David Lynch Masterclass Review 2022 | Is It Worth Your Money?

This article on “David Lynch Masterclass Review” will provide you with the opportunity to read an in-depth evaluation of David Lynch’s MasterClass, including information on how the courses are presented, who the course is best suited for, the cost, and which course, online class I enjoyed the most, etc.

David Lynch is a well-known surrealist author who is also active in the film, acting, and directing industries.

He is best renowned for his work as a writer and filmmaker, including the cult-favorite television show Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and the film Mulholland Drive, which won an Academy Award.

In addition to that, he is the writer of the well-known book on transcendental meditation titled Catching the Big Fish.

The quirky, surrealist, cinematic style that Lynch employs is easily distinguishable from the styles of many of his contemporaries. Lynch frequently makes use of dreamlike imagery and precise sound design in his films.

Who Is David Lynch?

David Lynch is a well-known filmmaker who rose to prominence with the release of the film Blue Velvet in 1986 and the television series Twin Peaks, which is widely recognized as seminal work that marked a watershed moment in the history of television drama.

David went on to win an Honorary Academy Award, in addition to several honors at the Venice Picture Festival and the Saturn Awards, after the release of Eraserhead (1977), his first full-length feature film (to name a few).

He is well known for the surrealist approach he employs throughout his work and the imagery that is reminiscent of dreams.

I was aware that there wouldn’t be another course just like it, so I was very looking forward to seeing how David Lynch would explain creativity and filmmaking to regular people.

What Is MasterClass?

MasterClass was established as an online instructional resource In 2015. The fact that it is taught by famous people from all around the world is one of its most appealing selling points.

In recent months, MasterClass has seen a boom in popularity because of the fact that it offers more than 150 online video classes. This has encouraged many users to learn from the people they look up to as role models.

Although MasterClass presents an unequaled chance for a great number of people, it’s possible that not everyone will benefit from taking their classes.

In this David Lynch MasterClass Review, I will be focusing on both the positive and negative aspects of the product.

You may also find MasterClass on social media platforms such as Twitter, where it has amassed a significant following of more than 82,000 users. Check out this website for useful information and advice.

Course Overview – David Lynch Masterclass Review

• Class Trailer
• Class Sample

1. Introduction: The Art Life
2. David Lynch Catching Ideas
3. Creativity and the Writing Process
4. Educating Yourself
5. Casting for Character
6. Working With Actors
7. On Set: Creating a Happy Family
8. Production Design: Building Unique Worlds
9. Cinematography: Manifesting David’s Vision
10. Sound Design and Scoring
11. Breaking the Rules
12. Make It True to the Ideas
13. Bonus Chapter: Transcendental Meditation

What Can You Expect To Learn From This Course?

It may be argued that a wide variety of creative types would benefit from attending the David Lynch MasterClass.

If You’re A Writer: You will discover how to find ideas that are engaging and innovative for your novels or initial screenplays for films that you write. You will also gain insight into Lynch’s method of screenwriting for both television and movies.

If You’re A FilmMaker: You will get knowledge on a variety of issues, such as how to work with other actors and how to cast roles. You will also gain an understanding of how to effectively manage difficult creatives while on site.

If You’re A Fan: You will gain an understanding of Lynch’s methodology for creating stories, filmmaking, as well as his creative process.

Best Part Of David Lynch Masterclass

In the book, David Lynch discusses the lifespan of ideas and the need of having time to think and sit by yourself in order to generate ideas for your stories. This discussion is directed toward creative individuals.

In the outstanding lesson and chapter entitled “Fishing for Ideas” found in the Companion Workbook, he provides further explanation of his concept of capturing ideas.

According to Lynch, there are millions of different concepts. The majority of people do not have any notion of how to locate them unless they learn how to enter their own unconscious while maintaining their ideals.

Lynch also emphasizes the significance of documenting your thoughts in written form. He advises that you jot down your thoughts in order to avoid forgetting them, stating that this is of utmost significance. I believe that in the course of my life, I have neglected to remember three incredibly important ideas.

The Filmmaking Of David Lynch

Those who enjoy Lynch’s work are in for a real treat. He mentions that 8 1/2, directed by Italian surrealist Federico Fellini, is his all-time favorite movie. H

In addition to that, he talks about when he was younger and attended the American Film Institute with a project titled Garden back. Adultery was the subject of his little script, which was barely forty pages long.

Lynch provides an explanation for fans of Twin Peaks as to how he came up with Bob as the murderer and then brings us back to Laura Palmer’s residence.

In films such as “The Elephant Man,” David Lynch discusses the part that luck plays in his creative process.

He discusses the ways in which painting has influenced his approach to cinematography as well as production design, explaining how he is able to preserve his creative independence.

Lynch discusses to people who are interested in music how he chooses the soundtrack for some of his films, like “Elephant Man.”

In addition to this, he discusses what it was like when he was nominated for best director, explains his strategy for managing a set, and asserts that it ought to be conducted in the manner of a contented family.

Plans & Pricing – David Lynch Masterclass Review

At the time this article was written, MasterClass had three different subscription plans available. This is how much it will set you back (per month):

• Individual (1 user) $15
• Duo (2 users) $20
• Family (6 users) $23

All of them are billed on an annual basis, which could seem expensive at first glance.

However, if you join forces with some of your loved ones or acquaintances, you can cut your expenses by a significant amount. And of course, by enrolling in the greatest number of classes that you can.

With more than 150 different classes to choose from, there is a good chance that at least some of them will pique your interest. Even if you purchase an individual membership and only find ten percent of the courses to be of interest, you will still only spend twelve dollars on each course at this rate:

The annual individual membership price is $180, and 15 classes are equal to $12.

The price of each class is also significantly lowered if you take it with a group of people, such as friends or family. To learn how to read either our evaluation of MasterClass or our post concerning the price of MasterClass.

The value is unrivaled when one considers the fact that these classes are presented by world-renowned experts in their respective professions.

It’s possible to spend more than one hundred dollars on an online course that’s taught by someone you’ve never even heard of, let alone a director as illustrious as David Lynch, who has won multiple awards for his work.

In the event that you are dissatisfied with your purchase, MasterClass will reimburse your money within the first thirty days.

Gift subscriptions to MasterClass are also available for purchase.

Alternative Courses – David Lynch Masterclass Review

There are many different filmmaking classes available on MasterClass. They are as follows:

• James Cameron Teaches Filmmaking
• Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking
• Werner Herzog Teaches Filmmaking
• Spike Lee Teaches Independent Filmmaking
• Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking
• Mira Nair Teaches Independent Filmmaking
• Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Outside Of MasterClass:

There are various more choices open to you. On Linkedin Learning, Udemy, and Skillshare, you can choose from a variety of different filmmaking lessons.

In addition, if you are truly dedicated to filmmaking, you may want to consider using a specialized filmmaking platform such as MZed, which offers a variety of excellent courses including one taught by Philip Bloom.

The majority of other classes, with one notable exception (MZed), do not provide the same high standard of instruction and production quality that is included with MasterClass.

Additionally, if you purchase an all-access pass, you will be able to attend any of the more than 150 classes that are offered on the platform.

Pros & Cons – David Lynch Masterclass Review

PROS

1. Gain Knowledge from a Renowned Filmmaker

David Lynch is a name that is recognized throughout the film business, and in 2006, he was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Taking this into consideration, it is clear that he is an instructive and useful resource.

The production values of MasterClass movies are quite good, and the overall quality of the videos is outstanding. For those who are familiar with David Lynch, his manner of speaking will be immediately recognizable, and MasterClass did an excellent job of imbuing the entire class with a Lynchian vibe. David divulges a great deal of his personal history, including anecdotes about his films and his struggles to establish himself in the film industry.

I thought it was great that David paid attention to his listeners and was aware that many of them wouldn’t have the necessary resources, to begin with. He addressed his audience in a respectful manner and provided a combination of theoretical and practical information in order to assist them on their journey.

The portion of his first video that he showed, which he used as the illustrative example of what gave him the “go ahead” to enter the industry, was by far the most pleasurable thing to see. We get a good look at it and learn how he managed to pull it off with relatively few pieces of specialized equipment.

2. Capture and Grow Your Own Original Ideas

This portion was fairly vague because it’s hard for anyone to fully convey the creative process to others because it’s so personal. David does all in his power to convey the concept of idea-catching visually. In order to give us a better understanding of the process through which thoughts can take shape, he compares it to fishing and also to a hopper.

He offers some useful pointers on how to jot down ideas and remember them, and he sees the transition from thinking to scriptwriting as a continuous process. In particular, you will get the ability to execute the following:

• Find one idea that can serve as a foundation for additional ones.
• Create a cinematic vision using the ideas you have.
• Make use of your intuition when writing your script.
• Take ideas out of your “hopper” when you need them.

3. Propose a Feature Film

The lessons start to progress more smoothly somewhere around the middle of the class. Each one is a logical continuation of the previous one, as David walks us through the process of making a movie, beginning with the generation of ideas and ending with the carrying out of those ideas on set.

In point of fact, David reveals to us the precise number of concepts that are required in order to have a full-length movie plotted out and elaborates on what he refers to as the “4-hour rule.”

In addition to that, he gives us pointers on the writing process, which assists us in better constructing a narrative. I thought it was really helpful that as the class progressed, David began to strike a better balance between theory and practice, and this resulted in a lot of really useful takeaway points.

4. How to Source Materials for Filmmaking

For most MasterClass students, the challenge of finding the necessary resources to produce a high-quality film is a typical one.

I appreciated how fast David addressed this issue and explained his own experience trying to rent a studio and purchasing his first camera, and how open he was about this. Filmmaking became more accessible to David, and he connected well with his audience.

It’s all about the numbers, he explains.

• putting money aside to buy supplies
• Forgetting about making films.
• putting together a set
• gaining entry into cinema through the study of other art forms

5. Casting Method

It was interesting to have some insight into how David casts his characters because I am a director who uses several members of the same ensemble on multiple occasions. He elaborates on the concept of characters, discussing where they originate as well as how one might determine when a character is “correct.”

In addition to this intuitive method, he describes how he takes the notion he has for a character and selects an actor who is the ideal embodiment of that character. Along with the case studies of Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan, he also tells us how he cast Laura Palmer off Twin Peaks and how he realized her potential as a character. This information is presented with the case studies of Laura Dern and Kyle MacLachlan.

David showed us a helpful way to approach casting and gave us advice on how to stay true to our ideas while we were doing so, despite the fact that many aspiring filmmakers do not have the same amount of resources that they do.

6. Work along with Multiple Departments

When he was talking about working relationships, he went into a lot of detail, which left me impressed. He instructs us on how to interact with creative teams and connect with actors so that we may more effectively realize our goals.

David is adamant that we should not water down our ideas in any way, and he outlines the specific aspects of a movie that must be preserved at all costs. This segment presented an intriguing perspective on working relationships and illustrated the untapped creative potential that may be available as a result.

7. Realize Your Dreams

The most significant change came about as a result of David’s presentation on filmmaking. It drew together the abstract concepts of idea-catching with advice that was more specific on how to bring ideas to life.

David walks us through the process of how he worked with his production designer to realize his vision for the set of Dune by using it as an example. When it comes to locating a place, he provides us with a number of helpful tidbits of information and advises us on what to keep an eye out for when we are exploring potential areas.

Another example of this that I found enjoyable to experience with my hands was a sequence from the movie “The Elephant Man.” David describes to us how he brought the streets of London during the Industrial Revolution to life, as well as how his crew utilized special effects in order to maintain a consistent tone throughout the film.

8. Convenient Contents

For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, the videos in David’s course are captioned in English. This is standard practice across the majority of MasterClass’s offerings. These captions were not generated automatically and were instead meticulously crafted to correspond with the content of the film.

Regrettably, a significant number of students did not have English as their first language, and at the moment, subtitles are only offered in English. Potential positive development is that MasterClass intends to expand its language offerings in the near future.

CONS

Despite the fact that I really enjoyed it, I don’t think this class can compare to the others I’ve already completed. Before deciding to enroll in the class, I believe it is important that you give some thought to the following suggestions for improvement.

1. Class-Related Work

David’s course features something called a “class companion piece” rather than the Workbooks that are included in other courses. Anecdotes from David are included in this work, and while it does touch on a couple of the themes discussed in the class, it is mostly intended to be read on its own.

The “Selected Stories” section of the class companion delves into some further metaphors and comparisons pertaining to idea-catching. However, a significant portion of the book is devoted to David’s personal musings and anecdotes from the sets.

It’s possible that a lot of fans would find this additional reading to be enjoyable; but, I didn’t find it to be particularly instructive, and it lacked the participatory tasks that I had so much fun participating in during prior classes.

2. Slowness in Action

In my own experience, I found it challenging to immerse myself in David’s universe throughout the first few courses. They are highly ethereal, and he frequently deviates from the topic at hand, which draws attention away from the arguments he is trying to make. There was a divide among fans in terms of how they felt about this aesthetic; while some were enthralled by it, others were put off by it.

“Wonderful beginning. When you first hear his voice, you are transported into his world, which is unlike any other universe you have ever experienced.”

Comments from members of the community include phrases like “I understand his methodology but it’s too broad with concrete details for execution.”

The opinions of those who took the class appeared to be somewhat diverse, with several participants pointing out that the analogies aren’t exclusive to this particular MasterClass. I do believe that there is more meat in the course than this, but I can understand why some people are turned off by the abstract nature of the material.

3. There is no one-on-one Interaction

When a course has a Q&A element, MasterClass has some advantages. In some courses, such as Gordon Ramsay’s, students can submit questions and receive personalized video responses from the instructor.

To assist David in better understanding some of the more complex concepts, this tool would have been useful. This didn’t seem to be a significant deal because it was largely a matter of opinion. In spite of this, I believe it would be beneficial for the first few lessons (which users agreed were the weakest of the course).

The finest Lynch video to date. In the first three, he comes off as a bit ‘wishy-washy,’ in my opinion. This [lesson] makes him sound like a man who has accomplished great things in his life and has something to say about it.”

• A response from the general public

Even if David’s class lacks a Q&A component, there is still a community center. In a seminar-like setting, students can express their opinions on the course and the teachings they’ve learned.

4. Not an All-In-One Guide to Getting Started in the Film Industry

David differentiates his approach to filmmaking right off from what he refers to as the “entertainment” industry, which is a commercial sector. Keeping this in mind, a significant portion of his counsel entails going against the flow and gaining knowledge by experience.

On the one hand, this should serve as motivation for everyone who is on the fence about actually going out and beginning anything new. On the other hand, individuals who are looking for step-by-step guidance on how to break into the commercial filmmaking industry are likely going to be let down.

David approaches the process of filmmaking in a manner that is significantly distinct from that of other directors. His focus is invariably on the concept, and he insists that its integrity be maintained throughout.

His concentration is unequivocally more on “the art life,” as opposed to making a significant breakthrough in the commercial world.

This novel technique of narrating stories didn’t hold the interest of all audience members, and it’s clear that not everyone is best served by this mode of instruction.

David Lynch Masterclass Review: Is It Worth It?

It is challenging to provide an impartial evaluation of David’s class. I believe that it may not offer a significant amount of fresh information to the most devoted followers.

Having said that, the MasterClass is an unprecedented endeavor for a director who guards his ideas to the extent that they may be.

This course has the potential to be quite motivational for those of you who find David’s style of abstraction, tangential tales, and transcendental meditation to be interesting.

He presents an intriguing viewpoint on filmmaking that is quite removed from the mainstream commercial values that are so frequently discussed.

Keeping all of this in mind, I believe that it is ultimately up to the person to decide whether or not taking this class is worth their time.

Werner Herzog’s MasterClass addresses topics such as the funding of early film productions, cinematography, and editing for individuals who are searching for something less academic.

You’ll find out how to…

• Gather inspiration and turn it into a script.
• Create a cast for your tale.
• Set up a meeting with actors and crew members
• Create a world that is all your own on stage.
• Work with musicians to create soundscapes and musical scores.
• Get ideas by using transcendental meditation.

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