On Sunday, October 23, the sky of North Miami Beach’s Haulover Park was inundated with a kinetic vibrancy seen at this magnitude only once a year.
The 24th edition of Kitetoberfest, ascended over the park; below, hundreds of onlookers and participants wandered the ample grounds, navigating food trucks, kiosks, face painting, and carnival games on the edge of a wide, open field perfect for flying.
New York Film Academy’s South Beach campus brought our team to take part in the festivities and introduce ourselves to our new neighbors to the north: bringing tote bags, t-shirts, and streamers to offer as prizes to whoever stopped by the bean bag toss under our new NYFA Big Top.
Kitetoberfest is a free event that takes place annually at Haulover Park in North Miami Beach, FL.
Located in the heart of gorgeous South Beach, New York Film Academy SB offers a wide range of degree, conservatory, and workshop programs designed for students to achieve their learning goals in the amount of time that is best suited for them.
We hope this will be the next of many partnerships between NYFA and the South Florida community.
On Halloween Day, the staff at the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus held their annual Halloween potluck and costume party. Administration, staff, and TA’s came in full costume, prepared to dazzle.
Amongst the heaps of chili, pounds of potato chips, and gallons of punch, colleagues shared their favorite Halloween dishes and showed off their handy work. Soon it was time to vote for costumes.
In third place was Irawati Athalye, who dressed as Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road. Kenneth Rankins, as a terrifying clown, took second place. Though there were a number of great costumes in competition, there could be only one winner. The 2016 contest winner was Melanie Carrol-Dolci for her portrayal of Sadness, as seen in Inside Out.
FIRST PLACE: Melanie Carrol-Dolci – Library | SECOND PLACE: Kenneth Rankins – Admissions | THIRD PLACE: Irawati Athalye – Registrar
In an effort to embrace the festive Halloween spirit that enraptures the entire city of New York, the NYFA Student Life Department held a full week of events, which included student horror films, a pumpkin painting contest, and a “Spooktacular Halloween Party.”
Throughout the week, students stopped in a designated “pumpkin painting room” on the 5th floor of 17 Battery Place to express their artistic painting abilities through the traditional Halloween activity of pumpkin painting. There were dozens of pumpkins of creative design, including classic jack o’ lanterns, movie references, and some altogether decorative pumpkins.
On Wednesday evening, the NYFA theater at 17 Battery Place screened a selection of student and alumni horror films in a “Screen and Scream Night.” Students munched on monster munch popcorn while taking in some of the horror and thrills of the evening’s chilling showcase.
The four films that screened were: “THE HIERARCHY” – directed by Jorge Godinez “THE WIDOWMAKER” – directed by Elmo Kebour “THE HUNT” – directed by Fernando Acquarone “FEAST” – directed by Aizhan Teganbayeva “TRANSLUCENT” – directed by Corey Wyckoff
Halloween festivities culminated on Thursday evening at the NYFA student Halloween party, where students dressed up, mingled, crowded into the photo booth, and voted on the winning pumpkin. The winner, Tirza Guevara, was announced at the Halloween party on Thursday night. She won a $100 Visa Gift Card.
On Monday, October 17, 2016, two representatives from the Sundance Documentary Program, Rahdi Taylor (Film Fund Director) and Hajnal Molnár-Szakács (Film Fund Coordinator), came to New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus for the Second Annual Pitch Practice session. This is a chance for NYFA LA documentary students to present their works in progress and receive feedback from an expert panel.
The women from Sundance began their presentation by explaining what the Sundance Institute hoped to get out of the documentaries they take on.
“We talk about films having meaning and moral purpose. When we say moral, I mean in the sense that the stories matter somehow to someone. There must be a journey ahead. We’re rarely going to pick a past facing bio-doc or a Ken Burns kind of epic piece. We want an uncertain journey that lies ahead, the outcome of which really matters to somebody,” said Taylor.
“It’s important that people understand that one can participate in the Sundance Institute without participating in the festival,” Molnár-Szakács began. Though they share a name, the festival and institution operate independently of one another.
Between 1.5 million and 2 million dollars a year is dedicated to the Sundance Institute both domestically and internationally. Characteristics they’re looking for in documentaries includes artful, creative, cinematic, pushing the boundaries of what documentaries are, a film that can reach audiences, and something that will be a catalyst for change.
The Institute awards financial grants, which are non-recoupable; meaning you don’t have to pay them back. The grants grew out of the Soros Foundation. Initially, the fund was established with a social justice focus, but that focus broadened over the years.
Molnár-Szakács expounded that idea saying, “It is partial funding. Whatever the budget of the film, we’re not necessarily funding the entire film, unless you’re shooting some place it’s very cheap to make the film.”
Our judges perked upon hearing one student’s pitch about trying to find love over age 65. “Docs can be really heavy, so it’s nice to see something lighter,” Taylor said. The pitch was for a 30 minute short, but they encouraged the director to try for a feature. They felt the story could expand up to at least two years.
They also spoke to the students about how to secure funding. “No one is going to buy a finished film,” Taylor said. She continued, “Make sure if you get the funding you secure funding from more than one major source.” As an example, they said if you were to make a movie about cars and you had to fund from Ford, you’d also want to get Chrysler or Prius to fund you as well, or organizations like Sundance and PBS won’t pick up the film.
We spoke to one student, Mira Hammour, about her experience. “This was my first time pitching. I got a lot of good feedback and I feel confident going into my next pitch.”
New York Film Academy would like to thank Rahdi Taylor and Hajnal Molnár-Szakács for taking the time to help our students improve their pitching technique. For more information on The Sundance Institute’s Documentary Fund Grant click the link here.
It’s one thing to act in a horror film, it’s quite another to be a part of the real thing. Last week, New York Film Academy students and NYFA Acting for Film instructor, Blanche Baker (“Sixteen Candles” and “The Girl Next Door” ), teamed up with Gotham Paranormal Research Society to help with an investigation at the oldest and one of the most haunted houses in Manhattan, the Morris-Jumel Mansion. The mansion is also noted as the location where Lin Manuel Miranda wrote two songs for the Broadway smash-hit, “Hamilton.”
“A big part of acting is learning to take chances,” said Baker. “Which means, taking risk…but these risks don’t usually involve the paranormal.”
In the hopes of documenting paranormal activity from the alleged resident ghosts, students used their acting skills to reenact historical site-specific scenes from the early 19th century. Each student played roles of people who have lived in the house, including Eliza Jumel, who is said to frequently haunt the house.
According to Angela Artuso, Director of Gotham PRS, the use of “trigger objects,” or objects from the period in history a ghost is said to be from, has been a very effective tool for paranormal researchers trying to document activity.
“Just being able to be in a time period to get a reaction from anything that could possibly be living here is just so fun and cool,” said Pilar Martinez (2nd-year Musical Theater student).
After acting out three scenes on each floor, students and paranormal investigators attempted to communicate with any entities present using K2 meters and white-noise radio scanners like the EchoVox and Spirit Box. The result? Responses to their questions as well as odd electrical anomalies around the house caught on-camera and on audio devices.
Students and faculty left the mansion both spooked and intrigued by the captured footage, and hope to return to further investigate the possible paranormal activity at the Morris-Jumel Mansion.
This week, the New York Film Academy welcomed actress and director Rose McGowan to its theater at 17 Battery Place in lower Manhattan.
After literally being discovered on a street corner, McGowan made her film debut in the 1992 Pauly Shore comedy “Encino Man,” where she played a small role. Her performance as Amy Blue in the 1995 dark comedy film “The Doom Generation” brought her wider attention, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. McGowan then appeared in the 1996 hit horror film “Scream” and starred alongside Ben Affleck in the 1997 coming-of-age feature “Going All the Way.”
Later, she appeared in several Hollywood films, including “Devil in the Flesh” (1998), “Jawbreaker” (1999), “Ready to Rumble” (2000), “Monkeybone” (2001) and “The Black Dahlia” (2006). In 2005, McGowan played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS miniseries “Elvis.” In 2007, she starred in “Planet Terror,” part of the double-feature film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, “Grindhouse.” The following year, she starred in the crime thriller film, “Fifty Dead Men Walking.”
Given her lifelong fondness for classic cinema and realizing that her true passion lies in filmmaking, McGowan decided to break into directing despite the odds against her. “There were no directors that looked like me,” said McGowan. “The gypsy experience of [directing film] was appealing to me.”
Her directorial debut short, “Dawn,” is a troubling tale of a young girl’s budding sexuality and one’s desire to experience the unknown.
McGowan says the film was partially inspired by the classic Robert Mitchum film, “The Night of the Hunter” while some of the aesthetics of her 1950’s period piece was influenced by the original 1960’s Disney film, “The Parent Trap.”
“A lot of filmmaking is to make the least amount of mistakes as possible,” said McGowan. “A painter gives thought to each stroke, so why not you.”
McGowan stressed the importance of actors and filmmakers to know and be confident in their worth.
“I definitely gained a sense of confidence as a director,” she said. “I learned I was wearing the pants that fit me for the first time.”
She warned young actors venturing into the field to be wary of being controlled by those in higher positions and encouraged those who are oppressed to speak out.
She’s also incredibly devoted to empowering women in film and television, stressing the overall gender inequality in the field.
McGowan has many projects in the works, including a feature and a pilot for Amazon Studios.
While in high school, Kimiko Chan received her first camera and quickly fell in love with capturing the details of her world. After studying painting for more than 20 years, Chan decided to attend New York Film Academy’s Photography Program to learn some of the practical elements of photography.
photo by Kimiko Chan
While in the program, Chan recalls her class trip to the Dominican Republic as one of the highlights of her experience. “The DR trip was the best moment at NYFA,” said Chan. “Teachers and students traveled together and worked as a group to explore the country while taking photos and documenting the live’s of local people.
Since completing her program at NYFA, Chan has worked in fashion photography for Cosmo China magazine, Lucy’s magazine, and some Chinese celebrities.
“Nowadays, fashion photography trends are more real and more relaxed,” says Chan. “More and more fashion photographers try to explore the deep feeling of human nature instead of a beautiful picture.”
photos by Kimiko Chan
For a look at more of Kimiko Chan’s fashion photography work, please visit here website at www.kimikochan.com.
This Wednesday, the New York Film Academy welcomed “charming” actress and director Rose McGowan to its New York campus. Following the screening of her short film, “Dawn,” McGowan spoke candidly with NYFA Acting for Film Chair, Glynis Rigsby, as well as NYFA’s Short-term Filmmaking Chair, Jonathan Whittaker.
After literally being discovered on a street corner, McGowan made her film debut in the 1992 Pauly Shore comedy “Encino Man,” where she played a small role. Her performance as Amy Blue in the 1995 dark comedy film “The Doom Generation” brought her wider attention, and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. McGowan then appeared in the 1996 hit horror film “Scream” and starred alongside Ben Affleck in the 1997 coming-of-age feature “Going All the Way.”
Later, she appeared in several Hollywood films, including “Devil in the Flesh” (1998), “Jawbreaker” (1999), “Ready to Rumble” (2000), “Monkeybone” (2001) and “The Black Dahlia” (2006). In 2005, McGowan played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS miniseries “Elvis.” In 2007, she starred in “Planet Terror,” part of the double-feature film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, “Grindhouse.” The following year, she starred in the crime thriller film, “Fifty Dead Men Walking.”
Since the age of five, McGowan has had a fondness for classic cinema. Realizing that her true passion lies in filmmaking, McGowan decided to pursue the craft of directing. “There were no directors that looked like me,” said McGowan. “The gypsy experience of [directing film] was appealing to me.”
Her directorial debut short, “Dawn,” made its critically acclaimed world premiere at Sundance Film Festival. The film is a disturbing tale of a young girl’s budding sexuality and one’s desire to experience the unknown. Dawn, played by Tara Barr, is a quiet young teenager living in Kennedy-era America who longs for something or someone to free her from her sheltered life. When she strikes up an innocent flirtation with the boy who works at her local gas station (Reiley McClendon), she thinks that he is perhaps the answer to her teenage dreams. Though when she invites the boy and his friends into her otherwise cloistered world, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.
“I definitely gained a sense of confidence as a director,” she said. “I learned I was wearing the pants that fit me for the first time.”
McGowan says the film was partially inspired by the classic Robert Mitchum film, “The Night of the Hunter” while some of the aesthetics of her 1950’s period piece was influenced by the original 1960’s Disney film, “The Parent Trap.”
“A lot of filmmaking is to make the least amount of mistakes as possible,” said McGowan to room full of acting and filmmaking students. “A painter gives thought to each stroke, so why not you.”
McGowan stressed the importance of actors and filmmakers to know and be confident in their worth.
She warned young actors venturing into the field to be wary of being controlled by those in higher positions and encouraged those who are oppressed to speak out.
She’s also incredibly devoted to empowering women in film and television, stressing the overall gender inequality in film.
McGowan has many projects in the works, including a feature and a pilot for Amazon Studios. She’s also expressed interest in directing a “Dawn 2.0,” which she says will be shot using VR filmmaking.
It’s that time again. Halloween is around the corner and the New York Film Academy’s Student Directed Play Series is getting in the spirit of things. This week’s play is “Dracula.”
“Dracula,” famous for introducing the vampire Count of the same name, is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The novel tells the story of Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. The battle between Dracula and a furious group of men and women, led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing, begins and no one is the same after.
Jonas Olsen, Fall 14 BFA, adapted the work for the stage. “I want to do something different, something that’ll make you laugh, cry and scream,” Olsen said. “Who better to help me with that than the epitome of evil, Dracula?”
Dracula will premiere in the Kaminski Theater on October 27th and 28th at 7:30PM and October 29th at 1:30PM.
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