Im currently a uprising senior with a 3.25 gpa on a 4.0 scale. My freshmen year gpa was a 2.125, my grades were poor and as embarrassing as it is to admit I did fail both PIB physics and PIB Spanish 2. Since then my grades have improved drastically and I continued to take honors and ap classes when out of IB (as of now ive taken 4 ap classes and will end high school haven taken 9, I’ve gotten A’s in all of the ones I’ve taken so far.), my sophomore gpa was a 4.33 and my Junior gpa was a 4.44. I dont know if failing classes as a freshmen will hurt, if not destroy my chances of getting into NYU. I want to go to nyu tisch to study film as I want to become a film director in the future. I did not do anything in school until junior year, But since then I’m involved in mock trial, marching, concert, and jazz band, key club, and theatre. advice would be appreciated 
I forgot to add that my sat score is a 1350, my act score is a 31
NYU now has a lower acceptance rate than when I went there. Given that, your unweighted GPA would have been on the lower end based on when I was in Tisch. I know people with lower GPAs, but they’d made amazing films in high school and were insanely talented.
Ultimately, I think your portfolio will be important. You need to demonstrate that you have important things to say and that you have commitment to making films. Your portfolio could suck as an overall work, but if it shows potential that can be improved upon, then it’ll help you. Think of it as film school can teach you how to make films, but it can’t teach you how to have interesting ideas or perspectives to make films about, so that’s what they’re looking for rather than Just your filmmaking ability as a high school student.
Also, don’t slack off on the supplemental essays for Tisch. Be as creative and genuine as you can with them. A professor that I had who was on the admissions committee said he lost all hope in humanity when reading all the ridiculous things that over-privileged rich kids talked about as being “dramatic” in an essay that asked you to write in a creative way about a “dramatic” situation that you’ve experienced personally.