Ask HN: How good are the “MasterClass” online classes?
To be clear, I'm referring to https://www.masterclass.com/.
I'm not really a professional in any of the fields they offer classes in, and am looking to take it out of curiosity, to get a sense of the different industries (like space exploration, investigative journalism etc). For those who have taken classes, how has your experience been? Is it worth the money and time? Do they come off more as a documentary (I felt the trailers do) or are there clear, useful takeaways? I pirated the Steve Martin comedy one. Generally, it was not very structured, just Steve talking about his experiences, telling stories, and generic tips. Not super technical, its almost like they just whipped it up on the spot, kind of expected when you're dealing with busy celebrities who may not have experience actually teaching. For those in the top of their industry for many years still pulling in millions of people every time they create something (music, movies, soundtracks, TV episodes) and have a large video, streaming, Youtube or TV presence, are pretty good along with those that have been doing their thing for 20+ years. You can normally tell how good it is by how high quality their trailer video is (the best made their own and are actually doing things, besides just looking back at the camera) on the site along with viewing their free Youtube videos and interviews. Even better when their name is almost synonymous with their industry Most notable on the site are:
Armin Van Buuren,
Hans Zimmer,
Gordon Ramsay,
R.L. Stine,
Deadmau5,
Samuel L. jakson,
Gordon Ramsay,
Christina Aguilera Though I don’t like any of James Patterson’s books, I decided to check out his class since he’s a top selling, prolific, fiction writer. He had some decent tips for banging outlines combined with unnecessary, though briefly motivating antidotes. I suspect the format of these classes are all similar. I’m of the opinion that if you’re in a mental rut, then do anything to get out of it. In that sense, Patterson's class was useful. I am curious if Werner Herzog’s class has any structure. They're okay, nothing mindblowing, some are good. I've really enjoyed Judd Apatow's class on screenwriting. They offer a free trial, you can watch all the courses for a week for free without a limit. FWIW, Reddit has several reviews that answer your question. You may also want to skim through threads there. I can recommend Kevin Spacey’s acting class and especially his work on monologue. Depending on your geo you can do a free trial now. Did anyone watch Hans Zimmer's master class?