Page 280 – NYFA

HollyShorts Presents NYFA Night

Continuing its collaboration with New York Film Academy, HollyShorts dedicated a screening exclusively to the films of NYFA students and alumni.

From HollyShorts‘ website: “HollyShorts is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums.”

For the past eight years, the HollyShorts annual festival and monthly screenings have become a Hollywood staple. Playing to a sold-out house at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, these eight films were a terrific showcase for our talented filmmakers and performers.

Maggie Lin’s RED HOUSE received the audience award for best picture!

Thank you to everyone who participated, and to Theo & Daniel at HollyShorts for hosting such a memorable screening. Congratulations to all the cast and crews!

You’re Never Too Young to Become a Screenwriter

eric conner and students — Dean of Students Eric Conner with Valley View Elementary students

Each year, Hollywood seems to get younger and younger. Just ask the ten writers from Valley View Elementary, who witnessed their original screenplays performed live in front of a packed audience.

As part of the Young Storytellers Foundation, a group of New York Film Academy students and alumni have been mentoring these fifth grade writers, helping them to realize their unique visions and commit their words to the page.

After eight weeks of zip zap zop, three-act breakdowns, NASA shakeoff, story games, lectures on theme, character, tone & conflict—not to mention a whole lot of writing—our talented young auteurs created ten original screenplays.

Featuring power-absorbing banana bread, transforming robots, sibling rivalries, magic fairies and talking New Jersey lions, these scripts were worthy of a world-class show. And thanks to the tireless work of our NYFA & Young Storyteller actors, the scripts were brought to vivid life.

Congratulations to our budding writers from Valley View. Look for them all to get their first studio deals by age 13!

If you’re a kid who is interested in learning screenwriting or another creative discipline, be sure to check out the New York Film Academy Summer Camps.

Emirati Graduate Directs First Feature “Abdullah”

Given the various locations of the New York Film Academy all over the world, often students have the opportunity to explore multiple locations while studying for a certificate or degree. Former AFA Filmmaking student Humaid Alsuwaidi studied his first year in Abu Dhabi and moved to Los Angeles to complete his degree his second year.

Since his graduation, Alsuwaidi has been hard at work on his first feature film Abdullah, which he directed with fellow NYFA students, including:

Jack Elliott: Director of Photography
Fatima Al Taei: Main Actress
Malik Zenger: Gaffer
Shih-Yao Huang: Key Grip
Aiham Alsubaihi: 1st AC
Effendi Edris: Cam Op
Stuart Matthews: Grip

His film tells the story of an Emirati boy (Abdullah) who develops a fascination with music from an early age, but struggles to hide that over the years from his very conservative family—where many things are “haram- forbidden/prohibited.”

Alsuwaidi shot the film in the emirates of Ajman, north of UAE, despite all of the difficulties in location and funds. The task of finding the right crew came naturally, as he found NYFA alumni are the best to work with, as they have a high standard of understanding the demands of a film production.

Humaid’s risk paid off, and he feels very satisfied on the results of his production. He is currently in the middle of post-production.

We look forward to viewing the finished product!

NYFA Covers Young Storytellers’ Final ‘Glee’ Big Show

As part of our on-going collaboration with the wonderful Young Storytellers Foundation, New York Film Academy students and alumni recently got the chance to film “THE FINAL GLEE BIG SHOW.”

Glee cast members Mark Salling, Dot Marie Jones, Harry Shum Jr., Max Adler, and Alex Newell along with Chrissie Fit (Teen Beach Movie, Pitch Perfect 2) performed four different short screenplays written by a group of inventive middle schoolers.

The connection between Glee and Young Storytellers dates back to the organization’s very beginnings when Glee co-creator Brad Falchuk helped create what is now YSF. Since then, Mr Falchuk has regularly brought the cast of Glee to perform the student’s material as part of YSF’s “Big Show.” With Glee now coming to a close after six seasons, this performance truly marked the end of an era.

NYFA was honored to be part of the experience, and congratulates the cast and crew of Glee as well as all the Young Storytellers Writers.

Photography Grads Work ‘Backstage’ Shoot with Chris Messina

Immediately after graduating from New York Film Academy Photography School, Luc-Richard Elie began assisting full time for several Commercial Advertising and Editorial photographers while also interning at Sync Photo Rental. Six months later he opened his own Film and Photo Rental Studio called Concrete Studios LA in the Downtown Arts District. Luc-Richard’s work has been published several times both domestically and internationally, including photography work for the Australian Consulate.

Most Recently, he collaborated with fellow NYFA Alumnus and Army Veteran Liam Jager for the behind the scenes film to his Backstage shoot with actor Chris Messina from The Mindy Project.

The New York Film Academy caught up with Luc-Richard following his recent shoot for Backstage.

How did you become involved with Backstage?

The Chris Messina shoot is actually my 6th cover for Backstage. My first involvement with the magazine came by way of another Photographer, Stephanie Diani, whom I’ve assisted on a number of editorial shoots with Backstage and at my studio in Downtown Los Angeles. During that process, I became acquainted with the Creative Director of Backstage, who by chance happened to see a glimpse of my portfolio. In October of last year, the magazine scheduled a shoot at my studio, but due to some last minute complications, lost the photographer the night before the shoot. The creative director, having seen my work, gave me a call and asked if I might be interested in shooting for the cover. That cover was for Gina Rodriguez (also her first cover) the star of the hit show, Jane the Virgin and now a Golden Globe Winner. I’ve been shooting for them ever since.

What were some of the challenges of this specific shoot with Chris Messina?

With Chris there weren’t many challenges. He is very laid back and takes direction extremely well. He even offered suggestions, which made the shoot a collaboration and brought more energy into the overall experience. When we were moving between sets, Chris suggested we shoot in the staircase hallway. The lighting in the area was actually pretty bad, and the narrowness of the staircase didn’t really offer a lot of options to be creative, especially with the talent waiting and ready to go. So I gave some direction to my team and kept Chris entertained while all the lighting was being placed. It was important to stay loose and flexible in a situation like that. I pride myself on preparation, and staying cool when I’m thrown a curve ball. We were set up in about 10 minutes, and spent about 5 minutes shooting on the staircase before we wrapped for the day. Although it wasn’t originally planned, that shot ended up being the one used for the cover.

Would you say your training at NYFA was useful in terms of being prepared for a shoot like this one?

I’ve never used a DSLR or was actively in photography prior to NYFA. So, of course, just learning the basics of lighting and exposure is given. But it was the other intangibles that NYFA’s instructors prepared me for that have made all the difference. Always make sure you do preproduction prior to every shoot, and always be prepared to go off script.Very few things ever go as planned, but the better prepared you are the more success you’ll have in tackling obstacles. And most importantly, always display confidence and keep a cool head. Nothing can really prepare you for the feeling of having the creative director, the client, the publicist, make-up and hair, random assistants and especially the talent huddling around the computer and critiquing every shot you take as it come in.

How do you feel about the final results from the shoot? Did you get any feedback from Backstage?

I felt great about the shoot and the Art Director was pretty happy with the final results. I of course would have picked a few different pictures for the actually spread lol, But that’s just me being an artist and having an emotional attachment to some of my work. The magazine had a direction and voice they wanted for this particular article and I was able to provide the photos to support that vision.

Do you have another project or shoot in the works?

I just had some photos published in the New York Times and have some new work coming out in Angeleno Magazine this upcoming May. Aside from that, I’m gearing up to shoot a lot of personal projects for the summer. My goal is to shoot more Ad work for sports and lifestyle brands, so I’m spending a lot time working to revamp my portfolio to reflect that.

New York Film Academy Highlights Acting Chair Lynda Goodfriend

One of the many enticing aspects of attending one of the New York Film Academy’s programs is the ability to learn hands-on from professionals who have and continue to have such a strong grasp of the professional entertainment business. The best teacher is someone with real life experience in his or her field. Our Los Angeles Acting for Film Chair, Lynda Goodfriend, oversees the acting for film school with a tremendously versatile and impressive background, having performed and acted in both New York City and Los Angeles.

After college, Goodfriend started her career as a professional dancer and singer on Broadway, Off Broadway and, as she puts it, “Way-off Broadway.”

“It was everything I’d dreamt of! One of the highlights was to work with a young performer just starting his career as well, John Travolta” recalls Goodfriend. “When I started to take my acting more seriously, I began studying with the master teachers Lee Strasberg and Sandy Meisner, which made me believe that my ultimate goal as a performer was to be a ‘dramatic actress.'”

After being in a couple of very small roles in Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver with Robert De Niro and The Front with Woody Allen, Lynda drove to Los Angeles with ambition and her SAG card. To her surprise, Goodfriend booked a variety of sitcom roles, rather than the dramas she was accustomed to.

“I started classes at Harvey Lembeck’s comedy workshop and would come home crying after every class—it was so hard! But now I love comedy and appreciate the actors who do it well. Among my classmates was a young comedian who could not get work as an actor because he could not stick to the script, but he was brilliant at improv. A role came up on the series I was doing (Happy Days) and they could not cast the character, so I mentioned this guy from my class. He came in to audition, got the role, and the producers liked him so much they created a series of his own—it was called Mork and Mindy, and the actor, Robin Williams, became a huge star.”

lynda goodfriend — Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Cunningham with Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham on ‘Happy Days’

Lynda is most well known for her role as Lori Beth Cunningham in the hit TV series Happy Days. Along the way she did two other sitcom series, many guest star roles, and several roles in feature films working with such actors as Tom Hanks, Bette Midler, and Julia Roberts. One of her fondest moments, as she recalls, was working with Ray Bolger, the ‘Scarecrow’ from the Wizard of Oz, on an episode of Fantasy Island.

Taking a break from television, Goodfriend started her own acting school, The Actors Workout in NoHo (North Hollywood, the Theatre District), and developed two schools and a Theatre. She was also the head of a management company, Young Artists Management for many years, working with clients from top talent agencies such as CAA, ICM and William Morris.

She came back to teaching in 2006 at New York Film Academy, teaching Acting for Film and Scripted TV classes. In 2011, Lynda became—and still serves as—Chair of the Acting Department. “I feel like working in this position pulls together all that I’ve learned from my acting career, teaching and managing careers. And fortunately, since my daughter is a talent agent at one of the top agencies in LA, it’s easy to still keep up with the current trends in the industry, so I can help guide our students.”

“My goal for the Acting Department at NYFA is to continue to find more techniques and approaches to help actors learn their craft, as well as to expand our students’ opportunities to be involved in the industry after graduation. I love our program and have the honor to work with so many gifted instructors. Since becoming Chair, I have had the opportunity to add the Student Directed Plays, the Studio Classes (advanced “extra” courses in Meisner, Method and Chekov), Alumni Scene Study classes, as well as our extensive list of Drop In Classes—Auditioning, Stage Combat, Improv, Yoga, Meditation, Dance, Accent Reduction, Singing and Ballroom Dance—to support their training.”

“This program is an amazing gift for students who want to learn everything as an actor. When you graduate from this program you can hit the ground running! I believe that everything you do in life teaches you something about acting, so in my personal life I’ve always tried to do things that challenged me—I’ve raced airplanes, climbed mountains in the Himalayas, and am a competition rider along with my Swedish Warmblood horse, named ‘Othello.’ No matter what you do or pursue it’s all about the same thing—focus, hard work and commitment.”

The most important words of advice Goodfriend can give any actor that is pursuing a career are:

Work harder than everybody else
Don’t burn bridges
Do something every day to become a better actor: read scripts, plays or anything you can get your hands on, go to the theatre, watch great films, go to class
Never, ever quit

NYFA VETERAN STUDENTS WORK WITH ACTOR JOE MANTEGNA

The New York Film Academy has attracted numerous industry elites for lectures and guest speaker events over the years including Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, Ron Howard and more. Our students have found tremendous value in these events, as not only are they insightful, but they provide an intangible sense of motivation that derives from these figures’ personal stories and advice on becoming successful in the industry.

Last week, the Academy had a similar experience that was even more hands-on for our military veteran students. Acclaimed actor, Joe Mantegna, worked intimately with New York Film Academy military veteran students as a part of a PSA production with The Soldiers Project, a non-profit organization that offers counseling to service members, veterans and their families. NYFA has been a long time collaborator with The Soldiers Project, offering counseling and support to veterans making the transition from military service to pursuing their dreams in the creative arts industries.

Mr. Mantegna has had a long and illustrious career in the entertainment business, having roles in such productions as The Godfather III, The Simpsons, Criminal Minds and more. It goes without saying that the opportunity to work with such a talented actor, as a student, is invaluable.

“This was a tremendous experience for me as a filmmaker,” said director and Army veteran Eric Milzaski. “We, as veteran students here, appreciate the opportunity that the NYFA Veterans Office was able to provide us with.”

The students’ effort, professionalism and dedication to the project was not overlooked. See what Mr. Mantegna had to say about the production and his experience working with our students in the video below.

VFX Oscar Winner Ian Hunter Speaks on “Interstellar” at NYFA

New York Film Academy students in Los Angeles had a glimpse into the new dimensions of filmmaking with a screening of Interstellar and the subsequent presentation by VFX supervisor and Oscar winner Ian Hunter, co-owner of New Deal studios. The film event was reminiscent of Star Wars screenings in the 70s with a line stretching out down the long hall in front of the NYFA Theater and around the corner!

After the screening, Ian gave a brilliant PowerPoint presentation giving a rare behind-the-scenes look at the making of the epic film. He related that the models were built at a massive 1/5 scale and shot with high resolution Vista Vision film cameras running at 72 frames per second to create the majestic imagery. Miniature explosions, rotating rigs, special light sources and tons of in camera VFX work were the primary techniques. Only one green screen shot was used in the entire film.

hunter sawicki — NYFA LA Chair Mark Sawicki with VFX Oscar Winner Ian Hunter

At the end of Ian’s presentation, chair of animation Mark Sawicki spoke with him to reflect on the modern shooting methodology used for the tentpole picture. Ian shared that unlike many productions, the pre viz of the film was used as a starting point and not a locked down template. Director Christopher Nolan, in his wisdom, knew that the final models photographed in real light would give rise to different and better ideas spring boarded from the pre viz. As a result, shots were not shot to the frame but as full takes, as if shooting live action, giving editing options later on. The process points out the proper use of pre viz as a starting point, thereby allowing the iterative filmmaking process to continue yielding happy accidents and lightning in a bottle. Mr. Hunter shared that pictures done in the 90s such as From the Earth to the Moon had 10% miniature and 90% digital effects, whereas Insterstellar reversed the equation with 90% of the imagery executed with real world miniatures to a stunning effect.

At this time Mark pointed out Ian’s groundbreaking involvement as a director in the new immersive cinema experience of Cinema VR where audiences witness the photoplay in a full 360 degree panorama. This new miracle of the screen is tantamount to adding to the cinema language itself. Ian made note that while takes are much longer when using this process, cuts are possible and sound cues and other techniques can be used to direct the audience’s attention. Mark could not think of a better person than Ian to take on and develop this exciting new art form. Ian’s film Kaiju Fury was shown at Sundance’s new frontier category launching the spectacular screen spectacle.

Thank you, Mr. Hunter, for shedding light on your process and guiding us to the next dimension of movie making!

sawicki hunter — NYFA LA Chair of Animation Mark Sawicki with Ian Hunter

NYFA Military Students Produce Veterans PSA with Joe Mantegna

Today, military veteran students enrolled at the Los Angeles campus of the New York Film Academy produced a Public Service Announcement for partnering organization, The Soldiers Project. The PSA featured award-winning actor Joe Mantegna, who is a dedicated supporter of veterans and their families. The Soldier’s Project, a non-profit organization that offers counseling to service members, veterans and their families, has been a long time collaborator with The New York Film Academy, offering counseling and support to Veterans making the transition from military service to pursuing their dreams in the creative arts industries at NYFA.

The PSA shoot was staffed by an all veteran film crew featuring veteran students from all branches of the military and studying various disciplines including filmmaking, producing, cinematography, and photography. The shoot offered a unique opportunity for Veteran students to come together and create a high quality video that will support their fellow veterans.

Ruddy Canohernandez, a BFA Producing student who produced the PSA, did so with the hope that his work would “open doors for other service members that he has been so lucky to take advantage of.” As a Marine, Mr. Canohernandez holds strong to the idea of never leaving a man behind, and sees his work as a producer as part of supporting his fellow service member. The PSA was directed by first year student and Army veteran Eric Milzaski, who was thrilled to have the opportunity to direct such a well known actor. In his own words, “this was a tremendous experience for me as a filmmaker, and we, as veteran students here, appreciate the opportunity that the NYFA Veterans Office was able was provide us with.”

Mr. Mantegna was impressed by the hard work and professionalism of the veteran students and shared a desire to see more veterans working in the entertainment Industry. We will all be keeping our eyes out for this exciting PSA and the futures of these talented young filmmakers.

-John Powers