New York Film Academy

Aura Wharton-Beck is attending a 6-week filmmaking cohort at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) during February, 2026. She will be posting photos and updates throughout the experience.

Aura’s filmmaking class has gotten of to a great start. The first week has flown by and the team has already completed the first of four documentary films!

It is hard to imagine that Friday, March 6, 2026, marks four weeks since I began a new chapter in my quest to learn how to make a documentary film. When I enrolled in the New York Film Academy (NYFA) in New York City.

Monday through Friday, I leave the hotel, walk to the corner of West Broadway, and walk 15 minutes to 26 Broadway.  I walk past Trinity Church, hoping to one day see the grave of Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Eliza. The street vendors, now familiar with my daily pilgrimage to the NYFA, wave at me.  I interpret their gestures as a nod to continue hanging in there.  The famous Wall Street Bull separates the 25 Broadway and 26 Broadway NYFA buildings. 

On the first day at NYFA, Arsenio Assin opened the gray camera box and began to demonstrate the proper way to assemble the camera. I tried to take written notes and quickly decided that I needed to roll up my sleeves, use my hands and eyes, and commit this task to memory. Throughout the first week, we were given many opportunities to practice this new skill.

On the first Saturday at NYFA, I met my NYFA camera crew to shoot three separate films in Brooklyn.  Olivia, a junior at Ohio State University, and I quickly bonded on the first day in NYFA’s student lounge. Olivia selected to film the owner of the Orphan Guitar shop. Benjamin hails from the United Kingdom and scouted out a small Haitian Bakery in Little Haiti.  I decided to film a makeover at Think Pink salon.

I underestimated the task of editing the first film. I am a devoted HP laptop user who knows how to use all the bells and whistles on an HP.   However, the Mac computer is a different beast. DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere are the industry standards for editing. It is comparable to learning a foreign language. I am determined to master this skill.

Two weeks ago, I filmed a verité documentary with Kimberly Slay, a Minnesota litigator who recently moved to New York City.  Anxo Rodrieguz, the most experienced NYFA six-week documentary student from Spain, did a remarkable job filming Kim. After the shoot, we took the subway to a salsa club in Soho. It was magical. 

This week, I interviewed Karen Cheeks Lomax, former  CEO of My Sister's Place. Karen, who successfully launched Brownie & Co, shared her delectable brownies with the crew!  Anxo, Olivia, Nini, and I vowed to do a few more laps at the gym! Simply delicious!

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from NYFA’s award‑winning faculty, whose passion for documentary filmmaking shines through in every lesson. Arsenio Assin, Lizzie Gottlieb, Ari Haberberg, Betty Garcia, Miguel Garzon Martinez, Maria Belen Poncio, Akil DuPont, and Claudia Raschke—you have each left a lasting imprint on me. Your generosity, enthusiasm, and artistry have opened my eyes. Because of you, I now watch documentary films with a fuller heart, a sharper lens, and a deeper appreciation for this powerful art form.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

During the New York Film Academy’s Six-Week Documentary Workshop, students are trained in the fundamental principles, techniques and craft of documentary filmmaking through both study and hands-on practice. Each student learns how to develop, direct, shoot and edit documentary films of varying styles.

Students make four short documentary films and shoot one series of photographs: an Observational Documentary, a Cinema Vérité Documentary, an Interview Documentary, and a Final Documentary Film. An ability to create non-fiction films using these varying techniques is essential to success as a documentary 2025-2026 NYFA New York Course Catalog filmmaker or production team or crewmember.

During teacher-supervised production workshops, the processes of non-fiction storytelling, producing, directing, shooting, and sound recording are put into practice prior to going out into the field. Students begin shooting during the first week. This hands-on approach continues throughout the program, building on knowledge and gaining experience.

No previous documentary filmmaking experience is needed. Yet, those who arrived with significantexperience have also benefitted significantly from the program. All should be ready, willing, and able towork hard and learn within a fast-paced and focused environment.

My new filmmaker friends! This is a cohort of 9 students from around the world- Australia,Germany, Spain, Denmark, United Kingdom, and USA.

Our first location - THE ORPHAN GUITAR SHOP -  Brooklyn, New York!