The College of Staten Island’s Department of Media Culture and Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema hosted 14 French students from EICAR (École Internationale de Création Audiovisuelle et de Réalisation), in partnership with CSI’S Center for Global Engagement. This is the first year that the program has been held in New York. Last year, the program ran in Paris and will run in alternate years.
For two weeks, the EICAR students, who came with concentrations in cinematography, screenwriting, sound engineering, and acting, participated in a collaborative faculty-led program. In addition, two CSI students from the Cinema Studies program in the Department of Media Culture were also part of the program as an Independent Study for their major.
Professors David A. Gerstner (CSI) and Paula J. Massood (Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema) were the faculty leaders. They organized an intensive program that introduced French students to the film and media industries in New York. Through a series of masterclasses with film producers, directors, showrunners, and film executives, students were afforded the opportunity to hear from and ask questions to media professionals. John Rizzo, a former CSI student, led a masterclass since he now serves as Production Assistant on such shows as Law and Order. He is also an applicant for and is well informed on the application process for the Assistant Director’s Program at the Director’s Guild of America (DGA).
Commenting on the significance of this two-week educational adventure, Gerstner said, “The reward in running a faculty-led program, such as the partnership between CSI and EICAR, is seeing students collaborate on film projects with their peers from overseas, and witnessing the new friendships made during the process. It’s difficult to explain the satisfaction this program brings to both the faculty and the students. It’s pretty amazing.”
Other activities included tours at Broadway Stages Sound Stages in Brooklyn and a visit to the French Consulate’s Villa Albertine, where students met French diplomats directly involved with French cinema in the U.S.
Students also made a short film while in New York. At Feirstein, they were introduced to 35mm filmmaking, Steadicam operations, and sound design.
The program received assistance from recent MA graduate of Cinema Studies at Feirstein, Katie Prior, who served on multiple fronts, including that of translator.
The program wrapped up on June 21.
By Terry Mares
