This is by far the BEST class I’ve ever taken in my life. Old reviews of this class are not representative at all. Sure, the class is a lot of work and will test your passion for film. But if you love the industry this will be the best deep dive you could ask for. Mali is insanely knowledgeable and brings in some seriously top notch industry speakers. This is the first UCLA class where I seriously felt like I got my money’s worth. However, be ready to challenge yourself (in a good way). There are plenty of weekly assignments/readings, the quizzes are kinda challenging, and there’s an expectation that you participate at least a few times throughout the quarter. But none of it is busy work, it all truly helps build your understanding of the film industry. Only complaint I have for this class is there should be less group projects. I was stuck with a mediocre midterm group and we got the same grade even though my work was much better than theirs.

This class was tough. Beware

Nice class, but not easy. Kinberg clearly put in a lot of effort for the course, but it was beyond stressful. Instructions are not clear, harsh grading, quizzes are based on the most nit picky details, and it's just too intense overall. I learned a lot, but I don't know if it was worth it. Expect a lot of group work. Almost every assignment is group work, so if you get a bad group, you're screwed. Beware of plenty of cold calling. If you have anxiety around this kind of stuff, the class is not for you. The guest speakers were great and definitely at the top of their fields. Kinberg really knows her stuff. If she likes you, you're in luck.

Kinberg has class favorites, and she makes that abundantly clear to everyone. Her favorites are her grad students as well as people with foreign accents. She was extremely mean to one student in particular. No one ever figured out why.

Mali is very knowledgeable and well-connected in the industry. Her lectures and the guest speaker interviews were very engaging and interesting. The class had many components like group presentations, papers, quizzes, participation presentations, and discussion boards. Unfortunately, many of the assignments were group based. Very few people in this class were particularly motivated to complete anything on time or do their best work which affected everyone's grade. The final presentation is for an industry mentor. It was a great opportunity but, we sat through over three hours of listening to our classmates present basically the same thing over and over. Too much of this class was sitting and listening to classmates speak, which is fine, but I would have preferred to learn from the professionals (ie the professor). The professor does not share slides and very small details are tested on the quizzes.

looking back at my time at UCLA, this is one of the classes i absolutely loved the MOST and still remember. Kinberg is an interesting professor (she has an assistant you have to communicate through which was a first for me) who comes from a Hollywood background which was a bit jarring for some people. it's very true that there are more group projects than not, and i agree and relate to other reviews in that it was frustrating to get a grade reflective of a group that did not want to do much work. quizzes/tests are a BIT harder than expected as you do have to pay attention to everything. guest speakers were phenomenal and made the class extra specal. i would really only take this class if you are passionate about the industry and/or have aspirations of going into entertainment as she can be very helpful for you! otherwise, the class & its contents might be more stress than it's worth.

While I'm usually the first to drop classes that have mandatory lecture attendance, I can NOT recommend this class enough. Professor Kinberg is amazing. Her lectures are engaging, she brings in great guest speakers, and the assignments are fun. I never wanted to skip, even taking it from 7-10pm. Seriously, I learned more from her about the business of filmmaking than I have from anywhere else. Take this professor!!

Honestly, I learned a lot from this class, and she is indeed knowledgeable but has the worst attitude. She has favorites and is unfortunately not afraid to diminish people. At the end of the quarter, in a career-guided Zoom meeting, one student asked how to negotiate better terms as an early career professional, and Mali's response was to cut her off by saying, "you have to get an offer first". Mali continued with her own story, that she was an exception as a PhD student, basically turning the conversation into boosting her ego. It blew my mind, beyond rude.

Many professors in the film program bring in big names and professionals from studios and the industry. Mali was the only one to FORBID us to speak with or reach out to them... in an industry where networking is vital... She believes in hierarchy and that she is on top. I noticed that the older bad reviews of her have been removed. You will learn in this class because she terrifies you if you don't have an answer. To give you a sense of context, I met a student from this class two quarters later (it was a big class, ca 100 people). We discussed film classes, and Mali's class came up. We locked eyes and gave each other a nod and then at the same time went, "what is her deal?!" (note, I did not know this student prior to this conversation). More students joined in, and it turned into a group of 15 people that needed to vent. It's a powerful class, but to walk around with a lump in your stomach during a whole quarter because you have her class the next day is not acceptable in any way. I received a good grade, I just don't need to be tracked down.

Mali is amazing!! She is not only super knowledgeable and cool but also brings in speakers that are top tier from every category across the industry that each have something new and interesting to teach us.