The writer and creator of “Siberia,” “Emerald City,” and “Shadow People,” Matthew Arnold, visited the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy on Monday, February 27, 2017. Students from several writing classes attended the event.
Arnold read pitches for each of his most recent projects and gave students advice on how to refine their pitches. “I like to do a little research (before a pitch), so I have something to talk to the executives about….
But for ‘Siberia,’ I did something different. I went in and said, ‘Have you seen this new thing going around YouTube? There’s this reality show in Russia and people are being killed. They think it’s Chechen rebels.”
Arnold said this pitch would often get Executives to call in their assistants and request to see the videos. When he revealed that this was not a real occurrence, but the pitch for “Siberia” they were already vested in the project. The end of that pitch was this: “We’re going to do for TV what ‘The Blair Witch Project’ did for film.”
One student asked, “There’s a long established relationship with the world of ‘Oz’ for most of your audience. How did you create something new and not damage the source material?”
“I think that’s the big challenge. To be honest, I didn’t have this thought when I first sat down to write it. I was just excited to write. But when we got into production, I realized there was a huge responsibility on me. People have a certain feeling about the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ They have childhood memories and beliefs about the story. It really irks me when someone takes the source material and go left, keeping only the names. What’s the point of that?
So, I wanted to dig into the source material more and kind of translate it. If you read those books they are very vague. You have to infer that this would be a problem and hence there would be a conflict. That’s where you get the complexity without necessarily tampering with the source material.”
The New York Film Academy would like to thank Mr. Arnold for taking the time to speak with our students. You can watch “Emerald City” Fridays on NBC.
The New York Film Academy Los Angeles recently welcomed Academy Award-winning director, Mel Gibson, to screen his Oscar-winning film, “Hacksaw Ridge,” to a group of student veterans. Associate Chair of Acting Christopher Cass, alongside veteran and MFA acting for film student Ron Ringo, hosted the evening.
Gibson produced, directed, and starred in the epic historical drama film “Braveheart,” for which he won the Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Director, along with the Academy Award for Best Picture. He later directed and produced the financially successful and controversial, biblical drama “The Passion of the Christ.” He received further critical acclaim for his directorial work of the action-adventure film “Apocalypto,” which is set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century. Gibson’s most recent critically praised and financially successful war film, “Hacksaw Ridge,” earned his second Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
To begin the Q&A after the screening, the moderators were curious as to how Gibson first came across the project. “It was given to me three times by Bill Mechanic,” replied Gibson. “He used to run Fox. He really has a passion. He loves film. I’ve never met a producer who was a big mucky-muck but was also willing to really get down in the trenches and get his hands dirty.”
Gibson admitted that working on this film was different than any other project before it, as he is typically accustomed to creating original content or transforming a story from another medium to film. Desmond T. Doss’ story left a significant impression. Telling it correctly was a huge responsibility.
“There were tears on the page,” Gibson said. “Among the Medal of Honor Recipients, Desmond was the guy. I mean, who goes into a place without a weapon? Generally, recipients do something incredibly courageous in an instant. Desmond was premeditated. He kept laying his life on the line, again and again. He’d crawl into enemy fire to get anyone. That’s just the kind of guy he was.”
Gibson frequently uses military veterans in his films. He stated that there were Rangers in “We Were Soldiers” and vets in “Black Hawk Down.” “There’s something about marshaling a film crew and the chain of command and the difficulty — the ferocity of what it all takes to get a large number of people together that is kind of like a battle. You have this logistical way of trying to put things together. You have to have a general and a captain and sergeant. On a regular film, this is your first A. D. and the director. They have to keep everyone’s morale up. Many people on set are veterans.”
Gibson also recalled his first time on set as a director. The night before he was nervous, so he called up Clint Eastwood. Treating the students to an impersonation of Eastwood giving the advice, Gibson said, “Just say action and cut.”
The New York Film Academy would like to thank Mr. Gibson for volunteering the time to speak with our veterans.
“Hacksaw Ridge” is now available on VOD and DVD. Gibson will be starring in “The Professor and the Madman,” and “Daddy’s Home 2” later this year.
NYFA-AU opened in Queensland, Australia in 2011 and for the past few years has operated at Village Road Show Studios – the studio location for many Hollywood films including “San Andreas,” “Unbroken,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “The Shallows,” “Kong: Skull Island,” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” among many others. NYFA Australia is maintaining its own production studios on the backlot, where Gold Coast students will continue to do production workshops, while experiencing a working international film studio.
NYFA-AU Gold Coast has now expanded into a 22,000 sqft (approx. 2,000sqm) state-of-the-art facility at Southport Central, encompassing a 90 seat theatre, automated dialogue replacement (ADR) room, editing rooms, post production rooms, production workshop studio, acting rooms with sprung floors for voice and movement classes and a sizeable equipment room.
Over 200 attendees filled the brand new, luxurious facility, while the smell of freshly popped popcorn permeated through the event hall. NYFA-AU faculty, staff, students and alumni were honored and excited to have special guests and dignitaries in attendance as well as the media and news crews.
Warner Bros. Movie World’s Marilyn Monroe
NYFA Australia Board of Directors (left to right) Jean Sherlock, Tasha Cooper, Elle Bailey, Larry Z. Lazar Esq. (absent: Michael Young)
Movie World’s Austin Powers and Marilyn Monroe mingled with guests including Dawn Crichlow, Gold Coast Council and NYFA-AU Board of Directors, Jean Sherlock, Elle Bailey and Larry Z. Lazar, Esq. who made the trip from our United States campuses for the special event.
Guests were invited to view a live Production Workshop, converse with students while enjoying some hors d’oeuvres, and have their photo’s taken in the NYFA photo booth.
Earlier in the day, ABC News brought its camera crew and filmed a national segment.
The official ceremony commenced at 4.30pm.
Tasha Cooper, Campus Director, welcomed guests into the new theatre and introduced NYFA-AU Board Members and Dignitaries. She thanked the tremendous efforts of Elle Bailey, the Gold Coast team and the contractors who all contributed to the official opening. Ms. Cooper highlighted NYFA-AU’s outstanding relationship with Village Roadshow Studios and how fortunate students were to continue to have exclusive access to train on the Village backlot.
Jean Sherlock, NYFA CEO, spoke about the vision his father, Jerry Sherlock, Founder, had when opening NYFA and how special it was for him to have seen it expand across the globe over the past 25 years, noting that Australia is one of his favorite destinations to visit. Arthur Helterbran Jnr., Academic Dean, talked about ‘storytelling’ being the core of the creative process and how excited NYFA-AU was to be a continued part of the Gold Coast’s story.
NYFA-AU Gold Coast Alumnus, Damian Lang, recently employed by Marvel for “Thor: Raganork,” gave an impassioned speech on how NYFA changed his life and empowered veteran students by giving them a chance to find their voice as storytellers.
NYFA-AU Gold Coast Alumnus, Damian Lang with CEO, Jean Sherlock
Current NYFA-AU Acting Student, Jackson Price addressing the audience.
Current NYFA-AU Acting Student, Jackson Price said NYFA was an incredible place to learn and bond with faculty and classmates.
The official opening was marked with Jean Sherlock cutting a NYFA-AU black and white ribbon with a truly unique pair of scissors – a cutting slate!
A special mention to Michael Young, NYFA President and a NYFA-AU Board Director who was unable to attend, but was fittingly present leading the opening of the ceremony featured in our “We are the New York Film Academy” video. Also a special mention to Michael Caputo, NYFA Director of Operations, who made a trip to Australia with Elle Bailey in November 2016 to consult on the many technical elements that go into the creation of a visual and performing arts school like NYFA.
Five lucky guests received Warner Bros. Movie World VIP passes in a raffle. An exciting partnership is soon to be announced between Warner Bros. and NYFA-AU. Please stay tuned. That’s All Folks!
This year’s Sundance Film Festival included a panel discussion on Women in Film, a topic that the New York Film Academy has discussed often and broken down in an infographic. Among the panel members was current producing student Daniela Lavender, who is already a successful actress and producer in the business.
“I went empowered by knowledge,” said Lavender. “For the first time, instead of thinking of how I’m perceived or whether I’m being accepted or all these ego-driven thoughts we invariably conjure up in situations like this, I was able to listen because I had knowledge; I knew why I was there and what I had to offer. That knowledge had been enhanced by my joining the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.”
Born in Bahia, Brazil, Daniela Lavender has been training and pursuing the arts since the age of eight. She began by exploring ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance, and eventually stepped into acting. Her theatre credits include a British Shakespeare company production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” playing Hippolyta and Titania and a one-woman show, “A Woman Alone,” written by Dario Fo. From there, she went on to appear in film and TV series, including the independent film “Emotional Backgammon,” where she was awarded Best Actress at the Denver Film Festival.
As vice president of Lavender Pictures Productions, which she co-owns with her husband Sir Ben Kingsley, her company has produced “A Birder’s Guide to Everything,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2013 and was awarded the Heineken first runner up audience award; “Learning to Drive,” directed by Isabel Coxiet, which won the Audience Award at Provincetown Film Festival; “An Ordinary Man,” directed by Brad Silberling; and “Backstabbing for Beginners,” directed by Per Fly, which will be released in 2017. Lavender Pictures is currently developing “Cousin Bazilio,” a 6-part mini-series; “TAJ,” an 8-part mini-series; and “Jutland,” a futuristic war drama.
“All the successful women I came across were successful because they were outstanding at what they did,” said Lavender in regards to the women at Sundance. “Yes, the fight for women’s rights is important as women have been discriminated against in the past, and still have room to progress until they are treated equally in every area of society, but nowadays we all have opportunities, and the most powerful way to succeed is to be great at what you do.”
Lavender’s company currently has two TV miniseries and a war film in development. She also plans on shooting two films as an actress, one in March called “Nomis,” and another one in April called “Intrigo,” directed by Daniel Alfredson (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Trilogy).
Producer CarolynHepburn from Motto Pictures, whose “Life, Animated” was nominated for an Oscar this year, screened her other huge 2016 hit, “Weiner” at the New York Film Academy’s New York theater.
Hepburn joined Motto Pictures in 2010 where she currently works as a producer and production executive. Carolyn produced “3½ Minutes,” directed by Marc Silver, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize for Social Impact. She executive produced “Art and Craft,” which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and was shortlisted for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In 2013, Carolyn was the line producer for two Motto films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: “God Loves Uganda,” shortlisted for the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and “Gideon’s Army,” winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Best Editing Award. Carolyn is currently co-producing Ivy Meeropol’s documentary “Indian Point,” which will premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, and “The Punch“ directed by Andre Hörmann. She is also line producing the documentary “Life Animated,” directed by Roger Ross Williams. Prior to joining the Motto team, Carolyn produced a wide range of documentary projects for WNET, National Public Radio, and the United Nations as well as innovative experiential media for Spark Productions.
“Weiner,” by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, is about Anthony Weiner’s campaign for Mayor of New York City during the 2013 mayoral election. At first his campaign is going well, with many New Yorkers willing to give him a second chance, putting him near the top of a crowded field. However, the mood shifts when his online sexual activity resurface, including explicit text conversations with women that occurred well after his resignation from Congress.
Following the screening, Hepburn followed took part in a well-loved, intimate master class with the documentary students.
Students from both current conservatories, and the 6-week workshop as well as several grads and faculty were privy to the private screening and conversation in NYFA’s new state of the art theater.
The New York Film Academy would like to thank Carolyn Hepburn for time and wisdom.
Multi-talented actor, director, and producer Stephen Dorff brought his latest film “Wheeler” to screen for Acting and Filmmaking students at the New York Film Academy Los Angeles. Guest Speaker Series Director Tova Laiter and Associate Chair of Acting Christoher Cass hosted the evening. Dorff had visited the New York campus a few years prior with co-star Emile Hirsch and the Polsky Brothers to screen “The Motel Life.”
Dorff has worked on such standout films as “Blade,” “World Trade Center,” “Immortals,” and “Public Enemies” alongside Johnny Depp. As well as such indie darlings as “Somewhere,” “I Shot Andy Warhol,” and “Shadowboxer.” Dorff even had a starring role in the Aerosmith music video “Cryin’.”
Like Sacha Baron Cohen in “Borat,” Dorff’s character infiltrates the Nashville Country Music scene while most of the people involved in the film had no idea they were in the presence of an actor. Dorff performed live as the “Wheeler” character to great success. Everybody believed he was a new talent with a growing buzz that just came into town and was discovered. All he needed was a bang up job of make up transformation, which was uncomfortable but did the job…
One of the students asked, “How did you get the idea to make this an homage to country music?”
Dorff responded, “Well, the way it started was really weird. I had four songs that were more folk rock and melodic. My producer finally said, ‘why don’t we try country?’”
“It made sense. My dad and brother sing country. I’m from Texas. It’s a world I know. I went into the studio to see if I could find a voice. We brought in steel guitar and slide guitar and went to work. One day I found the voice of Wheeler. Now that I’m playing live a lot I feel like my singing voice has gotten a lot better. We’re booking theaters, and then I’m standing in Johnny Cash’s dressing room. It’s weird, but it’s exciting.”
The New York Film Academy would like to thank Mr. Dorff for taking the time to speak with our students. You can find Dorff in “Leatherface,” “Jackals,” and “Music, War and Love” out later this year.
Last week, the New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) hosted a special dinner for new and continuing Foreign Fulbright students who are attending graduate programs in Filmmaking, Photography, Screenwriting, Documentaries, and Film and Media Production. NYFA is proud to be hosting Foreign Fulbright Grantees from seven countries (Lithuania, Spain, Egypt, Finland, Indonesia, Angola and the Dominican Republic) currently; in recent years NYFA has welcomed more than 50 Fulbrighters to our campuses in LA and NYC. NYFA Fulbrighters have hailed from Bahrain, Angola, Indonesia, Egypt, Spain, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Finland, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Switzerland, Vietnamese, Ecuador, France, Sri Lanka, Russia, Paraguay, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Left to Right: Monika Sedziute (Lithuania), Miguel Cruz, Pedro Peira (Spain), Abdallah ElDaly (Egypt), Marcus Louis Fien, Lotta Lemetti (Finland), Melarissa Sjarief (Indonesia), Jose Siles, Hugo Salvaterra (Angola), Amalia Ramirez (Dominican Republic)
The March 3 event took place at Miceli’s, a classic Hollywood venue, which was established in 1949.
In this wonderful setting with live piano music and waiters singing movie classics — as well as songs from the recent hit film “La La Land” — our Fulbrighters had the opportunity to share interesting conversations on diverse topics, with, of course, filmmaking being the shared passion.
Hugo Salvaterra (Angola) MFA Filmmaking and Pedro Peira (Spain) 1YR Documentary
Current NYFA Fulbrighter Pedro Peira (Spain), who had just returned from The Berlinale (The Berlin International Film Festival), shared anecdotes of the festival, as well as the implications of having one of his movies: “Soul,” selected to open one of the headline spots at the Festival.
José Siles, President of the Fulbright Alumni Association of Los Angeles, spoke with our international scholars about all of the enrichment and networking opportunities that the rich Fulbright community of LA has to offer. As a researcher at NASA, José shared with us many interesting details about the recent discovery of exoplanets orbiting the star Trappist-1, which NASA published last week.
Jose Siles, NASA researcher and President of Fulbright Association LA Chapter and Monika Sedziute (Lithuania) MFA Photography.
Hugo Salvaterra (Angola), our the most recent Filmmaking Fulbrighter to join the LA cohort, recently transferred from a semester at the NYFA NYC campus and delighted to meet his LA peers, and share his first impressions with other scholars in the different fields related to filmmaking.
In a lively discussion with the scholars, Miguel Cruz, NYFA´s Director of Fulbright Initiatives, and Marcus Louis Fien, Senior Admissions Specialist & Manager of Fulbright Admissions, shared future initiatives that NYFA is planning, including a Fulbright Film Festival to be celebrated later this year.
Lotta Lemetti (Finland), BFA Photography.
At the special invitation of NYFA’s leadership, on Monday, March 6, the current cohort of Foreign Fulbright Students attended a special NYFA screening of the Academy Award nominated film “Hacksaw Ridge” and had the thrill of meeting acclaimed actor Mel Gibson, the film’s Director, who came to NYFA to discuss the project.
While the New York Film Academy’s New York City location at 26 Broadway has become accustomed to the iconic Charging Bull statue at its doorstep, a staple for the Wall Street community, early this Tuesday morning, the students and staff noticed a refreshing addition to the campus — a statue of a “Fearless Girl” standing defiantly in front of the bull, with her chin held high.
State Street Global Advisors installed the bronze statue early on Tuesday morning, just in time to recognize International Women’s Day (March 8, 2017). It was designed to call attention to a new initiative by the asset-manager to increase the number of women on their clients’ corporate boards.
This initiative goes hand-in-hand with NYFA’s support of women in the visual and performing arts. NYFA Vice President of Business Development Elle Bailey notes, “The New York Film Academy is a proud supporter of gender equality, especially in the arts. We have a diverse community and are honored to have many women in leadership roles, who strive to empower our students as they pursue their goals. The ‘Fearless Girl’ statue is the perfect neighbor for us: a wonderful symbol of that same spirit of strength and equality that NYFA supports.”
As a part of NYFA’s initiative in supporting gender equality, the Academy has curated thought-leadership and workshop events, featuring such guest speakers and industry leaders as Swedish Film Institute CEO Anna Serner and, most recently, Brandii Grace, who was featured on NYFA’s gaming program Schooled!, hosted on Twitch. Grace, a pioneer in the gaming industry and current board member of the IGDA (International Game Developer’s Association) LA Chapter, addressed issues surrounding inclusivity in video games: “Diversity is about eliminating exclusion, which is a good first step, but it’s just a first step. Inclusivity is about making people feel welcome.”
NYFA has not only been supportive of its women students and alumni, but has also served as a springboard for talented performers and filmmakers like Issa Rae from “Insecure,” Camilla Luddington from “Grey’s Anatomy,” Alisa Rajkitkul and Urvashi Barua, who covered the NATO summit as part of the White House press corps, and Raphaela Neihausen, whose short documentary film “Joe’s Violin” was recently nominated for an Academy Award.
NYFA has established its own women’s club, “Les Femmes du Cine,” which recently sponsored a trip to the 17th annual Women’s Image Awards with club advisor Jesselin Berry and Dean of Students Kelly Gardner. The evening was hosted by Carol Leifer — best known for her writing on “Saturday Night Live,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Seinfeld” and “Modern Family” — and was a star-studded event that celebrated the incredible contributions of women in the industry.
The Academy has also called awareness to inequality for women in the film industry, especially in its Nov. 2013 Gender Inequality in Film Infographic, which broke down several crucial disparities between men and women in the film industry. The infographic has since been highly discussed on news media sites and blogs, including Time Magazine, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Salon, as well as being published in UNESCO’s Gender Equality Heritage and Creativity issue.
The defiant girl statue will remain with the Standing Bull outside NYFA’s 26 Broadway location for at least a week.
For international students who would like to learn English as their second language, so that they can continue their education at the New York Film Academy’s visual and performing arts school, the ESL School at New York Film Academy provides high-quality language instruction in a unique setting that combines academic English with the creative arts. The ESL School at NYFA uses innovative teaching practices and experiential learning methods to develop students’ English language abilities. The academic goals and everyday social needs of our students are fostered through local cultural immersion.
Located at the NYFA campuses in Los Angeles and New York City as well as a standalone campus in San Jose, the ESL School at NYFA is a wonderful blend of the highest standard accredited language instruction and a unique elective program that includes the excitement and energy of the visual and performing arts. Established in 1977, the ESL School at NYFA has over four decades of experience offering language instruction to students from all over the world.
Small class sizes, 6-12 students, promote individual attention and interaction. Students receive 20 hours per week of immersive instruction, plus optional classes that focus on visual and performing arts.
Our optional elective courses enrich traditional ESL curricula, allowing students to apply their developing English Comprehension, pronunciation and reading skills as they watch films, read scripts, and act in plays. NYFA ESL students are welcome to join in our many on-campus extracurricular activities, which may include industry guest speakers, film screenings, theater performances, and clubs.
ESL students take a trip to the Autry Museum of the American West
“Tapping into the students’ interests is an important part of creating a vibrant learning environment,” says Prima Gonzalez, Academic Coordinator LA. “Since most of the students are studying film, I try to incorporate projects like film pitches and group commercials. Grammar can easily become a yawn-fest. As 21st century instructors, I feel we have the ability to reshape the reputation of grammar.”
While all of the classes at The ESL School at NYFA are infused with creativity, our elective classes go one step further. Each quarter we offer an elective class that directly combines the visual and performing arts with language learning. Our students participate in classes like The Art of Storytelling and Intro to Screenwriting where they have the opportunity to develop their English skills through the creative writing process. There is also a Collaborative Project elective class that introduces vocabulary and functional language in both the context of film analysis and the creative production process. Other elective classes include Pronunciation in which students learn about accent reduction and English & Songs which introduces grammar, vocabulary, and storytelling in a musical context. We are excited to offer these classes in addition to our core English classes and as our school continues to grow, we will be adding new elective choices that reflect students’ artistic backgrounds and interests.
“Being a part of the students’ process is my favorite part,” added Gonzalez. “Sometimes grammar or reading can be difficult. Helping them find a way to understand and integrate these skills is very rewarding.”
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