On July 8, 2018, New York Film Academy (NYFA) began its eighth hands-on-workshop in Beijing, China. The 4-Week Filmmaking Workshop runs throughout July, and finishes on August 4th.
The classes are being held at the Beijing Film Academy, which, like other film schools in China, is collaborating with the New York Film Academy. NYFA hosts the workshop, providing instructors from both their New York and Los Angeles campuses, who fly out to China and stay for the duration of the course. In addition, a 1-Week Workshop will be offered later in the summer. The instructors include Ben Maraniss, Benjamin David, and Igor Torgeson.
By the end of the 4-Week workshop, each student will have shot three short films. Students are able to learn the various aspects of the filmmaking process, including writing, directing, acting, editing, and lighting a set.
The students attending the workshop have a diverse, international background, coming from several different countries across the globe. By combining such unique and distinct voices and cultural backgrounds, the students learn the art of filmmaking in a collaborative environment, sharing and gaining knowledge from each other’s perspectives. This allows them to tell fuller, richer stories.
In addition to the cultural experiences brought from their own backgrounds, students benefit from the rich experience of learning in Beijing, China, an ancient, complex city with centuries of history. Chinese cinema has been around nearly as long as the medium itself, and has been rapidly expanding and gaining global significance as each year goes by. By learning in Beijing, students are learning in one of the centers of a major cinematic industry.
Dr. Joy Zhu, New York Film Academy’s Executive Vice President for the China Region, elaborates on this point, saying, “Beijing is a very exciting and important place for storytellers not just from China or America, but from all around the globe to come and learn with the New York Film Academy.”
New York Film Academy workshops are also a great stepping stone to longer and more intensive programs, including One Year Conservatories in Filmmaking, Acting, Producing, and several other disciplines. Many students who have attended NYFA workshops in China in the past followed up with other courses, including in NYFA’s New York and Los Angeles campuses.
Whether as a step in a longer, worldly journey of discovery in the filmmaking arts, or as a singular lifetime experience, students studying at NYFA’s workshops in Beijing no doubt come away with memories and an adventure they will never forget.
If you are interested in studying with the New York Film Academy in Beijing, you can find more information here.