I’m halfway through the Judd Apatow Teaches Comedy MasterClass and am loving it so much I thought I’d take a quick break to write up my thoughts so far.
I’ve been the biggest Judd Apatow fan for years. I’ve rewatched Freaks and Geeks all the way through multiple times (it was a tragedy that it was cut short). I love every film he’s had a hand in (whether directing, writing, or producing) from Superbad and Bridesmaids to Pineapple Express, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Anchorman.
So when I saw that MasterClass had snagged Judd Apatow to teach comedy and early access was available for All Access Pass members, my jaw was on the floor.
I already knew to expect high quality going into MasterClass. I’ve taken almost all of their courses from Steve Martin and James Patterson to Gordon Ramsay and Chris Hadfield.
But I was still shaking with glee like a schoolgirl on prom night and promptly dove in for a binge learning session.
What you get in the Judd Apatow Teaches Comedy MasterClass
There are currently 6+ hours and 32 video modules.
More video content will come in the form of Judd answering student questions in the ‘Office Hours’ section of MasterClass.
You also get a booklet to accompany each of the video modules. This booklet expands on everything Judd discusses and gives you direction to further pursue the topics, along with homework assignments.
The Judd Apatow MasterClass comes with several class projects.
That’s one of the most exciting parts of this course for me.
You a project depending on which fits you the best. Judd’s comedy tips and tricks apply to multiple creative disciplines, so he has decided to offer several projects.
There is a project aimed at…
- Stand-up comedians
- Writer-directors
- Screenwriters
I’m not going to give away what these projects are. You’ll have to enrol to check them out (the All Access Pass is priced extremely fairly for what you get).
The projects are all totally awesome, challenging, and inspiring, leaving you with a finished product at the end. I’m having a blast doing my screenwriter project.
What are the video lessons like?
You know it’s going to be a great course right from the beginning. Judd, along with Steve Martin (my review here), has the funniest intro to any of the MasterClasses (though I did enjoy Samuel L. Jackson dropping the M-F bomb in his Masterclass).
Each module is the length of a TV show (around 15-25 mins). But it can easily take you (and took me) several hours just to get through each one because you take tons of notes, check out the different homework, and have tons of great ideas sparked from things Judd says.
Each video module is accompanied by a workbook that gives you more direction and things to explore and then breaks down specific homework for the project you chose.
I really love the amount of work that went into this course. Really great value for money. I’m sure anyone who is serious about breaking into showbiz or is pursuing a creative endeavour (not just comedy) will love it as much as me.
The lesson topics are really diverse and Judd tries to cover a lot of different angles.
You’ll learn things like:
- Performing stand-up comedy
- Workshopping scripts
- Writing for television
- Working with actors
- Creating characters
- Directing comedy
- Structuring films
- And much more
What is Judd Apatow like as a teacher?
Judd is a joy to listen to and the time whizzes by. This isn’t a short course but Judd’s friendly manner makes it feel like you’re chilling with a friend, albeit a friend who knows a heck of a lot more about comedy than you do.
Judd is very self-aware and his dry, witty, often immature humour really made me sit-up and pay attention.
Even though I’m familiar with a lot of the principles Judd outlines (after all, I’ve already taken a bunch of these MasterClasses), he is able to make me think about the concepts in fresh new ways because his delivery is so compelling.
My favourite parts of the course so far?
Like I said, I’m only about half-way through this course so there is plenty more to learn, but there have been a lot of highlights so far (and my notebook is stuffed with ideas).
Some parts of this MasterClass resonated with me more than others.
All of it is immensely valuable and each part is crammed with gems, but I definitely got the most out of the writing aspects of this course compared with the stand-up comedy part of this course.
Of course, if you’re a stand-up comic, that’s where you’re getting the most value (if you are a comic, it’s worth getting the Member Pass so you can learn from Steve Martin too).
However, I still did learn a lot from the stand-up comedy portions of this course.
I loved Judd’s advice on getting personal, considering situations from every angle, best practices for brainstorming comedy (lists, questions, etc), starting with the punch-line and building a story around it, and building your act methodically and with discipline.
I particularly loved his talk about persona and what to do if your start bombing on stage – he calls his philosophy “leaning into the bomb”.
I made a lot of notes from the lecture about developing life into story. Really fantastic stuff in this section. I loved hearing about how to excavate your neuroses, taking note of cinematic moments in your life and reworking them for the screen. And the story of Judd’s own personal journey (particularly in writing Bill from Freaks and Geeks) was very illuminating.
That part was one of the most valuable modules for ANY creative – not just comedians – anyone that wants to create great art.
The section on crafting comedic storylines was also gold.
You learn about how and why you should think of your comedy as a drama, not a comedy. You learn how to craft obstacles to love and connection how to establish relatable stakes, creating flawed characters, being original by being specific, and how to give your stories a grace note.
There’s a lot of meat here. And I love how each of the lessons is accompanied by a clip from Judd’s films or stand-up exemplifying the lesson he just taught so we can see it in action and how it translates to the screen.
Judd’s questions for how to make your work original by being specific (using the 40-Year-Old Virgin as a case study) was fantastic and worth price of entry alone as it sparked tons of ideas for my current works and made them way more unique than they previously were.
The section on structuring films was also a joy for me. I really valued the discussion about outlining famous movies to get a template and learn the craft.
Loved the paradigm worksheet that you can print out and use to outline your favourite films as you watch them. I did it with Indiana Jones and As Good As It Gets this week. I’m doing it again this week with Hero.
I also got a lot of value hearing Judd talk about how to develop innovative versions of established beats. It’s nuance like this that makes this MasterClass good for intermediate writers in addition to all the information that is great for beginner writers.
The stuff on how Judd develops an idea was also fascinating. I’ve heard a lot of different methods for writing the first draft and have tried a lot (James Patterson’s is a good one), but I really liked this one and will try it next.
Then there’s the in-depth modules on character and dialogue.
Character is one of my favourite subjects when it comes to writing and I’ve always admired the way Judd writes characters so I was particularly looking forward to this segment – and it didn’t disappoint.
Fascinating discussion about psychology, ego, realism, emotions, fleshing out characters, creating dynamics that clash, and crafting strong introductions.
Dialogue is another area where I’m always trying to improve, study, and am fascinated by – and again I love Judd’s dialogue – so I was hoping this would be a good lesson, and it really was. Turned out to be one of my favourites. I knew a lot of stuff already – particularly after taking the Aaron Sorkin and the David Mamet MasterClasses, but Judd’s perspective sparked a bunch of fresh thoughts in my mind and kept the topic interesting.
Is the Judd Apatow Teaches Comedy MasterClass worth it?
If you’re looking to get into comedy in any capacity (stand-up, movies, theatre, writing, acting), yes, the Judd Apatow MasterClass is worth every penny.
If you’re a storyteller or writer of any kind, I also recommend this MasterClass 100%.
If you’re a creative or are interested in how people at the top of their game got to where they were, it’s also worth a look in.
As part of the All Access Pass, where you can learn from Aaron Sorkin, David Mamet, Shonda Rhimes, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, Helen Mirren, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Martin, Werner Herzog, and many more, it’s a no-brainer.
You can enrol in the Judd Apatow Teaches Comedy MasterClass here.
