Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) Acting for Film

Overview of our AFA in Acting for Film

The Academy makes the accelerated 16-month schedule possible by creating an extended academic year allowing students to complete three full-length semesters in each calendar year.





The New York Film Academy Associate of Fine Art degree programs are stand-alone degree programs intended to prepare students for foundational skills, technique training, and the art of bringing it all together onscreen. They are designed to give students the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on the subject in a studio-based curriculum without standard distribution requirements.

This two-year acting degree program is designed for individuals with a high school diploma or equivalent who desire to achieve a higher degree but want to focus exclusively on acting, with a concentration on acting for film. Classes include Scene Study, Acting for Film, Voice and Movement, Improvisation, Voice-Over, Shakespeare, Scripted TV, Business of Acting, and Audition Technique. A complete list of classes can be found here. In addition to the course work, students perform in numerous projects, both on camera and on stage.

AFA IN ACTING DEGREE PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Based on an academic school year, the curriculum of the Associate of Fine Arts in Acting for Film program is divided into four semesters. The first semester concentrates on building a foundation in the acting craft, and the second semester works on applying it to screen acting.

First semester students participate in a broad array of class work that introduces them to and trains them in the leading acting techniques. First semester courses include: Acting for Film, Movement, Scene Study, and Voice. These courses build towards a fully realized performance in a staged production, arming students with the techniques and confidence they need to create believable performances for the camera in the second semester and beyond.

The second semester of the acting AFA program features courses that build on the work done in the first semester. In addition to attending classes, second semester students apply what they have learned to a series of on camera exercises designed to develop their screen acting ability. At the end of the semester, each student performs in a digitally taped production which is edited and becomes a part of his or her acting reel. The students also perform in a showcase in front of an invited audience, their instructors, and their classmates.

The third and fourth semesters of the program are designed to help the student create a final portfolio that will serve as the student's "passport" into the professional world of acting. All work during these last two semesters is held to a higher standard and evaluated at a professional level.

While the first year concentrates on exposing the student to acting "basics," second year coursework is geared toward a higher echelon of understanding in terms of craft and discipline. The second year is more specialized, and the individual students, now aware of their strengths as performers, have more freedom to exploit those strengths through the projects they chose. As a result, work becomes refined and sharpened.

Students spend additional hours each week beyond class time on film shoots and rehearsals. Students should be aware that, given the different nature of various projects, these hours vary from student to student.

AFA ACTING DEGREE PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The educational objectives in the Associate of Fine Art in Acting for Film degree program are to teach students the art and craft of acting for film and television, and to instruct students through a strict regimen consisting of lectures, seminars, and total immersion workshops to excel in the creative art of film acting.

ACTING AFA: EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Skills learned as a result of successful completion of this program include:

• The ability to work independently and collaboratively in a high-pressure creative environment.
• In-depth knowledge of and experience in the art and craft of acting for film and television.
• Experience with multiple modern and classical approaches to performance, script interpretation, and character formation.
• Understanding of avenues for exposure using new media.
• Ability to act confidently in front of the camera as demonstrated in several film projects in collaboration with NYFA filmmaking students.

ACTING AFA: GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students must study and perform scenes that demonstrate that they have gained a working knowledge of the following skills:

• Scene Study.
• Voice.
• Movement.
• Audition Techniques.
• Improvisation.

Students must successfully complete every course of study with a "Satisfactory" grade or better. To graduate and receive an AFA degree, students must also adhere to the Academy's Attendance Policy and Code of Conduct. Additionally, students must fulfill all financial obligations to The New York Film Academy.

Satisfactory completion of 64 semester credit units is required for graduation from the New York Film Academy's Associate of Fine Arts in Acting for Film program. The Associate of Fine Art in Acting for Film is an accelerated full-time study program and does not provide for multiple tracks of study. All courses are mandatory. This is a highly specialized program, and there are no majors or minors. The program may not be completed in less than four semesters. Classes are taught in either a lecture, seminar or laboratory format. Students are also scheduled for hours of practicum. For the designation of instruction hours, lab and practicum are treated as "studio hours" as is customary in visual arts studies.