What makes our filmmaking programs and workshops unique?

The New York Film Academy is a film school designed for a new generation of filmmakers who want to learn by making their own projects in a hands-on, intensive program. Traditional film schools often delay the moment when students get their hands-on the cameras and actually make movies. At the Academy you will learn by doing from day one. Whether you enroll in a four-week filmmaking workshop or our one-year film-directing program you will write, shoot, direct, and edit your own short films. Your teachers will demystify the craft of film production and challenge you to master the art of visual storytelling.

Learning to be a filmmaker is not done "by the numbers." It is done by immersion in the process and by knowing the "whys" that teach the "hows." It is done by hands-on experience, trial and error, feedback and correction, and questions and answers. In the creation of our film school and curriculum, we worked with students and faculty from around the world. We adapted the best ideas and elements from the top university film schools and designed an alternative which provides a thorough grounding in filmmaking, and is also flexible in meeting the diverse needs of our students.

We teach the art and craft of filmmaking through a balance of classroom instruction, hands-on film workshops, and immediate directing experience. Students are behind the camera from the first day of class. Students will learn about and explore the numerous visual, dramatic, and technical challenges that directors face. In addition to writing, producing,directing, and editing their own films, students assist other members of their crews in the roles of director of photography, assistant cameraperson, and gaffer/grip, providing everyone with extensive set experience. Ultimately, through intensive hands-on instruction, our goal is to empower students to artfully, cinematically, and originally tell stories.
Another wonderful aspect of our film school is the student body. The Film Academy draws an incredibly diverse, international group of film students who share a passion for telling stories with moving images. One recent film school class included students from the United States, Canada, France, Italy, England, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Australia, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India, Israel, Japan, and China.

The combination of non-stop collaborative work, diverse cultures and experiences, and a shared passion for film make our workshops and programs intensely enriching experiences. Students forge bonds, both professional and personal, that often extend beyond the film school. Students often say that the New York Film Academy's workshop or program was the most exciting, difficult, and rewarding creative experience they have ever had.

At the end of each of the Film Academy film courses, the final films are celebrated in a school screening open to cast, crew, friends and family. All students who successfully complete the workshop will receive a New York Film Academy Diploma and leave the film school with a digital master tape of all their projects.

Equipment

The equipment our Film Academy students use is comparable to that of the leading degree programs in the United States.

Students in the Four, Six and Eight-Week Filmmaking Workshops shoot 16mm film with Arriflex-S cameras and portable Lowel lighting packages for every shoot. Students in the Digital Filmmaking Workshops shoot on the Panasonic DVX 100 digital video camera.

Students in the One-Year Filmmaking Program will use Arriflex-S and Arriflex-SR 16mm cameras, the 35mm Panavision camera, and the Panasonic DVX 100 and HVX 200 P2 HD digital video cameras.

Students in the One-Week Movie Camp will shoot on Digital Video Camera (New York City and Universal Studios) or Panasonic DVX 100 digital video cameras (all other locations).

In all filmmaking programs and editing School workshops students edit digitally using Final Cut Pro on Macintosh computers.

Universal Studios' exclusive prop and costume collection that regularly supplies Hollywood blockbusters, will be made available at a special rate for New York Film Academy students attending at the Universal Studios location.

Final Screening / Portfolio

At the conclusion of all filmmaking workshops, a screening of the students' final films is held in each of our film and acting schools, providing a unique opportunity for family and friends to see the work students have produced. Students retain the digital master tapes of their work to include in their portfolios. Each student, upon successful completion of the program, receives a diploma.