Page 214 – NYFA

NYFA Welcomes Writer & Director of Award-Winning “Shadow Boxing”

On Monday, December 12th, Ryan Taylor Lopez gave a Q & A at the Los Angeles Campus of New York Film Academy. Lopez is the writer and director of the award-winning “Shadow Boxing.” The film was based off lead actress Sam Wiechec’s personal life experiences. She was determined to make a film about a specific person.

“I met Sam through a mutual friend and she was very adamant about wanting to make a movie about a particular subject. It took a lot of effort and it took quite a while, but she trusted me enough to open up about her personal experiences.” There was no story. The creators went over life events and pieced together a story from there.

Lopez took all of that information, retired to his room, and began outlining the film. He immediately likes the results and set out to put it down on paper.

Lydia Cedrone, who hosted the evening’s events and was pitched the original script in class, asked Lopez about, “Writing the perfect scene and then changing it into the perfect scene you can shoot.”

“I didn’t know how much money I had and I didn’t know how much money I had to raise,” said Lopez. “I went into the process knowing everything in the movie had to be something I could pull off on a reasonable budget. Even things that don’t seem that unreasonable.”

Originally, Anne, the lead character, was scripted to drive away in a bus in the final scene. But, Lopez quickly realized he could not afford a bus. So, if he wanted to get the film he had to work within his budget.

Fundraising began around the fifth or sixth draft of the film. Most of the expensive ideas had been removed from the script, so it was time to budget the film. The initial budget was $75,000. They raised $55,000 by the first shoot date. There was a three-week period when there wasn’t enough money for post. Lopez began editing the film by himself.

One student asked Lopez where he got his inspiration. Several low budget pictures were screened in preparation for this film, but it was “The Snowtown Murders” that had the largest impact. The film’s creators only used soft natural light. This allowed for lower costs on lighting, faster setups, and less preparation.

The two lead actors, Wiechec and Steve Luna soon joined Lopez on stage to give their takes. Wiechec was asked how she felt when she handed control of her story to Lopez. “You know it’s the definition of a passion project and it took two years to create. It was good.” Lopez chimed in, “If we’re being honest me and Sam did butt heads. Everybody wants success for the project but everyone has a different opinion on how to get there.” Despite difficult conversations, they were both happy with how the project turned out.

https://youtu.be/TAWIsHBeEbE

Luna spoke about the love that flowed on set between the cast and crew. Because this was a low budget film there were not trailers to escape to. So everyone hung out together between camera set ups. This closeness helped Luna get into character. “As an actor, you’re supposed to fall in love with your co-star. Whether you’re a lover or, like this instance, a father, you have to fall in love. I just love, (her) Wiechec.”

New York Film Academy would like to thank Lopez, Luna, and Wiechec for taking the time to speak with our students. “Shadow Boxing” is making its way around the festival circuit now.

NYFA ALUMNA ISSA RAE NOMINATED FOR GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD

With announcements coming out this week for the 2017 Golden Globes Nominations, the New York Film Academy paid special attention to alumna, Issa Rae, who was nominated for Best Actress in a TV Comedy or Musical for her performance on HBO’s “Insecure,” a show she writes, produces, and acts in.

“It was bittersweet, if I’m being 100 percent honest,” said Rae in a Vulture interview. “I was like, this is dope as hell, but it sucks that my name is the only one associated with all the hard work that everybody put in. ’Cause I want everybody to know that our showrunners are dope, our director’s dope, our writers are dope, our cast is amazing.”

What began as her web series, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” has grown into the popular HBO series, “Insecure,” which has not only landed a second season, but has also provided Rae with a development deal with HBO programming across its stable of distribution channels, with a special focus on diversity.

“You know, every week that the episode would air, we’d gather at like a writer’s house and watch, and then analyze, tweet, and just talk about it,” Rae said about how far the show has grown. “And that’s when it became kind of real to me that it was out there.

Rae and her team are now hard at work in the writer’s room for season two of the hit show, which will be a continuation of her story in the first season. The team aims to continue to explore Issa and Molly’s friendship dynamic, which Rae says is the core of the show. And TV Week has announced that the show has been greenlighted for a third season.

For those who haven’t had a chance to watch the first season of “Insecure,” be sure to check out HBO or HBO Go to catch up.

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 Grad’s Debut Feature “El Camino” Now Available on Amazon and DVD

“Being able to attend the program on the historic Universal Studios backlot was a dream come true,” said New York Film Academy Los Angeles 1-Year Filmmaking alumnus Sean Bauer. “I was very young at the time and had no idea of the long journey ahead. I learned a lot of skill sets in that year program, but the biggest takeaway was learning about the power of editing, frame by frame. NYFA taught me to be a great editor and, for the many years after, I was a freelance editor in LA on a wide range of projects.

After relocating back to San Diego, Bauer decided to buckle down and get serious about creating his feature film debut. “Screenwriting and directing have always been just as important to me and when Elizabeth Ann Guevara approached me about adapting her true story novel (“Separated by Dreams”) it seemed like the perfect fit,” said Bauer. From there, Guevara and Bauer formed an LLC., and sold a small group of investors on their story. In 2011, they shot the film on a small budget with a group of hardworking cast and crew. Because of the lack of funds, post production on the film was delayed for several years.

“With my strong editing background, I was able to reshape the film (that we originally set out to make) into a much more compelling piece of cinema. I wore so many hats on this project: writer, director, editor, camera op, stunt double, colorist, the list goes on. There were so many times that we could have permanently shelved this project but pure passion (and my drive to be the best filmmaker I can be) is what got me through the uphill battles.”

EL CAMINO – OFFICIAL TRAILER from Sean Bauer Films on Vimeo.
The film, “El Camino” is a character drama about a recovering meth addict whose path to redemption is derailed by a drug fueled past that comes back to haunt him. The existential film that weaves between the past and present, focusing on this inner struggle between these two versions of this character, where the protagonist is also his own antagonist. “It’s an experimentally crafted indie feature with a strong vintage vibe to it, that was inspired by true events and that we made on a micro budget with lots of passion by a dedicated cast and crew,” Bauer said. “It’s a project that I’ve spent the better part of a decade getting made, a movie that taught me how to be a much more creative and tactile filmmaker. I’m incredibly proud of it.

Bauer has always gravitated toward films about underdogs and stories of redemption. “‘Rocky (‘76)’ definitely came to mind when I was brainstorming how I’d handle the source material. Craig Brewer’s ‘Hustle & Flow’ came out around the time I had started the writing process and that was influential in ways. Re-reading the book and breaking it all down, it was clear to me, at the time, that I had to take a different approach. I had to make it my own, so it spoke to my sensibilities. So I focused the entire film on the first quarter of the book, cherry picked elements from that section and added in some much needed conflict that would make it cinematically compelling. Taking the character of Miguel, a character written from the point of view of a hazy dream and grounding him in the real world as flesh and blood, it allowed the novel and the film to speak on their own terms while at the same time being tied together, thematically. It really is a one-of-a-kind adaptation.

Bauer is now in the process of writing a few different screenplays, including a follow up to “El Camino.” Bauer says it’s a theoretical film that will explore the concept of alternate realities, told in a similar fashion to how “El Camino” shifts between past and present.

“It’s also a film rooted around the creation of music and a film that will showcase the rarest of vinyl record collecting, which is a personal hobby of mine,” Bauer added. “It will share some thematic similarities to ‘El Camino,’ but where ‘El Camino’ has this run ’n gun documentary aesthetic to it, this follow up film will flow in a smoother direction.”

“El Camino” is now available on VOD through Amazon Prime as well as on DVD. Go to ElCaminoMovie.com for more info.

New York Film Academy Visits Kiev, Ukraine

The New York Film Academy College of Visual & Performing Arts (NYFA) is a truly international educational institution. With schools in six cities across three countries, and programs in many more, NYFA also runs special weekend workshops throughout the world. Recently, one of those workshops took place in the beautiful and historical Kiev, Ukraine.

The event was hosted by the educational center FILM.UA Faculty. Based out of one of the largest studios in the Ukraine, FILM.UA Faculty offers a powerful combination of lectures, courses, seminars and training in professions related to the film and television industry.

Over the weekend more than a hundred representatives of film production companies, as well as independent screenwriters, directors and producers expanded their knowledge under the guidance of award-winning writer, director, producer, and NYFA Instructor, Paul Brown (“The X-Files,” Quantum Leap,” “Twilight Zone,” “Star Trek: Voyager”) and producer, as well as head of NYFA MFA Feature productions, Lydia Cedrone (“The Betrayed,” “In Memorium”).

Despite the snow and frigid temperatures outside, it was really hot inside the studios from all of the creative ideas pumping up in the air. “It was friendly, fun, really intense, with 100% of dedication,” said one of the students, Igor Shvetsov. “At the end, we even performed our first mini-plays! To be honest, I did not plan to act… but it happened that I had to come up on stage … Enormous thanks to all for a great time and gained experience. Special thanks to Anastasia Lodkina for the creative idea, Marina Borodina for the acting talent, Alina Dianova for directing and tough character, and Vasily Popov for co-writing and moral support.”

Producing student Ksenia Bugrimova added: “The information about unions was very helpful; finally I got a clear understanding about them. And, of course, a great relief to find out that our budgeting and production stages are exactly the same. Hence we are on the right track!”

“Together with our students we spent three days with Paul Brown and Lydia Cedrone from the New York Film Academy. This means 20 plus hours of creative and productive work, 100 plus professional connections, 101 loglines created, and 20 new scripts. And, of course, a triple portion of excitement and inspiration,” FILM.UA Faculty commented on their FB page.

New York Film Academy would like to thank everyone who spent this productive weekend with us and express special gratitude to the management and staff of FILM.UA Faculty for creating such a positive and collaborative learning environment.

New York Film Academy Sits Down with Actress Kim Cattrall

This past Friday, Dec. 9th, the New York Film Academy’s new theater at 17 Battery Place hosted Kim Cattrall for an exclusive Q&A with Acting for Film Chair Glynis Rigsby and Chair of the Department of Contemporary Photography Ralph Gibson.

While known by an entire generation for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO hit series, “Sex and the City” — for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning the 2002 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress — some in the audience were surprised when Cattrall admitted, “I’m not like Samantha at all, but I’d like to have some of that.”

Cattrall has starred in many popular films such as “Porky’s,” “Police Academy,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Mannequin,” “Masquerade,” “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” and “Ice Princess.”

Aside from her film and TV career she also starred in the 1986 original Broadway production of “Wild Honey,” as well as staged productions of “Antony and Cleopatra” at the Liverpool Playhouse, “Private Lives” on Broadway, and “Sweet Bird of Youth” at London’s Old Vic. Since 2014, she has starred in her passion project, the HBO Canada series, “Sensitive Skin,” which she is also an executive producer on.

Cattrall eloquently elaborated on her long career in show business and gave an abundance of advice on the craft of acting. She also discussed the challenges of her new endeavor as executive producer of “Sensitive Skin,” which she says has a cadence to it that feels very British. Having been involved with the arduous process of bringing the show to life, Cattrall feels she now knows what it’s truly like to be an executive producer. “Don’t assume that everybody is on the same page,” she says. “There is a clear path to inviting people into your story.”

Like many of the students in the audience, Cattrall’s dream coming out of high school was to go to New York to study theater. “It was a chance to experience living in others people’s shoes,” said Cattrall, who grew up in a middle-class Canadian family. Trained in Stanislavsky, Cattrall says, “Every line I’m trying to get something from the other person. I know when I land a moment.” She did add, “What makes my job easier is a good script. That’s why I like to do Shakespeare.”

While many artists seek perfection in their work, Cattrall admitted, “There are always going to be glitches. You can’t hold onto perfection. You will learn more from when you fail than when you succeed.”

When asked by Ralph Gibson how she sees the camera, Cattrall said, “The camera is always connected to the cinematographer, so I always flirt with the cinematographer. I try to make the cinematographer be somebody who I can possibly be in love with.”

For acting students going on auditions, Cattrall remembered the advice she had been given, “Someone told me when I come into a room to audition that I should be auditioning them.”

The entire day was filled with golden nuggets of advice for actors and storytellers. Cattrall said she knows when she puts on a good show if the audience members are leaning forward in their chairs. Well, the entire hour talk had NYFA students leaning forward to listen to her captivating words of wisdom.

NYFA LA Annual Holiday Celebration

The Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy held their annual Holiday Celebration. The evening began with performances from the Glee Club and the NYFA Improv Troupe.

The Glee Club performed an array of songs from Sia’s “Chandelier” to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and the Christmas Classic “Silent Night.” The Improv Troupe left students rolling in the isle with family situational humor.

After the performances, students filed into the lobby where representatives from clubs and organizations had set up tables covered in traditional foods, holiday drinks, and games.

Abdul Bamajboor, a member of the Arabic Club, said the club, “Just wanted to enjoy everyone.” The club brought baklava and coconut biscuits as a sampling of their culture’s treats.

The Gaming Club was also in attendance. Their table featured both board games and video games. Club Vice President, Nathan Haoles said, “We’ve got a lot of events coming up and we’re creating a lot. We want to make sure people know about it.”

Chinese Club President Pei Jun wanted to make sure the nearly 300 new Chinese students that come to the Los Angeles each year knew the Chinese Club existed. “I want to see more students at our events. We’re going to a lot more screenings in the near future.”

New York Film Academy would like to thank all those students who attended as well as every club who brought part of their culture to share with their fellow students. We wish warm and happy holidays to all.

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY SPEAKS CANDIDLY WITH ACTRESS KIM CATTRALL

The New York Film Academy’s New York campus opened the doors of its brand new theater for an exclusive talk with award-winning actress, Kim Cattrall. Moderated by Acting for Film Chair Glynis Rigsby and Chair of the Department of Contemporary Photography Ralph Gibson, Cattrall spent over an hour talking about her career in film, TV, and theater. She also focused on her most recent passion project, the HBO Canada series, “Sensitive Skin,” for which she is also an executive producer.

Based on the British series created by Hugo Black, the show centers around Davina Jackson (Kim Cattrall) and her longtime husband (Don McKellar) who have sold their family home and moved to a hip condo in a transitional downtown neighborhood in order to consciously change their lives, keep relevant, and begin again.

Having been involved with the arduous process of bringing the show to life, Cattrall now feels she knows what it’s truly like to be an executive producer. “Don’t assume that everybody is on the same page,” she says. “There is a clear path to inviting people into your story.”

While known by an entire generation for her acting role as Samantha Jones in the HBO hit series “Sex and the City” — for which she received five Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning the 2002 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress — some in the audience were surprised when Cattrall explained, “I’m not like Samantha at all, but I’d like to have some of that.”

Cattrall has starred in popular films such as “Porky’s,” “Police Academy,” “Big Trouble in Little China,” “Mannequin,” “Masquerade,” “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” and “Ice Princess.”

She also has a celebrated career in theater, having starred in the 1986 original Broadway production of “Wild Honey,” as well as productions of “Antony and Cleopatra” at the Liverpool Playhouse, “Private Lives” on Broadway, and “Sweet Bird of Youth” at London’s Old Vic.

Trained in Stanislavski, Cattrall says, “Every line I’m trying to get something from the other person. I know when I land a moment.” She did add, “What makes my job easier is a good script. That’s why I like to do Shakespeare.”

For those who are always seeking perfection, Cattrall said, “There are always going to be glitches. You can’t hold onto perfection. You will learn more from when you fail than when you succeed.”

For acting students going on auditions, Cattrall remembered the advice she had been given: “Someone told me when I come into a room to audition that I should be auditioning them and asking them questions.”

At the end of the day, Cattrall believes each actor must assess what making it in the business truly means to him or herself. As an example, she recalled one of her best friends who was a terrific actor, but couldn’t land an acting job or an agent. After spending a large portion of her young adult life going through the trials and tribulations of rejections, she found another creative outlet through teaching theater. “An important factor in being an actor is that you have to have a life because what you are interpreting is life. Live your life, set your goals, adjust them, and work your [butt] off,” said Cattrall to a rousing applause.

Throughout the conversation, Cattrall was extremely gracious and insightful. The entire room of NYFA students, faculty, and alumni left being even more of a fan of her remarkable career.

NYFA South Beach Student Wins Best Short Film at SoFlo WebFest in Miami

New York Film Academy South Beach student Marcus Wells won Best Short Film at the South Florida Web Fest (#SOFLOWEBFEST) in Miami for his mid-thesis film, “Soiled Roots.”

South Florida WebFest is Miami’s premier festival dedicated to web entertainment that brings non-traditional voices of cinema to the forefront. The festival takes place during Miami’s epic art fair – Art Basel.

“The web truly provides the freedom to tell your own story, and our goal was to ensure that the diversity of South Florida was reflective in this web festival,” said SOFLOWEBFEST Executive Director, Ashlee Thomas. “From Spain, to South Africa, Mozambique, Iran, and the US – SOFLOWEBFEST has niched itself to bring colorful stories from around the world to Miami.”

Wells’ film is about a black mother who is influenced by her own mother’s drug dealing lifestyle which leads to risking the lives of their family. His story was inspired by NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. When he was 10 years old his mother and grandmother were both arrested for dealing drugs. Thomas’ mother was given the chance to either disclose information about her own mother or to not say anything. His mother decided not to speak and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

“What I hope to achieve with this film is feedback on my creative thinking,” said Wells. “This was my most challenging film thus far and would like others to view this story from my perspective. I also wanted to address the idea of bad seeds being planted within families and passed onto the next generation.”

Wells plans on submitting his award-winning short to other local, national and international film festivals.

He is currently working on his thesis film, which he plans to shoot this coming summer and complete by late summer of 2017.

“NYFA has definitely given me the tools to create my own vision.,” says Wells. “Every teacher wants us to succeed and offers individual attention so that we can achieve the highest quality work.”

Located in the heart of South Beach, New York Film Academy in Miami offers a wide range of degree, conservatory, and workshop programs designed for students like Wells to achieve their creative goals through hands-on, project-based curriculum.

Broadcast Journalism Alumna Wins Rio WebFest Award

All of us at the New York Film Academy are so proud of what Brazilian Broadcast Journalism alumna Paula Varejao has accomplished. Last week she won a prestigious Rio WebFest award. Paula is a multimedia journalist in the fullest sense of that term, and we are glad that she took the skills she learned in the Broadcast Journalism program and turned them into a new career. Bravo, Paula!

Her online travel series, 7 Dias no Atacama (7 Days in Atacama) is nothing short of amazing.

While Paula has extensive experience as a TV journalist, this was her first totally MMJ project. I am deeply touched by the kind words she had for us. “Thanks a lot, Bill Einreinhofer! I’m so grateful to you! All the knowledge I acquired from NYFA was very important to finding new paths and opportunities in my career! Thanks a lot for everything.”

Creating this series was anything but easy.

Here is a (translated) excerpt from Paula’s Facebook posting about the award: “Maybe some people more experienced here in my timeline might think that I’m overreacting, but to me it means so much! They say that the crisis is to get us out of the comfort zone and I think it was more or less what happened to me. After working years on TV, I had to create my own opportunities. I started again, sought new ways, took a chance on something different, I performed various functions at the same time: I created, planned, wrote, produced, filmed, edited, I tabled and look there… it was worth it!”