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Add 2 More Awards For Gabby Egito

Gabriela Egito (“Gabby”) went two for two at the festivals this month. Her thesis film, Stuffed, shot during her one-year filmmaking course, won Best L.A. Short at the Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival and Best Foreign Short at the Las Vegas Film Festival. These were the second of three prizes awarded to the thesis film, as it had previously won Best Drama Short at the Atlantic City Cinefest.

Gabby had also previously produced the film Synergy during New York Film Academy’s 8-week film workshop, which won an award and was selected to more than 10 international film festivals. In total, Gabby has received 4 awards as a writer, director, producer, and editor, since being enrolled in 2010. After winning the awards, Gabby sent a note to the school saying, “Thank you so much for supporting me and providing the wonderful hands-on training that lead me to make this happen.” We wish her all the best on her filmmaking endeavors and hope the awards keep piling up!

Read more about Gabby’s winning ways in her recent mention in the Hollywood Reporter.

Life After Animation School

It’s been five years since Scott Cullen graduated from New York Film Academy‘s Animation School, and he’s now working at a major animation and visual effects house in Los Angeles, Rythm and Hues. With some of the world’s top creative talents and best technologies, Rhythm & Hues delivers outstanding, award-winning visual effects and animation. Their projects include the upcoming 300 sequel, The Hunger Games, The Bourne Legacy, Snow White and the Huntsmen, and many more features and commercials.
Scott began his career working as a 3D generalist, which is a common stepping stone out of school. He was responsible for multiple stages of the  production “pipeline,” such as modeling, texturing, animating and lighting.
It is much easier to find work for a versatile artist, especially in the commercial industry. “Knowing all of the stages of the pipeline, such as rigging, modeling, and lighting, is always a huge plus. There are other programs out there in which you are limited to learning only animation. What makes NYFA a little different than studying at a traditional 4 year college, is that you are learning right up until you graduate. You really need to work hard after graduation, and put together your own work to show to companies who are looking to hire. It’s also a lot of learning in a short amount of time, so you really need to work hard.”
As a Camera Layout TD, Scott is currently in production on the films, Life of Pi and R.I.P.D. Scott works a typical 9 to 6 day, but unlike a lot of professionals in other industries, he’s never bitter about waking up for work. “I enjoy waking up everyday and not dreading going to work. It can be a little stressful at times, especially during tight deadlines, but it’s a good feeling to get paid for something you really enjoy doing.”

It’s Never Too Late To Pursue Acting

They say it’s never too late to start your dreams. At the age of 35, Silje Aas Meyer finally got the courage to follow her childhood dream to become an actor. She quit her job in childcare, got a job as a retail manager, and began auditioning. Her first acting role came about in the film, Den Hengte Mannen, which premiered at the International Film Festival in Bergen (BIFF). The film screened in Norwegian cinemas, and is now on DVD in stores across the country.

“It was a challenging character, with all the right ingredients. The fact that she was actually quite disturbed just made it more challenging. I loved how real and raw she was. At this stage, I had no experience beside my high school drama in 1993. I felt sick just standing in front of the camera, and my acting was terrible! Nevertheless, I told the director that if he took a chance with me I would deliver. He actually believed in me, and continued to do so for the next six months. Truthfully, he was in great doubt until I got back from NYFA.”

Silje Aas Meyer set out for New York Film Academy to hone her skills in the 4 week acting for film workshop. From the second she set foot on American soil, Silje decided to let go of any inhibitions and seize the moment. “While I did learn a lot of skills in different areas of acting, for me the most important bit of knowledge comes from knowing what it is that you can bring to the table that is unique. In the movie, my character is abusing her own child. As a mother and having worked with abused children, this was extremely challenging. For me to be able to dive into this character, I had to respect the person I was playing. I had to giver her life. I discovered places inside of me where I had felt that bitterness, and magnified that feeling. It was actually therapeutic to be allowed to feel and act out without really hurting others.

When Silje returned to Norway with her newly acquired knowledge and self confidence, her director claimed that a miracle happened to her at the New York Film Academy. “After NYFA he had no more doubts in my ability to deliver in the role. So you can imagine my gratitude towards the people helping me to discover what I always knew was inside of me. I do believe that everyone has to find their own way of learning to perform at his or her best. The way each of us learn is as unique as we are.”

Martin Scorsese Drops by the New York Film Academy

NYFA Provost Michael Young (left), Martin Scorsese (center), and NYFA Senior Director David Klein (right)

This Summer we had the privilege of teaching Oscar Winning Director, Martin Scorsese’s daughter. The Goodfellas director must’ve passed on his love for filmmaking, as his young daughter decided to attend New York Film Academy‘s Summer Camp to hone her inherited filmmaking skills. We were thrilled when her biggest supporter and fan, Martin Scorsese, showed up to the graduation screening at the New York Film Academy. Marty was very impressed with all of the young talent on hand, especially given the fact that each student had only one week to shoot and edit the film. Scorsese mentioned he will be filming his upcoming movie, The Wolf of Wall Street in New York City very soon. You can bet we’ll be attending a screening of his next film, once it’s in the theaters.

Winning in Casablanca

Jaouad Bouddehbine winning Best Fiction at the Casablanca International Student Film Festival
One year filmmaking graduate, Jaouad Bouddehbine, won Best Fiction at The Casablanca International Student Film Festival and was selected at Angelus Student Film Festival with his film, Stricken, which was his thesis film at New York Film Academy. The Moroccan native believes there is a wealth of untapped material which can shared through the medium of cinema. “Great stories can be told and shared worldwide. I would love to tell the world some of those stories.”
Currently, Jaouad is looking to shoot his next film in which he tends to cross genres. In fact, he has set the bar high with his hopes to revolutionize Moroccan cinema. But, first, he plans to continue his film education through NYFA’s MFA Filmmaking program. “NYFA was a great experience, especially in terms of writing, shooting, and editing short films in the United States.”

Click here, if you’re interested in learning filmmaking at New York Film Academy like Jaouad!

Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer on His Love of Film

Director/writer/producer Kurt Wimmer speaking to students at New York Film Academy.

 

“I live to see a good movie,” said director/writer/producer Kurt Wimmer. “When I sit down in a theater, I love it when the trailers come up. My heart starts pounding and I start tearing up.” As part of New York Film Academy’s ongoing guest speaker series, Wimmer spoke to an audience of students after a screening of his breakthrough hit film, Equilibrium, starring Christian Bale. He explained, “There’s things I want to say, and this movie is about that. It’s about the things I feel. I want you to feel that too.”

Though he had already found considerable success as the co-writer of Sphere, and adapting Michael Crichton’s Thomas Crowne Affair, Equilibrium was Kurt Wimmer’s first major directing credit. As he said, “I was dreading the moment when someone would say, ‘Will you direct?’ I spent the entire shoot waiting for someone to tap me on my shoulder and say, ‘What are you doing here?’” He credited his crew for their support throughout the process, saying, “There are invisible hands that help you.”

Wimmer was joined on stage by crew members, including stunt coordinator Mike Smith, editor William Yeh, producer Lucas Foster, and score producer Klaus Badelt who shared their experience working on the movie. Previous guest speaker Alan Siegel, Gerard Butler’s manager, was also in attendance. As Wimmer put it, “You meet people as you go along. Sometimes you have chemistry and sometimes you don’t. But you have to establish relationships and establish trust.”

Kurt Wimmer is known for his star vehicle movies, such as The Recruit with Colin Farrell, Law Abiding Citizen with Gerard Butler, and Salt with Angelina Jolie. He announced that his next release, the remake of Total Recall, is scheduled for release next month. The film features a star-studded cast, including Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Ethan Hawke, and Bryan Cranston.

Stunt coordinator Mike Smith, event moderator Tova Laiter, editor William Yeh, director Kurt Wimmer, producer Lucas Foster, and score producer Klaus Badelt

Student Dylan Howard’s PBS Documentary ‘Sculpting Peace’

Current New York Film Academy 2 Year Filmmaking Student, Dylan Howard’s documentary Mimi Sammis: Sculpting Peace premiered on PBS as part of the ongoing series, Rhode Island Stories. Sculpting Peace documents the life and work of world-renowned Narragansett, Rhode Island, artist and peace activist, Anne Mimi Sammis. In her sculpture she embraces peace as well as the inherent goodness, love and acceptance that she believes exist in all humankind. Mimi’s art often echoes the UNs mission of peace and encourages us to believe it’s globally possible. The film follows her journey over the last three decades. The viewer joins Mimi on her search for inner peace through her work. With her work she comes to the eventual realization that all is one! As the film explains, she wishes to inspire peace and jubilation for everyone as they find there own path through the creative process. For Mimi everything begins with a desire to do, to create. With that true desire, she believes that one is capable of creating anything!

Mimi was Dylan’s babysitter growing up and the project came to be from his personal relationship with her. As a child, she would mentor him in spiritual philosophies and show him how to create realities with his thoughts. Something very vital in the nurturing stage of a young filmmaker’s mind. It took Dylan over a year to film the interviews and go through hours of archival footage from over three decades of Mimi’s life. Once the film was shot, Dylan and Mimi brought it to Rhode Island PBS, because Mimi already had a small TV show called, Painting with Mimi.  Dylan cut together a short trailer for what he had envisioned the film would look and feel like. The overall production was a give and take process with the producers from PBS. “When meeting with people like this it’s always best to be yourself, to truly represent what kind of investment you are. Speak about your ideas with passion. You have to care about the project before others will care. It’s also important to be a good listener, to take in feedback when it is due and to take in credit when it’s due. Be sure to carry yourself with confidence, for that is power.”
After some constructive criticism from the producers, the final edit was made and it was ready to be screened on PBS.  “It was a big moment for me to get something I made on TV, and it just proved to me that I could do this.” Currently, Dylan is working toward getting the film to air on National PBS, while submitting it to film festivals all over the country.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/32711652[/vimeo]

How to Succeed at the Game of Acting

Cassie Freeman and Chris Rock

So many of New York Film Academy‘s instructors have secret lives outside of teaching, and we’re always proud to hear about their accomplishments. Such is the case with NYFA Acting Instructor, Cassie Freeman. In 2011, Cassie starred in the film Kinyarwanda, which won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Drama category at the Sundance Film Festival. The film also won the Audience Award in the World Cinema section at AFI Fest 2011, and the Grand Prize at the Skip City Film Festival in Japan. Cassie has compiled a list of credits in her early career, including roles in Spike Lee’s Inside Man and Chris Rock’s I Think I Love my Wife. She will soon debut her new character on the hit VH1 show, Single Ladies. In addition to her acting work, Cassie founded her own company, Motion Pictures LLC, where she has several projects in development, including a one-hour drama, a talk news show, and a documentary. Despite her incredibly hectic schedule, we somehow managed to catch up with Cassie to ask her a few questions about her life and career thus far.

What do you think led you on the acting path?

I fell into acting by accident. I initially wanted to be in politics, or become a leader in the church. I love the idea of helping others reach their full potential. It’s one of the reasons why I love to teach. As a kid I always felt left out and awkward. Acting helped me celebrate what makes me different from others, while still realizing we have a lot in common. When I meet a new person, they are a potential new best friend. I auditioned for acting and band at Douglas Anderson, which is the Arts High School in Jacksonville. My dad did not like the idea, but decided one year was fine. The first play I acted in was, For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide. However, the first show where I really felt like an actress was A Piece of My Heart. The play was about the women who served during Vietnam. Working on that play and getting into that character changed my life. I had a spiritual moment where I felt like I left my own life and enveloped my self in another. I believe actors have an unbelievable opportunity to be a mirror to our collective consciousness. If you display life fully as it is, people can experience their own frailty and uniqueness.

Can you tell us a little about NYFA and your experience teaching here?

My last film Kinyarwanda won at Sundance last year and it gave me the opportunity to travel the world. New York Film Academy was one of the places on our tour. I really enjoyed how curious the students were about their craft, and a couple of the students said they would love for me to do a workshop. After I inquired, I was invited to teach at the school. Being a New York girl, I thought it would be fabulous to share what I’ve learned and to have a class for longer than a few days. Teaching here has also made me a better actress in so many ways. The most important thing I’ve learned is how necessary it is to relax and have patience with yourself. It is impossible to learn or act if those two things are not in tact. It is virtually impossible for a director, or in my case a teacher, to help an individual truly grow as an actor. Ultimately, it must come from within.

What kind of feedback would you give to a prospective student who wants to come here?

This school can teach you everything you want to learn. The tools and faculty are all sincerely here because they enjoy what they do. The classes are small enough that you can get the personal attention that many other programs can’t offer. The number of times you get to be on camera in front of faculty and your peers is priceless. The learning curve you get out of this school to go in the real world is awesome. However, you can only learn all of these things if you’re open to new ideas and concepts. My favorite students have been the ones who come in as a curious artist, striving to learn and unlock the code to their own possibilities. Those students grow the most, and help me grow to become a better artist as well. That is essentially, Hollywood. We are all constantly learning, collaborating, and sharing new concepts with each other. NYFA is a great way to develop one’s craft.

What advice would you give to the aspiring actor?

Go to every audition you can. Do every reading you can. Practice more than anyone. Make a game out of how many hours you can concentrate on a script and a character. I auditioned over a year for this show. I was never right for the character they were casting, but they thought I was talented and kept bringing me back. The character that ended up working out is a regular on the show. This is how I have booked many roles in life. I come in the door, knowing I may not be right for that character, but perform so well  that hopefully someone in the room is up at night thinking, “We need to figure out a way to put her in this show.” This opportunity would have never happened if I stopped doing the “work” of the actor: dreaming, creating, and crafting. As actors, we have to be our own biggest fans, even if there is no proof that we are even good at it. Confidence and perseverance is what wins in the game of acting.

Any specific advice on booking roles in television?

Learn how to take direction! Learn how to ask the right questions in the right manner. Both will give you so many opportunities to shine as a professional. Don’t put too much emphasis on if you book a role or not, worry that you gave it your all. We are actors not “auditioners.” I use each audition as a case to experiment in developing deeply interesting characters. If I book it, it’s icing on the cake. Whatever you have control over as an actor, do all you can, and leave the rest to the universe to sort out. Most importantly, surround yourself with lots of love. People should want to work with you as soon as you enter the room.

So, tell us about your role in VH1’s Single Ladies.

I auditioned three times over the course of a month. I felt a connection to the role from day one. I loved how silly, loving, and real she felt to me. I hadn’t seen a young black female character written so beautifully the way that Stacy Littlejohn, creator of the show, had made her. All I had to do was breathe life into her words. Every time I came back for the call back, I’d meet new producers who felt like family. On set, work doesn’t start until we hug and greet each other.

To do a TV show is a marathon. It has been some of the hardest work in my life. It has also been some of the most fun I’ve ever had as actor. I love that everyday I get to act as my character evolves. The hours on set are long. To act for TV, you need stamina and a high level of discipline at all times.

See Cassie’s new character debut Monday Jul 16th at 9pm on VH1’s Single Ladies.