MDST 2200

Matthew Marshall is the sweetest, most enthusiastic professor! This class is so chill and relaxing and the little homework assignments are fun! The midterm and final are not difficult at all and he gives lots of fun little extra credit opportunities. I would for sure recommend this class! #tCFfall22

Professor Marshall is the sweetest, and he knows how nutty he is. Lectures were long but interesting, and he made sure to give breaks and explain things so that even without background knowledge, we understood. This class introduced me to a lot of film concepts and movies that I had never been exposed to before, and I loved stepping into this world of media studies. Contrary to some other courses at the university, this felt like a thorough, all-encompassing introduction. I learned a lot about film, lighting, shots, etc, and really enjoyed watching the movies, analyzing them, and completing the homework assignments along the way.
The homework was more engaging than difficult, and the movies have short quizzes that are easy to get if you take notes while watching. You will need to sit down and watch the movies, but that's what the class is about.
I would take another of Marshall's classes again, and I would recommend this course to anyone with even the slightest interest in the movie making world.

This class was so enjoyable and so informative. I had no clue so many things went into creating films. Professor Marshall made the class interesting by not only teaching us terms and concepts, but connecting them to movies we were familiar with. Be prepared though that movies will have to be watched outside of class. It is not too bad, but make sure you have time to do that. Also, be prepared that sometimes, especially towards the end of the semester, class can be a full 2 and a half hours of lecture or Professor Marshall walking the class through a movie. It can become harder to focus. Assignments were made to have students create images or other items that showed how well we understood assignments. They were a lot of fun and gave me a lot of opportunities to be creative that I did not have in other classes. Overall, the class was fantastic.

This class was very enjoyable. Marshall is very knowledgeable and super into what he teaches. The class is also very easy but make sure to put in what work is required. We only met once a week for 2.5 hrs but you usually don't have to stay the entire time. He'll lecture for the first 1 to 1.5 and either show that weeks movie for the rest of lecture more after a 5 minute break. He posts his slides online too so those were helpful for review. We would watch either 1 or 2 movies per week for hw and there usually was another assignment that wouldn't take more than 30 minutes max, usually more like 5-10. Make sure to watch the movies and pay attention though because there are 15 minute 5 question quizzes for each movie and every little point counts in the class. The movies start out not so great with them being silent movies but they get better as the semester goes on. I liked the class and Marshall and thought it was a nice escape from my e-school courses. #tCFfall2021

This class is really engaging and informative. Professor Marshall really cares about his students and he is knowledgeable. Each homework he designed is interesting and enables us to understand more about the class content. Also, Professor Marshall makes us gain more insights into films through this class without making us feel stressed. The only pressure I feel is the film analysis paper for 2-3 pages. But if you follow his instruction and participate in his class, it will not be a problem at all and he is always willing to help his students. Overall, this is the BEST class I took this semester and 100% recommend.

I loved this class! It was super easy and also actually interesting. It only met once a week for 2.5 hours, but the lectures were always interesting or we would watch a movie in class. The class is not so much analyzing film plot, but learning about film techniques like lighting, sound, camera angles,etc. The assignments were super easy. We would usually have to watch one movie a week and take a 5 question quiz on it, and sometimes he would give us photography assignments. There is one paper which is 500-1000 words where you analyze a film of your choice, but as long as you follow his instructions (he very clearly tells you what he wants) and put in a decent amount of effort, you should be good. He's a really fair grader, and definitely understanding and helpful and is so passionate about what he's teaching. There's a final and midterm which are both multiple choice and not stressful at all. I 100% recommend this class! #tCFfall2021

Matt Marshall is hands down one of my FAVORITE professors at UVA. His classes are engaging, teach you to think about film in a new way, and tbh pretty easy as long as you do the work. Matt is honestly just a great person. He's got such a warm personality and he genuinely cares about his students. I took Matt's Intro to Film class in Fall 2019, and as of Summer 2021, I have taken a total of 5 classes with Matt. Oh yeah! You also get to watch a bunch of great films! Prof. Marshall chooses a lot of great films for you to watch over the course of the semester (usually 1-2 films per week). Bottom Line: Matt is awesome! Take any class with him, they're all great!

Super chill and interesting film class! Prof Marshall was so nice and funny; he really made the lectures interesting. All the homework and exams were pretty easy since they were all multiple choice. There was one film paper that we had to submit where you analyze a movie you choose that I think was graded kinda harshly, but that grade really didn't have the biggest impact on my grade so it's not a big deal.

Prof. Marshall is amazing!!! Knows so much about film and the lectures were super fun and interesting. He also cares so much about his students and I felt like he really wanted us to do well. Homework assignments were very simple and stress-free but also fun to complete. Midterm and final were very fair and short. 100% recommend.