Summer Camps & Programs

Program Description

New York Film Academy

Film and Acting Camp
New York, New York

		Program Description Program Overview Visit Web Site Get Free Info See Photos

For More Information, Contact
New York Film Academy
100 East 17th Street
New York, New York 10003
212-674-4300
Fax: 212-477-1414
http://www.nyfa.com/summer or http://www.nyfa.com

Type of Program: Arts program
Participants: Coeducational, ages 14–17
Enrollment: Varies depending upon location
Program Dates: One-, three-, four-, and six-week filmmaking, acting, 3-D animation, and music video workshops in July and August; four-week acting for film workshop in July; a one-year filmmaking program beginning in June

Location

The New York Film Academy (NYFA) high school filmmaking workshops are held in locations in the United States and Europe. In the United States, students can choose from Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California; Disney–MGM Studios and Universal Studios in Florida; Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; at the Dalton School, Packer Collegiate Institute, and the Union Square headquarters in New York City (Dalton and Packer Collegiate are nonresidential programs). In Europe, students can attend the New York Film Academy workshop in Central London, England; FEMIS (The French National Film School) in Paris, France; and locations in Florence, Italy.

Background and Philosophy

It is the belief of the New York Film Academy that film is the art form that defines the present. Through the medium of film, individuals, communities, and nations express their most profound visions of humanity to the world. The Academy’s high school filmmaking workshop was designed for people 14 to 17 years old who wish to learn the art of film through a hands-on program.
    The Academy provides students with the opportunity to learn directing by doing just that—directing. From day one, the students get behind a 16-mm camera. Learning by doing means each student must make a series of short films. This takes them through the entire filmmaking process. Each student writes, produces, directs, and edits his/her own films. In addition, they assist other members of the crew in the roles of director of photography and assistant cameraperson, providing each student with extensive set experience.

Program Offerings

Filmmaking Workshop In the creation of the curriculum, the Academy worked with students and faculty members from around the world. The best ideas and elements from the leading film degree programs were integrated to provide a thorough grounding in filmmaking; the program is also flexible in meeting the diverse needs of students. It is undergraduate-level training in filmmaking, using the same equipment as the nation’s leading undergraduate film programs. Participants have been able to skip prerequisites in college or receive college credit for taking the New York Film Academy Film Workshop.
    During the program, each weekday is split between in-class instruction and on-set production. Weekends are reserved for writing, relaxation, and supervised group activities. Students cover the art of visual storytelling in their directing classes, the organization of film and sound material in their editing classes, and how to use the Arriflex 16-S camera and other equipment in their hands-on camera and lighting classes.
    The Academy strives to create an environment that promotes personal development and learning over competition. In keeping with this philosophy, the New York Film Academy takes pride in its open-door policy of admission. Students from diverse backgrounds, from all countries, and from all walks of life are welcome. This nurtures a supportive, positive atmosphere conducive to the level of collaboration required to make a great film.
Acting for Film Workshop The New York Film Academy also offers the acting for film workshop in acknowledgment of the importance of the film actor’s job and in support of the skills required to do the job brilliantly. Unlike other acting workshops, the program is integrated with the Academy’s film school. This has many advantages for the acting student interested in work in front of the camera. Students are able to get invaluable experience in front of the camera by being cast in student productions.
    Classes emphasize the theory and practice of the basic elements of the acting craft, using Stanislavsky’s method and scene and monologue work as starting points. In conjunction with these classes, students participate in courses aimed specifically at training the actor for the arduous requirements of acting on a film set.
    The curriculum of the acting workshop consists of courses in acting technique, acting for film and television, film craft, scene and monologue work, voice, movement, audition techniques, master classes, Shakespeare’s method, and improvisation.

Enrollment

Students ages 14–17 are eligible to apply. Younger students with a demonstrated level of maturity may apply.

Daily Schedule

Students stay busy with class and film production Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the evening and on weekends, students take part in planned activities and field trips. These include screenings and trips for cultural enrichment.

Facilities

At the New York Film Academy’s workshops Harvard University, students live in fully furnished college dormitories. Two or three meals a day are served in the dining halls. At Universal Studios, Disney–MGM Studios, at the FEMIS film school in Paris, and in Florence, students live in group residences with NYFA staff members and supervisors. Meal plans are also available for these programs. Students enrolled in the Dalton School and Packer Collegiate workshops in New York City must have parents or guardians in the New York City area. Students enrolled in the Union Square workshops in New York City are housed in supervised dormitory housing provided by Marymount Manhattan College.

Staff

The faculty is composed of award-winning professional filmmakers who studied film and completed their undergraduate and graduate work at Harvard University, Columbia University, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and USC. Their films have screened and won awards internationally at festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Sundance, in addition to winning Academy Awards.

Medical Care

The Academy’s choice of locations is meant to ensure the student’s safety, which is of primary concern. Each campus location has a 24-hour public safety service that includes security escorts during the evening and emergency medical help.

Costs

Program fees range from $1000 to $6900. These fees do not include travel or housing.

Transportation

For those arriving by plane, NYFA staff members meet students at their gates, if requested, and transport students between the airport and the program campus at additional cost (available at most locations).

Application Timetable

The New York Film Academy has a rolling admissions policy. Since popular programs fill up first, students are advised to apply early.