Over the weekend the New York Film Academy hosted an Open House for over a hundred people at Universal Studios, Los Angeles. Prospective students and their parents had an opportunity to meet our award-winning faculty, learn more about our programs, and even participate in mini-classes.
NYFA Screenwriting instructor Eric Conner welcoming prospective students.
NYFA Instructor Justin Lareau talks about the importance of pitching.
Chair of the Cinematography Department, Tony Richmond, whose career spans well over six decades, welcomed our guests with a camera workshop. Some of Richmond’s credits include: The Sandlot, Legally Blonde, Candyman, Playing God, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Stardust, Rough Riders, Silver Bears, That’s Life and Sunset, The Eagle Has Landed, and The Greek Tycoon. He also served as DP on Tony Goldwin’s directorial debut Walk On The Moon, Sean Penn’s directorial debut Indian Runner, and Anjelica Houston’s directorial debut Bastard Out Of Carolina.
Tony Richmond leading a Cinematography class.
Those interested in Acting for Film jumped into the Improv for Camera Workshop with Chair of Acting, Lynda Goodfriend, and Associate Chair for Acting for Film Studies, Christopher Cass.
Christopher Cass teaching Improv
Associate Chair of Animation, Matt Galuppo, discussed the role of the animator in the entertainment industry. An unparalleled animation institute, the animation school at the New York Film Academy provides students with state-of-the-art facilities and hands-on experience with the industry standard Maya, ZBrush, Mudbox, Motion Builder, and Nuke software and top-notch equipment.
Matt Galuppo leading an Animation discussion.
Instructor Richard Friedman, who has over 25 years experience in directing and producing film and TV, including work in independent feature films, television movies, episodic television series, reality TV, and music videos, immersed the guests in a filmmaking workshop.
At the same time, Chair of the Photography Department, Michele Kirk, spoke about how the New York Film Academy offers students the remarkable opportunity to study under award-winning, professional photographers who remain active in the many genres of photography, from fine art to fashion, commercial work to photojournalism.
NYFA Open House at Universal Studios.
We had a full crowd of interested people, many of whom are very serious about pursuing a career in the Film and Entertainment industry.
Visit our website to learn more about future open houses!
In the midst of a lively New York Film Academy event, overlooking the New York Harbor from expansive windows in the corner office, we spoke to Senior Executive Vice President, David Klein. “We all work together for so many hours each and every day,” he said. “I think it’s very important to spend some time with one’s colleagues to simply enjoy their company and see the lighter sides of everyone’s personalities. We have such a fantastic group of professionals who work so hard and are so dedicated to their jobs — they deserve to have some fun.”
Klein was referring to NYFA’s Mid-Year Faculty and Employee Party, held on the fifth floor of the New York campus’ Battery Place location. Commencing on the eve of a summer Wednesday, the party proved the success of a continued effort toward maintaining a positive community and strong working environment within NYFA.
Employees from a variety of departments were able to unwind and socialize before kicking off the Academy’s popular Summer Camp programs, which run until the end of August.
Caterers served tasty appetizers and a mixologist hand-crafted specialty mocktails and cocktails; the ever-beloved movie-themed photo booth, enshrined in its very own room, attracted many guests. Photography programs teaching assistants Ana-Paula Tizzi and Dayana Orellana operated the Canon 5D in the photo booth, including the special effect of a ring flash. See some of the fun that was had in the photo booth by staff and faculty in the gallery below!
Though NYFA faculty and staff had nothing but positive reviews for the catering and decor, they were most pleased by the opportunity to spend leisurely time together.
If you’re interested in working at the New York Film Academy please contact Human Resources via: [email protected].
After coming on the scene as a semi-finalist in Season 9 of American Idol, the multi-talented performer Todrick Hall has quickly built a following to become a household name in the world of musical theatre. From his flash mob for Ariana Grande to his Beyoncé themed flash mob performed in the middle of a Target store, Hall’s Youtube channel has grown to over 2 million subscribers.
Hall is now taking his talents on tour in his upcoming show, Straight Outta Oz. The tour will run the entire summer at cities all across the country. New York Film Academy Musical Theatre students and alumni shouldn’t be surprised when they see a familiar face in the cast, as recent graduate Kylan Ross will be playing “The Wizard.”
Fortunately for us, we had a chance to chat with the recent Musical Theatre graduate before he heads off on tour this summer.
Kylan Ross in a NYFA Musical Performance
Congratulations on being cast as ‘The Wizard’ in Todrick Hall’sStraight Outta Oz! When was the moment you knew you wanted to pursue musical theatre?
I guess there were many different moments in my life that led up to me wanting to pursue musical theatre. Before I can remember, I loved singing pop music. I remember my mom would always be playing either Celine Dion or Michael Bolton songs, or singing random show tunes in the house, so I was raised with music all my life.
What really opened my eyes to musical theatre was the movie musical adaptations of the musicals Rent and Chicago. I remember being younger and watching those movies on repeat, over and over again, to the point where I could recite the whole movies from start to finish.
My first big theatre experience was when I went on a high school trip to London when I was 14 and our teachers brought us to see Wicked. From the moment the overture began to play I was in awe. I stood up at the end of the song ‘Defying Gravity’ and began to leave the theatre, until my teachers stopped me and told me that there was another act. I couldn’t believe how music, singing and dancing could tell such a story and I knew from that moment that this was something that I wanted to do. When I returned home I joined a local musical society called S.O.N.G and with them my passion and love for musical theatre grew with every show we put on.
Why did you decide to study at NYFA?
When I decided to study musical theatre I was actually in my final year of college studying Forensic Science and Biology. I knew I wanted to finish my degree but I also knew that there was really only one thing I wanted to do, and that was to perform, so I began to research schools. After looking through lots of programs I came across NYFA and from reading what classes they offered and seeing who some of their staff members were, I was sold. NYFA’s 2-Year Conservatory Program not only offers musical theatre training but on-camera training too, which no other program I researched offered. Other classes like Pop/Rock and Movie Musical were also a huge bonus to an already impressive program. I knew NYFA was the place for me.
Kylan Ross at NYFA performance
How did you land the role of ‘The Wizard?’
I was looking up auditions on backstage.com when I came across the auditions for Straight Outta Oz. I have been a huge Todrick Hall fan, so when I read the breakdown I knew that this was something I had to audition for. It was one of the first auditions I did after graduating from NYFA, so I was still getting used to the daily audition routine while trying to keep the audition nerves at bay. The first day of auditions at Pearl studios was the singers’ call and I sang “The Show Must Go On” by Queen. I came back the following day to the dance call where we did a commercial/hip-hop routine followed by another singing call where I sang “Alive” by Sia. A few weeks later I received a call from Todrick Hall offering me the role of ‘The Wizard.’
What was your reaction when you found out?
I was actually on a break from a restaurant job I was working at when I got the call from Todrick. I was in complete shock, so I did what most people do in a time of shock and I called my mother. We spent about five minutes just shouting back and forth at each other with excitement on the phone. I then called my boyfriend Cullen, another NYFA alum, and told him the good news. Unfortunately for me, I had to go back and work the dinner shift at my job, but, needless to say, I was smiling from ear to ear that night.
Would you say your training and experience at NYFA is useful in terms of being prepared for this role?
I can honestly say that my training and experience at NYFA played, and will continue to play, a huge role in my audition process, as well as preparing for a role and performing. I have learned so many valuable skills and knowledge from the best in the business and I will be forever grateful for that. I would especially like to thank the dance staff at NYFA and in particular Chad Austin, Michelle Potterf and Deidre Goodwin, who I was lucky enough to have from the beginning to the end of my NYFA training.
I never thought I would ever be able to go to a dance audition, but working with these people really improved my confidence, skill and training in dance and now I go to as many dance calls as I can. All of the staff at NYFA are the most supportive, caring and driven people I have ever met and I am so grateful to have learned from and to have worked with such talented people who genuinely want to best for all their students.
When will we be able to see you perform as ‘The Wizard?’
Straight Outta Oz will be touring the country all summer and we will be having a New York show on August 4th in The Highline Ballroom. For tickets and more information about show locations and venues visit todrickhall.com
This week, New York Film Academy students in Los Angeles were treated to a Q&A with visual effects supervisor Jim Rygiel following a screening of Godzilla. Rygiel won three Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His excellent work has also contributed to other feature films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Fast and the Furious, and Night at the Museum. NYFA Animation Chair Mark Sawicki moderated the event.
One of the things that Rygiel touched on was using real imagery alongside digital effects. “We always tried to get something in the shot,” said Rygiel. “My trick is to always try to get something real In the shot…it’s a mix. I’m always trying to get the director to shoot more, not less.”
He stressed the importance of keeping parts real in order to keep it feeling real.
Rygiel also advised students that when trying to get hired, they should let their work speak for itself. “What you mostly get hired on is your portfolio,” he added.
One of our NYFA students asked for advice on how to act for effects, such as motion capture or with green screens. Rygiel reassured the student, saying, “Just shoot it. Act like you normally would—we’ll never replace actors. I could never create whole scenes [without actors].”
Finally, he talked to the students about the importance of a balance between sticking to the plan for shooting and rolling with changes. He said that costs can go up if you change from what was already planned but, “don’t be a complete stickler to the pre-vis. There are things that happen. It just might be a better shot—always go with the better shot.”
Former Filmmaking graduate from 1997, Jonathan Jakubowicz, has represented both the Venezuelan community and the New York Film Academy well with both his feature film Secuestro Express and now with his upcoming biopic of Roberto Duran, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The Venezuelan native’s latest feature, Hands of Stone, stars Academy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, and Edgar Ramirez. The story surrounds Roberto Duran and his trainer Ray Arcel —two legends at the heart of the golden era of boxing, and what they went through to get to Duran’s battles with Sugar Ray Leonard.
“It’s an inspiring story that shows how Duran came from nothing and became a hero for his nation,” says Jakubowicz. “The son of a US marine, Duran grows up dreaming to take revenge against the Americans who are occupying his land, and his American trainer enables him to become the best version of himself. It’s a movie about a Latin hero, and Hollywood usually only shows Latinos as drug dealers.”
Like most projects in the film industry, this one wasn’t easy to deliver. Over the past few years Jakubowicz had to convince Duran to trust him with his life rights, have actor Robert De Niro agree on the right script, and raise money outside of the studio system. In the end, Jakubowicz was able to overcome all of these obstacles and secure distribution from The Weinstein Company.
“Breaking into the industry is the consequence of achieving a goal,” said Jakubowicz. “The goal is making a good movie. Focus on that goal. Make a movie that shows you can do stuff others can’t. High quality consumer cameras and computers give you an opportunity no other generation has ever had. There are no excuses why you haven’t made your first film. If you feel you are ready, do it. And do a feature. You will learn more from a feature than from 30 shorts.”
Thanks to Jakubowicz accomplishing his goals, we’ll be able to see his upcoming film, Hands of Stone, beginning on August 26, 2016.
Recently, the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles screened the Sci-Fi action film, Hardcore Henry, which was shot almost entirely from a first-person perspective. Following the special screening, we were fortunate to welcome the extreme operators, Sergey Valyaev and Andrey Dementiev, who were behind the GoPro the entire time.
After screening the film, Sergey Valyaev and Andrey Dementiev shared an exclusive behind-the-scenes trailer, which revealed the secrets of how this unflinchingly original wild-ride was actually made. It’s more complicated and dangerous than one would think.
There were more than 100 working shifts, trainings with stunts teams, injuries, and other craziness. In one of the fight scenes Valyaev really punches Dementiev (who also played a character Slick Dmitry) in the face as hard as he can. When you shoot POV, the camera is so close to the face that you can’t perform a fight sequence in the usual way.
Valyaev and Dementiev also recalled that there were a lot of scenes shot without any safety gear. One particular scene was when they were both running on top of the bridge. After four takes the entire crew was frozen, but, according to the talent, that was one of easiest scenes since both of them have over ten years of experience in parkour.
Sergey Valyaev also discussed the invention of a special rig. He explained that in order to make viewers believe he is the main hero, the camera must be not be placed on the forehead area, as you would think, but on the mouth region. When the camera is in this position, it captures the body frame, which creates the effect of presence.
In regards to what the hardest part of shooting Hardcore Henry was, Sergey Valyaev and Andrey Dementiev confessed that staying in one position and waiting for the command “action” was more difficult than anything else. Sometimes they would have to freeze in completely uncomfortable poses and hold it for hours, just so the continuity of the shot wouldn’t be ruined.
Valyaev and Dementiev answered dozens of questions from excited NYFA students and concluded: “Before learning how to fly you have to learn how to fall.” This rule applies to any field or profession.
New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism graduate George Colli was on-the-scene in Orlando, for Cox Media, last week. His reports appeared on Fox 25 in Boston, Channel 11 in Pittsburgh, Fox 23 in Tulsa, News Center 7 in Dayton, Channel 9 Eyewitness News in Charlotte, Fox 13 in Memphis and KIRO 7 in Seattle.
George Colli in Orlando
Here, in his words, are what he was doing: “Very intense first 48 hours. The vigil last night seems to have lifted the air a little bit. Definitely a different intensity this morning. I’m on about four hours of sleep since Sunday morning, and approaching 90 live shots since 10pmSunday. I’ve been doing double duty. Starting at 3:30a for morning shows right through the late shows.”
Zack Baddorf has been pretty busy too. He is editing a cross-platform video project called Veterans Coming Home. In addition to being distributed digitally, these powerful stories will also be broadcast on PBS television stations across the country. His most recent video is about Jeff Hawkins, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, teaches kids to build their own projects at YMakers, a partnership between YMCA of San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Health System.
If you are in Europe, or a big fan of soccer (OK… futbal), then you know that the eyes of the world are on Europe for Euro 2016. Our very own Beytullah Bayar, a graduate of the Fall 2013 1-year Broadcast Journalism program, is reporting on all the action for Turkish Radio and Television (TRT). As usual, Beyt has a tremendous tie to go along with his equally fashionable suit. Looking sharp there, Beyt!
We end this week with a final “congratulations” to our most recent NYFA Broadcast Journalism graduates. And thanks to Joel Spector for capturing the final moments of their graduation ceremony. See it here…
Over the years, boxing films have provided the cinema with many dramatic elements that make for an award-winning film. Directors like Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, and David O’ Russell have showcased their remarkable behind-the-camera magic through the story of a troubled or underdog boxer that often undergoes a significant character arc. In New York Film Academy graduate Jonathan Jakubowicz’s most recent film, Hands of Stone, the Venezuelan-born director tackles the story of boxer, Roberto Duran (played by Edgar Ramirez) and his legendary trainer, Ray Arcel (played by Oscar Winning actor Robert De Niro). Coming off its impressive premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, Hands of Stone will see its US wide release on August 26, 2016.
After graduating from the Academy nearly 20 years ago, it was a pleasure to catch up with the director who has certainly come a long way since his film school days.
Congratulations on your most recent film, Hands of Stone! Can you tell us a little bit about your film? In your own words, what is the film about?
It’s the story of how Roberto Duran and his trainer Ray Arcel changed each other’s life. Two legends at the heart of the golden era of boxing, and what they went through to get to Duran’s battles with Sugar Ray Leonard.
Why do you think Roberto Duran’s story is so important to tell?
It’s an inspiring story that shows how Duran came from nothing and became a hero for his nation. The son of a US marine, Duran grows up dreaming to take revenge against the Americans who are occupying his land, and his American trainer enables him to become the best version of himself. It’s a movie about a Latin hero, and Hollywood usually only shows Latinos as drug dealers.
How did this film come about and how did Robert De Niro become involved?
It was a process of many years. From convincing Duran to trust us with his life rights, to writing the script and sending it to De Niro. Then working with De Niro on the script for half a year until he decided to play the part. Then raising the money outside of the system, because no studio would make a movie about a Latin boxer. And then the best part: making the movie.
Would you say NYFA’s training was useful in terms of being prepared to direct films such as this and the others you’ve worked on?
I went to the University in Venezuela and graduated with a major in journalism, but NYFA was the first exposure I got to any kind of formal education in filmmaking. It was my “ABC’s,” the first steps I took to make movies professionally. That was twenty years ago. There’s no doubt that what I learned at NYFA helped. It was very emotional for me to shoot a scene with De Niro and Ellen Barkin, two legendary New Yorkers, a few blocks from the school. It definitely felt like those two moments in my life, being a film student and directing my dream movie, were connected.
What advice do you have for filmmakers looking to break into this industry?
I would tell them to tell stories they are convinced they can tell better than anyone. Duran is Latino; Arcel, his trainer, is Jewish. I’m a Latin Jew. I knew both worlds. Not many filmmakers know both worlds better than me. And that allowed me to make the movie with confidence, and confidence is the only tool a filmmaker can trust. Breaking into the industry is the consequence of achieving a goal. The goal is making a good movie. Focus on that goal. Make a movie that shows you can do stuff others can’t. High quality consumer cameras and computers give you an opportunity no other generation has ever had. There are no excuses why you haven’t made your first film. If you feel you are ready, do it. And do a feature. You will learn more from a feature than from 30 shorts.
Congratulations once again on this film and all of your success in this industry thus far. We’re looking forward to seeing Hands of Stone in theaters when it comes out this August 26, 2016.
On June 8th, New York Film Academy students were treated to an inspirational evening with one of their own when they attended a screening and Q&A with NYFA alumna, feature film director, and accomplished martial artist Livi Zheng.
Livi screened trailer clips from her first film, Brush with Danger, which she co wrote and starred in with her brother. She also screened press clips from her first film and exclusive behind the scenes from her second film.
In addition Livi had good advice on the distribution process, one of the most difficult areas for new filmmakers to navigate. She addressed the topic of distributors pressuring to sell your movie immediately “take your time to make your decision. They want to rush you…once you sign, it’s binding,”she said.
Livi began her academic career in economics before deciding to switch to filmmaking. A lifelong student of martial arts, she has been interested in filmmaking since she was fifteen years old because people in martial arts “do movies or coach.” She told the audience, however, that she sees a strong relationship between filmmaking and economics, telling the assembled students and guests,”Film is a business. It’s very related to economics, but you can learn [economics] by doing it—read a book or Google it.”
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This week, New York Film Academy students in 
