NYFA Hollywood Daily: 12/8/2011

• Adele is iTunes top selling artist in 2011
• Book of Mormon headed for Los Angeles run in 2012
• Martha Stewart annoys Macy’s by making deal with J.C. Penney
• Ryan Seacrest may replace Matt Lauer on Today
• Octavia Spencer (The Help) to receive Palm Spring Film Festival breakthrough award

"Black Swan" Scribe, NY Film Academy Alum, Pens New Film Starring Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte

New York Film Academy graduate John McLaughlin was one of the writers on 2010 film Black Swan

New York Film Academy graduate John McLaughlin is best known for writing the script for the Oscar-Winning Film Black Swan (2010) starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, scored John an Austin Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay, an honor shared with co-writers Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz. NYFA grad John was also nominated in the Best Screenplay category by the Writers Guild of America, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the BAFTA Awards, and the Critics Associations of Central Ohio, Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Washington DC. Comments John in an article published by The Houstonian,”You can do it, you just have to write a lot. You have got to finish everything you start…no matter how terrible it is. If not you’re training yourself to only write one-third of a script.”

John also wrote the script for 2005 film Man of the House starring Tommy Lee Jones, Christina Milan, and Kelli Garner

Most recently, John wrote the script for film Parker, which is now in post-production with an anticipated October 12, 2012 release. The film is a crime thriller centered on a thief who lives by a code of honor that never includes stealing money from people who need it. The film’s stars include Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, and Patti LuPone. Does John plan to watch the film when it is released? “I don’t like watching anything I’ve written. There are actors that can’t watch themselves. I’m a writer that can’t watch his work. The only time I’ll watch it is when someone forces me into the situation.”

HALO: HELLJUMPER Trailer Hits Web

With over 300,000 views, the stunning trailer for NYFA webseries HALO: HELLJUMPER has already made a splash. HALO: HELLJUMPER is a fan made web series that focuses on the vast universe of Microsoft’s epic franchise, Halo. The first season is an adaptation of the popular short story, “Dirt” by Tobias S. Buckell from the book, Halo: Evolutions. It chronicles the tour of duty of one ODST, or Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, long before the events of the game. The series starts with protagonist Gage Yevgenny joining the UNSC as a young adult before the encounter with the Covenant. Pitted against 27 years of war, Gage finds himself in the middle of a losing battle. Throughout his journey, he loses everything and eventually finds himself in the midst of a decision that could change the tide of the war.

NYFA grads check frame

“50% of the crew who worked during the 9 shooting days graduated yesterday, Dec 7th, from the 1 Year Filmmaking program at NYFA, including the director and executive producer Dan Wang” comments producer Helena Hilario. ”Everyone involved in the project dedicated their time and passion to bring the best quality for Halo: Helljumper.”

NYFA filmmakers set up next shot on dolly

HALO: HELLJUMPER is directed and executive produced by NYFA New York Filmmaking Graduate Dan Wang and was originally conceived for his thesis project. The team behind the series includes producer Helena Hilario (NYFA Producing Grad). The visual representation was conceived by cinematographer, Dominick Sivilli and all of the visual effects seen in HALO: HELLJUMPER were created by Mario Pece (both NYFA grads). The first episode was shot on the RED camera in early September 2011 over the course of ten shooting days. HALO: HELLJUMPER was created under Microsoft’s “Game Content Usage Rules” using assets from Halo, © Microsoft Corporation.

The first episode of HALO: HELLJUMPER will debut in January 2012. CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE.