Page 317 – NYFA

Screenwriting Grads Not Playing Around at LA Web Fest

As most of us are well aware by now, the best way to break into the industry and have your vision seen is via the web. Two New York Film Academy Screenwriting graduates, Talya Adams and Kareem Brown, felt like they had a winner on their hands with their comedy web series, Just Playing with Jason. After entering it into the LA Web Fest, their intuition was correct. The series awarded Talya the prize of Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Web Show. Even the actors got in on the awards. Maleek Griffith won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Web Show and AC Sanford won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Web Show.

Originally from Clearwater, Florida, Talya Adams grew up with a fascination for all things surrounding storytelling. Her continued love of the craft inspired her relocation to Los Angeles, California. In the two years she’s lived on the West Coast, Talya created and produced two web shows, including the award-winning Just Playing With Jason.

Kareem Brown was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey and moved to Los Angeles, where he received an AFA in screenwriting at the New York Film Academy. Kareem has proven to be talented not in just film production, but in vocal singing as well. Since Kareem has moved to LA, he has produced three web series, two of which he wrote and acted in.

This fall, the pair will roll out more original content on their Youtube Channel, Miss Adams and Mr. Brown TV, in the hopes of becoming one of the premier channels on the website.

For now, you can watch the LA Web Fest award-winning web series, Just Playing with Jason, on Youtube.

NYFA Student Writes and Directs Italian Web Series

Even though Francesco Mazza had already been writing for popular television shows in Italy, he decided to move to New York to challenge himself and become a better artist. “My interest in New York Film Academy came from the all hands-on idea,” says Mazza. “When you are in your early 30’s, you can’t afford to lose time, and at NYFA everything happens fast.”

During Francesco’s first year in New York, he came up with the idea for a pilot and pitched it to a couple of Italian production companies. The pilot, Vera Bes, caught the interest of Matteo Scortegagna, C.E.O. of Zodiak Active Italy. From there, Francesco wrote the pilot and soon after the project was green-lit. Francesco was not meant to direct the pilot. It was only after he showed Scortegagna his NYFA first semester film, a comedy called Man-eaters, starring his fellow NYFA acting students. After viewing the short, Scortegagna hired Francesco to direct his own pilot.

“The web-wise record-setting of $80,000 displays how important the project is for us, who strongly believe in the upcoming development of the web market,” said Scortegagna. “As we were half way through pre-production, I came to know that not only was Francesco a talented screenwriter with prestigious credits in our country, but he was also attending a one-year course in directing and filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Therefore, I immediately offered him the directing of the pilot, a challenge that was brilliantly accomplished by Francesco last March.”

Vera Bes is about a girl with a special power: using the mystery of “lucid dreams” leant by her grandmother, she is capable of getting into people’s dreams. In her spare time, Vera becomes a “dream consultant”- anybody affected by a recurring nightmare can come by her studio for a consultation. After investigating both in the world of dreams of the client and in reality, she climbs down the client’s unconscious to set him free from the nightmare. But Vera has a further motivation: finding and killing the evil presence who murdered her grandmother.

“I like to think of NYFA as a toy or a musical instrument. If you apply yourself hard, you’re willing to do sacrifices, you humble yourself no matter what you did in the past and you constantly struggle to learn. And you are going to have real fun. Before studying at NYFA, I’ve always had lots of ideas, but it’s thanks to NYFA that I finally learned how to visualize and dramatize the stories I had in my mind. I would have never been able to direct a project like Vera Bes if I hadn’t had the possibility to learn the essential rules of screenwriting with Ben Maraniss or the importance of externalizing the characters’ struggle with Michael Sandoval. Not to mention all the priceless advice my directing teacher, Amos Poe, gave me throughout the year. I also fondly remember the speech [Filmmaking Chair] Claude Kerven gave us the very first day of school about the true meaning of being a filmmaker — something I’ll never forget.”

Vera Bes is already part of the official selection for the upcoming 2014 Marseille Web Series Festival. Francesco’s goal is to create a character driven TV drama like Breaking Bad, American Horror Story, True Detective, etc. The idea of Zodiak Active is to find international production companies willing to partner up and produce an international product to be sold worldwide.

VERA BES – Promo from Vera Bes on Vimeo.

SUMMER NEW WORKS READING SERIES AT NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY

New York Film Academy’s Musical Theatre department is gearing up to present their first ever Summer New Works Reading Series! The Series was designed to promote relationships between our students and emerging composers, writers, and directors. It’s an exciting opportunity for our musical theatre students to be involved in the developmental stages of high-potential musical theatre pieces and to cultivate working relationships with individuals and collaborators who are already making a name for themselves in the musical theatre industry.

The Reading Series will consist of two emotionally rich pieces that will be held at NYFA Union Square’s 4th Floor Screening Room. 100 E. 17th St. New York, NY 10002.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH 8PM: Camila by Lori McKelvey, directed by Chad Larabee, musical direction by Kevin David Thomas
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9TH 8PM: A Lasting Impression by Zoe Sarnak, directed by DJ Salisbury, musical direction by Daniel Lincoln.

CAMILA is the true story of a love so strong, that it sparked a revolution in Argentina and changed the course of history. Framed within turbulent 1850’s Buenos Aires, Camila O’Gorman questions why General Rosas’ soldiers execute booksellers and innocent gauchos. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Padre Ladislao Gutierrez, a young Jesuit Priest who shares her concern for the terror striking their nation. As romance blooms, they find themselves hunted by Rosas and Padre Gannon for crimes against the nation and the church. Although the government banned the story from being told for a hundred and fifty years, it was whispered from generation to generation. Now, you can hear the story in full at the New York Film Academy.

A LASTING IMPRESSION is the story of sisters Kali, a composer, and Simone, a painter, as told through the eyes of a jaded young journalist, Josh. Struggling to find purpose in his writing, Josh stumbles upon the sister artists living in modern-day Brooklyn with their mother. As he recounts his interviews, he uncovers the secrets of a crumbling family. The sisters’ artwork is woven into Josh’s narrative through musical and visual elements. Three versions of the same story, (book, set, and score) A Lasting Impression is about impressions that we make through love, on those close to us, and through art, on those we may never meet.

Both shows will be presented in traditional reading format, which means an intimate set with music stands, binders and a small band.

Our musical theatre students are wholeheartedly looking forward to their presentations and hope to see you all there!

Screenwriter Steve Desmond Joins NYFA’s MFA Screenwriting Biz Class

On July 22nd, screenwriter Steve Desmond joined New York Film Academy‘s Business of Screenwriting II class to discuss tips and advice on breaking into Hollywood as a writer, sharing many valuable insights.

After winning a Student Emmy while still an undergrad, Steve emphasized that while he was initially focused on getting repped as a writer after school, he soon realized that the most important thing he could focus on was becoming a great storyteller. He advised young writers to not be so focused with finding an agent or manager right away and instead to work on their craft and to keep getting better.

“Write every day,” Steve advised. “I keep a calendar in my office, and I mark it off for every day that I get a few hours of writing done. And then I push myself. Can I do ten days, twenty days, thirty days? Of course, sometimes it’s necessary and refreshing to take breaks. But you should be writing 5 to 6 days a week whether it be outlining or writing pages.”

Steve also works as a Commercial Treatment writer. He spoke about this unique area of the business as a way to support yourself as a fiction writer, while still getting paid to write and learn about the commercial production process. He also discussed working as a freelance Reality TV Treatment writer and brought in examples of such work.

Steve finally spoke candidly about the process of developing projects with producers, stating that producer notes can be great, but that you always want to be careful to both agreeing with a note that you initially love, or in rejecting a note that you initially don’t like too fast. “Both can get you into trouble,” Steve warned, “and it’s best to take it all in and think it over after a script meeting.”

Along with his writing partner, Steve has written and developed film projects with production companies such as Imagine Entertainment, Blacklight Transmedia, and the Disney Channel. Steve currently has a biopic in development with Level 1, a sci-fi thriller with Davis Entertainment, and thriller On Your Doorstep with Haven Entertainment, where Steve is attached to direct.

Creative Exec at Unbroken Pictures Visits MFA Business of Screenwriting Class

Unbroken Pictures’ Creative Executive, Chris Armogida swung by New York Film Academy‘s Business of Screenwriting II class on July 15th to discuss career advice and strategies for up-and-coming writers looking to break into the entertainment business.

While regaling his early days working as a film projectionist, Chris reminded the students to, “Watch everything you can. It will really help you know what works and what doesn’t and why a vast cinema library will help expose you to different types of storytelling.”

Chris also spoke about ways to stand out in an internship at a production company. “An internship is so what you make of it,” Chris said. “Do whatever is asked of you–big or small–with enthusiasm and a desire to learn.” Incidentally, Chris’ career was launched after he was hired off being an intern to working a development and production desk at Village Roadshow Pictures.

Chris also spoke proudly of working at Rogue Pictures. “I love horror movies, so it was a perfect place for me to learn the ins and outs of working at a studio.” Chris then reviewed the different divisions of a mini-major studio house.

Chris answered student questions about independent producing versus studio deal producing and the challenges faced for all producers, as well as his process for developing new material with up and coming screenwriters. He also spoke about the new globalization of the movie marketplace and why films are often times now released abroad first before being domestically distributed.

Chris worked for two years at Rogue Pictures (the genre division of Universal) before becoming a Creative Executive at director Bryan Bertino’s production company, Unbroken Pictures. Bryan Bertino directed the breakout horror hit The Strangers. Unbroken Pictures also recently produced the upcoming horror film Mockingbird for Universal and BlumHouse.

MAKING MOVIES AND MAKING HISTORY: NYFA OVER THE YEARS

Maybe it’s the gorgeous weather we’re having this summer in New York City or maybe it’s just that’s it’s a Friday, but today we found ourselves digging up an old New York Times article about the Academy from 2005. Written after the school had been open for thirteen years, the piece had us smiling not only because it reminded us of our humble beginnings, but also marveling at how many talented and incredible future filmmakers, actors, and other talented individuals have passed through the New York Film Academy over the past twenty-two years.

At the end of the day however, it’s not simply talent that has helped students at the Academy realize their dreams in the entertainment industry. As the Times article makes clear, it was drive and hard work that inspired the creation of the Academy in the first place, which is something that is emphasized with every student. After all, our president and founder, Jerry Sherlock first found his success in the garment business, but his own desire for a challenge led him into a career as a movie producer where he learned the invaluable lesson that “the producer’s job is to take an idea and make it real.”

After finding immense success with the 1991 global smash The Hunt for Red October, Sherlock got his next big idea through conversations with friends who wished to have their children visit his sets. It was then that Sherlock realized that he could create a film school where students would get to learn by spending time on set, but this time, they would be working on their own sets or those of their fellow students while spending a fraction of the cost of attending a university.

As Sherlock says, “We do very little theory; it’s all hands-on, practical experience.” And as any student who has ever taken a short-term workshop or a multiple-year degree program at the Academy can attest, students truly learn by doing—writing, shooting, directing, and editing their own original movies alongside getting extensive experience working in a variety of positions on their classmates’ productions.

Considering that the Academy was opened with the goal of continually challenging its students, it continues to grow and evolve. Even just in the nine years since that article first ran, the Academy now offers MFA, MA, BFA, BA, and AFA degree programs at its Los Angeles campus while its curriculum has grown to include other visual storytelling disciplines, including video game design, photography, and 3D animation. In addition, the Academy continues to grow, bringing its one-of-a-kind curriculum to locations all over the world.

So even as we look back on our past today, we also can’t help but look forward to the future and imagine what the next twenty-two years holds for the Academy. We do know one thing that will stay true though: we will continue to strive to make our most ambitious ideas real in order to help countless new generations of visual storytellers achieve their wildest dreams.

Associate Chair Adam Moore’s ‘The Pinkertons’ Attaches Angus Macfadyen

Some great news coming out of of New York Film Academy Los Angeles campus as Associate Chair of Screenwriting, Adam Moore’s series The Pinkertons, which he co-created with Kevin Abrams and wrote the pilot for, has just attached Turn co-star Angus Macfadyen to play one of the leading roles. The show is currently in pre-production in Canada and set to premiere this fall in first-run syndication in the U.S. The series has been cleared in more than 85% of the country by Rohrs Media Group on station groups including Tribune, Weigel, Hearst, LIN, Meredith, Cox and the CW PLUS.

The 22-episode action-adventure detective series draws on the real cases of Pinkerton Detective Agency. The series follows founder Allan Pinkerton (Macfadyen), his son, William, and America’s first female detective, Kate Warne, as they solve crimes throughout the 1860s “Wild West”. Interestingly enough, Pinkerton is known for revolutionizing detective work through his development of surveillance, undercover work and the mug shot).

Moore and Abrams also serve as executive producers and writers, alongside Canadian showrunners and executive producers Larry Lalonde and Phil Bedard (Murdoch Mysteries). Amuse Group USA – a subsidiary of a Japanese entertainment company Amuse Inc. – is also co-financing the project. Zodiak Rights, the international distribution arm of Zodiak Media, will handle international distribution.

Congrats to Adam Moore for bringing his vision to the screen and we’re all looking forward to watching The Pinkertons this fall!

Making Magic at NYFA

virtual stage — Director of Photography Yan Rymsha composes the shot of Sawicki playing the giant.

The students in my Cine 810 class in visual effects cinematography outdid themselves recently by shooting a mock Solar Power commercial complete with miniatures and size scaled performers. Originally, the plan was to have the concept take place during the day but director of photography student Yan Rymsha suggested that it take place at night with mysterious film noir lighting.

I loved the idea and modified the script just before the shoot. The principal photography took place on a green screen stage in Hollywood and is an example of a poor man’s virtual set. The miniature and myself (playing the giant) was set up at one end of the stage and was shot with a Red Epic A camera. Colin Meyer, playing the solar panel owner, was shot in the same room simultaneously with a Red Epic B camera, using the same focal length lens as the A camera. This enabled the performances and camera angles to be synchronized very easily.

To “pre viz” the shots a Panasonic AS50S switcher was used to do a rough video composite between the two cameras to make sure the critical alignment was spot on. The crew also used an Atomos Ninja recorder to record the output of the switcher for editing purposes. The giant coin prop was created by sticking a blow up photo of a coin on a film can and having Colin pick it up off of a C-stand. Animation of the giant’s hand holding the coin was then executed in After Effects to link up with the prop coin that Colin picked up at just the right frame. The shoot took all of a fun filled eight hour day. Post compositing was executed in After Effects and saved in our database of real world exercises. The students and I had a lot of fun shooting the project and we look forward to developing more virtual stage projects here at NYFA Los Angeles.

New York Film Academy in Association with Warner Bros. Records Produces Jenny Lewis’ New Music Video

One of the many exciting partnerships the New York Film Academy has developed is with Warner Bros. Records. From this exciting collaboration, the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles was tapped to film the music video for popular singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis’ new song She’s Not Me, which comes off her new album, The Voyager. Following production, the video was edited by NYFA student, Saud Al-Moghirah, and is now live to view on Jenny’s Youtube page!

Have a look at the video below, which is a time-lapse of a mural painted outside of the famous Amoeba Music in Hollywood. Jenny’s full album, The Voyager, will be released July 29th by Warner Bros. Records.