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If you’re here, you’re likely interested to find out whether this course is for you.
So in this Werner Herzog MasterClass review, I’ll weigh up the pros and cons to
help you decide.
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But before delving into the detail, here’s a summary of the key points:
Quick summary
Pros Cons
Best for: Those interested in self-teaching rather than film school. This
course has a focus on documentary filmmaking.
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career strategy. Above all, Werner gives insight into life as a filmmaker
and how to learn the basics of film (views details).
Now I’ll look further into what this MasterClass covers, what I enjoyed, and
where it could be improved.
He won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival with his 1982 film, Fitzcarraldo.
In 2006, he won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial
Achievement. This was for his documentary, Grizzly Man.
If you’re eager to learn how to get into filmmaking, this MasterClass is one to
consider.
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If you haven’t seen the trailer for this MasterClass, I highly recommend you
watch it:
About MasterClass
“Learn from the best.”
Among its teachers include Gordon Ramsay, Aaron Sorkin, and Margaret
Atwood. This makes for an unrivalled viewing experience that MasterClass
matches with outstanding production values.
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You can buy a one-course option for $90 or opt for the all-access pass. This is a
yearly subscription that enables you to mix and match an unlimited number of
courses throughout the year.
Despite being a new company, MasterClass has altered the landscape of online
learning.
But, that being said, MasterClass might not be for everyone. It’s worth
considering the pros and cons before deciding whether MasterClass is for you.
MasterClass has some additional resources for this course. These include a
Community Hub, 53-page Workbook, and Q&A document.
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At the beginning of his MasterClass, Werner poses the question: “How do you
survive in this industry?” For Werner, there are certain ways to become a good
filmmaker and to learn the basics yourself.
He discusses his own experiences in first seeing, then analyzing movies from the
perspective of how audiences watch them.
He teaches you how audiences come to form their own cinematic parallel to
what they view on screen. Werner also devotes some time to how to best
introduce a character. He gives an example of this from one of his favorite
movies, Viva Zapata.
My key takeaway from this lesson was Werner’s emphasis on the universal rules
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of filmmaking. Like other MasterClasses I had seen, this one struck a clear
balance between creativity and adhering to certain rules.
Although this chapter delves into the niche ways in which Werner works, he also
stresses the importance of finding your own way to write. He does this by
dismantling commonly-held theories such as how long a work should be and
when action should occur.
Interestingly, Werner also discusses the realities of the rewrites that occur on set.
He teaches you how to prepare for that and to translate your work to a
cinematographer.
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“Ultimately, you have to become your own producer – your own financier.”
As someone who made their first movie aged 17, Werner is a prime candidate
for discussing how to finance a film. He advises you to take on all aspects of the
filmmaking process, including negotiating a crew, understanding costs, and
raising your own money.
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Werner places a lot of emphasis on how to be your own boss and having a
sense of urgency when negotiating. As he ends his chapter, “If you don’t have
the deal within 2 days, you will not have it in 2 years either.”
“The quality of pre-production made the quality of what you see on screen.”
Using a scene from Aguire, the Wrath of God, Werner shows how quality
scouting leads to quality footage. This clip shows a view below Machu Picchu,
where the camera draws back to show the steepness of the mountain.
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This scene was filmed only once. He achieved this by truly knowing his location,
considering logistics and adapting to local difficulties. This, he says, is how to
ensure quality footage.
For Werner, using digital effects for this scene would be no substitute for the real
thing; he wanted to ensure that his viewers could trust what they were seeing.
The challenge of filming Fitzcarraldo was a nice segue into his ritual on
overcoming doubt. As he puts it, doubts always come “on the very first hour of
shooting” and there are methods you can use to settle this for both yourself and
your crew.
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Werner teaches you the pros and cons of what can occur on set. He shows you
how to manage these to foster the best working environment. As he puts it, you
need to create “some sort of dynamic” to ensure a successful day of shooting.
Like other filmmakers I had listened to, Werner has a clear opinion on what he
does and doesn’t like. In particular, he rebukes storyboards as a basis for filming
and dismisses the tendency to over-prepare.
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This section was compelling because of its physical demonstration. Along with
clips from Werner’s films, he demonstrates how he operates a camera and
created techniques such as “The Kinski Spiral.”
Werner reinforces the need to be frugal with coverage shots and teaches you
how to save time and money by shooting quickly and strategically.
Lessons 13-14: Working with Actors: Creating the Character & On-
Set
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“The only thing that counts is what you see on the screen.”
He uses Nicolas Cage in Bad Lieutenant as an example, and considers how you
can create character through wardrobe and props. He shows you how he
enhanced Nicolas’s character by directing physical quirks.
What I liked most about this section was Werner’s dismissal of star power. As he
sees it, best-selling actors are nothing without chemistry. Because of this,
everyone has an equal chance.
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He also emphasizes the freshness that comes from actors delivering their lines
while they’re new and how over rehearsing can drain rather than energize the
actor.
In this section, you will learn how to keep your actors on their marks, direct them
effectively, and manage them to produce the best results.
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Of all the sections, the one on sound was possibly the most vague. Werner
spent a lot of time insisting that you learn the basics and train your ears to listen.
However, there was less demonstration of how to do this than I would have
hoped.
When it came to music, Werner shared ample material and advice. Like with
sound, Werner notes that he often has music planned even before filming. This
was the case, he says, with Bells from the Deep – a film about faith and
superstition in Russia.
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In this section, you will learn the importance of finding the mood for a film, and
how to enhance this with music. Werner shares what he looks for when selecting
a song and how to communicate this in the studio.
Harking back to the beginning of his course, Werner reminds you to always put
the audience at the forefront and to see the film from their perspective.
He advocates sensitizing your audience to what they are about to see and to be
ruthless when cutting.
Here, Werner shares some examples of how he stumbled upon images and put
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them into his movies regardless of narrative relevance. He examines how you
can find ideas in unexpected ways and how you can decide which subjects to
include.
However, I found this lesson very abstract. However, considering the niche
nature of Werner’s films, this is hardly out of character.
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Using The White Diamond as an example, Werner shows you how his
conversational strategies translate onto the screen and achieve naturalism.
This was an interesting way to see how Werner approached subjects for his
movies. He gives great attention to respecting ethical boundaries and to creating
scripted moments when it feels right.
“Be one of the ruthless ones who bursts onto the scene.”
At the end of his MasterClass, Werner advocates the need to teach yourself and
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to find your own platform. As he puts it, his world of filmmaking no longer exists.
Moreover, you have to take initiative when it comes to making the most of what
you have.
From these concluding chapters, I got the strong impression that Werner was
sincere in his advice. He’s honest about the system he went through to get to
where he is today and realistic about its downfalls.
All in all, I found these chapters inspiring and helpful. Werner does a good job at
balancing the practical with the theoretical. He also shares the logical steps you
can take to get ahead in the industry.
However, I don’t think this is a perfect course by any means. I plan to cover both
the pros and cons to help you decide whether this MasterClass is right for you.
In other words, it’s worth bearing in mind all aspects of this course before
choosing to commit to it.
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In this MasterClass, you learn from Werner’s unique perspective and gain insight
into a more niche style of filmmaking. Personally, I liked that he strayed away
from more Hollywood-centric filmmaking and gave us something refreshing to
explore.
Werner does a great job of this and shares his personal inspiration and daily
practices. In this MasterClass, you will learn how to use poetry and music to find
ideas and how to discover new ways of looking at the world.
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I also liked that all practical knowledge is supported by the need to find a spark.
This is something that underpins Werner’s filmmaking and influences all aspects
of production.
Throughout the videos and the Workbook, Werner offers plenty of case studies
to illustrate his teaching. This is helpful for visual learners who like to see lessons
backed up with examples.
Across the course, you can easily expect 1-2 case studies in each chapter. I
think MasterClass balances its case studies well and keeps the viewer interested
throughout the viewing.
Beyond the index, MasterClass also loads the Workbook with extra content and
assignments. These offer active learning opportunities because they encourage
users to go out and film for themselves.
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If you’re interested in printing a copy, or even returning to the PDF after the
course, you will find chapter summaries, further viewing, and embedded links to
take you beyond the course content.
After that, there is also a Q&A document. Here, Werner answers audience
questions and elaborates on some of the points mentioned in the course. This is
helpful to those with additional queries and is a nice way of reinforcing lessons.
Unlike some other classes, which are either theory-based or practical, Werner
strikes a good balance between the two. For me, this is a strong way of finding a
medium between the abstract and the tactile.
Werner also discusses some abstract concepts such as creating suspense and
involving the audience. However, these are always cemented with clear
examples of how this translates on screen.
When starting the class, you are encouraged to get involved in the Community
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If you’re someone who learns better through discussion and feedback, this is a
valuable resource. In conclusion, it’s also a great place to read/view others’
works and to even learn something new about the MasterClass.
Accessibility
Werner Herzog’s MasterClass is currently in English with captions for the hard-
of-hearing. While MasterClass has plans to expand its languages, it is worth
noting that all subtitles are carefully created. They’re certainly a far-cry from
auto-generated subtitles, which I thought was a huge bonus.
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“for losers.”
Werner disagrees with the distinction between feature films and documentary
films. That being said, about a quarter of the course is more specifically focused
on documentary-making.
These chapters cover how to make conversation with subjects, tell difficult
stories, and handle the problems of truth and fiction. Most of this advice is
specific and less likely to translate into feature film-making.
While this course was engaging, a few lessons such as “Invaded by Images” and
“Editing” fell a little short for me. They lacked a clear direction and didn’t fit into
any one topic. Werner would sometimes toggle between discussing music to
storytelling, and I wasn’t clear what the lesson objectives were ultimately
supposed to be.
As a result, some of the case studies were quite random. For someone who
hasn’t seen these films, they’re probably even more obscure. So, it’s worth
noting that at times throughout the course, you might not come away with total
clarity.
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This is a minor point, but considering the scope of case studies used, it would’ve
been helpful to have some clearly-signed movie titles. And Werner sometimes
begins discussing one movie, only for a clip to be shown of another.
In this MasterClass, the signposts aren’t entirely absent. For instance, The Wild
Blue Yonder is clearly captioned on one of the clips, including the film’s release
date. But, I think this course would have benefitted with some more consistency
in this regard.
While Werner’s lessons are in-depth and helpful to anyone looking to advance in
their film career, there is a strong focus on self-teaching. Importantly, Werner
criticizes the restrictiveness and expense of film schools. He claims anyone can
learn the basics of film school in 1-2 weeks – without the hefty fees.
His lessons are heavily focused on how he taught himself filmmaking. Because
of this emphasis, you might find yourself disappointed – especially if you’re keen
to go on to film school.
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work exposed.
Single-Course Purchase
This is a single payment of $90 that gives you unlimited access to a course of
your choice. Once you’ve bought it, it’s yours forever. This includes the
Workbook PDF.
For Werner’s MasterClass, this works out at around $15 per hour. This is a
reasonable price when compared with other filmmaking courses both on and
outside of MasterClass.
All-Access Pass
The all-access pass is a yearly subscription costing $180. At the same price as 2
single course payments, this gives you access to all courses on MasterClass.
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If you’re heavily interested in one or more topics, this is a great way to learn
more and to expand on a range of sub-topics. Arguably, this is the best value for
money if you’re not set on any one course.
There is also a MasterClass refund within 30 days if you’re unhappy with your
purchase.
Despite these alternatives, I don’t think they compare to the high production
values and level of teaching we get from MasterClass. You also have the added
bonus of having all content in one place.
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work. On MasterClass, YouTube, and Reddit, the course had a largely positive
reception.
That being said, Werner’s course didn’t have totally positive feedback. In fact,
one Reddit user noted that his methods are so unique that they barely translate
for other filmmakers.
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Others also questioned the course’s pricing, listing it as a main factor in deciding
against it.
Lack of funds is also Werner’s point of critique against film school. In fact,
MasterClass is easily cheaper than going to college. That being said, I think it’s
important to consider what you want to get out of this course and to look into
the alternatives.
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Interestingly, this was part of the promotion for his MasterClass. It met with
plenty of positive feedback. Along with this, there are several interviews where
he dismisses the ability of filmmaking to be taught, and where he frequently
mocks film schools.
However, that being said, most commenters seemed to hold his MasterClass in
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great esteem. One user even referenced it as being the most inspirational of all
of their teachings.
Is It Worth It?
If you’re interested in documentary filmmaking, this course is worth watching.
For instance, his lessons have a strong focus on working for yourself. As I have
suggested, it’s less suited to those interested in film school.
Pros:
Cons:
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While $90 is a steep price for some, it’s worth considering what you will get out
of this MasterClass. If Werner’s lesson plan interests you, this could be a
worthwhile investment.
That being said, you should bear in mind the all-access pass. It’s worth
considering the topics you’re interested in and deciding for yourself what is the
best value for money.
While it’s less suited to those interested in film school, I also think it’s a plausible
alternative to those who are eager to explore other styles of filmmaking.
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Rebecca Salter
Rebecca graduated from King’s College university with a first class honours in
English Language, followed by a Masters’ Degree in Eighteenth Century
Studies.
# Media
$ MasterClass, Media, Review
% Spike Lee MasterClass Review
& Aaron Sorkin MasterClass Review
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