High school students from around the world participate in the NYU Tisch Online High School Workshops in digital filmmaking and screenwriting. These programs give students the opportunity to build their portfolios, earn college credit, and study with distinguished Tisch faculty.
During fall of 2023, Bianca Rozsa from Sydney, Australia, joined the Online High School Filmmakers Workshop while juggling her regular school schedule. Without access to a formal film program at her school, Bianca dove into storytelling, collaboration, and hands-on filmmaking—all from the other side of the globe. The result? Tomber: To Fall, a moving short film that has since received festival recognition. We caught up with Bianca to hear more about her experience!
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Bianca shares more about her filmmaking process and the impact of the Online High School Filmmakers Workshop in our interview below.
What made you apply to the Online High School Filmmakers Workshop? I've always had a deep interest in film, but I lacked the foundational training and resources to fully explore it. As an international student, the accessibility of an online program stood out to me, especially one connected to the prestige and excellence of the Tisch School of the Arts.
Please describe a day in your life while you were enrolled in the workshop. How did you manage your assignments alongside other commitments?
Since the workshop ran during my school term in Australia, I was juggling regular high school classes with the program. Fortunately, the flexibility of the workshop allowed me to balance both. With good time management (and the occasional last-minute scramble), I was able to stay on top of my projects while still enjoying the creative process.
The workshop includes collaborative projects. Please share your experience working with students from around the world.
Initially, I was nervous about giving up creative control, but collaboration became one of the most valuable parts of the workshop. I connected with students from the U.S., the U.K., and beyond. We exchanged ideas, supported each other’s visions, and brought different perspectives to every discussion. The creative energy was infectious.
How did the workshop impact the development of your filmmaking skills or style?
The workshop helped me develop my own storytelling voice and approach to cinematic language. It directly inspired my next film, Tomber: To Fall, which I created for my Extension 2 English course. The film explored Sylvia Plath’s concept of transcendence through suffering, tracing a ballerina’s descent into madness after a life-changing injury. It became a meditation on the price of greatness and the thin line between dedication and destruction in art.
What was your favorite moment from participating in the workshop?
Having creative freedom in each assignment. While there were clear guidelines, we were encouraged to use our own environments, experiences, and interpretations to tell stories that were personal and unique to us.
Why should high school students who are aspiring filmmakers consider participating in this workshop?
This program offers a rare and powerful combination: foundational training in filmmaking and screenwriting, exposure to cinematic theory and editing, and the creative freedom to explore your own ideas. I learned more in a few weeks than I imagined possible and gained opportunities, connections, and confidence that continue to shape my creative journey.
Your film Tomber: To Fall was created while in the Online High School Filmmakers Workshop in Fall 2023. What inspired the concept behind your film?
As someone who spent years as a competitive dancer, I am intimately familiar with the pursuit of perfection, one that often teetered on the edge of obsession. I wanted to capture that duality: the beauty and the anguish. Drawing from my own life, I told the story of a ballerina whose identity and sanity unravel from internal and external pressures.
Please tell us about the day-to-day of making your film.
The script came to me in just a few hours; it felt like I was pouring my soul onto the page. After that, I applied what I’d learned in the workshop, thinking about framing, cuts, lighting, and mood. I spent the next few days planning: creating equipment lists, costume notes, and character breakdowns, which were all new to me. I choreographed the dance sequence myself, which was both a challenge and a joy. I filmed during a ballet recital weekend, capturing behind-the-scenes moments with my friend Annalise, who starred in the film. I only had one chance to shoot everything, so I improvised as much as possible: wide shots, close-ups, tracking movements. I edited the film that very night under a tight deadline. Feedback from classmates and instructors, like adding heartbeat effects and adjusting pacing, helped me finalize it.
The film has since received awards and recognition at film festivals. Please share your experience and any highlights.
It was so affirming to see my work recognized. The first screening I attended had just me, my mum, and my dad in the cinema, but the next was packed with young filmmakers, industry guests, and vibrant discussion. Seeing my work on screen and connecting with other creatives was one of the most inspiring parts of my year.
What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers? You are capable of more than you think. Don’t let fear or doubt hold you back, just start. Use what you have, lean into your unique voice, and trust your instincts. Your perspective matters; filmmaking is about learning by doing, so don’t wait for permission.
The Tisch Online High School Filmmakers and Screenwriters Workshops are offered every summer and fall. The workshops are open to all domestic and international high school students. The application is open for the summer 2025 workshops and the deadline is April 18, 2025. Learn more about admissions requirements and apply.
