Page 307 – NYFA

NYFA Grad Earns 17 Awards for “Arde Lucus”

There is a place that exists where heavily armed gladiators sharpen their blades and prepare to battle before thousands. It’s a lesser-known city that remains tucked away where hooved mythological creatures roam the streets and come together to feast with legendary gods while the Praetorian Guard continues its watch over the Roman Empire. Except this isn’t Rome, and this isn’t 117 A.D. Instead, it’s present day June in the northwest of Spain where Lugo, Galicia residents annually celebrate Arde Lucus: The pivotal day that the 3^rd century Roman rampart connecting the cities of Lugo, Astorga, and Braga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. It’s also the only rampart entirely intact from the Roman Empire in the world.

New York Film Academy alumnus and Lugo native, Brais Revalderia has earned himself (so far) 17 international awards such as “Best Director,” “Best Documentary,” and “Best Concept” for his documentary Arde Lucus, and that doesn’t include his 26 international festival selections. The film takes an in-depth look at the 4-day celebration and its people that prepare all year to authentically transform Lugo back in time over 1700 years in celebration of the newly bestowed historical site. With the festival still just 14 years old, the city has overwhelmingly seen visitors recently reach half a million with 99% of its residents, including government officials, participating in the reenactment.

“I thought I knew everything about the city I was born in but I was completely wrong,” says Revalderia. “I decided to do this documentary to learn about Lugo’s past but also because I love Galicia. Spain focuses on getting tourists to visit the southern areas of the country and the same doesn’t happen for Galicia. To me it’s the most beautiful part, has the best food, and is home to very important history of the world.”

Revalderia graduated from the New York Film Academy’s Two-Year Filmmaking Program in 2013. With little budget, help from fellow NYFA alumnus, Ota Hsieh, and a crew of 15, Arde Lucus took an intense year of preparation, shooting, and postproduction to complete. When asked about his experience at NYFA, the award-winning director said, “I really liked the fact that it was a hands-on program. For someone like me who already had a Bachelor’s degree, it was exactly what I needed to learn how a movie really gets done.”

Revalderia’s goal of Arde Lucus is to help bring awareness to the rest of the world of his historical hometown and the Roman and Castrexo roots that surround it with his unique documentary. Already receiving more awards than he can count on both hands, it seems this is just the beginning for Revalderia as he is close to a distribution agreement in Spain for the film.So what’s next for the award-winning NYFA graduate? Piruleta & Media, a company Brais started even before attending NYFA, is riding its momentum and working on several films such as the completion of 237np, his 2^nd year Sci-Fi thesis project which he says will “Impress people for sure,” with visual effects he confidentially states will be up to Hollywood standards.

For those who loved Arde Lucus, Brais is also entering the postproduction stages to his latest documentary, Lordemani, which will transport viewers into the world of Vikings this time around. And if those films don’t sound intriguing enough, The Arkham Archives will showcase Revalderia’s take on Batman.

‘PACINO DAY’ AT NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY

In what should be declared “Pacino Day” at the New York Film Academy, this past December, we had the honor of not only having iconic actor Al Pacino screen his latest film, but also had his daughter, and former NYFA Union Square student Julie Pacino, screen her feature film, Billy Bates, which she produced.

AL PACINO SPEAKS AT NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY

After a screening of Barry Levinson’s upcoming erotic comedy, The Humbling, Al Pacino spoke to a packed theater of ecstatic film and acting students from our NYFA Los Angeles campus. Even students at NYFA Australia’s Gold Coast location were able to view the Q&A via Skype from halfway around the world. Not only has Pacino won an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award, his iconic roles throughout the years have become legendary and arguably some of the best of all-time. Many actors and filmmakers chose to go into this industry after watching performances like Michael Corleone in The Godfather or Sonny from Dog Day Afternoon. So, to everyone in the audience, this was truly an unforgettable experience.

Ironically, the day marked a proud moment for Mr. Pacino as well, knowing his daughter was making waves of her own as she continued her cross-country tour of Billy Bates with a special screening at NYFA Union Square.

With the awe of the whole experience aside, what remained most noteworthy was just how humble Al Pacino and his daughter were to our students and faculty. It just goes to show how treating others with respect is a winning ingredient for success.

https://www.nyfa.edu/podcasts/al-pacino/

Iconic Actor Al Pacino Speaks at New York Film Academy

New York Film Academy students received the rare opportunity to participate in an intimate Q&A with one of the greatest actors in film history Al Pacino this past Thursday, December 4th at the Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The discussion took place after a special advanced screening of Pacino’s new film The Humbling. In this, funny, observant, erotic comedy, Pacino plays an aging actor who feels he is losing his craft and after a breakdown becomes involved with a much younger woman but soon finds that it’s difficult to keep pace with her and makes the ultimate performance. The film was highly received by the students for its content and Mr. Pacino’s amazing performance in it. Producer Tova Laiter moderated the Q&A.

Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winning Al Pacino took the stage to an uproar of applause and a standing ovation from students. The legendary actor, who’s entertained and inspired us with iconic performances in The Godfather, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Heat, to name just a few, was tremendously gracious for the warm reception. Pacino was all smiles and full of life, emanating that vivacious energy we’ve come to love him for.

In a profound statement about the actor’s process, and artistic process in general, Pacino stated, “I love the line that Michelangelo said in a poem when he was doing the Sistine Chapel, he said, ‘Lord, free me of myself that I may please you.’ Meaning, get to that place in us where we’re not censoring ourselves or trying to do it good or right but rather connect with whatever it is we’re trying to say in our work. Become. Become it, absorb it and let it come out and let the unconscious free. And I strive for that. And I rarely, rarely get it. If I do it’s for a moment or two… Sometimes I’m given a role… Then I have to look at the empty canvas and I say, ‘Wow, I don’t know anything about acting. I don’t know anything about anything. What am I gonna do?’ And you start. And the hope is that instead of figuring it out, you find it.”

But it wasn’t all serious talk. Pacino revealed the origins of his “Hoo-ah!” line in Scent of a Woman in an amusing story: “That came because I was learning to assemble and disassemble a .45 in forty-five seconds. And that ain’t easy. And I worked literally weeks on that, months, just with this Lieutenant Col. who would say to me every once in a while when I did it well, he would just say to me (pointing) ‘Hoo-ha!’ And I finally said to him, ‘What is that?’ And he said, ‘Well, you see that’s the way I talk to the troops. If they get in line and their suits are straight and their metals are straight, I just go up and I say ‘Hoo-ha!’ And that got into the movie. That wasn’t written.”

In closing, to the question of what the most important thing acting has taught him, Pacino answered, “It taught me to love people more. I feel more a part of the world. And that we’re all actors. Only some of us can really do it. Some of us have the ability to do it…and the desire to do it. And it taught me that desire can sometimes trump talent. Think about that. So that you may not have as much talent as you think you have, but if you have the desire, your talent will find you.”

When the Q&A ended, Al Pacino thanked and waved goodbye to students as they all stood and cheered once again. It was a wildly entertaining and inspiring night that was a special gift to NYFA. In a cosmic coincidence, Pacino’s daughter Julie Pacino, an alumna of NYFA, showed her movie to NYFA students at our Union Square square campus the same day!

We thank Al Pacino for sharing his time with us and look forward to the success of The Humbling (which Mr. Pacino also produced), directed by Barry Levinson. The film opens in theaters in limited release for a week on December 5th and wide release January 23rd, 2015.

Julie Pacino Brings ‘Billy Bates’ to Her Alma Mater

Following a summer run of the play Phoenix at the Cherry Lane Theatre in the West Village, Poverty Row Entertainment, founded by New York Film Academy Filmmaking graduate Julie Pacino, and Jennifer DeLia, went on a cross-country tour with their feature film Billy Bates. The tour held screenings at cities across the country and will conclude this upcoming week with screenings at the Quad Cinema in New York City. Prior to the Quad Cinema premiere tonight, we were privileged to have Julie return to her alma mater with writer / director Jennifer DeLia. Jen and Julie played gracious guest speakers as they presented their film along with moderator and NYFA Senior Director David Klein.

The film dives deep into the mind of an enigmatic artist and the arduous, psychological madness that goes into his creative approach. Bates, played by actor James Wirt, faces some rather disturbing inner-demons. While this is not your standard narrative, the film serves its purpose through its kaleidoscopic cinematography and provocative documentary style.

This was Julie Pacino’s debut as a producer, with her only previous experience from her short film, Abracadabra. She attached herself to the film about two-thirds of the way into the project after being taken by Jennifer’s footage. With Julie’s filmmaking background and training, she figured why not get the full experience of producing a film by tackling the project head on. From there on, Julie was one of the few leading forces in getting this film completed and distributed — a task that could be very daunting for an independent production.

“It’s essential to know all aspects of filmmaking,” said Julie Pacino. “I learned that in the short I directed. It’s just as important to know the business side as it is to knowing your actors and crew.”

Indeed it was clear that the success of a production, especially with this particular one, has to do with collaboration and respect for the entire cast and crew.

“As a director, it was important that I relate to all of the departments,” said writer and director Jennifer DeLia. “You realize that everyone, from actors to PA’s, should be treated the same — be humble — realize it’s a collaboration from everyone.”

As a result of the team’s humble and ambitious efforts, independent film lovers across the country and around the world are able to see this film in theaters, as well as online distributors iTunes and Google Play.

Poverty Row is now working on a feature based on the life of female silent film pioneer Mary Pickford, starring Lily Rabe, Julia Stiles, and Michael Pitt.

Screenwriter Ian Shorr Joins Business of Screenwriting Class

On November 18th, screenwriter Ian Shorr dropped by our Business of Screenwriting class to explain how he went from literally representing himself to becoming one of the most sought after rising screenwriters in town.

“My career really had two beginnings,” Shorr explained. The first came while Ian was still living in his home state of Utah, desperately trying to find a way to break into Hollywood without any contacts. Shorr didn’t have an agent or manager, but he knew that he needed one. So, he decided to represent himself… No, really.

Shorr created a fake agency persona, David Lortz, top brass at the fake agency he created, The Sundance Literary Agency. “Being from Utah I knew the Sundance Film Festival was a big deal, so I figured any association with that was probably a good thing.” The surprising thing about Shorr’s bold tactic was it actually worked — maybe too well.

“I bought myself a Hollywood Creative Directory and would have David call up and speak to development executives about an exciting new screenwriter whom he wanted to make them aware of – um, me.” Executives would read and liked the writing, which was an early good sign, and some even assumed the agency David Lortz ran was associated with the Sundance Film Festival. Shorr booked meetings (that he set for himself) and was starting to get some real exposure. “The irony was, people really liked David Lortz, I think even more than Ian Shorr,” Shorr joked. Eventually, however, people got wind of what he was up to, and after a cease and desist letter from the Sundance Film Festival’s lawyers, Shorr fired/retired Mr. David Lortz.

Ian’s second career start came soon after when he packed it up in 2003 and left Utah and moved to Los Angeles, attending USC’s Film School. Meeting his manager (Langley Perrer of Mosaic) at a Pitch Fest in 2007, he sold his senior thesis project EXEMPT to Overture Films – about a troubled teen who falls in with a group of “diplobrats”: foreign teenagers with diplomatic immunity from the law.

Since then, Shorr has been on a tear – working steadily and continuously as a writer. He sold his spec script Substitution, a teen thriller re-imagining of Strangers on a Train to Alcon Entertainment. In 2008, his low-budget horror movie Splinter was produced and released by Magnolia Films. He set up his spec sci-fi thriller Cristo (a sci-fi reimagining of the Count of Monte Cristo) at Warner Bros. in 2011. In 2013, he sold his sci-fi spec Capsule to Twentieth Century Fox and just had his second feature produced Marble Hornets: The Operator,a found-footage horror movie based off the popular web series Marble Hornets.

On his visit, Shorr answered a variety of questions for NYFA’s MFA Screenwriting students with his eloquent matter-of-fact humor, drawing from his own insights and breakthroughs in his career thus far. “No matter what you’ll get notes,” Shorr explained, “notes from everyone — your reps, your producers, studio execs, friends, your dog, and you really have two options: see them as a blessing or see them as a fight.” Shorr went on to explain that the best thing is “to see the note behind the note. It’s their job to point out the problems, but it’s your job to find the solution.”

Shorr is also a big proponent for aspiring writers to NOT get jobs in the film business. “In my experience, it’s far better to let your film school friends do that, and for you to get a job that allows you the most time to write.” Shorr explained. “And guard that writing time like it’s treasure, because frankly, it is.” Shorr explained that while he doesn’t write every single day, he’s constantly thinking about the project he’s working on even when he’s not. “I probably write 5-6 days a week on average,” Shorr said.

Shorr also explained that writers shouldn’t chase trends but should write to market, which can seem a bit of a paradox, until you unravel it. “Ideas, concepts are entirely execution dependent. You want that idea to be smart, interesting and commercial for the market, but most importantly, it has to be well written and original.” Shorr explained that reps and producers will want to put you in a certain “genre sandbox” and so it’s important early on to write in a sandbox that you really want to play in.

Television writing was something Shorr definitely encouraged and something he himself is getting into. “Look, only roughly 1,600 writers in any given year make any money as a feature screenwriter —which his pretty damn bleak, but in television, the numbers are at least four or five times that. Neither is easy to break into, both are highly competitive, so why limit yourself to one arena?”

In fact, Shorr has been branching out into other media arenas as well, including being recently hired to adapt one of his projects into an audio drama for Audible.com, as the company has recently announced that it will move into the original content creation space. “It’s all tell and no show in audio dramas,” Shorr explained, “not something us screenwriters are classically used to, but it’s been a great ride of figuring out how to use voiceover, dialogue and sound effects in creative ways to your advantage.”

Closing out, Shorr offered some truly intelligent advice that all writers would be wise to take with them as they move forward in their careers. “You have to remember that what producers and studios are buying from writers is their unique point of view, their voice. Therefore, everything you write needs to be something that feels like it could only be written by that one distinct person – you. The story, the dialogue, the description, every line of that script must come from you, and you alone. Be the person for whom others can read and hear their voice on each page undeniably. Be that guy, and I promise you good things will happen for you…”

Shorr is repped by UTA and Mosaic and is currently hard at work on a variety of projects he has in development, including an upcoming mind-bending sci-fi thriller.

A History Lesson from Emmy Award-Winner Robert Wuhl

Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, comedian and actor Robert Wuhl (Arliss, Bull Durham, Batman) came to New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles Campus and educated the students in the way he knows best: with comedy.

On Friday October 10th, Mr. Wuhl came to NYFA and presented his unique, insightful and hilarious take on History to a group of screenwriting students and faculty. Held in NYFA’s new state-of-the-art theater, Mr. Wuhl’s workshop presented history through the perspective of storytelling becoming fact and how sometimes the best story wins. This concept of story and history being tied together was inspiring for the students. Mr. Wuhl brought history to life by telling stories that often revisited “Historical Fact” with the stories behind the “Fact.” Mixing story with audiovisuals and a juxtaposition with contemporary popular culture, Mr. Wuhl filled the New York Film Academy Theater with laughter.

Following the often outrageous one-hour workshop, Mr. Wuhl opened the floor to a Q&A by the screenwriting students. He discussed his process from research through presentation. At one point when discussing his research process he joked a certain research site was “90% correct 10% of the time.” He talked about where ideas come from and how to build stories from ideas. One student asked Mr. Wuhl if he had any stories about Nunzio DeFilippis (Chair Of Screenwriting) and Christina Weir (Screenwriting Instructor), who worked on the writing staff of Arliss and were instrumental in bringing Mr. Wuhl to NYFA. Again he joked, admitting that he probably shouldn’t share them with the students.

As a thank you for the student’s time and laughter Mr. Wuhl and his producing team brought pizza for the students and while the students ate, Nunzio, Christina and Mr. Wuhl reminisced about their time on Arliss.

Robert Wuhl’s visit to NYFA gave the students a fresh look at history, but also allowed them to see how comedy works from an actor/writer/director with decades of experience in the industry. Hopefully, it will not be his last visit to the campus.

NYFA’s Blanche Baker Reunites with Molly Ringwald in “Wishin’ and Hopin'”

One of our beloved Acting Instructors, Blanche Baker, is getting us into the holiday spirit, as she will be starring in Lifetime’s Wishin’ and Hopin’ alongside Chevy Chase, Molly Ringwald, Annabella Sciorra, Meatloaf and more. The story is based on the New York Time’s best-selling Christmas novel from Wally Lamb, which tells the tale of young boy growing up in the 60’s, dreading his upcoming school Christmas pageant.

The young fifth-grader, Felix Funicello attends a Parochial School, and you know what that means — nuns. In the holiday film, Blanche has the honor of playing Mother Superior at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School. “What actress doesn’t dream of playing a mother superior?” says Baker. “They put a lot of effort into the casting, looking all across the country to find an amazing group of young actors. They were great to work with and I’m sure you’ll be seeing some of them again.”

In addition to working with a group of new young actors, Blanche worked with a number of well known names, including former co-star Molly Ringwald, whom Blanche played the older sister of in the 1984 John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles.

“What I especially like about the producers is that they recognize the value of keeping a core team together from film to film. It’s hard work but we know we can trust and count on each other to come up with something we can be proud of.”

You’ll have a chance to see Blanche and this star-studded cast on December 8th, where it will have its television world premiere on Lifetime at 8pm EST.

Kellen Gibbs Wins “Best Student Film” at the Los Angeles Thriller Festival

Psychological thrillers have been a part of American culture for some time now. With legendary films like Se7en, The Machinist, and The Shining, it’s no wonder why audiences love submerging themselves into an alternate reality where they must question what is real, what isn’t, and what will happen next.

Second-year New York Film Academy student, Kellen Gibbs, has done just that in his intermediate film, The Sky Won’t Fall and has earned himself the award of Best Student Film in the Los Angeles Thriller Festival by touching on the frightening side of encountering extra-terrestrial life.

“I grew up with a father who would tell me wild alien stories that really fed [extra-terrestrial] intrigue,” says Gibbs. “For a while now I’ve been playing with the idea of doing a story like this and this just seemed like the time to do it.”

The mind-boggling film follows Dale Richardson as his life suddenly begins to spiral downward after experiencing what he believes is an alien encounter. As the story progresses, not only do the loved ones around him begin to think he’s losing his sanity, but Dale himself begins to question his own thoughts and must choose between what he truly believes happened, or risk losing those closest to him.

Currently studying in the AFA Filmmaking Program in Los Angeles, Gibbs was asked about his experience with NYFA thus far. ”I’ve loved every minute of it and I wouldn’t change my decision to come here,” he said. “Prior to NYFA I was making films with no formal training. I would do things that I thought were right, not understanding why. Now I know the ‘why’ and my filmmaking toolkit is a lot bigger now.”

Gibbs also took full advantage of utilizing his fellow classmates by assembling a crew that was comprised mostly of NYFA students and took on a 4-day shoot in Los Angeles. “Knowing each other for the year and being able to communicate made the set really organized and easy to manage,” he said.

With his award for Best Student Film already secure, Gibbs expects to see The Sky Won’t Fall screen in numerous other festivals, but for now its festival premiere is slated to debut in the first block at the Los Angeles Thriller Festival on December 12. Watch the trailer below.

The Sky Won’t Fall Trailer from Kellen Gibbs on Vimeo.

New York Film Academy Participates in Movember Challenge

This November, the New York Film Academy participated in its first ever Movember challenge. While the challenge wasn’t necessarily difficult (unless your facial hair grew in unevenly), the cause for the initiative was truly a worthwhile reason to get involved.

Each November, the Movember Foundation raises awareness about men’s health issues by having participating guys grow out their mustaches while encouraging friends and family to donate funds during the duration of month.

Being that it was our first year taking part in Movember, we weren’t sure of the response we’d receive. However, after the first few weeks, one couldn’t miss a mustache or two while wandering around campus. Participation came from NYFA students and faculty at various locations, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Abu Dhabi. We heard stories from cancer survivors, as well as those who’ve had love ones affected by men’s health issues such as testicular and prostate cancer.

NYFA faculty, students, and alumni got creative in the effort—even a few of the NYFA women became involved by supporting their fellow men as “Mo Sistas.” Some of the guys grew out their mustaches for the very first time while others neatly groomed theirs like seasoned veterans.

Of the 50 official members of the New York Film Academy Movember Team, we managed to raise $1,320, which will all be going to the Movember Foundation. Our top member, receiving the most donations, was Director of Veterans Services in Los Angeles John Powers. Coincidentally, John is one of our staff members who is a cancer survivor. We’re thankful for John’s support and his current well-being.

To wrap up the month and our Movember challenge, we held a photo shoot at our New York campus located in Battery Park. Students and faculty showed off a month’s worth of facial hair—some more stylish than others. Have a look at our ‘stashes below and let us know which ones are your favorites!