This is a great class! Myrl is very passionate about movies and directing. You go into class eager to learn something new and you walk away excited about the filmmaking process. The professor screens several clips from a variety of films and breaks them down to give you a better understanding of what goes into creating a scene. The midterm is challenging, however if you don't find it exciting and fun, then you probably shouldn't think about becoming a film director. Myrl is a great professor and his passion for filmmaking is infectious. Take his class, you will not be sorry.

3 reasons why you should ABSOLUTELY NOT take a class with Schreibman:

1st: The professor treats the students like they’re in high school. He takes roll and expects perfect attendance with absolutely no tardies. He takes roll again at the end of class to make sure that nobody has left early. When a student had to visit an uncle who had been hospitalized, the professor reminded us that excuses are not necessary and under no circumstances should one miss class.

2nd: Professor Schreibman invented the terminology that you are tested and graded on. However, sometimes his lectures contradict what is said in his book. Nevertheless, he will never admit to being wrong. He acts infallible and he won’t listen to you about problems with the grading or the material. This leads to the 3rd reason!

3rd:
This I found to be the biggest deterrent. Professor Schreibman is horrible at communicating. Countless times people have had legitimate questions but before hearing them out, he assumes to know what they are trying to ask, interrupts them, and treats them like they're children. When a student asked about a discrepancy on a question in a quiz, the professor said, "Do you even know how to read?! Don't they teach you how to read at UCLA?!”

Whether he is speaking to the class, or individually with a student, he is arrogant, patronizing, and offensive. He is constantly trying to convince the class that he is in some untouchable realm. The reality is that he is a mediocre director from the 1970s that uses this class to reaffirm his sense of self-importance. He takes it personally when students miss class because the class is all that he has to validate himself and the work that he did in the industry. In this way, you ARE NOT his student, you ARE his audience.

All I would say is that if you’re planning on sitting in on the class, have an alternative class to fall back on. This way, if you find that any of what I’m saying rings true right off the bat, you can have a plan B.

One of the best classes I have taken at UCLA and made me decide to become a film minor! Myrl is very passionate about directing and you will walk away from this class sharing that passion, not to mention being able to analyze movies and the way they are shot without sounding like you're talking out of your ass. He brought in great guest speakers including Joe Russo, director of You, Me, and Dupree and Arrested Development, as well as other film and TV directors and actress JoBeth Williams. His T.A. Alex Diaz is on top of his game and holds review sessions for an hour before class if you wish to go. There are two quizzes consisting of 20 multiple choice questions that for the most part are straight out of the chapter summaries in his clear/concise book. He even drops the lower of the two to count for the 10% of your overall grade. 20% participation so go to class, not that you won't want to. 30% take-home midterm where he asks you to storyboard 3 scenes out of a movie you haven't seen before. As long as you don't break some of the fundamental rules of directing and make it somewhat creative, you're guaranteed an A or B. The final is worth 40% and is again multiple choice, 50 questions, many of which appeared on the quizzes. Myrl is a great teacher and a good man, take his class, you definitely won't regret it.