It is more than 4,000 miles from Budapest to New York. Yet, when Hungarian videomaker Andras Takacs wanted to learn the skills essential to being a successful broadcast journalist, he came to the New York Film Academy’s School of Broadcast Journalism. That’s because NYFA “seemed to be THE place in the U.S. to learn digital journalism,” Takacs recalls.
His time at NYFA inspired him, and collaborator Eszter Cseke, to create the documentary series “On The Spot.” According to Andras, the series is “based on the method of working without a crew, getting much closer to people and their stories in the field.” So far the team has created 40 of these vivid, first-person programs, taking the production team from the revolution in Egypt to the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Fukushima earthquake in Japan. The series is seen on Hungarian Public TV, as well as Spektrum TV in central Europe.
“On The Spot” was honored with the Press Freedom Award in Strasbourg from the Council of Europe, the Prix Jury prize at the Tourfilm Festival and the Golden Nymph as Best Documentary at the Monte Carlo TV Festival.
Recently “On The Spot: Gaza” received a Gold Plaque for Investigative Reporting/News Documentary from the 2014 Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected Best Foreign Short Documentary at the 2014 American Documentary Film Festival. The report received rave reviews in publications worldwide, including the Financial Times.
Attending the New York Film Academy opens the door to a challenging career, giving you the opportunity to both learn essential skills as well as find your editorial “voice.”