Search

Program Overview

Spend two, four, or five weeks of your summer living in Paris and training in filmmaking with working industry professionals from New York, Paris, and other parts of Europe. You will spend the first week participating in PAA excursions and cultural activities, and exploring Paris on your own. The workshops are all-day intensive training sessions, and from day one, you will be writing, directing, producing, and editing your own films with top-notch equipment provided for you by the program and the city of Paris as your backdrop.

“Performing Arts Abroad (PAA) is a wonderful organization that allows you to gain valuable work experience, contribute to a new community, develop lasting relationships, travel and (in my case) learn a new language. PAA creates a comfortable experience abroad with their assistance and support.”

Performing Arts Points of Interest

Cinéma Étoile Pagode

The Cinéma Étolie Pagode opened to the public in 1931 after an entrepreneur gifted it to his wife in 1896. Watch French films after a tea tasting in the Japanese-style garden in this luxurious cinema.

Café des Deux Moulins

The café from Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film Amélie is in the Montmarte district and found around the corner from the Moulin Rouge. The charming cafe is a nice break from sightseeing throughout the day.

Pont de Bir-Hakeim

You may recognize this bridge from one of the final scene of Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The scenic bridge crosses the Seine and is a short walk to the Eiffel Tower and the Paris Aquarium.

PAA Home Base

Our film program is based in La Fémis, located in the historic Pathé Studios in the 18th arrondissement (district). Enjoy spacious classrooms, meeting spaces, shooting studios, post production facilities and state of the art screening rooms. La Fémis is in Montmartre, an area of Paris drawing artists and filmmakers for centuries. Within walking distance is the spectacular cathedral, Sacre Coeur, with fantastic views of the entire city of Paris.

About the Location

What better place to study film than in the country where it all began? France! In the early 1890s, the city of Lyon was the site for the invention of the cinematograph, the first motion picture film camera. In no time, the industry had made its way to the capital city of Paris, where most of PAA’s film program is based.

Paris is renowned for its myriad historic monuments, and having numerous unique neighborhoods known as arrondissements. Venturing outside of Paris, you will find that the countryside can take on many different forms: laid-back Atlantic coastline, rolling hills and valleys known for producing some of the best wine in the world, the arid south with its warm Mediterranean climate, and the mountainous Alps region. There are many opportunities for artistic expression, whether in the form of lively street performances, or in the historic theaters that crowd the cities.

Our program’s training takes place at the National Film School of France (La Fémis), one of world’s most prestigious film institutes.

La Fémis is nestled in the historic Pathé Studios right in the heart of the 18th arrondissement (or district). Our training sessions are held in spacious classrooms, meeting spaces, shooting studios, post production facilities and state of the art screening rooms. La Fémis is in Montmartre, a region of Paris that has attracted actors and artists for many centuries. Within walking distance is the iconic cathedral, Sacre Coeur, with spectacular views of the entire city of Paris. Fruit markets, bakeries, brasseries, restaurants, and cafes are all just around the corner.

Housing

You will live in a centrally-located apartment near the workshop classes and will share a room and flat with other students. You will have a common area, at least one bathroom depending on the size of your apartment, a washing machine, and a fully-equipped kitchen for cooking meals. You will attend a housing orientation upon arrival where you will receive your keys and information about security and who to call if you have an issue with the apartment.

Roommates

Your peers during the training course will be incredibly diverse. This past summer’s enrollment compromised students from 22 countries, including India, Thailand, Iran, Macedonia, Jordan, Canada, and Nigeria. The multiplicity of global students means that you will not be studying in a monocultural “bubble” as in many programs, including semester and faculty-led offerings by schools and universities. You will interact with local French citizens to organize your productions, and will work with many peers who have English as a second language.

A Day in the Life



The Participant Experience

During this filmmaking workshop, you will be taught by working industry professionals whose experience includes Hollywood, HBO, MGM, Walt Disney Co., Sony, NBC, Universal Pictures, ABC, and much more. The diverse international faculty is comprised of experienced instructors and professional filmmakers who have earned their terminal graduate degrees from the most prestigious film programs in the United States. The instructors on this program are faculty from NYFA’s U.S. campuses in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, and are among the institution’s longest standing and most respected teachers. We often welcome guest lecturers from the French and European Filmmaking communities as well.

On Arrival

You will book a flight to arrive at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) before noon on your arrival day. You will gather at a pre-determined meeting point where our site director Drasko will greet you and wait with you as other participants arrive. Once the last person has come through customs and joined the group, you will all travel together to your housing in shared apartments in Paris’s city center. You will attend a short housing orientation and a neighborhood tour so you can know immediately where to find the nearest grocery store, ATM, and other amenities. The rest of the afternoon and evening will be free time to unpack, settle in, and explore your neighborhood.

The following day, our site director will lead a full orientation to Paris including detailed health and safety information, cultural norms, and how to navigate public transportation.

For the rest of your first week in Paris, you will have ample free time to explore the city and the surrounding areas. You will also join several free activities and excursions, such as a trip to the Louvre museum (the largest museum in the world), a trip up the famous Eiffel tower, a picnic on the grounds of a majestic castle, and a boat cruise on the Canal Saint Martin.

Registration for your workshop will take place between 10:30 and noon on the Monday of your second week in Paris, followed by an orientation to the course and your instructors. From the very first day of class, the focus of the workshop is to learn through making films. Each participant writes, produces, directs, and edits his or her own films, and rotates among crew positions when your classmates shoot.

A Typical Day

This three-week workshop provides you with a thorough introduction to the foundations of film craft. The workshop is a full-time program, and you must be prepared to make a serious commitment to its completion.

Classes and hands-on workshops are held throughout the week and some weekends are reserved for additional classes or shooting.

Evenings are spent on writing, location scouting, casting, and editing. The third week is devoted to shooting and editing the final film, culminating in the final screening. You will write, direct, shoot, and edit a series of short film projects of your own using Canon 5D Mark II digital cameras, Lowel lighting packages, and digital editing software. Classes in directing, writing, editing, cinematography, and production cover the creative and technical demands of telling a story with moving images. Each week your films are screened and critiqued in class with the instructor.

The three-week workshop qualifies for two academic credits via an academic transcript issued by Endicott College.

Host Group

Performing Arts Abroad has a special partnership with the New York Film Academy College of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA) in Paris, France to offer some of the highest level film training in the world. These workshops in Paris are open to participants across all disciplines. Whether you are already a budding filmmaker, whether you want to learn how films are made, or what it takes to create a performance, you will benefit from this intensive training course. We welcome anyone who wants to integrate filmmaking and other visual arts disciplines into an international cultural experience.

Support Staff

Support Staff

Support Staff

Support Staff

Testimonials

“The in-country staff were incredibly friendly and helpful and supportive. Just great!”

Just one unforgettable experience. I made friends for life and I discovered what kind of path I want to make in my career. I also discovered things about myself I didn’t know before. I wish it never ended.

“I had a great time while studying abroad. I learned so much. I would honestly do it again if given the opportunity. I met a lot of amazing people and I hope that what I learned serves me well in the future.”

How it Works

The information on this page provides details for a sample group program. Note that every group is different, and we will work with you to cater the experience to your group. To connect with us and begin organizing a program for your group, please follow the “Get Started’ button below and submit an initial questionnaire. We will then contact you to set up a discovery call where we can go into more detail about your group’s needs and what we can offer.

Apply Now