NYWIFT Inaugural Women’s Animation Workshops
Community members and students will work virtually with acclaimed instructors from the award-winning New York Film Academy
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is pleased to announce it will present two exciting multi-day virtual animation workshops, one for teens and one for adults, in late July as part of its commitment to advancing the filmmaking and storytelling skills of the greater New York City community. Participants in the NYWIFT Women’s Media Workshops will be encouraged to draw on their community’s experience of the COVID-19 crisis to create their personal animated stories.
The program is presented with the support of New York City Council Members Joe Borelli (District 51), Keith Powers (District 4), and Carlina Rivera (District 2). Completed projects will have a unique NYWIFT premiere on a live virtual platform and be available via the NYWIFT Vimeo channel.
NYWIFT will present the program in partnership with the prestigious New York Film Academy animation department, which will provide expert animation educators from its award-winning program, Isaac Kalsky and Robert Appleton, to guide participants in working virtually to create their own finished short films.
Not only are these skills used in film, television, and advertising, they are also a vital part in the creation of digital environments and social media. Participants will emerge from the workshops with baseline skills that they can grow and use in a variety of ways and industry sectors in the future.
NYWIFT will present two workshops:
Animation Modeling Class (for teens 14-18) – July 20-22
Over three days, participants will learn the basics of industry standard Maya Autodesk interface while modeling a fish, an aquarium, and props. Participants will emerge from the class with a good understanding of how to make simple objects in a 3D environment.
Dates: July 20-22, 2020; 10 AM – 5 PM (with a one hour break daily)
Cost: Free
To register: email programs@nywift.org
Details: https://www.nywift.org/event/new-york-film-academy-teen-3d-animation-class/
3D Animation Class (for adults) – July 23-24
This Webinar explores basic methods of animation and how they are being implemented in Maya Autodesk’s 3D computer graphics software. Topics will include: Disney’s 12 principles of animation, a demonstration of bouncing ball animation, a demonstration of a Pendulum animation and tail animation, walk cycle animation, and techniques for facial expression.
Dates: July 23-24, 2020; 4 – 7 PM
Cost: $50
Link to register: https://www.nywift.org/event/new-york-film-academy-adult-3d-animation-class/
Attendees can go to https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/featured and download either an educational copy of Maya Autodesk 2020 or a 30-day trial. Maya Autodesk can be used on the Windows or Mac platform on any decent laptop or PC.
New York Women in Film & Television is supported by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), New York Community Trust, Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and Warner Media.
“NYWIFT is grateful to New York City Council Members Joe Borelli, Keith Powers, and Carlina Rivera, as well as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), New York Community Trust, Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and Warner Media their support which allows us to inspire, encourage, and cultivate creativity during the pandemic. The program offers the New York City community access to New York Film Academy’s filmmaking expertise and educational offerings,” said NYWIFT Executive Director Cynthia Lopez. “Especially now during COVID-19, it so important for us to use our time to acquire additional creative skills that not only will cultivate our artistic expression but add to our portfolio of job skills needed to find 21st century employment. I can’t wait to see the films our community will develop.”
“This introductory animation workshop is an exciting opportunity for filmmakers to acquire new storytelling skills. Through the workshop, participants will learn Disney’s 12 principles of animation, and they will gain the basic understanding of the industry standard in graphics software, Maya,” said NYWIFT Special Projects Associate Easmanie Michel, who curated the program. “We’re particularly delighted to have sessions for teenagers, the new generation of content creators. Training sessions like these align with NYWIFT’s efforts to support the filmmaking community through virtual programming.”
About the New York Film Academy:
Since 1992, the New York Film Academy (NYFA) has built a reputation as one of the premier visual and performing arts college in the world. NYFA, named a top film school by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, is an international, multi-campus institution offering an array of degrees and professional programs in the visual and performing arts – online and at locations around the world.NYFA is designed for a new generation of storytellers – artists who share a driving passion and want to learn by doing, creating their own projects in a hands-on, intensive environment. With an unrivaled approach to hands-on, interactive learning, students find themselves completely immersed in their course of study from day one. Classes are taught by award-winning industry professionals, in a real-world environment with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. NYFA welcomes students from diverse backgrounds from over 120 countries and all walks of life. This nurtures a supportive, positive atmosphere conducive to the level of collaboration necessary to create great work.
About the Organizers:
Easmanie Michel (NYWIFT Special Projects Associate) has worked continuously in the film and television industry since 2004. Michel’s work on films includes Transporter, Hoot and Miami Vice. Television projects include Miami Ink and Burn Notice. Michel is currently producing the feature Caroline’s Wedding, which she co-wrote, which was a finalist for the New York University Fusion Film Festival and it was also one of the scripts selected to participate in the Women at Sundance Financing and Strategy Intensive in 2016. In February of 2018 the script was the Grand Prize Winner of the American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest. Michel received the New York Council on the Arts Individual Artist grant for Caroline’s Wedding in 2019 and she is currently completing Certificate in Financial Accounting at NYU. She also has Master’s Degree in Cinema Studies from New York University.
Isaac Kalsky (Instructor) is a 3D Animator with over 10 years of digital media experience. He has created animations for advertising agencies, film, television and fine art companies. Isaac teaches animation, rigging, and motion capture at the New York film Academy.
Robert Appleton (Instructor) has over 25 years of experience in the digital 3D realm. He created some of the first virtual sets for news shows and was an art director in London for a major TV company. He has worked on multiple advertisements for both TV and film. For the past few years he has overseen the 3D animation and visual effects department at the New York film Academy.