewFest Film Festival.

Before venturing into the world of entertainment and film, Hale was a lawyer with limited knowledge of the entertainment industry. But he was committed to learning, “I had to teach myself a lot of the craft and learn on the job…NYFA helped me in this process.”

Despite already being a decorated filmmaker and author, Hale is committed to learning and expanding his repertoire. In 2020, he took Online Cinematography to learn the language of cameras and lights. Hale shared with NYFA, “I took the [Online Cinematography] Class to understand the fundamentals of cinematography and shot composition. So that I could be better educated when talking to my DPs and camera people. [I also wanted] more knowledge of basic lighting techniques”.

NYFA congratulates Nathan Hale for his commitment to his craft and for all of his success!

NYFA New York Filmmaking Faculty: Interview with Jonathan Whittaker

Stories have a unique power to inform, to illuminate, to move – and few mediums can harness that power, as well as cinema. Utilizing that power as a tool to effect positive change in the world is what has driven Jonathan Whittaker, Chair of Short-Term Filmmaking programs, over the course of his more than 15 years in the film industry. When not actively working on a film, he can be found at our New York campus educating the next generation on the importance of sharing their stories for the world to experience.

From producing to directing to editing, Jonathan has worked in all aspects of film production, making him a fountain of knowledge for filmmaking students at NYFA.

NYFA Chair of Short-Term Filmmaking Programs, Jonathan Whitaker

Jonathan Whittaker

Jonathan is a partner and founding member of ManInHat, a New York-based production company. He has worked for clients as diverse as Nissan, Sony Pictures, DirecTV, Gillette, Hyundai, and Sports Illustrated, lending a hand in the creation of short films, music videos, live concerts, commercials, TV shows, features, documentaries, and 3D special projects. He has acted as a director on Emilia (2014), Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience (2011), and The 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Selection Show (2011) and as a producer on Train Baby (2015), People We Meet (2014), America, Here We Come (2014), and Trophy Wife (2010). His extensive experience crosses many departments involved in production, an experience he is eager to share as a guest lecturer all over the world.

We talked to him about the beginnings of his career, his views on the world of filmmaking, and his belief in the power of cinema as a means to change the world.

NYFA: How did you first get interested in filmmaking?

JW: Rightfully or not, I have always felt that I had something to say, something that could maybe have a positive influence on society, and at a young age, I realized that there is no more powerful medium for reaching people than storytelling through cinema. The theater is where I went to live another life, to explore the world, and imagine my best self. Stories are what truly instigate change, alter the way people think and see the world, and with such a global reach, cinema, in the right hands, can be a very powerful and positive tool.

Of course, I also always loved the experience of watching a film, with each new one, it felt like I was adding to my own private collection. I coveted films like most kids cherish their baseball cards.

NYFA: What have been your favorite projects/productions to work on to date?

JW: I look back fondly on several projects, all for a myriad of different reasons.

I fell in love with the comradery on set in the early stages of my career when money was not our main goal when budgets were of low to no variety. Those would be the films I produced with talents like Keith Powell and Judy Reyes.

I have had the honor of being on set with cinema luminaries like Sam Mendes and Martin Scorcese, just to be able to share space with them was such an incredible and affirming experience.

Some of the documentaries I have worked on have given me the deepest sense of self-worth, as with storytellers, we always endeavored to elevate the stories of those without the power to use their own voices.

All that said, I think the most rewarding project was collaborating with women in the Middle East, empowering them to show the world their life through their own lenses.

NYFA: Tell us about your time at NYFA.

JW: I have been working in some capacity at NYFA for over ten years now, and it has been an amazing experience, being able to collaborate with so many different people from all over the world has taught me so much about different forms of storytelling and forced me to codify my own beliefs about the art of filmmaking. In other words, I often feel that I am learning as much, if not more than I am teaching.

I have also had the opportunity to travel the globe giving guest lectures and workshops to those without the means to come to us for in-person training. Empowering others to be able to tell their unique stories is one of the greatest joys of my job.

NYFA: What are your favorite courses to teach?

JW: I love teaching both introduction to the language of cinema and directing actors. Intro to the language because it is so much fun and so rewarding to witness the aha moment when students realize why certain shots, angles, and movements elicit intended reactions. Oftentimes the students know the how behind the craft but rarely the why, which is infinitely more important. I love teaching directing actors because it’s the number one skill set any good director must master, and it’s where we get to really dig in and explore humanity.

NYFA: How would your students describe your teaching style/methods?

JW: I would hope they would say caring, patient, understanding, and ultimately inspirational. I know they would say corny and sometimes entertaining (I can’t help but throw in the odd bad joke from time to time). I also always try to teach through questioning, provoking them to come to the intended realization on their own.

NYFA: What are your favorite aspects of the film community in New York?

JW: It’s a very small world, a close-knit community of people who always find a way to get it done in sometimes inhospitable conditions. We rarely have the luxury of time, space, and large budgets, so it’s much more a “make it work” and “lean into your limitations” mentality here in NYC.

NYFA: Who do you believe have been some of the most significant individuals in filmmaking?

JW: For me, it’s all about the New York filmmakers who have paved the way for the rest of us, I’m talking about John Cassevetes, Martin Scorcese, Stanley Kubrick, Spike Lee, Lena Dunham, and Nora Ephron (side note, I worked a few days on the NYC unit for Nora’s remake of Bewitched).

NYFA: What are some of your favorite films?

JW: Wow, really too many to list in a format like this, but if I have to select a few from my favorites; Mean Streets, Do The Right Thing, Memento, The Bicycle Thief, Woman Under the Influence, In the Mood for Love, The Hurt Locker, and The Goonies. I love these all for different reasons, sometimes the acting, sometimes the cinematography, and sometimes just for nostalgia’s sake.

NYFA: What advice would you give a prospective student looking to get started in filmmaking?

JW: Never let any excuse get in the way of pursuing your dreams; never wait for the right moment to present itself, you’ll spend your entire life waiting. Remember that it’s through stories that we understand the world around us, the world needs to hear and learn from your unique experiences, don’t deprive us of that.

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