Jodie Foster Joins MasterClass to Teach Filmmaking

MasterClass, the online education company that enables anyone to learn from the best in the world, announced today that renowned actor-director Jodie Foster will offer her first online class available exclusively through its platform. Foster's organic mastery of film direction, bolstered by decades of critically acclaimed on-screen performances, will provide students in her class with a unique and personal approach to filmmaking that will appeal to aspiring directors, screenwriters, actors, and cinephiles alike. Foster's class is now available at www.masterclass.com/jfo. Enrollment for the class is $90 for lifetime access, or $180 per year for the All-Access Pass, which grants unlimited access to all new and existing classes.

"Jodie's remarkable career spanning more than five decades, and her non-traditional path to filmmaking, has made her one of the most admired directors in Hollywood," said David Rogier, cofounder and CEO of MasterClass. "With all the acclaim she earned as an actor, she took the bold and courageous step outside that lane to dedicate herself to pursuing her passion. We couldn't be more honored to welcome Jodie to the MasterClass community and thrilled to give students this opportunity to learn filmmaking from an actor-director point of view. The lessons based on her own experiences and the practical applications for directing she covers are what makes her class so approachable and personal."

Over her 52 year career, Foster has appeared in over 40 major films, directed four feature-length movies and won nearly 60 awards-among them, two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Juniper Awards and three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. Foster started her career at the tender age of two and ascended to superstardom with striking performances in Taxi Driver, The Silence of The Lambs, The Accused, and Nell, portraying complex characters alongside acting heavyweights Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, and Liam Neeson. Foster made her directorial debut in 1991 with Little Man Tate, following up with Home for the Holidays (1995), The Beaver (2011) and, her most recent feature film, Money Monster (2016), starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Since then, Foster has ventured into television, directing episodes of Netflix original series "House of Cards," "Black Mirror," and "Orange Is the New Black," which earned her an Emmy nomination.

"I'm thrilled to be able to share the lessons I've learned over the years with people who are equally as passionate about film," said Foster. "Authentic storytelling is about having the courage to be vulnerable, tapping into those deeply personal experiences and identifying the right ingredients to have them translate on screen. I wanted to teach this MasterClass to share that experience of creating a signature and expressing yourself in a work of art. For me, that's the joy of making movies."

In her MasterClass, Foster provides aspiring filmmakers with a practical and holistic approach to cinematic storytelling, sharing case studies from some of her iconic films, including Money Monster and The Beaver, and guiding students across all steps of the creative process from ideation and storyboarding to how to approach an edit. The class also features a section on collaboration and shows Foster working with prominent screenwriter Scott Frank (Logan, Out of Sight, Minority Report) to develop a screenplay. Students will walk away with a practical applications for directing, understanding how to bring out the best in actors, make distinct visual choices and elevating the "big idea" in their film, and will have exclusive access to scripts and directing notes from the four films Foster directed as part of the accompanying workbook.

MasterClass continues to expand its catalogue into new categories, bringing leading instructors to its engaged base of subscribers. MasterClass provides educational, inspiring, and engaging classes taught by the world's greatest minds. With more than 50 classes that dive into processes, techniques and philosophies, MasterClass helps students progress more rapidly towards their own mastery, explore a new passion, or learn a new skill. It offers a unique learning experience, including video lessons, interactive exercises, course materials, peer interaction, and more. All classes are available as part of an annual subscription for $180, or for individual purchase at $90 for lifetime access to the class, and can be accessed online at www.masterclass.com, or on the MasterClass mobile app for iOS, Android and Apple TV.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of MasterClass