Page 275 – NYFA

Photography Students Spend a Week in Hawaii!

Students from the New York Film Academy Los Angeles Photography BFA and One-Year Programs spent a week on the Big Island of Hawaii, engaged in a variety of tours and activities.

Monday, the students met with Chef Allen, who owns HUGGOS restaurant. Chef Allen was kind enough to let the students shoot in his restaurant from 10:00am until 2:00pm, where they shot models (from Premiere Modeling Agency) in the restaurant. The restaurant is on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The rest of the day was spent organizing the week.

Tuesday was the Circle Island/Volcano Excursion. The all day tour took them to the island’s most popular sight seeing locations. They visited Kilauea Volcano, Hilo Town (the floral center of the islands), a stop at Akatsuka Nursery and Big Island Candies (known for its chocolates). From there, the photography students went to Rainbow Falls and past sugar cane fields to Parker Ranch, which takes up approximately 250,000 acres of the island. Parker Ranch is also one of the nation’s largest cattle ranches.

Wednesday the students met and worked with the Focus Model & Talent Agency. They sent a toddler, teenager and an adult. Everyone met on the beach, and the challenge for the students was a location they had never seen before with outdoor conditions and a time restrain. While on the beach, the locals were friendly and gave out excellent advice on where to eat and shop!

On Thursday, they participated in a tour that began at Kona, along the beautiful coast of Hawaii, wandered through ancient lava fields, and ended at Mauna Kea Summit — over 13,000 feet altitude and has 13 telescopes from over 11 countries. High above the cloud cover, students photographed the stunning views at sunset, then traveled down to the Mauna Kea Visitors Information Station for a Star Gazing party, learning about the night sky and constellations while being treated to home made brownies and hot chocolate.

Friday was spent going to Kole Kole beach, where a fresh water river meets a saltwater ocean. Although the water is clear and there are rocks on the bottom, they all joined in swinging off the rope from the cliff and into the water.

Students treked to Waipio Valley, childhood home of King Kamehameha, where they hiked down the lush valley with local birds and bugs (and no cell phone service) to Hillawe Falls. When hiking back up, a tropical rain soaked them all!

Saturday, there was a modeling agency workshop with the Focus Modeling Agency owner, Swan. The “new face” models were there to meet Peter Baratti, Hollywood guest photographer, and the students were invited to join and shoot with him.

Saturday night they all went back to the hotel to enjoy the local poke (fish salad) and get ready to head home.

All in all, the photography students first one-week exotic trip was a huge success! We look forward to providing the same experience to our next group of students.

NYFA Awards Brooklyn Film Festival’s Best Director

The New York Film Academy is proud to be a Supporting Sponsor at the 18^th Brooklyn Film Festival. This year, the festival received 2,331 films coming from 114 countries and selected 109 film premieres coming from 26 countries.

“Our film competition has been incredibly successful,” said Brooklyn Film Festival Director, Marco Ursino. “The great thing is that our audience, professionals or not, truly enjoyed all of the films.”

As part of our sponsorship, NYFA’s President Michael Young was on hand to present a tuition scholarship to the Best New Director Award-Winner, Robert Gregson, for his film The Refrigerator. The Brooklyn-based filmmakers’s film focuses on the lives of Howie and Mark, two broke friends who happen to find a refrigerator on the street. Inside the fridge, they discover the way to another dimension. Greed, drunkenness and hilarity ensue.

We’d like to congratulate Mr. Gregson, as well as the other winners and competitors in the festival. Mr. Gregson’s scholarship entitles him to attend an 8-Week Workshop to one of our many locations around the world. For a full list of this year’s winners, visit the Brooklyn Film Festival’s official website at http://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/winners/.

We look forward to supporting next year’s Brooklyn Film Festival!

NYFA Hosts Special Event for Wounded Warriors

As a nationally accredited and degree granting college, the New York Film Academy has been privileged over the last few years to enroll hundreds of veteran students at our campuses in both New York City and Los Angeles. To further give back to our veteran and military community, the New York Film Academy in Battery Park held an event exclusive for veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured servicemembers, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs.

The daylong event began with a speech from Colonel Jack Jacobs, NYFA’s Chair of the NYFA Veterans Advancement Program. Jacobs has served as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division, executive officer of an infantry battalion in the 7th Infantry Division, and commanded the 4th Battalion 10th Infantry in Panama. A member of the faculty of the US Military Academy, Colonel Jacobs taught international relations and comparative politics for three years, and he was a member of the faculty of the National War College in Washington, DC. He was in Vietnam twice, both times as an advisor to Vietnamese infantry battalions, and he is among the most highly decorated soldiers from that era, having earned three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars and the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest combat decoration.

Jacobs spoke in depth about the importance of veterans in Media and Film, and joined the Warriors for lunch after his inspirational speech. After that, the Warriors were given two truly hands-on workshops in both filmmaking and acting for film.

“It was an honor and privilege doing this event for the Wounded Warrior Project,” said Director of Performing Arts Enrollment, Roger Del Pozo. “They did a fantastic job in the workshop, and they were very inspiring — it was an amazing experience.”

An award-winning Top Military Friendly School, the New York Film Academy is dedicated to helping veterans achieve their educational and career goals. Many of NYFA programs are approved for the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the New York Film Academy proudly participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

For more information about NYFA’s Veterans Benefits, Resources and Alumni, please visit https://www.nyfa.edu/veterans/

Support NYFA Instructor Adam Nimoy’s Spock Documentary

Adam and Leonard Nimoy — A young Adam Nimoy with his iconic father, Leonard Nimoy (AKA Spock).

In memory of Leonard Nimoy, his son Adam Nimoy, will be dedicating his next production For the Love of Spock to his father. Adam, who is an acting and directing faculty member of New York Film Academy in LA, will continue the work on the documentary he started with his father (who sadly passed early this year). Although it will not be considered a “Spockumentary,” it will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of Star Trek (first aired September 8, 1966).

According to Variety, William Shatner, who played Enterprise captain James T. Kirk, had agreed to appear in the doc.

The new Star Trek’s Spock, Zachart Quinto, is expected to narrate the film.

You can support Adam Nimoy’s documentary by visiting the Kickstarter campaign here.

NYFA Grad to Screen ‘On the Spot’ at Rooftop Films

The New York Film Academy Broadcast Journalism program attracts students from across the United States and around the world. NYFA grad Andras Takacs is returning to New York in early July for a film festival screening of his video On The Spot: Gaza – Chronicles of a Conflict.

Andras, who comes from Budapest, tells me that he took the skills he learned at NYFA and used them to build a powerful first-person video series. He, along with collaborator and On The Spot co-founder Eszter Cseke, has traveled far from his native Hungary. (Currently the two are shooting in Thailand.)

At NYFA, we train multimedia journalists. Being able to “do it all” makes our grads valuable contributors at American networks like CBS and NBC, as well as Agence France-Presse, TRT (Turkey), Ten Network (Australia) and Glitz (Brazil). It also gives them the skills necessary to embark upon bold, independent productions.

The On The Spot series has won numerous awards, including one at the Monte Carlo Television Festival. On The Spot: Gaza – Chronicles of a Conflict will be shown as part of the Rooftop Film series in Brooklyn on Friday, July 2. (Isn’t everything in Brooklyn, these days?)

Tickets are available online and at the door. Both Andras Takacs and Eszter Cseke will be at the screening, as will I and several current NYFA students.

Portuguese Filmmaking Grad Directs Award-Winning Commercial

Directing commercials can not only be a creative and rewarding career, it can also propel directors into the world of feature directing. Just have a look at David Fincher or Michel Gondry’s early career in the film business.

One of our 8-Week Filmmaking graduates, Francisco Miranda, directed a commercial in his hometown of Portugal, which recently won the grand prize in the prestigious “Galp Create” publicity contest. The video is a 30 second spot for Tangerina.

“I attribute a huge part of this success to the New York Film Academy,” said Miranda. “Back in school, I gained a lot of knowledge in the classes that I was part of. The movies that I made at NYFA with my fellow students were very important to improve my craft and become a director.”

Have a look at Miranda’s award-winning spot below!

Galp Tangerina from Francisco Miranda on Vimeo.

Jamaican Novelist Roger Williams Sets Sights on Film

Already with a successful novel under his belt, American-based Jamaican novelist, Roger Williams, came to the New York Film Academy to expand his creative writing abilities in the field of screenwriting. Williams’ book, Turn Back Blow, made him the first Jamaican author to advocate animal rights and bring awareness to animal cruelty. The novel was inspired by a real-life event where a dog was being used as bait to lure a crocodile in a Jamaican community. Since releasing the book, its become a part of the catalogue at Yale, Princeton and England’s Oxford University.

Now, with his sights set on the film world, Williams is working on two screenplays that he began developing at NYFA. His first full-length screenplay is an action/drama called Murder For Sale, which he intends to shop to Jamaican producers. Williams has also adapted his screenplay into a novel of the same name, Murder for Sale, now available on Amazon.

“The experience with NYFA was great,” said Williams. “I learned so much — things that I wouldn’t have learned from a book about screenplays. The knowledge from NYFA will be very valuable when it’s time for me to adapt my book into a screenplay.”

In addition to his writing, Williams took an acting course at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles. While there he wrote and acted in a short film called Redemption Irony. From there, he took his hand at directing while at a course at NYFA New York. His short was entitled Shutdown, and was well received, especially by women.

“I never dreamed of working behind the camera, and working on Shutdown was a tremendous experience. The short has been receiving great feedback from women on Facebook and YouTube, because they can all relate to what is taking place in the scene.”

On the whole, Williams hopes to not only entertain his audience with his work, but to educate them in the same way he did with his novel, Turn Back Blow. We look forward to seeing his adaptation, as well as his original material in the near future.

Cinematography Grad Captures New York’s ‘Queens of Flesh & Blood’

michelle cassis — Michelle Cassis and her crew on set

Queens of Flesh & Blood is a fashion piece statement that celebrates the hard-working women who inhabit one of the toughest cities in the world. Shot in the streets of New York City by New York Film Academy Cinematography alumna Michelle Cassis, the film is an anthem to real, persevering women who strive daily to conquer the concrete jungle. It is a film that captures and showcases New York City in its essence — by telling the story through New York’s most iconic signs and billboards.

“This film is dedicated to real women, with the hopes of inspiring them,” said Cassis. “My goal was to shoot a fashion film with a strong story and message — not just pretty shots — but an inspiring film to the audience. I wanted to jump out of the glamor of couture and editorial and come up with a down-to-earth fashion film that women all around the world could relate to.”

Cassis creates an homage to strong women while at the same time using New York as a character of the story. “These women, these queens, are out there, we see them everyday,” Cassis concludes.

The video was shot in New York last October. The crew consisted of other NYFA graduates:

Producer Anthony Argento
Jieun Shim and Mihyun Park from South Korea, both assistant cameras and graduates from the Cinematography course
Tomas Velasques, from Colombia, who helped Ming as his gaffer
Mariana Araujo, from Brazil, was assistant director
Jorge Godinez, from Mexico, was the production designer

“I’m really grateful to the entire crew,” added Cassis. “Without their hard-work and help the film wouldn’t be what it is today.”

Shot with the Arri Alexa and the Optica Elite Anamorphic Primer lenses in 50mm and 70mm, cinematographer Ming Jue Hu said, “The look for each character is inspired by the space they live in. We were going for a romantic realism.”

In regards to the casting process, Cassis said while she wasn’t necessarily looking for a specific look, diversity was the main goal. The team ended up casting Darin Itdhanuvekin from Thailand, and Lidiia Vidrenko and Alexandra Chelaru from Russia.

Have a look at Michelle’s video in its entirety below.

Queens of Flesh & Blood from Michelle Cassis on Vimeo.

NYFA South Beach Open House with Ralph Gibson and Col. Jacobs

In a full room of prospective students, the New York Film Academy South Beach hosted an Open House with award-winning photographer Ralph Gibson and Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Jack Jacobs. Both Mr. Gibson and Colonel Jacobs have recently joined NYFA — Gibson as Chair of its Department of Contemporary Photography and Colonel Jacobs as Chair of Veteran’s Advancement Program.

Mr. Gibson spoke intimately, offering his advice and beliefs on photography as an art form, as a career and as a philosophy on how it relates to society and culture. He commanded the room for two hours while taking questions from students who were looking for insight and opinions from the prolific Mr. Gibson. He also spoke candidly about trends in photography like the popularity of instagram and shooting from your iPhone. In his own charismatic way, Mr. Gibson provided a fresh prospective on the techniques and style that will last as long as still photography remains a popular form of expression.

col jacobs — Colonel Jacobs with Mr. Scoleri, Veterans Service Officer

“It was great to have Mr. Gibson speak so candidly to prospective students about the world of photography and how our programs here at NYFA teach you in an immersive and practical environment — as oppose to the traditional, sit, listen and watch approach,” said NYFA Photography Enrollment Advisor, Evan Leone.

Colonel Jacobs, who spoke one-on-one with prospective veteran students, emphasized his belief that military men and women are the most competent and hard-working individuals in society, and that hiring a veteran is not an act of charity, as many feel, but a benefit to the employer. Colonel Jacobs was able to provide each student with his own first-hand experience of transitioning from the military to a career in the media. This was Jacobs’ third NYFA campus visit, as he previously spoke at NYFA’s Los Angeles and New York City locations.

Next on the Open House tour for Gibson are Los Angeles and New York City. Ralph Gibson will be conducting his special “Natural Light Portraits” Workshop at NYFA Los Angeles on June 20th from 1:00pm-2:30pm. Following that will be a New York Open House on July 11th at NYFA Battery Park, located at 17 Battery Place in Manhattan, from 12:00pm – 2:00pm.