The Italians are known for their brilliant filmmakers: Fellini, De Sica, Antonioni, Leone, Pasolini, Visconti, Bertolucci, Rossellini…The list goes on forever. Needless to say, NYFA couldn’t go to Europe without stopping in Milan and Florence, May 16th & May 18th, for an open house and auditions. If you’re in Italy, you won’t want to miss this!
Until then, tweet us @NYFA some of your favorite Italian films!
{New York Film Academy went across the pond and through The Chunnel, discussing our favorite British and French films along the journey. Movies like James Bond 007, A Clockwork Orange, 400 Blows, Les Enfants Terribles, and A Bout De Souffle.
Our Director of Acting Admissions, Roger Del Pozo, is loving Europe and finding some amazing talent! We just hope he comes back to New York at some point…
Plus, with The Avengers box office breaking release over the weekend, we had some crazed fans discuss their favorite Marvel Superhero. In fact, some of them went above and beyond. Yes, we’re talking to you @Caleblabarre. Wonder how many times you’ve seen the movie already?
As always, we thank our loyal Facebook and Twitter fans for following. Keep in touch this week for some more exciting events!
A London Filmmaker in New York City
Lucy Reevely began writing when she was 9 years old. She never told anyone. Not a soul. One day, however, a friend found one of her stories on her laptop and encouraged her to nurture her talent. Lucy’s journey as a filmmaker began recently as she realized her storytelling was visual by nature. Her imagination functions cinematically, and over the years, Lucy gradually decided to expand her repertoire. “Only I can capture the magic in my head, and I don’t want to depend on anyone else for my success.”
When she visited schools in New York City, Lucy found other institutions artistically restrictive and the curriculum far too regimented. She finds the New York Film Academy to have the perfect balance of freedom and direction. As she says, “No judgment. Just guidance.” Lucy praises her teachers like Michael Sandoval for knowing her voice and talent, their ability to get inside a student’s mind and guiding one’s vision, and never discouraging a pupil from an idea—no matter how farfetched it may seem at first. She simply characterized the student body as diverse. “What you create as an artist is what you experience. Working with people from all over the world, it’s definitely broadened my views on the world and my ability to adapt to another’s perspective.”
Lucy finds NYC the perfect place to hone her skills. Los Angeles seemed too studio-driven and wanted an environment where exploration was mandatory—no boundaries, no limits. To her London compatriots, she urges them to go abroad. “When you’re far from home, it forces you to grow. London’s industry is filled with soaps. If you want to work on features and original screenplays, come to New York.”
- Click Here to learn more about the One Year Filmmaking Program.
- Click Here to learn more about our Open House in London.
Europe, Are You Ready? NYFA’s Coming!
The Big Smoke. The City of Lights. Our admissions team is making their way to Paris and London to speak with the next generation of artists there. We had a chance to speak with Director of Acting Admissions Roger Del Pozo regarding his upcoming trip.
You’ve been to London and Paris before. Can you tell us what the audition process was like? The talent?
The last time that we went to Europe was amazing. We met so many incredibly talented candidates. The level of professionalism and creativity was overwhelming. We were very pleasantly surprised.
Tell us why you decided to trek back to London and Paris?
We decided to come back because of the the level of talent and the extraordinary interest in the New York Film Academy. I am always looking for the best possible talent for our programs and I consistently find some of the most incredibly motivated, serious, hard working artists in London and Paris. Along with NY and LA, London and Paris are cultural centers of the world, and so interest in the New York Film Academy is usually very high.
Do you feel its important for aspiring actors to come to the US? Why?
The simple fact is that NY and LA are the centers of the film and theatre business in the US. So many artists from all over the world are eager to study and work in those locations. The sheer amount of exposure to amazing teachers, creative opportunities and intensive training that students receive at the New York Film Academy is very appealing to international students. They’re always attempting to take their abilities to the next level. To be in NY or LA is the dream of actors and filmmakers everywhere, and we provide an amazing platform for students looking to enter that world.
Want to meet us in London and Paris? Click here.
Cannes Finds Liana
New York Film Academy’s filmmaking student Jimmy Chen’s thesis film Looking for Liana was accepted to the prestigious Cannes Short Film Corner. The film follows Steven, a young composer struggling to complete a new piece of music, who wants nothing more than to escape Los Angeles to be alone with his thoughts and find inspiration. His plans are thwarted when he is kidnapped by Gary, an old man with a failing memory and a mission of his own: to scatter his wife’s ashes at the lighthouse where they first fell in love.
Jimmy attended film school in Beijing before joining the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios. Of the school, he says, “It’s amazing. The school [taught] me a lot. I’m really glad I came. There’s loads of opportunities to shoot.”
He says he came up with the concept for the film, which he wrote and directed, while facing troubles in his own life, explaining, “I was struggling with my career and emotions and went [for a drive]. I imagined myself as an old man, reviewing my life and what was important to me.” Inspiration hit him and he went home to start work on the story.
Jimmy shot the film in the summer of 2011 with help from his producer and co-writer, Paris Bauldwin, who we featured on our blog a few weeks ago. Jimmy also worked as art director on Paris’ film, Chrysalis. Both filmmakers were accepted to Cannes and will attend the festivities in May. “Paris and I are going together,” he said. “It’s my first time going to Europe!” Looking for Liana will also screen at the Long Island International Film Expo in New York in July.
New York Film Academy’s Weekly Roundup
- HBO Will Pay For Your Game of Thrones Tattoo. Fans were inked with one of the five sigils from the warring families of Westeros in Game of Thrones. When can we get our Boardwalk Empire tattoos?
- Blood on Tracks on Film. Bob Dylan’s acclaimed album Blood on Tracks will be made into a feature length film. This should be pretty trippy.
- Today Gets Ratings With Palin. Say what you want about Sarah Palin, the woman can still deliver ratings. Now, whether she can the run the country or not is another question.
- Mad Men Slams Romney. Character, Henry Francis, called Romney a “clown.” Not Mitt Romney, George Romney. Bet you didn’t know Mitt had a clown for a father.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Woody’s in Rome. Woody Allen returns to the screen in his film To Rome With Love. Wonder which country is next on the Woody Allen European tour?
New York Film Academy Student On “Exploiting Your School Environment”
New York Film Academy student Ella Nuortila was featured on Finland blog, FINNYC this week. Ella (a Finland native) is in her first year of the one-year producing program at New York Film Academy’s New York campus, and has just wrapped filming her first two short films. Check out what Ella had to say in this great interview:
How do you think the study environment is different here compared to Finland?
E: Our class is very small, only seven people. That makes the studying more “mentor-type” and we get very hands-on education although there is a lot of room for own creativity. We are able to choose our own projects and the crew for the film, even from outside of the school environment. This enables us to build our contacts and exploit our school environment at the same time.
What are the greatest advantages of learning film producing in New York, as we know you are going to finish your studies in Helsinki Metropolia School of Applied Sciences in couple of years?
E: It’s definitely the amount of possibilities in terms of finding other independent film producers, shooting locations, and other professionals in the field. For example, there isn’t really a location specialist title in Finland but here you can request special features for the location and they will find it.
Your school program is only one year; how does your spring look like?
E: We are going to shoot a music video which I’m very excited about – I’ve been part of music videos before but not behind the camera and during the whole process from the beginning with discussing with the artist. In addition, we are doing an advertisement, and as the last project I’ll write my “thesis” that is basically writing the Package for my movie idea that I can later pitch to producers and investors.
And after school? Will you stay in New York?
My student visa enables me to work for 12 months after I finish my studies at the New York Film Academy. I hope to find a paid internship or a job so that I could stay here and take advantage of this time as best as I can. This is definitely an opportunity that everyone and anyone should experience. If you want it, you can do it.
