Aaron Sorkin's MasterClass
This is my first MasterClass review and my first review outside of the film and TV world. Why do it? Because it's related to The Business of Hollywood and (spoiler alert) ... the class is that good.
Some quick business: am I getting paid to review this? No.
Am I a huge fan of Sorkin going in? Yes.
Have I worked in this field (e-learning)? Yes.
Okay - those things out of the way, let's talk the good and the bad - the spoiler gave up which side this teeter tots toward.
The format: Aaron talks directly to you. That alone was fascinating to me. While you might be able to cobble together interesting conversations he's had on DVD extras and various interviews posted to YouTube, the coherent and deliberate nature of these talks is well worth the price of admission ($90 when I bought).
He uses practical examples of his work and humbly tears his stuff apart - which is wildly encouraging. He also talks openly about how he cracked into Hollywood in a very workman-like fashion.
He is thoughtful, offers great background for his own writer's journey and practical example about how to develop characters, do research and form great habits. Much of this wasn't new to me, but that didn't make it any less valuable. Hearing it from a true master in Sorkin, in fact, validated what I learned a few decades back and gives me the confidence to keep hoofing it.
Later in the class he opens up a writer's room which is, at times, fascinating and other times too fluffy. It's nice to see a diverse ethnic and sex mix of writers in the room, but it would be nice to see more diversity in age (says a mid-40's guy).
When is it fascinating? When the students pitch - all of them quite well, though I didn't care for all of the material as much as he seemed to.
When is it too fluffy? When he doesn't hit them with enough criticism. The praise is all so evenly distributed, it might give the appearance that there were truly five unicorns in the room or that it's easier to break in to Hollywood than it really is. Hollywood criticism, from what I've experienced personally and what I've heard from others, doesn't always make sense - even from top-level executives. The writer's ability to hear the crazy/weird/stupid suggestion and somehow wrestle out a reply of "that's interesting. I'll consider that" is make or break important.
The social aspect of the offering is MasterClasses weakest point. The discussion threads feel like something out of the late 90's - difficult to search, let alone engage in conversation. There is a Facebook page, but, again, it's not terribly robust in terms of practical conversation.
My needs? Forming a group of true working artists (even if they're beginners) - people who aren't just hobbyists or, worse, lookie-loos. From my days as a student at UCLA's screenwriting class to the classes I taught myself, I've always been fascinated (and repulsed) by the number of people who will take the time to pay and show up for a class and then simply not do (or not turn in) the work. It's about the work.
That last area is one I hope MasterClass will continue to work on because they've built a beautiful platform with incredible teachers. I've begun several other courses, as I now have the all access pass - only $90 more! I will leave reviews for those as I complete them here.
Am I a huge fan of Sorkin going in? Yes.
Have I worked in this field (e-learning)? Yes.
Okay - those things out of the way, let's talk the good and the bad - the spoiler gave up which side this teeter tots toward.
The format: Aaron talks directly to you. That alone was fascinating to me. While you might be able to cobble together interesting conversations he's had on DVD extras and various interviews posted to YouTube, the coherent and deliberate nature of these talks is well worth the price of admission ($90 when I bought).
He uses practical examples of his work and humbly tears his stuff apart - which is wildly encouraging. He also talks openly about how he cracked into Hollywood in a very workman-like fashion.
He is thoughtful, offers great background for his own writer's journey and practical example about how to develop characters, do research and form great habits. Much of this wasn't new to me, but that didn't make it any less valuable. Hearing it from a true master in Sorkin, in fact, validated what I learned a few decades back and gives me the confidence to keep hoofing it.
Later in the class he opens up a writer's room which is, at times, fascinating and other times too fluffy. It's nice to see a diverse ethnic and sex mix of writers in the room, but it would be nice to see more diversity in age (says a mid-40's guy).
When is it fascinating? When the students pitch - all of them quite well, though I didn't care for all of the material as much as he seemed to.
When is it too fluffy? When he doesn't hit them with enough criticism. The praise is all so evenly distributed, it might give the appearance that there were truly five unicorns in the room or that it's easier to break in to Hollywood than it really is. Hollywood criticism, from what I've experienced personally and what I've heard from others, doesn't always make sense - even from top-level executives. The writer's ability to hear the crazy/weird/stupid suggestion and somehow wrestle out a reply of "that's interesting. I'll consider that" is make or break important.
The social aspect of the offering is MasterClasses weakest point. The discussion threads feel like something out of the late 90's - difficult to search, let alone engage in conversation. There is a Facebook page, but, again, it's not terribly robust in terms of practical conversation.
My needs? Forming a group of true working artists (even if they're beginners) - people who aren't just hobbyists or, worse, lookie-loos. From my days as a student at UCLA's screenwriting class to the classes I taught myself, I've always been fascinated (and repulsed) by the number of people who will take the time to pay and show up for a class and then simply not do (or not turn in) the work. It's about the work.
That last area is one I hope MasterClass will continue to work on because they've built a beautiful platform with incredible teachers. I've begun several other courses, as I now have the all access pass - only $90 more! I will leave reviews for those as I complete them here.
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