ACADEMY PHILOSOPHY

It is the Academy’s belief that the most significant art form of our time is the moving image. Through the medium of film, individuals, communities, and nations express their most profound visions of humanity to the world. The ever-growing and evolving mediums of animation and video games are creating new platforms for creative professionals to express themselves and the Academy’s programs have grown to reflect these advancements in the visual arts.

Intensity is a hallmark of the Academy's workshops, which range from screenwriting to documentary filmmaking to producing for film and television. Students who partake in these workshops eat, drink and breathe filmmaking, acting, or photography from day one. Their classes emphasize hands-on learning and inspire creativity. They also provide hard facts students need to begin the process of developing creative, thought-provoking, and entertaining work. This is not a course for passive participants. Students must take an active role in every aspect of the workshop.

Students write, direct, shoot, and edit their own short films, create their own video games, or design their own animated characters in the Academy’s hands-on workshops. Students in the workshops develop skills that apply to all their future pursuits. The organizational, leadership, writing, and critical thinking skills learned through producing complex productions will be of enormous value to students at the Academy and in all their future endeavors.