Page 259 – NYFA

Varun Verma on Becoming a Line Producer

Coming out of his MA Film and Media Production degree from the New York Film Academy Los Angeles, Varun Verma was hired by Replay Collective to work as a Line Producer for the production company. Replay Collective works with some of the most creative young filmmakers out there today to produce the most engaging content for major brands. While working for Replay, Verma has worked on almost a dozen high profile music videos, major commercials, and a few international short films.

Given the fact that many of our recent graduates are deciding which specific field in the industry to explore, we decided to get some more insight into Verma’s career after film school, as well as his role as a Line Producer for Replay.

Congrats on your success thus far! Can you tell us how you began working for Replay Collective?

During my final semester, I was producing a NYFA thesis called Maquisard, directed by Kurt Claridades, in an abandoned town called Boron. The first day of the shoot, I found out that there was another production going on at the same location, which was being produced by Replay Collective. Since there were student and studio productions at the same location, it was a big challenge for me to coordinate with them and make sure every one returns home with completed work and making sure the director achieves his vision. One day, I sat with producer Sid Ganji, who I work with now, and scheduled in such a way that neither of our productions would ever conflict with each other. The very next day, I received a message from Sid saying they liked the way I handled the situation and would like to hire me as a freelance line producer on two music videos of for the popular Youtube artist, Trisha Paytas. Fortunately, my first music video project “Fat Chicks” went viral (almost 5 million views to date) and was covered by Cosmopolitan magazine. After a few more freelance gigs with Replay, I was finally offered a full-time job with the company.

What are some of the challenges that come with your role as line producer?

My job as Line Producer is to support the director’s vision under the given budget. This typically includes making sure the crew is content and treated well. Keeping calm in tough circumstances is a big challenge. For example, at a recent production, our A.D. had an accident in morning and it was a tough call whether to get a new A.D. or wait for his final call. Meanwhile, our crew became irritated and began complaining about the set not being organized and, as a result, there was a communication breakdown amongst the crew—which ultimately went to higher authority. Overall, it’s a high pressure job from all aspects. And it’s tough not to freak out and prioritize the task and think a step ahead with all of the possible consequences of a decision I make that I’m totally accountable for.

Which of the videos that you’ve worked on are you most proud of?

Recently, I worked on a music video project “Problematic” by Ricky Dillon featuring Snoop Dogg that I am very proud of. Another video that I am proud of was “Steal the Show” by Ricky Dillon, as well as the EA Games’ “Battlefield Hardline” commercial. Every project comes with new challenges and creatives. As a producer, I love working on new creatives, which makes me explore the horizon and gain experience in something completely new.

Was your experience at NYFA useful in terms of being prepared to work as a line producer?

I never thought I would end up as a producer, but NYFA played a big role in teaching industry level ethics and detailed orientation of the hollywood industry. I’m very thankful to NYFA for the practical training, in which I was given the opportunity to experience every crew position and now, as a producer, it helps me understand what it takes to be in a particular crew position.

What is your overall goal in the entertainment industry? What do you hope to achieve?

Since I love producing, and it’s fun to work in numbers and creatives, my goal is to become youngest award-wining commercial producer and eventually work on feature movies.

UPDATE: Varun’s latest project, A Good Girl, focuses on human trafficking and the plight of a young girl after she’s abducted. The film was released on May 10, 2018.

NYFA’s Ren Zhong Wins Big at Beijing Film Academy Awards

Congratulations to New York Film Academy Master of Arts in Film and Media Production student Ren Zhong, whose first semester film New Life won both Best Short Film and Audience’s Favorite Short Film at the Beijing Film Academy Awards.

Zhong is an award-winning Chinese actor who has appeared in a number of films, including Beginning of the Great Revival 建党伟业 (2011) and Intern 青年医生 (1997). He’s also starred in several Chinese television series, such as Beijing Youth 北京青年 (2012), Man Group 男人帮 (2011) and Marriage Battle 婚姻保卫战 (2010), among others.

Zhong’s short musical film features a girl who struggles with and, ultimately, matures from a difficult breakup with her boyfriend. Normally, a close friend would rise to this occasion, but more often than not, they do it out of obligation as a friend. However, this story depicts a helping hand from a stranger, who did it out of trust, sympathy and compassion. We are all expected to help one another as gregarious individuals. It is from this extraordinary experience that the main character becomes even stronger—mentally and psychologically.

“It is a musical film about love,” said Zhong. “I have been studying at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus for only three months—it is impossible for me to know the states that well. Of course, I can make an ‘American film’ from my perspective, but the audience would not be able to relate to it. It is nearly impossible to make an authentic Chinese movie in LA. However, there is no better theme than a love story that touches every one of us and goes beyond age, race, gender and nationality.”

Indeed it is quite a compelling film to people from all different backgrounds, and an incredible accomplishment for a student film.

NYFA Welcomes ‘Bread and Butter’ Director Liz Manashil

Recently, the New York Film Academy welcomed Liz Manashil, who directed the award-winning indie, anti-romantic comedy Bread and Butter. The film stars Lauren Lapkus, SNL’s Bobby Moynihan and former NYFA guest speaker Micah Hauptman.

Manashil screened the trailer to our students and discussed the difficult process of crowdfunding and casting. Manashil wore multiple hats on the project, including writer, director, producer, and casting director. She even had to rewrite the script to make the project affordable and raise the money. Once the money was mostly in place, she was able to go after the cast she wanted for the film.

Manshil went on into detail on how she obtained VOD/digital distribution for the film and how that process worked. Afterward, students asked a variety of questions, ranging from what were the most popular perks on her Kickstarter (blueberry bread baked by her parents) to what did she learn from the project (to write something that’s even cheaper to produce next time).

After learning a few lessons about indie filmmaking, it’s no wonder Manashil is currently working on an indie sci-fi feature with one location.

Cinematography Chair Anthony Richmond Remembers David Bowie from “The Man Who Fell to Earth”

“I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.” Over the span of sixty nine years, the recently deceased legend of music, art, film, theatre and pop culture, David Bowie was indeed as extraordinary as he set out to be. Always setting the trends and breaking the boundaries as an artist, the entertainment icon and pioneer of glam rock’s legacy will live on forever.

“He was a major, major artist,” said New York Film Academy Cinematography Chair, Anthony Richmond, who was Director of Photography on the Nicolas Roeg film The Man Who Fell to Earth, which starred Bowie as a humanoid alien who comes to Earth to get water for his dying planet. “He just kept reinventing himself.”

The 1976 British sci-fi film, which was actually shot in New Mexico, was originally cast for Peter O’ Toole. However, those who know the movie—which maintains its strong cult following due to its use of surreal imagery and unforgettable Bowie performances—know that it wouldn’t be nearly the same without him. “I don’t think there was another person who could play that part,” said Richmond. “Bowie was a bit like an alien himself—bringing his own artistry to the film.”

The British film was Richmond’s first film in which he spent the entire shoot in America. While on set, Richmond and director Nicolas Roeg would play some of Bowie’s hits, especially “Young Americans,” which was one of his more recent songs that Richmond was quite fond of.

Bowie would spend almost eight hours each morning getting into his alien costume. In fact, it was Richmond’s wife at the time who spent all morning dolling up Bowie.

“Unlike most rock stars, Bowie was incredibly professional,” said Richmond, a man who is no stranger to working with rock legends. Richmond was responsible for photography on the seminal British music scene of the late 60’s. He shot The Rolling Stones classic, “Sympathy For The Devil” for Jean-Luc Godard, and then collaborated with Michael Lindsey Hogg on The Rolling Stones’ “Rock And Roll Circus” and the Beatles’ “Let It Be.” His other rock and roll credits include: The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright,” as well as the Documentary “Glastonbury Fayre.”

bowie and richmond — David Bowie, Nicolas Roeg and Anthony Richmond

Like most of us, Richmond was a huge fan of Bowie’s work and would frequently see him in concert and listen to his music whenever he could.

“I was deeply saddened when I read the news this morning. We lost one of the most extraordinary artists of our time.”

NYFA Welcomes China Zhejiang Film and Media Group

The China Zhejiang Film and Media Group recently visited the New York Film Academy’s 17 Battery location to get an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the New York City campus.

The international group was introduced to the visual and performing arts school by Dean of Asian Students Joy Zhu, as well as President Michael Young and Senior Executive Vice President David Klein.

The Chinese film students were able to get a firsthand look at the breathtaking views that Battery Park has to offer, which includes New York Harbor, Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. The tour included some of our classrooms, which were uniquely designed from scratch to meet the specific needs of the hands-on programs, including state-of-the-art production studios and sound stages with courses focusing on filmmaking, acting, musical theatre, screenwriting, 3D animation, producing, photography, broadcast journalism, and more.

“It was a pleasure meeting the China Zhejiang Film and Media group,” said NYFA’s Director of Chinese Social Media, Nancy Shen. “NYFA is proud to serve the high-end Film and Television training program members in their pursuit of a world-class filmmaking education.”

Indeed it was a thrill welcoming budding young talent from China, and we hope to meet with them and other international students in the near future!

Anthony Richmond Holds Crane and Jib Workshop

During their third semester, the MFA Cinematography students at New York Film Academy have a full schedule of workshops to keep them busy. With the Master’s Lighting Workshop, the Underwater Camera Workshop and the Alexa Workshop, the students are given an opportunity work with advanced professional tools and learn how to integrate them into a narrative film production.

In addition to these courses, the week-long Crane & Jib Workshop gives students the opportunity to work with a variety of camera movement systems from a broad range of the top manufacturers including J.L Fisher, Chapman/Leonard, and Service Vision. Cinematography department chair Anthony Richmond, ASC, BSC led the class, introducing the students to a range of practical techniques for using both remote cranes and jib arms to construct powerful, dynamic shots. Richmond pushed the students to develop their operating skills using both the traditional geared head and the remote crane heads that are based on this classic design.

For the last day of the workshop, the class put their new set of skills to work on the Crane & Jib Practicum. They used the 45-foot Scorpion Crane, equipped with a Scorpion Remote Head, a RED Epic Dragon digital cinema camera, a Cooke zoom lens and a remote focus and iris system. With the camera flying on the crane throughout the shoot, the class captured a wide variety of moving shots designed to tell the story in a dynamic style.

By the end of the workshop, the MFA Cinematography students had a greater understanding of how to design visually stunning shots, and how to use professional tools to execute their ideas. As they look forward to next semester, these cinematographers will have a new set of skills to take their films thesis films to the next level.

Cossi Bros Produce Leaning Towers of Pisa Doc

Italy’s Pisa has always been a fascinating city and includes much more than just its famous leaning tower. That is why two former New York Film Academy students, brothers Andrea and Matteo Cossi, set out to produce the documentary The City of Miracles: The Leaning Towers of Pisa, which was intended to be one of a series of documentaries about the unknown monuments of Pisa. The Cossi brothers were co-producers, directors and filmmakers in collaboration with Archimedia Communication and Pisa is Movie (City of Pisa’s film commission).

While the documentary describes how the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa was built, it also showcases the lesser known leaning towers of Pisa. The 18-minute film presents other architectural jewels of Pisa, including the Tower of St. Nicola, the Tower of San Michele degli Scalzi (the tower with the largest slope in the world), The Bell Tower of the Church of St. Francesco, and the famous Tower of Hunger of which Dante Alighieri wrote about in Dante’s Inferno.

“Thanks to NYFA we learned incredible tools and developed the skills that brought us to a career in filmmaking,” said Matteo Cossi. “Even though becoming a film director is a never ending process, the New York Film Academy really helped us in becoming better filmmakers.”

The filmmaking brothers are currently working on a fantasy, horror feature. Over the next few months they will be shooting a social drama series and a short movie while continuing to work as jury members at the Miami Independent Film Festival.

NYFA Welcomes Writer for ‘Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris’

New York Film Academy Instructor Ben Cohen invited comedian and writer for NBC’s Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, Brandon Scott Wolf.

Wolf’s comic talents were recognized early on his career, specifically in college when TBS selected his school as “The Funniest College in the Nation” and handpicked Brandon as “The Funniest College Student in the Nation.”

From there, Brandon moved to New York City where he honed his stand up craft and eventually began performing stand up regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City where he is currently a featured performer on the theatre’s talent page. His other stand-up credits include TBS’s “Lopez Tonight,” CollegeHumor Live, Carolines on Broadway, and a variety of festivals including Just For Laughs Chicago, The Brooklyn Comedy Festival, and UCB’s Del Close Marathon.

His hilarious and original website, DateBrandonScottWolf.com, which parodied our cultures obsession with online dating websites, also gave him a jumpstart on his career.

It wasn’t too long before his talents were discovered by NBC and from 2012 to 2015 Brandon was a contributing writer for “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update, in 2014 he won the New York City Regional Round of Funny Or Die’s Road 2 Oddball Competition, and in 2015 one of his jokes was featured in Time Out New York as the publication’s “Joke of the Week.”

Brandon’s comedic work has also been featured on NBC’s “Ellen,” Fusion TV (ABC-Univision), Russia Today, “Sunrise: Australia’s #1 Breakfast Show,” USA Today, The New York Times, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, GQ, The Huffington Post, Mashable, SiriusXM, MTV News, The Daily Beast, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, GizmodoUK, and countless other news outlets, radio stations, and TV shows around the globe.

We sincerely thank Mr. Wolf for taking time out of his busy schedule to enlighten our students on what it takes to make it in the world of comedy writing.

Joe Lisi and Col. Jack Jacobs Host Acting & Filmmaking Workshop for Military

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, the New York Film Academy believes giving back to those who served and continue to serve our country in the military is of great importance. That is why NYFA founder, Jerry Sherlock, himself a veteran, was delighted that so many members of our nation’s armed forces have taken the opportunity to study and develop their passion in the visual and performing arts at NYFA’s campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, and South Beach, Florida.

To further the College’s commitment to supporting our nation’s servicemembers on a broader scale, NYFA and the NYFA Office of Veterans Services developed a new program offering multiple free 1-day Master Classes—taught by media and entertainment industry luminaries—to veterans and active duty military members. This ongoing program will take place at all three NYFA domestic campuses.

On December 12th, 2015, veterans and active duty military members from the Tristate area attended an exclusive 1-day Acting & Filmmaking workshop at the New York Film Academy’s beautiful campus in downtown Manhattan. In addition to the intensive hands-on master classes, the invited guests also had the privilege of an intimate sit-down lunch with the Chair of the Veterans Advancement Program, Medal of Honor recipient and NBC/MSNBC on-air personality, Colonel Jack Jacobs. As a finale for the day of instruction and filming, the students met with the renowned film and television actor—and U.S. Marine veteran— Joe Lisi for a critique of their films and a discussion about the industry and career paths.

The ambitious goal of teaching participants the basics: framing the “shot,” rehearsing lines, directing actors, and filming—all in one day—was successfully implemented by NYFA faculty, Blanche Baker (Acting), Jonathan Whittaker (Filmmaking) and Bart Mastronardi (Cinematography) who each relied on the proven method of “hands-on,” learning by doing.

Since 1992, the New York Film Academy, an accredited and military friendly school, has been offering the world’s most hands-on, intensive programs in Filmmaking, Acting, Game Design, 3D Animation, Screenwriting, and many more. Our faculty is comprised of industry professionals, many of which are still active creatively in their chosen fields! For assistance beginning your education in the visual and performing arts, please visit www.NYFA.edu or contact our Veterans Admission Team at [email protected].

-Jim Miller & Chris Paparis