About New York Film Academy

Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Al Pacino, Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, and Jodie Foster are among the many figures in the film industry who have sent their family members to study at the New York Film Academy. New York Film Academy is honored to be the film and acting school of choice of these other luminaries including Kevin Kline, Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Bono (U2), directors Stephen Frears, Peter Bogdanovich, Roger Donaldson and James L. Brooks. The New York Film Academy was founded on the philosophy that “learning by doing” combined with best industry practices is more valuable than years of theoretical study for filmmakers and actors. This educational model allows students to achieve more in less time than at all other film or acting schools in the world. The New York Film Academy offers camps, short-term workshops, conservatory-style programs, and degree programs. The Academy’s one- and two-year conservatory-style programs include topics in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Producing, Screenwriting, 3D Animation, Cinematography, Broadcast Journalism, Photography, Graphic Design, Musical Theatre, and Game Design; as well as an accelerated three-year Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Producing, Screenwriting, 3D Animation, Graphic Design, and Game Design, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Media Studies. The New York Film Academy also offers two-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Screenwriting, Producing, Cinematography, Documentary, Game Design and Photography, and two-year Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees in Filmmaking, Acting for Film, Producing, Screenwriting and Game Design, and a Master of Arts (MA) in Film and Media Production at Los Angeles campus. Each program is structured for students who want intensive training from award-winning faculty, using professional facilities and equipment starting their first day of classes; better preparing them for a career in the motion picture and entertainment industries. In the first year of any of filmmaking programs each film school student will write, shoot, direct and edit eight films and work as crew on 28 more! Register in any of world-class programs and get the experience you need to excel in your field.

About Program

Students who want to focus on their professional goals as game designers can earn an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Game Design at the New York Film Academy. In this 16-month, four-semester program, candidates get a full complement of game design and development training that includes exposure to Playcentric Design™, Agile development, programming for non-programmers, and storytelling studies. Just as important, the program incorporates NYFA’s Game Studio course each semester wherein students lead their own digital game studio with classmates and create a functioning digital game. Game Studio includes one-to-one mentorship from faculty, industry advisors, and a professional programmer who works with each student team. The program’s strength is in the intensity of hands-on workshops as well as its focus on game narrative and game analysis. These skills are vital for success in the game design industry. Students collaborate with leading game development companies from the industry and the world of independent games, providing direct experience with working professionals and leaders. Internships and externships are formal components of the program.
Programming experience is helpful but not a prerequisite for entrance into the Associate’s Degree in Game Design. Familiarity with programming will smooth the path for a student seeking to build sophisticated games in the NYFA Game Studio class each semester, and will boost the students’ job-hire potential in industry.