IFC follows life of NYU film students

By Samantha Murphy
Washington Square News

NEW YORK (U-Wire)--Move over, Project Greenlight, the latest behind-the-scenes look at filmmaking will shoot at New York University next spring.

A new reality TV series will follow three graduate students at the Tisch School of the Arts as they compete for one of three top prizes at an NYU film festival this spring.

The Independent Film Channel's new series, titled "Film School," will feature second- and third-year graduate students as they finalize screenplays, raise funds, complete pre-production work, cast and shoot the picture, and finish post-production duties like editing.

The students' films will be unveiled in late March or early April at the 62nd annual NYU First Run Film Festival, where students compete to win the Wasserman Award, NYU's top filmmaking honor.

To develop the series, IFC has teamed with acclaimed director and NYU alumna Nanette Burstein ("The Kid Stays in the Picture"), whose second-year graduate film, "On the Ropes," later won her an Oscar nomination for best documentary.

Tisch Dean Mary Schmidt Campbell said she had faith in Burstein's ability to accurately portray NYU students.

"When Nanette approached me about the IFC commission I thought that, given her track record and her knowledge of the program, the extraordinary talent and passion of NYU students, and the disparate backgrounds and cultures they bring into the intensely collaborative mix that is the film program environment," Campbell said.

Burstein drew applicants for the cast of the reality show by sending e-mails to all second- and third-year students, Campbell said.

"There are advantages and disadvantages to the show," said Elise Rose, a Steinhardt School of Education junior. "It will be great for others to see what the students endure each year and to witness the hard process that they have to go through in order to achieve their dreams."   The series is now in pre-production and will follow the experiences of the three selected students throughout the course of this school year.