Fun and easy class, especially if you have some background in music. He was pretty clear on what parts of the lectures we really needed to know and he uploaded all the slides. There were three writing assignments spaced over the quarter, and each one comprised of two 500-word papers (so 1000 words total per assignment and 3000 words total over the quarter). These were really easy; for each assignment one paper was a summary and reaction to an article and the other was an analysis of a movie scene or other clip.

The bulk of the work comes from memorizing the vocabulary (which is super easy if you've ever done anything musical, and they really beat the important ones into you: timbre, mise en scene, SHMRG, etc), and from watching the assigned movies, which he puts on CCLE. Most of them are worth a watch but if you're really pressed for time you can read through the plot summary and watch the important clips on youtube to get an idea of the music.

The quizzes in discussion are based on the vocabulary you learn. The midterm was also in discussion (so it doesn't take more than 50 minutes) and is the same as the quiz but has an added scene analysis component. The final had the same type of vocabulary questions and he gave us seven essay prompts a week in advance, three of which were on the final.

To do well in the class all you have to do is know the vocabulary and be able to use it as you describe everything you notice about a scene. If you love movies or music or both, this is a great class for you!