by Elhadji Mare

If there is one word that every college student loves to hear the sound of, it’s free. Between paying for tuition, books, food, and other necessities, there is always something that has to get paid for and students like to spare their wallets whenever they can. New York University seems to understand the struggle of being in college in the 21^st century. In a collaboration with Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Institute of Film and Television will “allow 10 senior-level students to shoot short films at Kaufman’s Queens soundstages A, B or F”, according to an article by newspaper publishing company Crain’s New York Business. The studio will also be providing free equipment as well, another expense that the selected NYU students will not have to dread paying to create great art.

The Kaufman Astoria Studios, which were built in 1920, are well known in the film industry. This studio was once originally home to Paramount Pictures, where many silent films were shot. Now, it serves as a studio where many of today’s most current and popular movies and shows are filmed, such as the Oscar-winning movie Birdman and Emmy Award-winning show Orange is the New Black. In 2015-16, a total of 52 television shows were recorded at this historic studio. Similar to upholding a legacy of filming popular movies and shows, NYU’s film program has graduated famous directors such as Martin Scorsese and Joel Cohen. It only seemed right as the two are both well known for producing great artists and work to the film industry.

Approached by the idea, Joe Pichirallo, chair of the Department of Undergraduate Film & Television at NYU Tisch, said that the famous studio knows “we produce a lot of talented filmmakers and they wanted to develop a connection early on." Kaufman Astoria Studios sees that it takes the addition of new upcoming directors, producers, actors, etc., to continue building the studio as a film powerhouse. CEO and president of The Kaufman Astoria Studios, Hal Rosenbluth, says “‘We recognize that these [NYU film students] are our future clients… So KAS gets to implant a little bit of knowledge and plant a seed for the future’”.

Since New York City is a hot spot for shooting movies and shows, finding soundstage space is hard, let alone a space that is free. New York’s annual tax credit is partially to blame for the scarcity of open soundstages. As stated in Crain’s New York Business, “The state's $420 million annual film and television tax credit has created an entertainment production boom in the city that has turned it into one of the most popular spots to shoot in North America and one of the hardest areas to find soundstage space.” Despite the positives the rise of film and movie production has on the city, it is making it harder for film students to find a space where they can practice their craft. But with this new program, NYU could potentially trigger the likes of students that always wanted to pursue film but were unable to because of the expenses.

When it comes to college, barely anything is free, so it is refreshing to see students get a little bit of freedom from schools’ many monetary obligations. Not only is it great for film students but, this collaboration can breed the next great contributors to film who will create the groundbreaking productions that represent our society and the times we live in. This program is a lot more than just providing a soundstage, and both NYU and Kaufman Astoria Studios are well aware of that. For NYU and Kaufman Astoria Studios to provide highly sought after soundstage space and very expensive equipment for students, it is truly an amazing opportunity for them all.

Photo: Madeline Neuberger