Page 82 – NYFA

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Screens Groundbreaking VR Film ‘Agent Emerson’ with Director and BFA Filmmaking alum Ilya Rozhkov and Filmmaking Team

New York Film Academy (NYFA) recently hosted a screening of groundbreaking VR action film Agent Emerson, followed by a Q&A with award-winning writer, director, producer, and NYFA BFA Filmmaking alum Ilya Rozhkov; Associate Producer & VP of Development of the Rogue Initiative, Bradley Etheridge; and Line Producer and NYFA alum, Radhika Womack. The event was held on Friday, November 15 at NYFA’s Burbank-based campus, with the president of the NYFA Broadcasting Club, Derek “DJ” Johnson II, moderating.

BFA Filmmaking alum Ilya Rozhkov has directed award-winning shorts including Wes-Andresonesque Sabre Dance, starring Olympian Greg Louganis as Salvador Dali. His films have been distributed worldwide, featured on NBC, and screened at over 50+ festivals; winning numerous awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

As a lead development executive at Rogue Initiative, Bradley Etheridge is responsible for input for both creative and business development. Etheridge’s diverse range of duties includes working with directors, writers, and producers on film, TV, and VR projects; managing Rogue’s internal team of game developers; and interfacing with contacts in various industries for everything from investment to content distribution opportunities.

Radhika Womack began her career producing commercials in the Indian film industry. Since moving to the United States, she has produced a number of feature films, shorts, documentaries, and music videos. Her most recent credits include producing the feature film In This Gray Place and line-producing Agent Emerson.

DJ Johnson II opened the Q&A by asking how the idea of Agent Emerson came about, highlighting the fact that Rozhkov conceptualized the film’s story with Womack during their time as students at NYFA.

The VR film allows the audience to see an action movie from the 360-degree POV of its hero. The film, starring Andrew Bowen, Lyndsy Fonseca, and Tony Denison, has toured with Samsung and Verizon Media in a series of events in several states and recently had its successful red carpet premiere with high-profile guests from major Hollywood studios, Silicon Valley, the Producers Guild, the VR industry, and several Academy Award nominees.

“It was a very long planning process; about a year of it,” Rozhkov shared. “When I thought about it for the first time, I tried to figure out what would make it unique as a storytelling medium, just like people were with movies 120 years ago. So when the script was there and the concept was there, we started looking into technology and it simply did not exist, so I sat down with engineers and we had to create technology to make this possible.”

Johnson continued by inquiring how you set a frame that is 360 degrees. Rozhkov joked by saying, “Just like how there is no spoon in The Matrix, there is no frame in VR.” Rozhkov continued, “It’s storytelling through location and it’s a cinematic medium for sure, but it takes a lot from theater and it takes a lot from gaming. There’s no storytelling laws, especially when we started, so we had to find what works and just like any film, figure out the storytelling language.”

When asked about what the biggest challenge the filmmaking team faced during production, Womack expressed, “The biggest challenge was the technology. There’s so many unknowns in filmmaking already, and here you just triple that. It’s just sitting and brainstorming all the things you need even though there’s a lot of similarity with regular productions and other narratives. You have your locations, your permits, your crew, and the camera is taken care of, but again it’s a much bigger department than you would have on a regular film. The biggest challenge was to let everyone in every department know the difference: if you can see the camera, the camera can see you.”

The Q&A then opened up for questions from the audience. A student asked the filmmaking team, “How did you combine the digital assets with the footage from your camera while maintaining the stereoscopic effect of the film?”

Rozhkov answered, “Everything was carefully measured, and we had a lot of sensor data from set that helped a lot. 360 degree video has a lot of limitations, especially when it comes to 3D, so we utilized game engine to bypass some of them. The film tracks in real time where you’re looking and adjusts the 3D accordingly.”

New York Film Academy thanks BFA Filmmaking alum Ilya Rozhkov, as well as Bradley Etheridge, and Radhika Womack for sharing their VR film and expertise with our students. Agent Emerson will be released on Oculus Rift (Go and Quest), HTC Vive, and Cosmos on November 22.

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New York Film Academy (NYFA) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) Present Youth Free Expression Film Contest Award

In collaboration with the New York Film Academy (NYFA), the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) honored this year’s Youth Free Expression Film Contest winners Molly Smith and Sage Croft, who accepted the award for their film Dear America. NYFA President Michael Young presented the award to the pair at a benefit event held in New York City on Monday, November 11, hosted by Drag Queen Story Hour’s Harmonica Sunbeam. Celebrating its 45th anniversary, NCAC also presented Free Speech Defender Awards to author Jason Reynolds and artist Carolee Schneemann (1939 – 2019).

NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Program empowers students with knowledge, tools and opportunities to defend their rights and assert their voices. Too often, students are silenced when tough conversations get labeled disruptive. Over the past 15 years, the Youth Free Expression Film Contest has showcased the films of dozens of teens whose vision and respect for free expression will inspire generations to come.

NYFA offers crucial support for NCAC and the extraordinarily talented young filmmakers; the scholarship prize offered by NYFA allows award winners the opportunity to undertake any 4-Week hands-on workshop at any of NYFA’s domestic campuses—New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami.

Dear America, the film co-directed by this year’s winners—Molly Smith and Sage Croft of Clermont, Florida—is a vital example of just how important young voices are for sociopolitical discourse as well as the effectiveness of film as a medium for those voices. The film is an open letter on the topic of gun control from generation Z, and spotlights the psychological impact of gun violence on youth. Among a remarkably competitive field, Dear America earned the judges’ highest scores for its clear message and compelling visual technique.

This year’s contest, which drew over 100 entries, invited teens to speak truth to power, directly addressing those with power to lead change by creating a cinematic postcard with a message they believe has gone unheard or silenced. The twelve finalist films tackled a wide range of polarizing—and often taboo—topics, including immigrant family separation, gender equality, toxic masculinity, shaming and bullying, and climate change.

New York Film Academy and the National Coalition Against Censorship look forward to a continued partnership that gives students a platform to create films that speak to the free expression issues that affect their lives.

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New York Film Academy (NYFA) Veteran-Students Come Together for Veterans Day

On this year’s Veterans Day, New York Film Academy (NYFA) celebrated veterans of the US Military throughout the country at its New York City, Los Angeles, and South Beach, Miami campuses.

Veteran-students at NYFA’s New York Campus got together for a meet-up in between classes and shared stories about their times in service, enjoyed lunch together, and chatted about the current projects they are involved in with their programs. Additionally, the NYFA Student Veteran Organization and Division of Veteran Services (DVS) in Los Angeles collaborated by hosting a night of bowling for veteran-students and military dependents.

veterans day 2019 — Some Veteran-Students of NYFA’s Acting for Film & Filmmaking conservatories coming together for a Veterans Day meet & greet event at the NYC Campus

Rahimah A. Powell, a Marine Corps veteran and Acting for Film student at the New York Campus said at the Veterans Day get-together: “I’ve been interested in film for years and after serving in the military I was able to pursue it using my GI Bill. This particular field of work requires discipline and I think that serving has set me up for success in that aspect.”

Colonel Jack Jacobs (US Army Ret.), a Medal of Honor Recipient, is the Chair of NYFA’s Veteran Advancement Program and an advocate for veterans in the performing arts, and also recognizes the great wealth of experience and talent that veteran-students bring to its campus each year.

New York Film Academy has been privileged to enroll more than 2000 veteran-students and dependents from conservatory and degree programs that include courses of study in arts as diverse as Cinematography and 3D Animation, as well as Game Design and Screenwriting, as well as short-term programs in these same disciplines, and others.

Veterans are able to use GI Bill benefits for New York Film Academy’s Conservatory and Degree granting programs at the Los Angeles, New York and South, Beach campuses.

New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism Update

When last we encountered New York Film Academy (NYFA) Broadcast Journalism grad Bryanna “Red Carpet” Reynolds, she was quitting a paying job in Australia to follow her dream to Los Angeles. And while she has only been there a matter of months, she seems to have settled in very well! But her big break came on a “black carpet.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4G_7XtgAYb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Another alum who is doing well, this time in New York, is Nicole Abebe. Nicole is back from Lagos, and getting some NYC media experience. She writes, “I’m a commerce reporter at the Daily Mail. So I write articles on fashion, beauty and lifestyle products.”

International students who complete the 1-Year Broadcast Journalism conservatory are eligible to remain and work in the United States for one year, in order to receive Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Sometimes it takes a while for news to make its way from Tokyo to New York. So I just learned about a NYFA alumni event that took place in Japan a little while ago. Ryo Matsuo was there to represent the Broadcast Journalism department. (That’s him on the right, in the picture below.) Ryo is a busy multimedia journalist in Tokyo, putting into practice the skills he learned at NYFA.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ZC4MfjGN5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And speaking of graduates, congratulations to the September 2019 4-Week Broadcast Journalism students. Here they are on Graduation Day. I will leave it up to you to pick out the two faculty members in the picture. Here’s a hint…Daniel Hernandez and Fabiola Torres.

Finally, I am not a NYFA grad. I have been at the school for 6+ years, and I still don’t have a certificate. (Obviously I am not applying myself…) However, I know enough to be heading back to Kazakhstan in early December to co-teach a 1-Week Journalism workshop sponsored by the US State Department. (I was there at a conference in April.)

Given that I don’t speak either Kazakh or Russian (the second national language), I am going to be relying a lot on NYFA faculty member Evgenia Vlasova. As all of our grads know, Genia’s Russian language skills are flawless!

DOC NYC SCREENS EXCLUSIVE LINEUP OF NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY (NYFA) DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING DEPARTMENT SHORTS

DOC NYC, which runs from November 6 – 15, showcased the work of the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Documentary Filmmaking department in an exclusive lineup of NYFA short films on Thursday, November 7.

DOC NYC is celebrating its tenth year, after bursting onto the scene in 2010 with a lineup of films that the Village Voice called “selective but eclectic.” With a mission statement to guide audiences toward the work of various artists—filmmakers, photographers, and more—and to help documentarians make the most of emerging technologies and the networking opportunities one can only find in New York.

The festival spans ten days at theaters across Manhattan, with an impressive multitude of special guests. Past guests have included Hillary Clinton, Emma Watson, Jim Carrey, Thandie Newton, Susan Sarandon, Martin Scorsese, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Moore, Chris Rock, Michel Gondry, Errol Morris, Oliver Stone, Jonathan Franzen, and Al Sharpton, among others. DOC NYC is overseen by Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen and Artistic Director Thom Powers.

NYFA has collaborated with DOC NYC in the past, with the fest screening the work of several distinguished students and alumni at the precipices of their careers. This year’s DOC NYC U: NYFA lineup was held on Thursday, November 7, at 1:00 p.m. at the IFC Center in Manhattan’s West Village, running for 68 minutes.

The DOC NYC U: NYFA lineup was as follows:

Ghost Villages of the Himalayas | Director: Kuldeep Sah Gangola
Despite encroaching leopards and relentless isolation, 89-year-old Ammaji refuses to leave her home.
(USA, 16 MIN)

My Dad Vernon | Director: Serena Smith
Vernon teaches Serena creative life-hacks while she tries to understand why he lives in his car.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

Mamá | Director: Lucia Florez
Chia joins her mother to research motherhood in the Andes, where they confront their own relationship.
(USA, 6 MIN, excerpt)

All I See Is the Future | Director: Nancy Dionne
A former drug dealer becomes a successful optician—until a mistake threatens his dream.
(USA, 14 MIN)

A Word Away | Director: Mollie Moore
For 18 years, selective mutism has kept Cosmo silent about escaping South Sudan—until now.
(USA, 20 MIN)

Get It | Director: Joe Cleary
Reem hustles to parlay street-dancing fame into a rap career.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

B-city | Director: Carolina Gonzales
Bhustak creates a makeshift hip-hop studio to help neighborhood kids escape violence in Bogotá.
(USA, 3 MIN)

Baladna | Director: Aya Hamdan
A Syrian baker navigates economic instability and immigration status to bring his family to Bahrain.
(USA, 3 MIN)

Epiales | Director: Anna Panova
Follow a photographer into the frightening universe of sleep paralysis.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

Unloved | Director: Nika Nikanava
The story of three women coming to terms with having fathers who abandoned them.
(USA, 11 MIN)

The Rhythms | Director: Nika Nikanava
In memoriam to a promising and well-loved filmmaker.
(USA, 2 MIN)

New York Film Academy congratulates the documentary filmmakers representing NYFA at this year’s DOC NYC and is elated to see their important work being appreciated!

New York Film Academy Australia Filmmaking Alum Leroy Button Builds Up Blockbuster Credits

New York Film Academy Australia alum Leroy Button has been busy since graduating the Filmmaking program in 2018, having worked on multiple blockbusters, including Aquaman and Dora and the Lost City of Gold, as well as upcoming franchise sequels Fast & Furious 9 and James Bond film No Time to Die.

Australian publication Daily Telegraph recently covered Button’s achievements in a profile, touching on his early start as a child playing with consumer and prosumer camera equipment. Button would shoot numerous videos and short films with his friends, presaging his future career in the filmmaking industry.

Sense, a film he made while still in high school, went on to win seven awards in the festival circuit, and led to Button creating his own freelance company, Button Media. After taking a Panavision Master Class while studying at NYFA Australia’s Gold Coast campus, Button landed a job with Panavision, where he eventually was able to work on superhero epic Aquaman, which was partially filmed at Village Roadshow Studios.

On set, Button worked closely with stars like Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman, but it was the state-of-the-art technical equipment that really wowed him. “I was actually more interested in having conversations with the camera boys,” Button tells Daily Telegraph Australia.

Sure enough, that job led to another and then another, and in just a few short years Button has built up an impressive resume with credits on huge Hollywood films in the camera and electric departments, including as the drone technician on last summer’s Dora the Explorer film.

Additionally, Button has been working in television, and earning cinematography credits as well. His career is clearly only just getting started.

“Leroy displayed passion, positivity, and a strong work ethic,” says Steve Pratt, NYFA Australia Chair of Filmmaking, “and was able to utilize the unique hands-on approach to filmmaking that makes NYFA Australia’s curriculum stand out from the rest—ensuring graduates like him are industry-ready when big studios come calling. We are extremely proud of him and look forward to his continued success in the industry.”

NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY AUSTRALIA FILMMAKING ALUM LEROY BUTTON BUILDS UP BLOCKBUSTER CREDITS

New York Film Academy Australia alum Leroy Button has been busy since graduating the Filmmaking program in 2018, having worked on multiple blockbusters, including Aquaman and Dora and the Lost City of Gold, as well as upcoming franchise sequels Fast & Furious 9 and James Bond film No Time to Die.

Sense, a film he made while still in high school, went on to win seven awards in the festival circuit, and led to Button creating his own freelance company, Button Media. After taking a Panavision Master Class while studying at NYFA Australia’s Gold Coast campus, Button landed a job with Panavision, where he eventually was able to work on superhero epic Aquaman, which was partially filmed at Village Roadshow Studios.

Additionally, Button has been working in television, and earning cinematography credits as well. His career is clearly only just getting started.

Please note: NYFA does not represent that these are typical or guaranteed career outcomes. The success of our graduates in any chosen professional pathway depends on multiple factors, and the achievements of NYFA alumni are the result of their hard work, perseverance, talent and circumstances.

DOC NYC Screens Exclusive Lineup of New York Film Academy (NYFA) Documentary Filmmaking Department Shorts

DOC NYC is celebrating its tenth year, after bursting onto the scene in 2010 that the Village Voice called “selective but eclectic.” With a mission statement to guide audiences toward the work of various artists—filmmakers, photographers, and more—and to help documentarians make the most of emerging technologies and the networking opportunities one can only find in New York.

Here is the 2019 DOC NYC U: NYFA lineup:

Ghost Villages of the Himalayas | Director: Kuldeep Sah Gangola
Despite encroaching leopards and relentless isolation, 89-year-old Ammaji refuses to leave her home.
(USA, 16 MIN)

My Dad Vernon | Director: Serena Smith
Vernon teaches Serena creative life-hacks while she tries to understand why he lives in his car.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

Mamá | Director: Lucia Florez
Chia joins her mother to research motherhood in the Andes, where they confront their own relationship.
(USA, 6 MIN, excerpt)

All I See Is the Future | Director: Nancy Dionne
A former drug dealer becomes a successful optician—until a mistake threatens his dream.
(USA, 14 MIN)

A Word Away | Director: Mollie Moore
For 18 years, selective mutism has kept Cosmo silent about escaping South Sudan—until now.
(USA, 20 MIN)

Get It | Director: Joe Cleary
Reem hustles to parlay street-dancing fame into a rap career.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

B-city | Director: Carolina Gonzales
Bhustak creates a makeshift hip-hop studio to help neighborhood kids escape violence in Bogotá.
(USA, 3 MIN)

Baladna | Director: Aya Hamdan
A Syrian baker navigates economic instability and immigration status to bring his family to Bahrain.
(USA, 3 MIN)

Epiales | Director: Anna Panova
Follow a photographer into the frightening universe of sleep paralysis.
(USA, 3 MIN, excerpt)

Unloved | Director: Nika Nikanava
The story of three women coming to terms with having fathers who abandoned them.
(USA, 11 MIN)

The Rhythms | Director: Nika Nikanava
In memoriam to a promising and well-loved filmmaker.
(USA, 2 MIN)

New York Film Academy congratulates the documentary filmmakers representing NYFA at this year’s DOC NYC and is elated to see their important work being appreciated!

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New York Film Academy (NYFA) President Michael Young Tours Taiwan Art Institutes

Michael Young, president of New York Film Academy (NYFA), and Dr. Joy Zhu, NYFA Executive Vice President for the China Region, recently visited various art institutions across Taiwan over the course of eight days. The tour included multiple cities and meetings with several important officials.

In the capital of Taipei, the NYFA representatives met with Taiwan’s Screenwriting Association and had a Q&A section. This meeting culminated in the preparation of a 15-Week Online Screenwriting workshop.

On October 25, the opening ceremony of the 2019 Hsinchu Chuang International Cultural Season invited to serve as VIPs. The cultural event is hosted by Hsinchu Chuang University, and includes lectures and exhibitions on international education. Michael Young and Joy Zhu also had the chance to have an extended conversation with Hsinchu Chuang University President Jian Shaoqi.

Following their visit to Hsinchu Chuang University, the NYFA representatives visited the National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA), celebrating its 64th anniversary. NTUA is a top national school that have many famous alumni, including Oscar-winning director Ang Lee. Young had a great, in-depth conversation with the NTUA president, where he shared stories about time he spent in Taiwan as a young child, which was well-received by an audience of over 1500. Also discussed was the potential cooperation between the two schools in the future.

Young and Zhu then arrived in Shenzhen and met with the Governor of Guangming District and Director of Dapeng District, as well as Shenzhen University’s President and the Dean of their art school, where cooperation between the two schools was also discussed. The NYFA representatives also had the chance to speak with students and their parents and had a wonderful time hearing their input about art education.

Finally, the visit culminated with a trip to Zhuhai, where Young and Zhu met with the Deputy Mayor of Education, Public Health, and Tourism. The meeting in Zhuhai, like the visits across the rest of Taiwan, were very positive indeed, and bodes well for NYFA’s cooperation with the art institutes around the island.

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