Page 313 – NYFA

Superstar Molly Shannon Visits NYFA

Actress Molly Shannon visited New York Film Academy Los Angeles and talked to students after screening an episode of the TV show Enlightened (for which she was nominated for an Emmy) and a few of her legendary Saturday Night Live sketches. The Q&A was moderated by Tova Laiter. Molly was radiant and so generous to give students advice on how she navigated the daunting terrain of the entertainment industry and succeeded. Students cheered loudly when Molly ran down the theater aisle and took the stage.

Molly reminisced about her early days in Hollywood when she would walk up and down Sunset Blvd., handing out her head shots because she didn’t know anyone in town. Oddly enough, this strategy got Molly her first agent. From there, she landed a few substantial gigs like a small, one-time roll on Twin Peaks and a commercial spot. All the while Molly continuously hustled within her career and would do odd jobs and waitress to stay afloat financially.

It wasn’t until she hit a big dry spell of acting work and had decided to set auditioning aside for a while—to work on developing her own characters on stage with a group of friends — that she finally got her big break and was hired on Saturday Night Live. Being on SNL was like climbing a treacherous mountain, according to Molly. Because the show was live and so much was a stake, the experience was both terrifying and extremely exhilarating. She now enjoys the more subdued, intimate atmosphere of single camera television shows and feature films. Family, friends, and the love of her craft remain of central importance for Molly so she is always grounded in things that are stable. In this way she can go up and down the roller coaster of success and failure and not be effected. This is very apparent from Molly’s incredibly positive demeanor.

At the end of the Q&A, Molly received a standing ovation from students. She stayed afterwards to take pictures with every student who asked her.

Discussion with Renowned Matte Painter Syd Dutton and Special FX Supervisor Bill Taylor

New York Film Academy Los Angeles recently screened Martin Scorsese’s remake of the classic film Cape Fear. The guests for the event were master matte painter Syd Dutton, who was responsible for creating the stunning settings throughout the film including the iconic shot of De Niro leaving prison. This image left such an indelible sense memory for movie goers that it was parodied in a Simpson’s episode where Side Show Bob leaves prison. Our other guest was visual effects supervisor Bill Taylor, who oversaw the trick camerawork on the picture. By happenstance, the moderator was our co-chair of animation Mark Sawicki, who had worked with Syd and Bill on the picture and was responsible for shooting the final composites of the matte paintings.

The conversation started with insights into the prison shot. Bill said that the shot was originally designed for De Niro, playing “Max Cady”, to walk below the frame but Scorsese wanted him to walk directly into the camera. A special ramp was built that allowed the actor to do just that. Mark shared that the last few frames of the shot cut from the film showed De Niro (always in character) apparently licking the lens. Because of the compositional change, the shot became much more complex, involving hand drawn silhouettes of the actor allowing him to appear in front of the painting. Mark recalled that the shot took eight hours to execute, with a fan blowing on the camera motor that had to run at extremely slow speed to prevent it from burning out.

Syd said that the older studio system allowed for tremendous care and planning to create the seamless shots that appear in the film. One thing he shared with the current generation of matte painters is to always remember that the Earth only has one sun and one horizon line. Adhering to these facts is essential to create a believable and realistic painting.

Bill related that lighting De Niro on fire was accomplished by a stunt double. The principal actor pretended to be on fire with nothing more than interactive light hitting the set. At a later date, a stunt double dressed in black against a black background, was set on fire and photographed. The stuntman mimicked De Niro’s performance and the footage of the animated flames were then composited over De Niro.

In closing, Bill shared the value of control and advocated that shooting the real thing as much as is possible, limits variables and allows the image to remain based in reality.

Thanks Syd and Bill for sharing a master’s approach for creating seamless visual effects shots in a classic film!

Australian Animation Students Learn Stopmotionpro at NYFA LA

Our student friends from “down under” had a real Los Angeles experience this past week, as Co-Chair of Animation Mark Sawicki gave a lecture on the use of stop motion in fantasy films. Mark screened excerpts from the works of Willis O’Brien such as Lost World 1925 and King Kong 1932. Mark then went on to show the work of Ray Harryhausen, who set the stage for many of the modern fantasy films we see today like Mighty Joe Young (1949) and Jason of the Argonauts (1963). The talk concluded with the amazing fight sequence from Dragonslayer (1981) which showcased the technique of go-motion that allowed the blurring of motion with stop motion puppets all before the advent of CGI dinosaurs in Spielberg’s modern classic, Jurassic Park.

What made the lecture all the more memorable was that concurrent with the talk, Mark held an “Ani-jam,” where each student had 5 minutes to animate an object before passing it on to the next student to take over the sequence. In this way, the students not only learned the history of stop motion but experienced the process as well by doing it. The animation was all the more special as they used the Australian software Stopmotionpro, famous for its use on the Wallace and Gromit animated films.

Both Mark and the students had a ton of fun and turned out several seconds of animation in a very short time. After the event, it was off to Universal Studios for our guests to share another New York Film Academy adventure!

The New York Film Academy in Los Angeles offers short term workshops and one year programs, as well as BFA degrees in Animation.

Congrats to our Degree Program Graduates in Los Angeles!

September 2012 MFA and AFA Filmmaking Graduates

New York Film Academy Los Angeles September 2012 MFA and AFA Film Graduates gathered at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood, California dressed in cap and gown and walked on stage to receive their diplomas. Art Helterbran (Chair of the Filmmaking Department), Mike Civille (Dean of Academic Advising), Adam Finer (Chair of Industry Outreach and Professional Development), and Eric Conner (Dean of Students) spoke to the graduates, offering moving words of encouragement for the future. The Commencement Speaker, Harley Peyton (Producer and writer for television shows Twin Peaks and Dracula and feature films Bandits and Friends with Benefits), inspired the graduates with very practical advice for navigating the entertainment industry. Mr. Peyton was extremely surprised and touched when Eric Conner presented him with an Honorary MFA Degree in Producing from the New York Film Academy. Graduates and their family and friends assembled at Bugatta Supper Club afterwards for a fun celebration.

BFA, AFA, and MA Filmmaking and Acting Graduation in Los Angeles

NYFA graduates from the September 2012 BFA Film and Acting, September 2012 MA Film, and March 2013 AFA Acting programs received their degrees during an exciting commencement ceremony at the Harmony Gold Theater in Hollywood California. Dan Mackler (NYFA Los Angeles Director), Lynda Goodfriend (Acting Department Chair), Art Helterbran (Filmmaking Department Chair), and Adam Finer (Chair of Industry Outreach and Professional Development) presided on stage and spoke to the graduates, reminiscing of their time together and encouraging them to pursue their future careers with as much enthusiasm as they did their degrees. The Commencement Speaker, Yuri Lowenthal (one of the most prolific voice over actors in Hollywood and the voice of famed cartoon character Ben Ten), gave a rousing and entertaining address to graduates about the importance of constantly producing work and always finishing what you started. Family and friends in attendance erupted in applause and cheers when degrees were officially conferred upon the graduates and they threw their caps in the air.

Master of Arts Filmmaking Degrees Conferred Upon NYFA Graduates

On a beautiful day in Hollywood, California, NYFA Los Angeles Master of Arts Film graduates sharply dressed in cap and gown, walked the stage at the Harmony Gold Theater and received their diplomas in front of an audience of proud family and friends looking on. Dan Mackler (NYFA Los Angeles Director), Eric Conner (Dean of Students), Mike Civille (Dean of Academic Advising), Adam Finer (Chair of Industry Outreach and Professional Development), and Louis Fantasia (Dean of Faculty) were in attendance and addressed the graduates, congratulating them on their significant accomplishment and giving sage advice for the future. The Commencement Speaker, Maureen Milligan (who has produced for television shows such as One Tree Hill, Reign, and Eastbound and Down), spoke to the graduates about the importance of pursuing work that incites a spark of inspiration inside them, which coined as “alchemy.” Congratulations to these New York Film Academy Master of Arts Film graduates and the best of luck pursuing your dreams!

Below is a list of all of our graduates:

MFA in Filmmaking

Khaliel S. Abdelrahim
Siddhant Adlakha
Ao Ni MGL
David Betran
Luca Brinciottimf
Sharice Nicole Bryant
Gabriel Alicto Chavez
Bruce Sze Han Chen
ChunYu Chu
Massiel Leonor Cordero Núñez
Christiano Dias
Corinna Elwood
Daniel Chinweze Enenta
Badr Farha
Abhijit Gajwani
Aurélien Heilbronn
Matt James Hielsberg
Kuei-Chieh Hsu
Zhifan Huang
Kirill Iakimetc
Denise Ntombikayise Khumalo
Ruchi Kishore
Ji Li
Jiayi Liang
Shangyuan Liao
Jiaqi Lin
Di Liu
Miao Liu
Ivan Sergeyevich Lopatkin
Yiting Lyu
Utku Macuncu
Andrew John Messersmith
Yusuke Nagasaki
Daria Nazarova
Nigina Niyazmatova
Batuhan Ozbek
Kyle David Pavlin
Jeremy Paul Pelsinki
Laura Elisa Pérez Rebullén
Lingling Ruan
Michelle Sainz Castro
Maral Servat
Shaik Nazrin Shah Bin Abdul Rahim
Muhan Shen
Nuo Shi
Nathália Pereira Guerra Simões
Song Song
Anvita Sudarshan
Suleyman Suleymanoglu
Huanglizi Sun
Yu Sun (Max)
Yu Sun
Nicci Thompson
Chia Ying, Tsai
Sevgi Tumen
Javier Urtasun
Arturo Alejandro Vargas
Heran Wang
Jing Wen
Beixi Wu
Shuai Yang
Xi Yang
Bo Yao
Oxana V. Yatsenko
Yuki Yoshimatsu
Liping Yu
An Zhang
Xiaoyu Zhang
Yating Zhang
Zhang Yi
Difei Zhou
Gabriela Zogall

AFA in Filmmaking

Ikem Mfon Chukwudifu
Diana Maritza Guerrero
JayRex Hale
Alejandro Kahuam Lopez
Ryan Kenny
Roman Kolesov
Denis Kulikov
Euphrasie Leloup
Victor Olea
Paul Renna
Reghis Reginauld F. Romero V
Petros Skevis

BFA in Filmmaking

Abdullah Ahmed Badeeb
Ge Zhen
Yang Jin
Liu Jiaqi
Mukhomedzhan Ruslan
Vladislav Nikitin
Christopher Payne Medina
Natalia Sofia Raful Guzmán
Feiyang Sun
Lilian Teplan
Kuan Wang

BFA in Acting

Xizi Chen
Kenneth Michael Huitt
Judith Morales Martinez
Gabriel Uzcategui
Maegan Christine Wilson

AFA in Acting

Kelly W Auble
David Alanson Bradberry
Paulina Garcia Matar
Mario J. Lozano-Pacheco
Christin Muuli
Gabric Ramos
Samat Turgunbaev
Victoria Sage Watlington

MA in Film & Media Production

Adeyemi Hafeez Adesoji
Meshari Abdullah B. Albarrak
Yiru Chen
Robin de Corbière
Alon Golan
Guanyu Hu
Yue Hu
Lili Huang
Sujith John
Veddaant P Joshi
Anqi Li
Xinyi Liu
Matias Azevedo Lovro
Khachatur Martirosyan
Takafumi Sakabe

MA in Film & Media Production

Hagar Mostafa Ali
Abdullah Alrachid
Marija Apchevska
Emilio Sebastiano Caccetta
Valeriya Elenskaya
Mengxue Gu
Soraya Adeline Hajjaji
Eduardo Hidalgo Caballero
Yue Huang
Jin Ye
Zhen Li
Cunyang Liu
Adam Paul Marino
John McCain
Soni Mizrahi Tuvachi
Sandra Prieto Murcia
Carlos Rodriguez Izaguirre
Zhanbo Shang
Yichang Sun
Deniz Tokdemir
Wang Tian
Wang Ying
Zhixin Weng
Tianyi Wu
Liye Yan
Zijian Zhang
Yao Zhang
Yizhao Zhang
Ji Zhe

Paquita Hughes Launches ‘Sugar the Web Series’

It is with great pride to announce the launch of Sugar the Web Series from one of our accomplished former students and military veteran, Paquita Hughes. The dramedy series tackles everything from the rise of health care and education costs to the expenses of the most basic necessities. In the pilot episode, Nikki wants to get her former coworker Terri (played by Terri London) into the “sugar baby” game in order to make some real money. For those of you who may not know, a “Sugar Baby” is a slang term for a young female or male who is financially pampered by an older, wealthier man or woman in exchange for companionship. Considering Terri is stuck with her mother’s hospice bills and Aunt’s utility bills after recently being laid off at a local restaurant, Terri hesitantly agrees to give it a shot.

After being approached with the idea by a close friend, Paquita decided to develop Sugar as her thesis project. “The sex work industry has always been intriguing to me, not only as a female, but as a human,” says Paquita. “These women put themselves through experiences we can only hear about through stories and raw documentaries. I felt it was a topic that should be discussed amongst the masses. It’s a prevalent industry that has been around for ages, it’s recession proof and it will be here beyond the lives of many of the those reading this post. Why not explore this world and create a healthy dialogue between the people involved in the sex work industry and the community they thrive in. Education of this lifestyle will hopefully tear away at the negative appeal it gives off. It’s a cautionary tale tied into a woman’s journey into womanhood and discovery.”

Thus far the production time put into Sugar has taken upwards of a year and change. Paquita hopes to eventually gain distribution from networks like Netflix or Hulu. She is currently taking meetings from investors to help fund the project and make her dream a reality. Her current campaign, while she shops the pilot around, is to gain as many YouTube subscribers as possible. If she reaches 10,000 subscribers, she can utilize the YouTube space in Los Angeles for free and keep all of the film locations local.

“Seeing that the pilot is only the blueprint of what could be greater, I’m extremely happy with the results. I have a fine cast and a great story. It’s destined for greatness!”

You can view the Sugar the Web Series‘ Pilot, trailer, and read all about the cast and crew on www.sugartheseries.com. Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel and website for giveaways, updates and more!

Korean Filmmaker Shines with ‘Milkshake’

The New York Film Academy is proud of its close ties with Korea and many of its student filmmakers who have come to either our New York or Los Angeles campuses to study their craft. One of our more recent Korean students, SangJin Ko’s short film Milkshake has been getting a lot of attention since its introduction at last year’s Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. The film, which was shot in New York City, is a family drama in which an adopted teenage boy struggles against a harsh reality to live with his adoptive younger sister. Milkshake is a culturally rich story. At one point, the main character even teaches his sister The Sun and the Moon, which a traditional Korean fairy tale surround a widow and her two children. The essence of the story is to teach young children that if you want something badly enough, you will be able to find a way to receive it, as long as your intentions are good, kind and pure.

Ko’s film will be screening at the NewFilmmakers New York 2014 on October 2nd, 2014 at the Deren Theater of Anthology Film Archives located at 32 Second Ave. in New York City.

From there, Ko will take his film to Spain, where it will screen at the Marbella International Film Festival on October 5th.

We wish SangJin Ko the best of luck on his festival tour and expect a bright future for this fine, young film director!

If you’re interested in studying filmmaking at the New York Film Academy, please CLICK HERE for more information.

NYFA INDUSTRY LAB PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE

As a part of New York Film Academy’s ongoing effort to make its curriculum even more hands-on, we’ve started a new initiative under our Diversity Development called NYFA’s Industry Lab. Headed up by NYFA Los Angeles Directing Instructor Craig Ross, Jr., the Industry Lab offers students real world experiences, working on major productions for professional clients.

“Industry Lab’s work with outside producers is giving students real world experience while they are still in school or newly graduated,” said Head of Industry Lab, Craig Ross. “IL is a unique extension of each student’s experience here at New York Film Academy because it gives them a strong look at how the industry actually works but still nurtures them within the school’s construct.”

Just recently, we’ve also allowed graduates, who are under a year out of school, the opportunity to gain this valuable experience as well. This helps recent alumni continue to hone their skills while beefing up their portfolio with pertinent credits.

Of the handful of productions thus far, typical video shoots have taken place on Sundays when students are out of class. Below is a breakdown of some of the projects we’ve been working on thus far, which include such clients as Warner Bros., Electric Blue Man, and actor Matthew Modine.

Electric Blue Man – “Movin”

Music company – September Soul Music, LLC
Company owned by D. Channsin Berry, who along with Bill Duke directed and produced the international hit movie and festival favorite “Dark Girls”, which is currently streaming on Netflix. Chair of Diversity Development/Producing Instructor Cheryl L. Bedford is the Line Producer of “Dark Girls.”

Jenny Lewis – Warner Bros. – “She’s Not Me”

Teacher Assistants from the Industry Lab shot the footage and one of our NYFA Industry Lab student editors edited the video. Originally the footage was cut to a different song, but Warner Bros. was so impressed with the Editor that they had the student re-cut it to a new song. The song became the Official Web Video.

Management Company – Water Walks Productions

Owned by Felicia D. Henderson
Directed three music videos: “Try” and “Stay with Me.” New artists cover popular songs to get a following before they release their own new song. Her new song is “Strawberry Kisses“, which is one of our largest productions to date.

“Try” and “Stay with Me” were directed by Jeff Byrd, who is a Directing Instructor at NYFA. Jeff is also the Co-Chair of the African-American Steering Committee of the DGA. “Strawberry Kisses” was co-directed by Jeff Byrd and Industry Lab student Laura Perez Rebullen.

Silverlake Conservatory – Documentary Style Promo

Created a promo piece for the Silverlake Conservatory, non-profit, that Michael “Flea” Balzary started to fill in the cultural landscape of our community. All development, production and editing was done by students in the Industry Lab. The Silverlake Conservatory of Music is a non-profit organization created in 2001 that offers people of the Los Angeles area the opportunity to study music with exceptional teachers at a reasonable price.

“Lytah” a new release for DJ Rusko

Rusko is managed by Red Light Management. Other clients of theirs are The Dave Matthews Band and Lionel Richie, among others. We are about to create a video for the song “Metropolis” from their client, Belle Brigade, who incidentally opened for Jenny Lewis this summer.

Ruby Modine – “I Just Don’t Understand”

Directed by Guest Lecturer and Actor Matthew Modine
A beautiful music video about domestic abuse, which will be seen all over the world. Matthew was so impressed with our students that he has asked them to do one more video. The artist, Ruby Modine will cover Judy Garland’s version of “Smile” on Sunday, Oct 5th, 2014.

Warner Brothers Summer Sessions Concert Series

Industry Lab filmed the summer concert series on WB Music patio, which included behind the scenes in addition to the main acts. The Lab edited and delivered all of the projects.

We’re on a Boat!

As is the case on many new film productions and cast rehearsals, actors and filmmakers typically like to meet each other beforehand in a casual, fun environment to break the ice and rid each other of any “getting to know you” awkwardness. We know our incoming Fall 2014 students would feel the same way, so we took them on a boat around the south tip of Manhattan! Along the tour were breathtaking views of landmarks such as The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor’s Island, and the skyscrapers of Manhattan’s Financial District.

Our mixture of diverse students mingled, laughed, and grabbed a few Instagram photos to show off to their friends’ back at home.

The majority of the long term students will be attending New York Film Academy’s nearby Battery Park campus located at 17 Battery Place.

Student ‘Tip-Toes’ to Victory at LA Brazilian Film Fest

Raquel Bordin — photos by Livia Wippich & Marcos Daniel Ferreira/ LABRFF

As many of us at the New York Film Academy are well aware of, Brazil is currently one of the most competitive markets in the film industry. Many of our most talented students, including the recent Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival award-winner Raquel Bordin, have come from Brazil. In fact, The Brazilian National Agency of Cinema ANCINE has just announced the investment of approximately $600 Million on new audiovisual co-productions open to foreign partnerships. “The Brasil de Todas as Telas (Brazil of All Screens) program is investing largely on Brazilian audiovisual development,”says Manoel Rangel, president of ANCINE. “It’s the most ambitious program for investment on this sector ever done in Brazil. Its various imbricate actions are being executed and new actions will be launched until the end of 2014.”

This month, the 7th Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival, at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in Hollywood, screened a fine selection of films from some of the best current co-productions between Brazil and the United States. Films ranged from some of the more successful blockbusters to promising and emerging filmmakers in the independent and student film world. LABRFF’s mission is to generate a favorable environment to creation, prioritizing content and storytelling. What better medium to promote the Brazilian culture than cinema?

The festival brought the best of Brazilian cinema to Los Angeles with a selection of more than 30 films. Some of the highlights at this year’s festival were the USA premiere of The Great Victory and the closing film Forever Nevermore, from Director Emerson Muzeli. The Opening Night Gala was on September 14th at the Academy Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and the events concluded on September 19th.

Of the 17 selected short films, NYFA Filmmaking student, Raquel Bordin’s Tip Toe screened at the Regent Theater in Los Angeles and won the Best U.S. Short at the festival. Big congratulations to Raquel on her award-winning film!

If you’re a Brazilian actor or filmmaker interested in studying at the New York Film Academy, CLICK HERE for more information.

Source: Lucas Paz, LABRFF Media Manager, and Cris Guzzi, LABRFF Research Manager