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NYFA Los Angeles Documentary & Photography Excursion to the Dominican Republic

Each year, MFA, BFA, One-Year and Two-Year photography students, as well as MFA and One-Year documentary students are invited on a one-week exotic trip. This year the New York Film Academy Los Angeles headed on an exotic excursion to the Dominican Republic. The team was led by Documentary Chair Barbara Multer-Wellin, Production Sound Instructor James Coburn IV, and Photography Instructor David Blumenkrantz. Joining their instructors were documentary students Guangli Zhu, Carolina Sosa and Yuan Li, as well as photography students Brenda Cantu and Ziomara Ramirez.

Along the trip, Ms. Multer-Wellin kept a log of this incredible journey that captured the exotic landscape and culture of the Dominican Republic.

September 16, 2016

We left Los Angeles at 11:00 PM, switched planes in New York and arrived in Santo Domingo the next afternoon. We spent the rest of the day getting acclimated and renting some lighting and grip equipment from a local rental house. Afterwards, we had dinner at an oceanside restaurant, as a huge orange Harvest Moon rose in the sky.

September 17

After a quick stop at a local cambio to change dollars into Dominican pesos, the NYFA team started filming the streets of Santo Domingo. The team began at the ruins of the Monastery of San Francisco, built in 1503. Walking through the local streets we filmed street vendors, performers, painters, young couples, an evangelist, domino players, and a trio of musicians playing Merengue Tipico — the traditional form of the Dominican national dance and music.

Since we’re here to make a documentary about Merengue, this was a great stroke of luck. Dinner was at a restaurant in Santo Domingo’s China Town. Our two Chinese team members, Guangli and Yuan, were able to speak with the owners in Chinese, although their dialects were not the same. Somehow, in a mixture of Spanish, Chinese and English, we managed to order a real feast.

September 18

Today was all about challenges and overcoming them. Our NYFA crew was scheduled to interview the noted Dominican percussionist and folklorist Edis Sanchez at his new apartment. But we soon discovered that Mr. Sanchez had yet to move in, so the apartment was empty (luckily he brought his drums and some chairs). We were able to film a great interview with available light and a single bounce board.

That evening we filmed an outdoor Merengue concert and dance party with the band Grupo Bonyé at the ruins of the San Francisco Monastery, first built in 1503. We hope to interview the band’s leader, Señor Nestor Sanchez, later this week, a great addition to our documentary about the importance of Merengue in the Dominican Republic and just maybe our reward for hanging in there.

September 19

By our third full day we had adjusted to the realities of filming here in Santo Domingo. Traffic on weekdays rivals Los Angeles — it just takes more time than you think to get anywhere, even with the expertise of our driver/new friend Victor. We spent the morning filming more establishing shots for the opening sequence of our documentary, including the first cemetery built in Santo Domingo; a haunting and eerily beautiful place full of crosses, angels and a few stray dogs. Next were a flower/flea market, the Presidential Palace and an upscale residential area. This is a city of stark differences between the way the rich and poor live, like most cities. We spent the afternoon at the Palace of Fine Arts where we were fortunate to be able to film the fantastic dancers from the Ballet Folklorico Nacional Dominco as they rehearsed three Merengue pieces. One couple demonstrated the basic steps of Merengue for our cameras. Tomorrow, an interview with Elizabeth Crooke Morel, Director of Ballet Folklorico Nacional Dominco, and Nestor Sanchez, from the great band that played at the concert at the ruins of the San Francisco Monastery.

September 20

The New York Film Academy LA documentary crew began the day back at the Palace of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo to interview the Director of the Ballet Folklorico Nacional Dominco, Elizabeth Crooke Morel who told us more about the elements of the dance Merengue. After a quick stop to film more establishing shots in a shopping area in the city, we all piled back into the van. Soon we arrived at the home of musician Nestor Sanchez. Señor Sanchez spoke movingly about the history of Merengue and the profound meaning it holds for the Dominican people.

NYFA Doc LA Program Joins Talk with Werner Herzog

Students from the New York Film Academy Los Angeles Documentary Filmmaking program recently had the opportunity to hear Werner Herzog speak as part of the International Documentary Association’s ongoing Conversation Series.

Herzog is one of the most celebrated and influential documentary filmmakers of our time. His documentaries range from Little Dieter Needs to Fly, a film about a German-American Vietnam War vet who revisits his place of capture at the hands of the Vietcong, to Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a look inside one of the oldest caves in the world and the study of how early man lived. Herzog’s documentaries never fail to provoke profound questions about human nature. Other notable works include Into the Abyss, Encounters at the End of the World, On Death Row, Rescue Dawn, Grizzly Man, and The Enigma of Casper Hauser.

Herzog encouraged the audience to “have a strong affinity or respect for those in front of your camera” and to aim to “take the audience into a land of rogue insight and poetry.”

MFA student Guangli Zhou said, “’I just wrote an essay about him a couple weeks ago. I’m in front of him right now. It’s an awesome experience.”

MFA student Camilla Borel Rinkes wanted to thank Herzog for, “sharing your inspiring stories and for motivating me to keep broadening my horizon.”

Producer Rob Cowan Speaks at NYFA Los Angeles

New York Film Academy was proud to welcome Producer Rob Cowan to the Los Angeles campus this past week. Cowan brought all the knowledge gained in his thirty-five years in the entertainment industry, as well as the pulse-pounding San Andreas. Denise Carlson, a Producing instructor, hosted the event.

Cowan’s lengthy career includes producing Life as a House, which netted Hayden Christensen and Kevin Kline a Golden Globe nomination. He also produced the Cole Porter musical bio-pic De-Lovely starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. From there he transitioned into horror and action films with Enough, starring Jennifer Lopez, and the Robert De Niro and Al Pacino led thriller, Righteous Kill. He next sought comedies with Tammy and The Boss, both starring Melissa McCarthy. His biggest win was in producing The Conjuring, the fourth highest grossing horror film of all time.

After the San Andreas screening, Cowan sat down for a Q & A with the students. The first thing they spoke of was the logistics of filming the scene. “Every big sequence that there is in there, even the smaller ones are a big challenge on many levels. How do you make something look like it’s shaking when it’s not shaking? So we had to sit down with all of the teams and ask, ‘Ok, what’s visual effects? What’s special effects? What’s a real part of the set we need to do?’ Normally when you’re doing a movie you have to dress an entire set but the CGI guys would tell us ‘just give us a little rubble and we’ll destroy the rest,’ so that was nice.”

“Even up to the day we were going to do the shot the special effects guy wasn’t sure it was going to sink.” It was moments like these that Cowan described as, “the most fun.” He also mentioned a complicated one take where the set would be completely destroyed after the take. They only had once chance to get it right.

They only had about seventeen weeks of prep. This may sound like a lot of time, but Cowan said, “I’m working on a similar film now and we have thirty-two weeks of prep.” Cowan was worried about getting the movie made so he sat down with the director, Brad Peyton, and asked, “Can you get this film done?” Peyton had a simple answer, “I’ll be decisive.” Instead of asking for multiple examples or tweaking last minute, Peyton trusted his team to give him the best options possible, then, he picked one and moved forward. This was key in finishing on time.

Denise Carlson asked about Cowan’s background as a writer and how it affected his producing work. Cowan divulged that initially San Andreas was written as an homage to Irwin Allen, who directed disaster movies like Earthquake and The Towering Inferno in the 1970’s. These films would cast A-list actors and give each a storyline. But Cowan felt that left the story a little flat. He brought in Chad and Carey Hayes, who wrote The Conjuring, to punch up the script. They cut some of the characters, instead choosing to focus the story on Dwayne Johnson’s character. Then, they layered in a heart-wrenching story of a lost child. Suddenly the film was more than just a disaster film, it was a story.

Next, they spoke about the two largest challenges in filmmaking, money and time. Cowan relayed the story of Rocky. The scene at the ice skating rink was originally supposed to have multiple extras. The extras needed skates, prop food, a catered meal, all things that cost money the production no longer had. The producers went to Sylvester Stallone with the bad news. Stallone sent the extras home and decided that Rocky should just walk Adrienne around the rink. “It ended up being one of the best scenes in the movie. I always feel that story has value because you realize there’re different ways and better ways to do things when you’re challenged.”

“James Wan, the director of The Conjuring, is great at that. If I tell him, ‘ Look, we can’t do it this way’ he energizes the team and always comes up with something better.” Cowan said, “One of your biggest challenges is time and money. We sunk it all into the set. And it was something we weren’t sure if it’s something we could pull off. That’s a character in the movie and we’re going to invest in that character.”

The investment paid off. The Conjuring 2 was released nation wide in June 2016. New York Film Academy would like to thank Mr. Cowan for sharing his expertise with our students. Look for Cowan’s forthcoming films Aquaman and The Hollow Season.

Getting Personal with NYFA Photography Alumnus John Tona

As a New York Film Academy Photography alumnus, who currently teaches at the school, John Tona, a New York native, noticed he was surrounded by a very diverse student body. After meeting and interacting with men and women from countries all over the world, Tona became fascinated and inspired to create his “(A)Typical Typology” project. Shot on film, each photo is identical in its approach.

photos from John Tona’s (A)Typical Typology

Through this photography series, Tona aims to capture a man and woman from 193 different countries, completely stripped of all their possessions. Each individual is without cultural elements such as clothing, jewelry, or other man-made products, leaving only the individual as the unique identifier. As a result, the lines of race and culture are de-emphasized, leaving us to consider the subjects more simply, as members of the human race.

His Typology project went on display in South Korea at both the Jeonju International Photo Festival and Art Space Artion.

Tona says he has captured individuals, many of whom were students at NYFA, from 39 countries thus far and plans to continue until he reaches his goal of 193.

art basel — photo by John Tona from “The Vacant Self”

Getting more personal, the photographer’s “The Vacant Self” project is, as Tona says, “a disenchanted look at emotional chaos and sexual dependency in an effort to come to terms with and coalesce a fragmented consciousness under the precarious frame of pictorial narrative.”

john tona — photo by John Tona from “The Vacant Self”

Though you may not know it, the work in this series captures a very personal chapter in Tona’s life, which he was able to express through his models and photography. One particular piece from this collection was on display in Art Basel, while another is currently being displayed at Brooklyn’s Photoville.

Tona says that while he’s closed the book on this chapter of his life, he’s currently moving forward with another personal series called “The Intimates.”

Be sure to check out Photoville, which is currently being held in Brooklyn from now until Sept. 25, where Tona and nineteen other NYFA Photography alumni photographs will be on display.

Gabriele Fabbro’s “Two Steps Away” Wins Best Comedy / Dramedy Short Student Film

New York Film Academy student Gabriele Fabbro has spring boarded his POV project into an award-winning short. He won Best Comedy/ Dramedy Short Student Film at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, the Hollywood Boulevard Film Festival, and the Direct Monthly Online Film Festival. He is a finalist for the All-American Drive-In and a semi-finalist for the Los Angeles CineFest.

The original goal of the assignment is to have the same scene and show it from two different points of view. Gabriel credits his teacher, Gareth Dunnet Alcocer, with helping him grow. His previous assignment didn’t live up to his standard. Fabbro’s main objective was to, “…not make the same mistakes this time.” He wrote many, many different versions of the story, but they were all too heavy. “It wasn’t the right story to tell.” A week before he was set to film he wrote “Two Steps Away.” “Everyone was surprised how well we did because it was the most rushed project in the class.”

Fabbro’s background is in photography. He says when he first got here he knew nothing about cinematography. Making the switch from still images to 24 frames per second has pushed him to be a better filmmaker. He said his fellow creatives Director of Photography Mark Cekham, actors Ydalie Turk and Connor Williams, as well as his sound department Luis Alberto Quijano and Karissa Ketelhut were the only reason he was able to survive the shoot.

Fabbro pitched “Two Steps Away” as two students, on break, who are trying desperately to get the others attention without being noticed. He was nervous screening the film for the first time. “I’m always like nervous a lot when the film starts up, before and during. It’s terrifying. When they were screening it, I was afraid because they were laughing at parts I didn’t expect to laugh at; but at the end, they laughed…” right where they were supposed to.

Knowing he had made a good film it was time to begin the submission process. There were numerous sites checked, but Fabbro’s favorite was FilmFreeway. “It’s easier. Faster,” Fabbro said of the service, “The main point is they give you updates. Whether you’re accepted or your not, you get a notification.”

If you would like to see more of Fabbro please check out his work on Facebook, YouTube, and his IMDb Page.

“Two Steps Away” has two upcoming festival screenings at the Glendale International Film Festival (September 29) and the Los Angeles International Film Festival (October 15).

ACTING ALUMNUS MANUEL GARCIA-RULFO STARS IN “THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN”

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, who graduated from the One-Year Acting Program at NYFA, will be one of the “seven” actors in the Antoine Fuqua movie, “The Magnificent Seven,” which stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D’onofrio.

Garcia-Rulfo has appeared in several film and TV series, including the film “Cake,” which stars Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, William H. Macy, and others. His TV credits include “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” “Alguien Más,” “Touch,” and others.

His newest film, “The Magnificent Seven,” is a reimagining of the original made in 1960 by director John Sturges and starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, and a modern throwback to the old westerns. It follows seven gunmen in the old west, who gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Garcia-Rulfo. “To be part of a western of this magnitude. I played cowboys and Indians all my life. To dress as a cowboy and ride horses was a dream come true.”

The film will be released in the theaters nationwide on September 23, 2016.

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 Los Angeles Grad’s “Bornless Ones” Screens at the DTLA FIlm Festival

Congratulations to the New York Film Academy MA Filmmaking graduate, Alexander Babaev, whose horror feature debut, “Bornless Ones,” premieres at the DTLA Film Festival in LA on Sept. 22 at 9:30pm.

“Bornless Ones” tells the story of Emily (Margaret Judson), her fiancé (Devin Goodsell), and two friends, who move into a remote house with Emily’s crippled brother, Zach (Michael Johnston). After spending a single night in the house, Zach begins to heal, but in turn reveals a force that creates the most horrific night anyone could ever face.

“We shot ‘Bornless Ones’ right after I graduated from New York Film Academy,” said Babaev. “The way it happened was sort of a miracle. I was very lucky to be surrounded by people who are as passionate about filmmaking as I am.”

Directed by Alexander Babaev, produced by NYFA alumna Mariietta Volynska, and shot by NYFA MFA Cinematography Grad, Egor Povolotskiy, “Bornless Ones” became, for the three of them, the beginning of a solid professional friendship.

“Even though we all knew that feature film was our next step, this next step felt painfully far away from the point we were all at until someone said, ‘Hey, my friend has a house where we could potentially shoot. Why don’t we write something?’ And I did. I wrote a script. We lost the house, but we found funds and got another house.”

Soon after “Bornless Ones” was shot, Babaev, Volynska and Povolotskiy were invited, as a team, to work on a new feature, Culture of Fear. The premier is scheduled for 2017.

“I think the biggest thing NYFA gave me was the courage to believe in myself, to believe that everyone can make a film no matter who you are or where you came from,” said Babaev. “I’m very proud of this film and I believe that the new wave of filmmakers — people like me and hundreds and thousands of other young filmmakers — are the future!”

Don’t miss the “Bornless Ones” screening. If you have friends who love horror, or enemies that hate horror, invite them! Tickets available at –http://www.fandango.com/Bornless%20Ones_195800/movieoverview

“Meet the Parents” Screening with Jon Abrahams

New York Film Academy was proud to welcome actor, producer, and now, director Jon Abrahams to their Los Angeles campus. Students from both the high school and teen summer program were in attendance. The comedy classic, Meet the Parents, was screened after which Tova Laiter, producer of The Scarlet Letter and Varsity Blue, and Christopher Cass, Associate Chair for Acting for Film Studies, conducted an interview with Abrahams.

Abrahams began his career when he was still in high school. He was discovered in Washington Square Park when filmmakers, Harmony Korine and Larry Clark, were casting their film Kids. Abrahams wasn’t their first choice. He was selected to play Steven after the first actor cast was arrested. Upon release, parents and school systems alike were outraged by the films’ perceived message, but Kids would later become a cult classic and the standard by which all gritty coming-of-age stories would be judged.

From there Abrahams went on to star in films such as House of Wax, Scary Movie, Meet the Parents, Mourning Glory, and Hitchcock. He’s also had a long established career in television. Some of his roles include Jerry on Masters of the House, Zach Fischer on Boston Public, and guest appearances on Boston Legal, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, The Astronaut Wives Club, and The Mentalist.

When asked about his preparation Abrahams described going to acting class like going to the gym. This work ethic was cultivated when he was still in high school. At his performing arts school, he would spend time after classes doing improvisational work with a teacher. The result, he was able to, “…better flex his (acting) muscle.”

He’s a fierce student having not only studied with The Groundlings but also with famed acting coach Margie Haber.

Abrahams revealed he’s recently taken a turn at directing. After being named the guardian of both his cousin’s children and his best friend’s children, Abrahams began thinking, “What if, god forbid, something should happen to both my cousin and best friend on the same day and I’m suddenly the guardian to three kids?” Abrahams, having grown up in Tribeca, still had some unresolved issues about 9/11 that he wanted to explore. His writing partner thought perhaps the two ideas could be combined to tell a story. They were able to secure an investor for their human-interest piece, a rare feat. They’ve just begun the festival application process and are hoping to sell the film later in the year.

Next, it was time for the students to ask questions. Makayla, a student in the high school summer program asked, “What tips do you have for high school and college students wanting to get a start in the industry?”

“My tip is do anything and everything that comes your way. I’ve always had a kind of blue-collar approach to acting. I like to work. I like to punch in and out.” He continues, “And no job is too small, for me. I love movies. I grew up watching movies all the time. I always will remember the guy who had one line in the movie, if they were really great. So, you know, don’t have an ego about it. Also, don’t hold it all so precious. Do something. Be bad at it. You’re going to do something else. You’re going to grow. No one is expecting you to be a high school actor be the most wonderful actor ever…”

“Work really hard, but to come into it and be a perfectionist in the first gig, is silly. Look at it as you’re going to be working for your whole life. Do anything and everything. Student films, commercials, whatever. Work extra so you know how a set works. And then, stick around. I think Clint Eastwood said, ‘Don’t go to lunch. Stay around the crew during lunch. Figure out what they’re doing. Know what lens they’re using. Knowing these things is great. Just learn. Just be there to learn. The best schooling you can get is working.’”

Later another student inquired about how to get back up after one has performed poorly. Abrahams responded, “I once had someone refer to making a movie as boxing match. If you lost the second round you can come back tomorrow shoot and do another scene. That’s round three. You could win round three. You could win round four.”

New York Film Academy would like to thank Jon Abrahams for his time. You can learn about Abrahams’ forthcoming film by clicking here.

NYFA Alumni and Faculty Team Up for “Karate Tortoise”

For those of you who grew up on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Super Mario Bros,” “Looney Tunes,” and superhero cartoons — basically if you grew up in the 90s — be on the lookout for an upcoming comical web-series that combines all of your favorite stereotypes into one Adult-Swim-esque parody called “Karate Tortoise.”

From a team that consists of New York Film Academy alumni and faculty, director Mike Diaz aims to deliver his audience what they’ve all been waiting for — a crazy cast of human-animal hybrids, aliens, and anthropomorphic reptiles that come to life through puppeteers, animators, sculptors, and builders. In fact, playing one of the super-villain hybrids, Rat Bastard, is actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried (“Aladdin,” “Problem Child”), who is sure to deliver a dose of 90s nostalgia.

“‘Karate Tortoise’ was born out of this simple question: Why, oh why, of all the eligible creatures on this planet, would you choose a turtle to be a mutant ninja?” says Diaz. “The story, aesthetic, and characters of each eight minute episode will make older viewers nostalgic for their childhood, while also capitalizing on the Snapchat addled attention spans of younger audiences.”

Diaz hopes ‘Karate Tortoise’ will eventually find a home on Adult Swim, IFC, or Comedy Central.

In order to raise the production budget for the series, the team turned to the crowdfunding site “Seed and Spark,” with the hopes of raising $30,000. With under a month to go on the fundraising, the team has already amassed over $12,000, and promises to deliver some pretty interesting prizes to fans who can fork out a few bucks of support. In fact, for the right price, Diaz and his producing partner Billy Hiller will get “Karate Tortoise” tattoos on their inner thigh.

If you’re interested in learning more about the project or would like to donate your support, visit their crowdfunding site by clicking HERE.