About two weeks after my time at NYFA, I was immediately employed as an editor at The Image Bank, the largest stock footage company in the world and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak Company. They represent over 350 cinematographers, have 75 offices in 31 countries around the world, and license footage to features, commercials, music videos, etc.
After three years of editing, winning the Gold Medal at the New York Festivals, and becoming manager of The Image Bank’s film department, I decided to make the change to cinematography. I signed a five year contract and began to produce, direct, and shoot 35mm productions for The Image Bank. Since then, my footage has appeared on MTV, NFL Films, A&E, Fox Sports, as well as in various commercials and promotional material.
Within the last three years, I have had the great experience of becoming a DP on several features such as “Chez Risque” and “Nebbish,” as well as various shorts, commercials, and documentaries. I have recently been chosen to DP James Ronald Whitney’s next project. This director won the Vancouver Film Festival for Best Documentary, and an Independent Spirit Award. His last films appeared on HBO.
I’d like to applaud The New York Film Academy for their continuing efforts to involve their alumni in the changes, growth, and success of the school. My time there was filled with learning, hard work, and excitement … all while being surrounded by those whose love of film rivaled my own.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet you last week and I can’t tell you how fantastic an experience I had in the one-week workshop!
The knowledge and level of craft of the teachers combined with the communal enthusiasm everyone on staff has for filmmaking delivered an experience far beyond my expectations.
So kudos to the team at NYFA — as well as to whoever is behind recruiting. Please be sure to pass my compliments to Bryan Norton, Liz Foley, Nick Rivera and Mario Pinzon as well as to Jerry Sherlock. I think it is wonderful thing that there is a place for inexperienced filmmakers to learn about making films and to get a taste of it with such a hands-on approach. It’s a really great organization and I will highly recommended it.
I took the 16mm filmmaking workshop. I have since sold a pre-school show to the Disney Channel called “Handy Manny.” Although it’s an animated show, I learned so much about just general storytelling at the NYFA. Thank you!
It is hard to believe that it was three years ago when I took your wonderful four-week film production workshop. So much, so very much has happened since then. Many people have asked for my impression of your program and I always — and without hesitation — recommend your programs. The four weeks I spent there was one of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had. All of your instructors and staff had one goal, and that was to see to it that I was given the tools to succeed.
…Since I’ve returned home, I have written/directed three shorts and two features. In August, I shot “Ripple,” a 15 minute digital short, and a movie that received a three-star review from a local film reviewer. Next I shot the short comedy, “The Bumbling Detective,” in digital. The latest short movie that I’ve made was “Welcome to Kentuckiana,” a 15-minute satire that was accepted to the IUPUI film program, and screened.
I’ve also shot “Losers Lounge” that was screened to a standing room crowd and was awarded Best Narrative Film Noir at the Bare Bones International Film Festival in 2004. It was also screened at two other film festivals and receive very good reviews in both print and web-based independent film sites. “Losers Lounge” was shot in Black & White digital.
My second feature on 16 mm color film and digital was called, “Somewhere In Indiana.” The movie was screened to almost 600 people at its premiere. I have just signed a distribution deal with Echelon Entertainment in LA who have U.S. and Canadian rights to “Somewhere In Indiana.”
I am currently writing another screenplay and am helping some friends who are shooting a movie. I am active in the Indianapolis film scene … Keep up the good work!
Dear Friends of the Academy. The workshop I did with you was an open door for a career beginning in filmmaking that couldn’t have been better. I shot a 35MM documentary on the arrival in Venezuela of two ships filled with Jewish refugees just before WWII. The film has been broadcast on HBO for… Read more Jonathan Jakubowicz Filmmaking New York City Dear Friends of the Academy. The workshop I did with you was an open door for a career beginning in filmmaking that couldn’t have been better. I shot a 35MM documentary on the arrival in Venezuela of two ships filled with Jewish refugees just before WWII. The film has been broadcast on HBO for all of Latin America. It has premiered in 13 countries. It has received the following awards: – Winner: Best Documentary, Premios a la Calidad de CENAC (Venezuelan Oscars) – Best Direction of Photography, Documentary – San Juan Cinemafest – Semi-Finalist, Director’s Guild of Americas, Angelus Awards – LA NYFA was the first exposure I got to any kind of formal education in filmmaking. It was my ABC’s, the first steps I took to make movies professionally. That was 20 years ago. There’s no doubt that what I learned at NYFA helped. It was very emotional for me to shoot a scene with De Niro and Ellen Barkin, two legendary New Yorkers, a few blocks from the school. It definitely felt like those two moments in my life, being a film student and directing my dream movie, were connected.