The New York Film Academy is having auditions in Milan and Florence. Milan auditions will be held at UNA Hotel Cusani Via Cusani on March 7 from 4:00PM - 7:00PM and again 7:30PM - 8:30PM.
Florence auditions wil be held at Piazza San Lorenzo on March 9 from 1:00PM - 5:00PM, 5:30PM - 6:30PM, and then 6:30PM - 7:30PM.
For information visit http://www.nyfa.edu/nyfa-on-the-road/
”Not only does NYFA teach you how to become an expert in your field, it also shows you how to build relationships, friendships and industry collaborations. The program is intense, but I like it that way. It teaches you to work under stress and control the situation even when everything is going wrong – which is basically what happens on set in the real world.” - Luigi Benvisto
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!
{Last week we discussed the revolution of digital photography and whether it could ever replace “chemical” photography. While it’s certainly a viable option, with many improvements over the years, it’s unlikely that the quality of chemical photography will ever be surpassed. Seems Annie Leibovitz was right.
Roger Del Pozo and Tami Alexander, from New York Film Academy’s admissions, were live tweeting from Paris. They were very impressed with the City of Light and the talent that came with it. Next up this week, Milan and Florence. Can Italy possibly top France?
Finally, Miss Teen USA, Danielle Doty, graduated from NYFA and was congratulated by Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella. Do we have a star in the making? Miss USA thinks so!
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and you too may be highlighted in our Community Highlights!
Next on The Euro Trip: Italy
After Paris and London, what’s next for New York Film Academy? Our admissions team hopes to find the next generation of Fellinis, De Sicas, and Sofia Lorens in Italy’s center of performing arts, Milan,and the Birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence, Italy. We had a chance to speak with our fellow Florentine and head of NYFA’s Florence Department, Diana Santi, about our upcoming trip.
Can you tell us what the audition process was like the last time you went to Italy?
The auditions and the Open Houses we did in Italy last year were amazing! Many prospective Italian students showed up to audition for our Acting Director, Roger Del Pozo. We also had a great turnout for my Filmmaking orientation session. The prospective students who participated were fantastic, very well prepared, talented, and ambitious.
Can you tell us about some of the talent you found there?
We found many talents! Not only in acting, but also in filmmaking, producing, and screenwriting. I think of Alexia Oldini, who just shot her first feature film here in New York and Jacopo Sarno who is currently a working actor in Italy.
Tell us why NYFA chose Florence as a location for its study abroad in Italy?
Florence is a beautiful city - very “international” and surrounded by a gorgeous country side. Florence is the perfect place to study filmmaking and acting for film. The city is extremely inspirational for students and its locations and monuments are ideal backgrounds for student films. Also, NYFA will give a free Vespa to all the students who apply for one year programs… a fantastic perk for scouting locations!
Do you feel it’s important for aspiring actors to come to the US?
I truly believe that acting is a constant research and an international experience can help the candidate grow as a person and as an artist. Also, the acting training we offer in New York City is totally different from the acting programs in Italy.
Want to meet up with us in Milan or Florence May 16th & May 18th? Click Here!
{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!
New York Film Academy Grad Raises $10k Utilizing Social Media
Writer/director Cathy Beasley had the idea of shooting her next film, The Scapegoat, in Venice, Italy. The idea for the film, about jewel thieves hiding out after a heist gone wrong, had been written, but Cathy needed financial support to get the project started.
She decided to try crowdfunding the film, turning to her Twitter followers and online supporters. She posted her project on Kickstarter, a site that helps creative projects find funding. Within about 5 weeks, Cathy had met her goal of raising $10,000. “I’m actually so surprised and just truly touched at the kindness of people, and most of them are strangers (though I like to think of them as friends now),” she says. “I [came] to realize that people wanted to back a person even more than just the project. It helped to have video updates I think… I just tried to be really honest. I am so beyond grateful though. Thanks to these people’s kindness, I am one step closer to my dream. It’s very generous of them.”
In a statement on the film’s Kickstarter page, Cathy says, “Independent film has come so far in these last couple years. Now we all are given the chance to live out our dreams. And mostly because of people like you.”
Cathy attended the New York Film Academy during a program in London in 2007. “I have to say it was some of the best times of my life,” she says. “I was lucky enough to meet some amazingly talented people who I still keep in touch with. Actually my director of photography for The Scapegoat I met while there. I’m so glad I went there. It was great. And I love that on our second day we were given cameras to experiment with. It’s all very hands on, which in my opinion is the best way to learn.”
She says she chose Venice because it “is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. I find jewel thieves to be quite romantic themselves…. I also like that the whole city is surrounded by water. My characters are very much trapped themselves, so the idea of an island is fitting.”
Production on The Scapegoat begins in Venice this summer. After production wraps, Cathy hopes to take the film to festivals and get distribution. She explains, “I hope the talent that I hire will be able to be seen by the world. If this film does well, I would love to put whatever I make from it right into another film. I hope to be
making films for the rest of my life. I love telling stories. And hopefully I will be able to continue to do so.”
New York Film Academy will be returning to Europe throughout the month of May. For more information email Director of Acting Admissions, Roger Del Pozo.
Luci in the Sky: The Evolution of an Artist
In the spring of 1993, Vittoria Chierici never thought she’d go to film school. She never even planned to become a filmmaker. She deems an “instinctual will” compelled her to visit the New York Film Academy as she sauntered through Union Square as a young painter. Vittoria saw the banner hanging on the balcony of the building, which is the same one that still hangs here today. After heading inside, she found the place strangely familiar despite the occasion being her first time meeting Jerry Sherlock and the staff. As she says, “Everyone was extremely kind. Not formal. Determined and fast.” As an Italian artist, she experienced the paradoxically focused yet frenetic energy of New York City through her experience at NYFA.
“I came from a very intellectual world. All I wanted to do was practice. I wanted to do the real thing. I wanted to learn the process and technique.”
For two years, Vittoria spent day and night editing footage and remembers how Jerry Sherlock was always by the side of the students. Today, NYFA is the largest film education institution in the world. Back in the early 90’s, however, it was a school just beginning to establish its roots. As she recalls, “It was just Jerry and a bunch of young people. All the students and teachers worked many hours for passion, pleasure, and curiosity rather than fulfilling any professional need.”
Vittoria describes herself as an artist of action. The word which categorizes her work philosophically is “instinct”. She considers herself mainly a painter but considers herself intuitive and versatile creatively. Her filmmaking gives her joy, and has sold only her paintings in order to gain commercial profit. She states, “I have never had the talent for telling stories.” Vittoria is committed to short and experimental works which eschew traditional techniques. Her work is prolific. Vittoria was invited to participate in a project called No Soul for Sale at the Tate Modern Gallery in London. Her painting and installations have been exhibited at Kunstmoderner Museum in Vienna, the Warhol Museum, the prestigious library la Vigna, and over 20 galleries and museums across the globe.She credits her success on her love for learning and understanding the process of filmmaking. Learning to utilize effectively every method of technique and challenging conventions.
As an artist who has worked in the creative field for years, Vittoria has a delightfully gracious attitude regarding the quick rise of digital impacting artistic industries today. The digital world has changed her life routine and introduced her to a new, fast, and direct method of handling tools. “I am starting to work very much out of the studio—en plein air once again—much like the old impressionists.” It’s an exciting time for Vittoria Chierici. Her last video project Luci in the Sky involves a collaboration with violinist and composer ANA Milosavljevic and filmmaker Yuko Takebe. The film is based on tiny luminous points of light moving the sky with close ups of night creatures. Luci in the Sky depicts a distant, unpredictable world as a multi-projectional presentation. It portrays a seamless world marrying sensory visualization and sonic interpretation. On May 18th, Luci in the Sky has its US premiere at The Cell for the Tribeca New Music Festival.
“As an Italian working in the US, I couldn’t have been luckier. Young people today are very passionate. They still have a spirit of discovery. A pioneering spirit.”
New York Film Academy’s Student Spotlight: Aldo Filiberto
MFA Filmmaking student Aldo Filiberto recently finished work on his thesis film, The Fortune Theory. Originally from Palermo, Italy, Aldo first came to NYFA in 2006 for an 8-Week Filmmaking program. He liked it so much, he decided to return in September 2009 for the masters program.
Aldo describes the film, The Fortune Theory, as a coming-of-age drama. He explains, “It’s the story of an emotionally disconnected millionaire, who drifts through a systematic routine of job interviews, searching for an understanding of life and his workaholic father.” The character, Morris, is ultimately forced to take a job writing fortunes in a fortune cookie factory, where he will have to face his own inadequacy in order to ultimately accept himself, those around him, and defy his father.
“I worked on the script for 8 months,” says Aldo. “After several table readings, the script was ready and we jumped into production. It was ambitious for the budget we had, but our excitement overcame our fears.”
Aldo cast John Terry in a supporting role in the film. The celebrated actor is best known for his roles on Lost, ER, 24, and in Full Metal Jacket. Says Aldo, “He has tons of experience and worked with Kubrick! On the set he was very nice, hard working, and loved his job. He was great.” The project will also feature a score by Goya-nominated composer Pablo Cervantes.
The film’s crew included a number of New York Film Academy students and alumni. Says Aldo, “Making a movie is a collaborative experience. You need to relate to other people to help you shape your vision, and school is a good place to create a network of people you can trust.”
He also credits NYFA staff for their help, saying, “Instructors like Adam Nimoy, Crickett Rumley, James Rowe, and Lydia Cedrone have always been helpful. The school has been supporting me. The greenlight procedure helps you set up a schedule and deadlines. They really make sure that you’re ready to do it so you don’t end up wasting your money, or even worse, someone else’s money.”
The Fortune Theory is currently in post-production. Aldo is in discussions with sales agencies and plans to hit the festival circuit in the next year. He explains, “This is the exciting part. Shooting it is just the beginning.”
Aldo guiding his crew.
Actor John Terry with Aldo.
Aldo directing a scene.
Aldo talking with his actor.
Aldo with his crew.
