Our musical theatre department is holding auditions in three major American cities. To thank those who are auditioning, we’re offering a chance to win a signed copy of department chair VP Boyle’s extremely well-received audition book Audition Freedom: The Irreverent Wellness Guide For Theatre People. It’s gotten rave reviews. Boyle is one of the most sought-after audition coaches in New York City and a prolific blogger for Broadway World. Come to any of the auditions and tweet a picture of yourself with any of the visiting faculty using the hashtag #AuditionNYFA. Audition for a cutting-edge program in the arts and be on your way to an education unlike any other in the world.

For those who can’t come to the auditions, we still need your help with getting the word out. Anyone who tweets or reblogs this link: (http://bit.ly/wOcayd) along with the hashtag #AuditionNYFA will be eligible to win a copy of the Broadway playbill for Wicked signed by original cast member and NYFA teacher Kristy Cates.

Are you a blogger who loves to write about musical theatre? Email mike.kim@nyfa.edu with a link to the blog article promoting this audition tour and you’ll have a chance to win an exclusive interview with department chair VP Boyle. No doubt it will be amazing content for you to share with your following.

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Just announced this morning, the L.A. Weekly Theater Awards honored New York Film Academy faculty members Giovanni Ortega and Maria Gobetti with nominations.

Technique and scene study instructor Maria Gobetti garnered a nomination for her leading role in Sex and Education at the Victory Theatre Center. The acclaimed actress is also the artistic director and co-founder of the Victory, and was featured on the L.A. Stage Times website last summer.

Movement instructor Giovanni Ortega, who we profiled on the NYFA blog in December, was nominated for Best Ensemble for The Romance of Magno Rubio, the award-winning play that opened the 2011/2012 season at Los Angeles’ historic Ford Amphitheatre. The production also racked up nominations for Leading Male Performance, Choreography, and Direction.

Giovanni will also be working with Kayamanan Ng Lahi Philippine Folk Arts at the Getty Center on Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18 as part of the Sounds of L.A. concert series.

The 33^rd annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards will be held at the Avalon in Hollywood on April 2. Congratulations to our New York Film Academy Acting instructors!

Maria Gobetti

Giovanni Ortega

India has produced some amazing filmmakers and actors, not to mention many extremely entertaining  Bollywood films. New York Film Academy is an institution of excellence which prides itself in having hands-on intensive programs which gives students real experience. We would enjoy your company at either of our Open Houses in Delhi and Bangalore. To RSVP, please contact kitty.koo@nyfa.edu to reserve a seat at the Open House. See below for the exact times and location. Film students shoot on 16mm, HD, Red One, Super-16mm and 35mm cameras depending on the program. Students in all filmmaking programs and workshops edit using Final Cut Pro on Apple computers. The production equipment is comparable to that of the leading degree programs in the United States.

Students learn in an hands-on environment using this equipment from the very beginning. NYFA’s model has proved successful throughout the globe, boasting an international group of alumni who are thriving in all areas of filmmaking and acting.

NYFA Delhi Open House

Date: Feb 19, 2012

Time: 3:00 - 6:00pm

Venue: The Oberoi New Delhi @ The Connaught Terrace

RSVP: kitty.koo@nyfa.edu

NYFA Bangalore Open House

Date : Feb 22, 2012

Time: 3:00 - 6:00pm

Venue: The Oberoi Bangalore @ The Hibiscus Room

RSVP: kitty.koo@nyfa.edu

New York Film Academy’s Documentary Filmmaking Chair, Sabine Sighicelli, has invited students from the Universal Studios campus’ documentary program to work on an exciting project in connection with Pacific Standard Time. The exhibition, titled Breaking in Two: A Provocative Vision of Motherhood, brings together 36 artists who are mothers in a multi-faceted exploration of the changing realities of motherhood.

The exhibition is presented as a part of Pacific Standard Time, a project spearheaded by the Getty Foundation and Getty Research Institute that tells the story of the Los Angeles art scene. The historic program is the largest cultural collaboration ever presented in the area, and includes events at 68 major museums and over 70 art galleries, featuring the work of over 1300 artists.

The documentary “Breaking in Two” by Sabine Sighicelli, in connection with the exhibition Breaking in Two: A Provocative Vision of Motherhood, is currently in production. New York Film Academy students will be shooting and working on the crew with acclaimed cinematographer Reuben Aaronson.

Says Sighicelli, “The documentary explores the issues that have affected women artists who are mothers. It also celebrates the experience of being a mother and how it enriches one’s art, families, and communities. The story is told through 4 generations of women artists working in different art fields and coming from very different backgrounds. The exhibition Breaking in Two is the starting point for this exploration into the mother’s psyche.  It seeks to present a new perspective about motherhood and break away from traditional representations that sentimentalize motherhood.” She adds, “It’s a great opportunity for students to be on a real shoot and observe a professional crew at work.”

The documentary is fiscally sponsored by Women Make Movies, a media arts organization that assists in the production, promotion, distribution, and exhibition of independent films by and about women. Additional support comes from the Women’s Caucus for Art. A trailer for the documentary, featured as an introduction for the exhibition, is here.

Breaking in Two kicks off on Saturday, February 11 with an opening reception at Arena 1 Gallery at 3026 Airport Avenue in Santa Monica at 6 p.m. Additional events connected to the exhibition take place over the next 2 months, including a walk through with the curator and artists on February 26, and dance and spoken word performance on March 17, a panel discussion on March 31, and a closing reception on April 14. For complete details visit the events page here.

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New York City is often considered the matron metropolis impacting creativity and commerce throughout the globe. Many of our students do indeed pursue the career path illuminated by those glorious Hollywood lights. A peculiar breed of cinematic visionaries, however, has appeared in the arts and cultural scene seeking opportunities outside of movie studios and inside the illustrious world of New York high fashion. One student has stepped forward as arbiter of a brave artistic movement in a cultural age saturated by faux-freedom and endless hipster posturing. Steep Daniels (Cinematography ‘11) is spearheading the vision of NEON Americana.

“NEON Americana represents a new breed of young people, a new way of living. We are freed from social constructs, breaking through into the life they’ve always dreamed of. It represents the new way of living in which its vibrant characters charge through life, never taking ‘no’ for an answer—inspired to be the biggest, best version of themselves. They envision a post-apocalyptic America. One in which a lone television set appears to be the last one left after a cataclysmic event of epic proportions. We look inside the screen to find the next wave of Mankind: the NEON generation.”

We encourage students to think outside of the box. How far can your creativity go? Will you take the necessary risks in order to create something greater than yourself?

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Around 70 Chinese students and staff from New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles - Universal Studios campus celebrated the Year of the Dragon at Ocean Star restaurant in Monterey Park. The Los Angeles suburb is home to the largest concentration of Chinese Americans in the nation, and is well known for its authentic Chinese food.

According to Filmmaking Program Coordinator Rick Curnutt, “It was a great event. We had a very large turnout. It seems like our Chinese students got a little piece of home for this important Chinese holiday. A lot of the Chinese students hadn’t met each other yet, so it was a good chance for the students to integrate.” 

MFA Filmmaking student Shih-Yao Huang agreed, saying, “It was a great opportunity to meet people, especially because I’m in the producing program and we don’t have a lot of time to meet people in other programs. I was able to meet people who could share information with us. It had been a long time since I’ve eaten Chinese food. I really missed it, especially for the Chinese New Year.”

Holiday Filmmaking student Shikong Chen joined in the festivities, and commented, “I really appreciated the New Year’s dinner. I acquired several friends now. I have to say it was a good ceremony!

New York Film Academy’s Chris Devane is hosting an upcoming workshop at NYFA’s Los Angeles campus called “How to Run a Casting Session.”  

The workshop will cover casting elements including:

• Types of casting jobs available in the industry
• The differences between commercial and theatrical sessions
• How to post auditions and schedule a casting call
• How to hold a callback
• How to submit for an audition (film or theatrical)
• and much more!!

Learn how to run an efficient casting session without overtime or costly mistakes. If you are graduating soon, this is a must attend class! 

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

4:00pm – 7:00pm

Kurosawa

To RSVP email your full name to laevents@nyfa.edu no later than Tuesday, Feb 28th at noon. You must submit the FIRST AND LAST NAME for each student, alumni, and guest for security purposes. 

Thirty Second [NYFA Commercial] from Michael Zaw on Vimeo.

New York Film Academy graduate Michael Zaw is actively working in the Singapore television industry as a Director of Cinematography. Since graduating from the January 2011 one-year cinematography course in New York, Michael has worked for the History Channel, Crime and Investigation Channel, Channel News Asia, and Singapore Local Channels. 

Michael says that formal training helped him to distinguish the choices he can make in filmmaking and the differences between techniques and elements. He adds, “I am proud that I was in NYFA…I miss NYFA and NY very very much. I kept in touch with all my classmates, I love them so much.”

Hunter Ryan Herdlicka with New York Film Academy Musical Theatre Students

New York Film Academy Musical Theatre students were enthralled with Broadway star Hunter Ryan Herdlicka at a February 7th event in New York Film Academy’s New York location. After his first ever New York audition, Hunter landed the role of Henrik Egerman in Broadway’s revival of the Stephen Sondheim masterpiece A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, alongside Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones, followed by Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.

Students were in stitches as Hunter explained his dream was to see Sondheim’s street, never dreaming he would ever bump into Sondheim in person. At a second callback, Hunter boarded the elevator with Sondheim (his idol). Hunter was too nervous to press the button so the elevator remained frozen. Once he built up enough courage, Hunter introduced himself saying, “Hi, my name is Hunter Ryan Herdlicka and I am here to sing for you.” Sondheim responded, “Hi, I’m here to listen to you.” In the audition room, director Sir Trevor Nunn started to introduce Hunter, prompting Sondheim to quickly respond, “I know him, we are old friends.”

Hunter captivated the room as he offered his advice:

• Success doesn’t happen overnight for everyone. Some actors take ten years to book a role. Don’t give up.
• You have to “give yourself permission to suck” and take risks in auditions. 
• Acting should be simple and easy. Most of the time, you will be typecast in a role you already fit. Be natural.
• Always be 100% off book for auditions but hold the paper in your hand.
• Know what you are good at and constantly tell yourself that you can and will reach your goals.

Hunter gave a mention to his favorite charity, Broadway Barks, before allowing students to ask questions about everything from the rehearsal process to what Hunter does to keep his skills fresh (bi-weekly voice lessons and acting lessons when his coach is in town). Afterwards, Hunter workshopped monologues with several of the students at the event. It was a wonderful evening and New York Film Academy thanks Hunter for swinging by to share his charm and expertise!

Australia has produced some of the finest filmmakers and actors in cinematic history. Hollywood legends such as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, and Peter Weir have proven that talent, drive, and persistence can take you to the top of a very challenging industry. New York Film Academy is an institution of excellence which believes in the cultivation of these qualities in its hands-on intensive program. In this spirit, join us this Saturday, on February 11, for an open house celebrating our new programs in Filmmaking and Acting. Come to the Queensland University of Technology campus and meet with the Senior Director of NYFA, David Klein, as well as the Director of NYFA-Australia, Simon Hunter. To RSVP, please contact australia@nyfa.edu to reserve a seat at the Open House. See below for the exact times and location.

Film students shoot on 16mm, HD, Red One, Super-16mm and 35mm cameras depending on the program. Students in all filmmaking programs and workshops edit using Final Cut Pro on Apple computers. The production equipment is comparable to that of the leading degree programs in the United States. Students learn in an hands-on environment using this equipment from the very beginning. NYFA’s model has proved successful throughout the globe, boasting an international group of alumni who are thriving in all areas of filmmaking and acting.

Time:

• 12:00 pm Filmmaking Programs and Workshops.
• 1:00 pm Acting for Film Programs and Workshops.