Page 272 – NYFA

Prolific Marvel & Sci-Fi Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski Visits NYFA

New York Film Academy students gathered recently for a screening of the hit film Thor followed by a Q&A with its story writer Joseph Michael Straczynski.

J. Michael Straczynski works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, radio dramas and other media. Straczynski is a playwright, former journalist, and author of The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. He was the creator and showrunner for the science fiction television series Babylon 5, for which he wrote 92 out of the 110 episodes, and the four Babylon 5 TV movies produced alongside the series. From 2001 to 2007, he was the writer for the long-running Marvel comic book series The Amazing Spider-Man. He also famously wrote for Thor, Superman, the Superman: Earth One original graphic novels, Before Watchmen and Wonder Woman. In 2009, Straczynski was nominated for the BAFTA Award for his screenplay for Changeling starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Clint Eastward. His new series, Sense8, for the Wachowski’s brother-sister team (Matrix) premiered in 2015. Producer Tova Laiter and NYFA’s screenwriting instructor Crickett Rumley moderated the Q&A.

Mr. Straczynski was an incredible inspiration to all writers in the audience. He discussed how writing was something he’s been doing since he was a boy and has continued to be a therapeutic process for him. In his dry sense of humor, his advice to young writers was to “write out the crap.” After chuckles from the audience Michael went on to seriously explain that the first couple scripts any writer produces will inevitably be bad. So you might as well accept the fact that you’ll only get around to writing better material when you get all that bad stuff out of your system. Michael advocates that to become a better writer you just have to write A LOT. Every script teaches you a lesson. The more scripts you write, the more lessons you’ll learn.

What stands out most about Michael’s career is how extremely prolific he is. He related a story highlighting this strength which astounded students. Six years ago, the Wachowskis approached him to rewrite the script for the film Ninja Assassin. The only catch was that it was a Tuesday and they needed a rewrite by Friday as the film was going into production very soon. Michael said “OK,” went home and started the coffee machine. He calculated how many pages he would have to write per hour and slept three hours a day at his desk. Come Friday, however, he had a completely finished rewrite, and the Wachowskis were thrilled with!

Sense8, a Netflix Original Series, is Mr. Straczynski’s most recent project that he created with the Wachowskis. The plot revolves around eight strangers from different parts of the world who suddenly become mentally and emotionally linked. The show aims to explore subjects that its the Wachowskis and Straczynski felt science fiction shows, at least ostensibly, tend to ignore or skim through — such as politics, identity, sexuality, gender and religion. Michael penned every episode of the series. The Netflix has seen huge success inside and outside of the U.S.

We sincerely thank Joseph Michael Straczynski for dropping by NYFA and wish him continued success with Sense8 and his future endeavors!

Animation Director Roger Allers Inspires NYFA Students

New York Film Academy students were treated to a special sneak peek preview of the new animated version of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (produced by Salma Hayek) followed by a Q&A with animation director Roger Allers. The Q&A was moderated by producer Tova Laiter and NYFA LA’s Chair of Animation Mark Sawicki.

Roger Allers is a multi-talented artist who began as an animator, art director and writer who was enlisted by Disney to create pre-production concept art for the landmark film Tron. The depiction of that fantastical world of candy apple neon was something that was never seen before and accomplished painstakingly with multiple exposures of artwork blended together.

Mr. Allers’ work was impressive and he continued to work with Disney as a storyboard artist on such classic films as The Little Mermaid, Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Emperor’s New Groove. After this run of hit films Disney assigned him the task of directing The Lion King, which grossed $952 million dollars…just shy of one billion dollars. It is no surprise that Roger was chosen to take the inspiring work of Kahlil Gibran—that has touched generations—and turn it into this amazing film, The Prophet.

the lion king — Disney’s “The Lion King”

The world of animation was a foreign concept to many in attendance including the high school students. Mr. Allers was eager to shed some light on the topic he knows much about. Since everything in an animated movie comes from the hand of an animator, a director’s challenge lies in communicating to his team of artists what his or her vision is. Because of this all animation directors begin as animation artists themselves, having to master this form of expression before moving up the chain. When asked whether he believed a director could bypass this step and still work in animation, Roger said that he supposed it was possible but since so much of a director’s role depends on understanding the autonomy of drawing, he found it unlikely.

Roger explained how the “Story” credit can sometimes have a different meaning in the animation world. Part of the story development process involves creating storyboards to help envision how a story will unfold visionally and what it will look like. This process is just as, if not more, important that putting words on the page. Considering that everything you see in an animated film is completely created from scratch, this makes sense.

Allers’ position on Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, his most recent film, involved a process slightly different than his directing jobs in the past. He oversaw a team of artists who were responsible for animating different segments of a scripted interpretation of the renowned poem. Roger’s challenge was to maintain continuity between pieces and correctly shape the overall work while allowing each artist’s specific voice to come through. This type of work involves a very delicate touch. Because many of his animators lived all over the world, Allers’ communication with them was mainly through Skype. However, Roger admits that he prefers face-to-face contact.

The result is a visual masterpiece combining new digital animation techniques with a traditionally drawn cell animation look. The students in attendance repeatedly expressed how truly moved they were by the Roger Allers’ version of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet. Mr. Allers had once again achieved in his work the intangible quality that touches our hearts and souls which he is known for. We sincerely thank Roger Allers for visiting NYFA and congratulate him on the completion of such a spectacular work.

BFA Filmmaking Student Screens “The Script” at Bucheon Fantastic Film Fest

We’d like to congratulate one of our BFA Filmmaking students at New York Film Academy Los Angeles, Chang Hyun Park, whose short film The Script screened at the 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. BiFan is a Korean film festival that redefines the fantasy genre films. The festival, which includes 235 total films from 45 different countries, runs from July 16 – 26.

In the film, his main character, a screenwriter named William, deals with the stress of severe writer’s block. Park describes his film as a “twisted” film with a focus on schizophrenia.

Originally from South Korea, Park had been studying film in his home country but never had the opportunity to actually make a film! “I usually studied about film in front of desk,” recalled Park. “But I really wanted to make a movie and knew NYFA was known for its hands-on filmmaking programs and its commitment to providing high quality equipment to make a movie.”

After his one-year filmmaking program at NYFA NYC, Park decided to continue his film education by pursuing a BFA degree at NYFA Los Angeles.

After he graduates, he hopes to use his showcase his films in order to get work in Hollywood as a writer/director. With a film already making the festival circuits as a student, we think he has a great chance to succeed.

NYFA Students Participate in LA Mayor Garcetti’s Veterans Initiative

Veteran students from the New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus were front and center at the 10,000 Strong Veterans Career Summit & Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America VetTogether held in Los Angeles on July 14. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti led the event.

This event was held in celebration of Mayor Garcetti’s one-year anniversary of the launch of 10,000 Strong Hiring Initiative. The Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs created the initiative to connect veterans with employers seeking to hire former service members. The goal is to have employers support the veteran population by hiring 10,000 veterans by the year 2017. The summit aimed to connect veterans with the various career and business resources available.

The New York Film Academy was privileged to partner with “We Are Mighty,” a Veteran NGO, on the initiative; and NYFA veteran students filmed the event.

The NYFA veterans in attendance were delighted to have the opportunity to connect with the many participants from the entertainment industry to discuss employment opportunities. The VetTogether was beneficial to the New York Film Academy Veterans Affairs Office by providing the opportunity to network and develop partnerships with many veterans’ organizations.

The New York Film Academy received a Certificate of Appreciation from Mayor Garcetti on behalf of the city of Los Angeles and its residents for offering our media services.

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY PARTNERS WITH THE FULBRIGHT ASSOCIATION FOR TED_XFULBRIGHT 2015

The New York Film Academy is proud to be a partner and the principal sponsor in this year’s TEDxFulbright 2015, presented by the Fulbright Association and the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Fulbright Association. As an institution that prides itself on promoting creativity and innovative ideas, the TEDxFulbright 2015 event is the perfect platform to partner with.

TEDxFSM2015 from Miguel Cruz on Vimeo.

This year’s TEDxFulbright, which will be held on September 26th at the Broad Stage, Santa Monica College, will feature TEDTalks from 18 original speakers with the spirit of “ideas worth spreading.” The event will welcome up to 500 alumni, current grantees, and friends to Los Angeles in order to stimulate engaging conversation, and connect deeply through a shared commitment to the Fulbright Vision. This is a one-day interdisciplinary conference for Fulbright alumni and internationally-minded members of the public guided by the theme “Fights Worth Fighting” and organized by the Fulbright Association.

“The New York Film Academy is proud to be a partner with the Fulbright Association and support the important TedxFulbright event as the primary sponsor,” said Jim Miller, NYFA’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “The Film Academy is committed to working with the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of Fulbright to making this year’s TedxFulbright the most impactful ever.”

The Fulbright Scholarship Program nurtures mutual understanding across cultures by the exchange of talented individuals, as ambassadors in all fields of professional engagement. The New York Film Academy is honored to have been a host institution to more than 30 exceptional filmmakers and media arts students from 14 countries through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

“We regard our relationships with the Fulbright Commissions/Foundations, U.S. Embassies, the Institute of International Education (IIE), and AMIDEAST as vital in utilizing the visual arts to promote the values of the Fulbright Program around the globe,” added Jim Miller.

For more information about TEDxFulbright, or to register for this event, please visit: http://www.tedxfulbright2015.com.

Screenwriter and Reality TV Story Producer Ed Klau Sits Down with NYFA Students

Recently, screenwriter and reality TV story producer Edward Klau visited with New York Film Academy Business of Screenwriting students to talk about his unique path in the entertainment business–from working on a variety of reality TV shows over the years to most recently having his thriller screenplay Brights win the Table-Read My Script Competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Originally hailing from Miami, 13-year-old Klau loved to make short movies. “I always loved storytelling,” Klau explained. He attended school in upstate New York, with a major in Cinema & Photography. While there, Klau wrote, directed and produced a half-hour TV show that aired on the campus-wide TV station ICTV, entitled Tracy Malis, a crime-thriller web series in the vein of La Femme Nikita. “It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot doing it.”

While a student, Klau knew that most of the job opportunities in entertainment were in Los Angeles, and while still in school, took an internship over the summer as a set PA on the Nicholas Hytner film The Object of My Affection.

After college, Klau held assistant jobs working for producer Steve Tisch (FORREST GUMP, AMERICAN HISTORY X), who had a first look deal with DreamWorks at the time. But Klau knew he had other ambitions than working in development; he wanted to write and wanted a job that afforded him some time to do so. He soon found a niche that better suited him when he got a job as a logger/transcriber on LAW AND ORDER: CRIME & PUNISHMENT. “The job was pretty easy. I had to take notes on what was on the footage, that is, its content basically. I was a fast typist, and I also knew how to edit.”

After graduating, Klau was able to land a job as a logger on The Amazing Race. And from there, he began a long and successful career working his way up the creative reality TV producing ladder, as an associate producer, a story editor, and then a story producer.

Klau has worked on over 30 shows—everything from Project Runway, a reality TV series exploring the fashion world, to Project Greenlight, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of movies. He was a story producer for Trading Spaces, a reality TV series about carpenters who compete against each other to redecorate a room in each other’s homes, and the cooking competition show Ultimate Cake Off.

As Klau explained to the students, part of his job is to comb through all of the footage that is taken and start finding episodes. “It’s a lot of puzzle-solving,” Klau explained. Essentially, he has to help find “problems of the week” that can become episodes, which is challenging especially on non-competition shows. He then has to find other problems that have come up (B and C stories from footage) and string them all together and make sure they work with another and have a creative coherence.

As for whether reality TV is really written and scripted, Klau explained, “It depends on the show, but all really come together in the editing. Some shows still basically just shoot documentary-style, and see what they can get, and we have to really create the show in post. That’s challenging, but rewarding. On some shows, the producers intervene with ideas or directions about where the show might go or what a character might say, blurring the lines a bit more. And on some, yes, it’s almost scripted reality, almost like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

A lot of what Klau enjoys about his work is through osmosis of just being a part of the team. “One of the things I love about what I do is how much I get to learn about niche topics, things I would have never gotten a chance to learn. On Sons of Guns, I learned everything there is to know about building guns. On Flipping Ships, it was building boats, on Kentucky Justice, it was learning about people who manhunt for arsonists.” Klau worked on the ghost-hunter show Paranormal State, and while he claims not to not believe in the paranormal, he did say there was once a very strange “electric glitch” on an episode that gave him the willies….

“Every show is completely different and is an entirely new world, which is really cool. It helps my writing as well, not only as a research tool, but in coming up with new ideas,” Klau explained.

Klau taught the students that some producer and editor positions are known as a “PrEditor” gigs, though it’s not a title that entirely fits his job description, and that reality TV shows are filled with like-minded individuals, many of whom have scripted film and TV aspirations as well, but it’s a great community of individuals who get to create every day. “It’s not a bad day job at all.”

As for screenwriting, Klau is also beginning to make a name for himself in that arena as well. His script Brights recently won the “Table Read My Screenplay” at the Sundance Film Festival, a great honor. Klau has developed many other projects with producers over the years and shared some closing advice for NYFA’s writing students as well. “I think there are two types of people in the world: those who can and those who can’t, those who will and those who won’t. With writing, you have to remain proactive, because this is not an easy profession and you can’t ever give up.”

Award-Winning Photographer Ralph Gibson Holds Lecture at NYFA NYC

The words were simple, yet dramatically impactful: “We are all in the same boat, I have just been in it longer,” said the world renowned photographer Ralph Gibson this past Saturday at the New York Film Academy’s campus at Battery Place in New York City. The crowd eased back into their seats now relaxed and eager to listen to more.

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) was delighted to host a sensational event featuring Mr. Gibson, who is the Chair of NYFA Department of Contemporary Photography. The renowned photographer provided an exhilarating presentation and demonstration to more than 160 guests; the NYFA photography studio was packed with prospective photography students, hobbyists, and professional photographers.

Mr. Gibson began by introducing himself and his background through an informal lecture and slide show that represented the last 50+ years of his illustrious career woven into six decades of contemporary fine art photography. At times the stories matching the iconic Gibson images were very personal, such as a photograph that he shot years after the death of his mother that led to a delayed mourning of her loss in a profound way.

While in the US Navy, Mr. Gibson became immensely adept at the technical skills associated with photography by working (and practically living) in the darkroom located deep in the hull of the ship. After his service he attended the San Francisco Art Institute and soon after began working as an assistant to the legendary FSA photographer Dorothea Lange. Mr. Gibson printed many of Ms. Lange’s iconic photographs and admits that while she was a terrible technician it was “the sheer force of her will” that her masterful images immersed from the darkroom’s chemicals. He gives credit to Ms. Lange for teaching him the concept that every great photograph is made only if by having a “point of departure” and that it is always important to have a destination in mind. Early in his career he had the great opportunity to work with the great photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank, of whom he is a still friend with today. He met other luminaries in the world of photography such as Mary Ellen Mark, the legendary photographer who passed away this past May. Mr. Gibson and Ms. Mark arrived in New York City as young struggling artists around the same time.

Through Mr. Gibson’s photographs that were displayed on two large screens, we were taken on a visual walk through many distinct periods of his work, and exposed to the world through his life of travel with his ever-present 50mm lens. Of particular interest was the photographer’s transition from film to working digitally and more recently creating work combining still and video. After the lecture he provided a demonstration based on the theme of “natural light” where Mr. Gibson provided the audience with tips ranging from camera handling to how the body and light are captured in the frame of the picture. His lecture stressed his strong preference for the use of natural light in his work. In fact, he says he hardly ever uses artificial light. He proudly displayed the “Gibson Special Edition” camera that the Leica Company produced in his honor.

Mr. Gibson challenged the participants to become immersed deeply in art, music, literature, history, and geography in order to become better visual thinkers. He said that everyone in the room is capable of creating a masterpiece, an icon photographic, but it must be intentional!

Not only will Mr. Gibson be teaching Master Classes to NYFA’s Photography Programs in New York City, Los Angeles, and South Beach campuses, he will also open his New York studio to students on an individual basis.

It’s an honor and a pleasure for the New York Film Academy to introduce Mr. Gibson to our current and prospective students. His experience and pearls of wisdom are invaluable assets, and we look forward to a bright, naturally lit, future for our photography program!

More About Ralph Gibson

Mr. Gibson holds two Honorary Doctorate degrees and his awards include fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the Leica Medal of Excellence, the Lucie Lifetime Award and the Silver Plumb Award. He is a Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, and this spring Gibson was honored with the Guild Hall Academy of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. Later this year, the Mary Boone Gallery will host a retrospective exhibition of his work.

NYFA’s BFA Photography degree program is offered at all three domestic campuses of New York Film Academy: New York, Los Angeles, and South Beach, Miami.

NYFA Run Club Participates in Night Nation Run

Sometimes there’s nothing more rewarding than a good run. It clears your mind, relieves stress, and occasionally sparks a creative idea for that film or script you’re working on. This past weekend, the New York Film Academy Run Club participated in its third event, the Night Nation Run, which is the world’s 1st running music festival. The entire event incorporates a 5k run with multiple DJ stages and a main-stage after party concert. This personally rewarding event also benefits the charity Stand Up To Cancer — a groundbreaking initiative created to accelerate innovative cancer research that will get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now.

“I started the NYFA Run Club to promote enhanced physical as well as social health amongst the students, and create a sense of camaraderie and community to supplement their academic experience,” said NYFA Health & Wellness Instructor, Aly Covington. “My vision is to show that NYFA not only creates, but NYFA moves, because students who are motivated by fitness and wellness tend to perform better academically and have enhanced creativity and concentration.

Miss Covington also reinforces the notion that the Run Club has a positive impact in the students’ overall well-being by improving stress, time management and problem solving.

“Success goes beyond the classroom, and with NYFA’s support and encouragement, these students have an opportunity to build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

The NYFA Run Club has previously participated in the Sunset Strip 5k as well as the Color Run at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Participants include an international student body consisting of members from China, France, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.

“One of the things I am most proud of is the global diversity of our group,” added Covington. “We are bringing students together to interact in a way that is encouraging them to make connections across their cultural differences; and it has created a great sense of community, which is very special.”

Broadcast Journalism Students On Hand For US Women’s Soccer Team Parade

One of the biggest stories in New York City last week was a special parade honoring the members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, following their victory at the World Cup. The parade was also an opportunity for our New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism students to develop their journalism skills. The Summer Session students began class on Monday, and by Friday they were shooting footage of an actual news event. It’s an example of the “hands-on” nature of coursework at NYFA

Members of the class come from England, Brazil, India, Russia and Scotland, as well as Washington state, Ohio and New York. One of them is Starla Sampaco, a university student majoring in journalism, who came to NYFA to deepen her broadcast journalism skill set. The class also includes several practicing journalists.

For more information about our Broadcast Journalism school, please visit https://www.nyfa.edu/broadcast-journalism-school/