This class is perfect for an easy GE, the only the only homework was to read a short play and watch a movie weekly, and the midterm and final were fine if you watched the movies, payed a moderate amount of attention in class, and listened to your TA. Honestly I didn't love professor Boulmetis' lecture style, but it didn't end up mattering that much since my TA for this class was amazing, and definitely taught me a lot more than the professor. I think the key thing for this class is to watch the movies he assigns the week he assigns them, because his tests are detailed enough that cramming them or looking up the plot summaries won't help your grade. The midterm and final both included in class essays, but they weren't too bad if you watched to movies

I have very different opinions about this class depending on if I'm talking about it as a GE or a Classics course, so I've separated my review into two respective paragraphs.

If you're taking this class as a GE: This is the easiest class I have taken at UCLA. If you just show up and write down what is on the slides (lecture is not podcasted), you should do well on the exams. Professor Boulmetis covers a wide range of Ancient Greek and modern topics, so there should be at least something that you find interesting. He is a fantastic filmmaker, and that shines through in how he talks about film and the making of movies. That said, this class is much more a film class than a classics class. If you hate watching movies, do not take this class. The readings are "mandatory," but you can get away with reading summaries and just knowing the authors and general plot structure of a Greek tragedy. Professor Boulmetis also goes over his slides very quickly, and I struggled to write everything down (he doesn't post slides). To combat this, try to make a friend in the class or just take pictures of the slides.

If you're taking this class as a classics major: This is not a typical UCLA classics department class. If you're looking to actually dig deeply into texts, concepts, historical eras, or experiences, you will be disappointed because it is very much a survey of overall concepts. I consider myself someone who does like films and is interested in things like editing, framing, lighting, etc., but we barely talked about the effects of these things and focused only on the techniques themselves. There was a lack of any in-depth analysis. Two of the three TAs were not studying classics, and my TA sometimes would be a bit ignorant of things that are widely accepted by scholars in the field. Because this class has such a surface level approach, it's very easy if you know anything about classics, so take that as you will. I personally did not enjoy this class for this reason, although Professor Boulmetis himself is an entertaining lecturer.

Overall, this class is easy. It covers a lot of topics, so there will be something for everyone, and it's fantastic if you're into the making of film.

I took this class randomly to fulfill a GE requirement, but I really ended up liking this class. Going to lecture and discussion is very important (for tests and 45% of your grade), but the classes are interesting as Professor Boulemitis has directed films himself and makes the course engaging. The only hw consists of watching movies, about 1 per week. I didn't have to study other than watching the movies and I easily got an A.

Took this class for a GE and had a lot of fun! For context, I like watching movies but not really a film-buff or film major.
Grade was based on midterm, final, and lecture attendance.
He would pass around a physical paper for everyone in class to sign, which made it tough if you can’t make it one day. I joined the class two weeks late and still managed to get 93/100 points for attendance though.

Midterm was multiple choice questions and essay based on the assigned readings and films. It was on paper and you had to take it in class. Questions were straight forward and not made to trick you.

Final was one essay based on one movie of your choosing. Got the prompt before the exam so felt very prepared, even though the content was still a bit challenging but manageable.

Some of the movies were a tough watch, shockingly the Greek ones tended to be my favorite. Had to watch films like 2001 A Space Odyssey, Psycho, and the professors film. All were free on Canvas/Bruinlearn.

Professor was super fun and engaging, he really cared about the class and that the students were learning! From Istanbul, so he had a bit of an accent but very understandable, I never had trouble. He goes through his slides FAST and they are not available online but if you take pictures of some slides its not really that bad. Usually what he tends to speed through is context to understand something else and not something he will test on. Him not making slides available online do make it challenging if you are planning to skip class a lot. I really think this is a class where you want to make lectures a priority to understand things, attendance credit, and for fun.

Overall, I would take this class and professor again. :)