Film School Blog - Tag Archive for "film school"

Evelyne Binsack: Defeating Mt. Everest and Reaching New Heights

Published on March 20, 2012

Documentary student Evelyne Binsack was already a celebrity before attending New York Film Academy. In 2001, she became the first Swiss woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. She also spent four months crossing Antarctica to reach the South Pole. She is the author of Expedition Antarctica and Steps on the Edge, and has been featured in a number of documentaries about her adventures. She speaks 3 languages and is also a helicopter pilot. Until our interview, she didn’t know that she had been named as Switzerland’s fourth most famous person – not bad, considering the poll included musicians, politicians, and movie stars!

Evelyne said she discovered her love of the outdoors in her native Switzerland. “A friend of mine took me to the mountains near home. I fell in love and thought that’s what I want to do: [be] outdoors having adventures.” At the time, Evelyne was a runner competing in the 800 and 1500-meter dash. “That was something very different — fighting against each other. In mountaineering, you’re fighting together. You can’t fight against each other. That’s something that impressed me, the contrast.”

Evelyne found New York Film Academy’s 1-Year Documentary Filmmaking program years later. “I was Googling in Europe,” she said. “Everything was three years for film programs, or… [very short] crash courses. What can you learn in one week? I decided to come here. I really enjoy the program… but as a country girl, it’s [hard] being in the city. Here, people live for the weekends, and Monday they feel like [crap]. Friends in my country don’t have this attitude. Most of my friends do what they love. They risked things to do what they love and they’re more happy. To see that people are just working for money, it hurts somehow. Take more risks and be passionate for what you do!”

Despite the urban setting, Evelyne says she has already learned a lot in her first few months of school. “[Documentary instructors] Wendy Apple and Reuben Aaronson are great. They’re all fabulous. They have [a lot of] experience and it’s great to listen to them!” she said. She has already been putting her new knowledge to work as well. She explains, “I’ve been giving [lectures] for 10 years, and that’s how I make my income, but I didn’t know why some stories [wouldn’t] work. For my speeches it’s very helpful to know about structure and character arc. It helps me to understand why one story is good and why another story doesn’t work.”

Evelyne admits to missing her adventures, saying, “I don’t like the word addiction, but somehow I’m addicted to the mountains and to climbing. I’m part of nature. If I’m not part of nature, I feel empty. It hurts.”

After finishing the Documentary Filmmaking program at the end of the year, Evelyne will return to Switzerland, where she will plan for her next big adventure. “I want to traverse from Alps, cross the Caucuses, and find out stories about the sacred mountains of the Himalayas.”

Check out a recent feature on Evelyne Binsack that aired on Swiss television, and get a behind-the-scenes look at New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles campus!

Photography MFA Graduate Show in Los Angeles

Published on March 19, 2012

New York Film Academy’s Los Angeles School of Photography and Month of Photography Los Angeles are proud to present an exhibition featuring the photography of four emerging artists from New York Film Academy Los Angeles Photography School’s class of 2012. The group show entitled, “Space: Distance” is the culmination of two years of rigorous exploration in photographic technique and a fostered approach to personal aesthetic narrative. On view are Mingyue Chen’s evocative images which focus on the idea of fleeting memories inspired by her childhood in China. Seulki Huh’s exquisite landscapes explore man’s impact on the American West. Bonuk Koo uses long exposures to create strikingly elegant and graphic nightscapes while Sihang Zhang’s moody images blur the boundaries between reality and fiction through a fine art approach to documentary photography.

Opening Tuesday, March 20, 2012 5:00 – 8:30 pm

Space #B226, Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Open through April 12- 5 pm

Artists Statements:

Seulki Huh
“Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them.” Mark Twain. When I surround myself with nature, I feel humbled. The environment is a very fragile system and man has the biggest effect on it. The Earth is something we are borrowing from our children. This is very true, for what we do with the environment today effects the environment tomorrow. I explore these themes in my work.

Mingyue Chen

The past is elusive, looking back, feels like a dream.
In my work, I evoke the memories of my childhood.

Sihang Zhang

My photography is about storytelling. Capturing candid life is my ultimate goal. Photojournalism, for me, is an avenue for documentation, art, and compassion. I like to capture the in-between moments, the small moments that are real, unique, unusual, and sometimes unreal. I have always been inspired by movies; I am drawn to cinematic lighting and dramatic moments in real life. I never imagined how many people would appear in my life if I were not on the street with my camera in a strange place and watch people I never meet pass by. I find a spot with a beam of sunlight and wait in an invisible corner so that I see people walk from the dark toward the afternoon sunlight. They are exposed in the light for a moment, then are gone. I keep the frozen moments in my camera. That light, and that moment will never come back. I know I will possibly never have those encounters again. The light of 3:30 pm is fleeting, as is life.

Bonuk Koo

The city at night holds a very different atmosphere than during the day. It gives me an unfamiliar and indefinable sensation. The bright lights, unknown people, a tumult of noise on the streets. I am a stranger to these people and they are strange to me. I am drawn to creating a sense of mystery through the use of long exposures. I often photograph where there is a dramatic contrast between the background and subject.

Photo by New York Film Academy Los Angeles MFA Photography student Bonuk Koo

Directed by New York Film Academy Alumni

Published on March 16, 2012

New York Film Academy’s Weekly Roundup

Published on March 16, 2012

“The movie has more butt-groping than anything this side of the Rio Grande. And the other side.” – Roger Ebert on Casa De Mi Padre.

‘Game of Thrones’ Romantic Twist HBO released a new ‘Game of Thrones’ trailer aimed to attract female viewers. Well ladies, are you hooked yet?
The Martin Scorsese Film Lesson Scorsese narrates highlights from some of his ‘must see’ pictures. A great video for all film junkies.
Bob Marley Documentary To Release on 4/20 Kevin MacDonald announces the release of his documentary on the famous reggae legend, Bob Marley. Hmm, wonder if there’s any significance behind that date?
Broadway’s Heiress Academy Award nominee David Strathairn will play opposite Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain in the Tony Award winning play The Heiress. Maybe the nominee team will win a Tony.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

DiCaprio & Scorsese Again? Director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio reunite for a fifth time in the film, The Wolf of Wall Street. Is DiCaprio the new De Niro?

Whatever Happened to Francis Ford Coppola?

Published on March 16, 2012

Claude Kerven is the Department Chair of Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy’s New York City campus. He has directed over 25 shorts for Saturday Night Live. He was the director for Afterschool Specials, Birthday Boy, Candy Store, and the David Brenner Show. He also co-wrote Mortal Thoughts, starring Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Harvey Keitel.

Last week was the 40^th Anniversary of The Godfather. I don’t know if you saw it but the AMC channel aired it repeatedly during the week. Watching those films again, it made me wonder…

Whatever happened to Francis Ford Coppola?

The Godfather was a huge influence. I mean everyone went to see it. I remember I had a friend who was ushering at the movie theater and would sneak me in. It didn’t even matter what part of the movie you came in at, you’d just watch it from there to the end. Sometimes I’d even stay to watch the beginning of the next show. We used to refer to the film as, “the Beast.” That’s how much respect we had for it. A few years later, as a film student, Scorsese became my guy (he was the filmmaker that made me want to be a filmmaker.) The Godfather was still the benchmark and with all due respect and deference to good ol’ Marty, he never made “The Beast”.

Coppola followed up with Apocalypse Now. The stories about making that film are legendary—the enormous amounts of money, equipment, and insanity that went on in the jungles. But whether you like the film or not, you can’t help but be impressed by the enormity of the undertaking and the execution. It is unquestionably the work of a master filmmaker. And then… What? What happened? He never again fulfilled the promise of his early films. It makes me sad. What went wrong? Where did Francis Ford Coppola jump the shark?

It started with a film called One From the Heart. You’ve probably never seen it. Few people have. It was a musical fantasy set in Vegas, and even though it pioneered some video-editing techniques, it was a disaster with audiences. Then there were The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. It seemed to us as young directors as the work of a desperate filmmaker who lost one audience and was trying everything he could to connect with a new one. Next he tried a Godfather knockoff, The Cotton Club. An epic crime drama, it even had the same sort of violent montage at the end. A pale imitation and another box office disaster. And finally, Godfather 3, the last ditch effort to recapture past glory. I don’t even have to tell you what a disappointment that film was.

How did such a great filmmaker lose his way? Was it the disappointing loss of Zoetrope Studios? In 1969, Coppola decided to buck the studio system, which he felt had stifled his artistic vision. He created Zoetrope to fund off-beat films by first time directors. It didn’t work. Was it the pressure of paying off the huge financial debt in which he found himself? Coppola has declared bankruptcy three times. It’s not easy holding onto a personal vision while digging yourself out of a financial hole. Or was it the tragic death of his son? Personal tragedy has a way of putting ambitions of glory in perspective. In the end, perhaps it was just the unimaginable pressure of having to equal something as great as The Godfather.

It’s hard not to reflect on the somewhat tragic trajectory of his life. Early success does have its pitfalls. Compare the careers of directors like Spielberg and Scorsese. They all started out at the same time. They were part of an avant-garde group of filmmakers that were revolutionizing Hollywood. But where Spielberg and Scorsese are viable, influential, Academy Award nominated filmmakers to this day, Francis Ford Coppola has sadly vanished from the scene. I can easily imagine him filled with deep satisfaction and appreciation of what he’s accomplished. I can also imagine him with deep regret at what could’ve been. Ultimately, I’d like to think that with age comes perspective, if not wisdom, and maybe even acceptance. What do you think? Every filmmaker has to come to grips at some point with this issue of art and commerce. How have you handled it? Or how do you envision handling it? I’d like to know.

Click here to learn more about the filmmaking program.

Wisdom from Robert De Niro

Published on March 15, 2012

#NYFA Twitter Party: Win a 1-Week Filmmaking Workshop!

Published on March 15, 2012

Does Nigeria love #NYFA? Does India love #NYFA?

Do YOU love #NYFA?

Our admissions team is currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We’ve been celebrating this with Brazilian trivia giveaways and by spotlighting past and current students from the South American nation. Our team travels across the globe to showcase what our programs offer. Over 78 countries were represented on our campuses since our school’s inception and that number continues to grow. We want you to help us decide where our team should go next. Should it be Egypt? The Netherlands? Russia?

During the Open House at the Hotel Astoria Copacabana, we want to bring our international students—past, present, future— together in order to see who loves #NYFA most. We want to know what film project you’re working on. How is your portfolio coming along? Know one of our alumni who’s getting a rad movie made? Which is your favorite movie in global cinema? We’ll collect the best tweets and spotlight you on our blog. But most importantly, we’ll randomly select one tweeter to receive a scholarship certificate for one of our 1-Week Filmmaking Workshops. Yes, you might attend the New York Film Academy for free!

When: Sunday, March 18. Time: 14:00 to 18:00 EST (NEW YORK)

Psst… Follow us on Twitter.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NYFA!

New York Film Academy’s Student Spotlight: Glaucia Viera Xavier

Published on March 14, 2012

New York Film Academy is in Rio de Janeiro. We’re there to show the denizens of Brazil what our school stands for and what it provides. Drawing enrollments from over 78 countries, the Academy is proud to be a truly international institution. It’s quite simple. Every student has a story to tell. Why did they come here? What do they wish to accomplish? How is NYFA helping them accomplish those goals? Meet Glaucia Viera Xavier, a lawyer from São Paulo who gave up her legal practice to fulfill those starry cinematic dreams.

So what’s your story? How did you get to NYFA?

I was working at a law firm but I quit my job. No hard feelings. No regrets. I was visiting my friend in New York City and I decided to check out the campus. I just loved the energy here. There’s an openness. A frenetic energy. Alive.

And how are you liking it so far?

It’s been amazing. The people especially. I’ve met people from all over the world. It was important I came to a school where I can practice my English. Many of the students are international. The teachers too! While it’s important to learn about the Hollywood stuff, my instructors like Piero Basso come from abroad so they provide a perspective which is out of the box and refreshing. Thomas Barnes, Giuseppe… They’re great.

What do you think is best about the teaching here?

The technical knowledge. The insider perspective that every instructor brings to the table. Their point of view when it comes to filmmaking. The school also pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I never wanted to be an actor and yet here I am memorizing lines to help out four of my classmates.

We’re in Brazil right now. What would you say to those people coming to the auditions and the Open House?

Come with the right mindset. The ideas behind the school is definitely very unique. It’s specific. You get what you put in. I know it sounds cliche but what I learned here is something I will take with me for the rest of my life.

LEARN ABOUT BECOMING A STUDENT. CLICK HERE.