If anyone wants to buy me something for my birthday, Christmas, Bastille Day, or just because… I just found out about MasterClass. Two classes getting ready to start are a screenwriting class taught by Aaron Sorkin and a directing class by Werner Hertzog.

https://youtu.be/ujdVdQkw24M

If you’re going to study screenwriting, there are few better people to learn from than Aaron Sorkin. The Academy Award-winning writer behind The Social Network, Steve Jobs, A Few Good Men, The Newsroom, and the first four seasons of The West Wing is making himself available to aspiring screenwriters all across the world. The online course costs $90–a considerably low price to pay to learn Sorkin’s “rules of storytelling, dialogue, and character development.” The class includes 25 video lessons, a 30-page workbook, and interactive assignments.

Sorkin will also critique selected writing submissions from students, all of whom can take the class at their own pace. That’s right, Aaron Sorkin will have access to and could read and critique your writing. That is worth more than the $90 price tag easily.

My favorite of the available classes would be Kevin Spacey’s Acting class. I’ve always believed him to be one of the best actors of our time, and he is immensely entertaining to watch. All of the MasterClasses are $90. That is amazing when you consider the alternatives. Werner Herzog teaches aspiring film makers at his Los Angeles-based Rogue Film School. The cost for the weekend course is $1,450.

So if you find yourself asking what do you give the film lover in your life who already has everything? You can’t go wrong with learning the trade from some of the masters.