Ever wanted to make movies like Martin Scorsese, cook like Gordon Ramsay or write novels like Margaret Attwood? Well, you could be a student in their class.
Masterclass, a popular learning programme, is the perfect quarantines pass time as it offers an exciting range of intimate classes for a variety of creative and entrepreneurial skills, each taught by a famous professional – and when we say famous, we mean the crème de la crème of each field.
Aspiring Fashion Editors can be a student in Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour’s virtual classroom and screenwriters-in-the-making can get all of the intricate details on how to write an explosive cliff hanger from award-winning TV queen Shonda Rhimes (the genius behind Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal), while tennis fans can master the techniques of Serena Williams, courtesy of the woman herself.
Each class is made up of an average of 20 lessons, all of which are just ten minutes long, meaning it won’t take up much of your day. Sign up to either an annual membership (there’s a half price offer on at the moment where you can get two passes for Dhs700) or purchase individual classes if you fancy exploring a new passion.
While there are more than 80 classes to pick from, we’ve selected our top ten to try below…
Anna Wintour – Creativity and leadership
Duration: 12 videos, two hours and 36 minutes.
Longstanding editor-in-chief of American Vogue and artistic director of Conde Nast Anna Wintour gives you a front seat view to her creative world and teaches you how to lead with impact.
Gordon Ramsay – Cooking
Duration: 8 videos, 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Gordon Ramsay teaches how to prep, plate, and pair recipes that’ll change your at-home dining experience forever (if you nail it) as he demonstrates how to make 13 restaurant-inspired dishes in your own kitchen.
Margaret Attwood – Creative writing
Duration: 23 lessons, 3 hours and 43 minutes
The best-selling author behind dystopian phenomenon The Handmaid’s Tale breaks down how she crafts compelling stories, from historical to speculative fiction, that remain timeless and relevant. Once Attwood is done with you, you’ll be a pro at developing ideas into novels with strong structures and nuanced characters.
Martin Scorsese – Filmmaking
Duration: 30 videos, 4 hours and 35 minutes.
If anyone knows a thing or two about filmmaking, it’s Martin Scorsese. The Oscar-winning director’s work spans across decades with his catalogue made up of box office hits including the likes of Mean Street, Good Fellas, The Wolf of Wall Street and his latest release The Irishman. Here, he teaches his approach, from storytelling to editing to working with Hollywood’s finest actors.
Natalie Portman – Acting
Duration: 20 videos, two hours and 37 minutes
Acting since the age of 12 and bagging herself an Oscar before turning 30, Natalie Portman is one of Hollywood’s best. In these classes the self-taught actor shares her personal techniques and teaches how empathy is at the core of every great performance, how to bring real-life details into every role, and how to build your own creative process.
Serena Williams – Tennis
Duration: 9 videos, two hours
The world’s number one ranked women’s tennis player and winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena Williams reveals the secret to her successful games as she teaches the art of tennis in this virtual one-to-one lesson.
Shonda Rhimes – TV writing
Duration: 30 lessons, six hours and 15 minutes.
Shonda Rhimes is behind some of the greatest TV hits of our time, from Grey’s Anatomy to Scandal. In these lessons, she teaches you how to create compelling characters, write a pilot, pitch your idea, and stand out in the writers’ room. Plus, you’ll get original pilot scripts and pitch notes from her shows.
Steph Curry – Basketball
Duration: Shooting, Ball-Handling, and Scoring
NBA star and two-time MVP Steph Curry teaches the shooting, ball-handling, and scoring techniques that have led to his success. He shares everything he has learnt, from on-court concepts and basketball drills.
Steve Martin – Comedy
Duration: 12 videos, two hours and 11 minutes.
Comedian and actor Steve Martin started of his career by performing at a drive-through cinema. In these classes, he teaches how to find your voice, gather material, develop an act, and take your comedy writing to the next level whilst sharing some great anecdotes from his 50-year long career.
Usher – performance
Duration: 15 videos, two hours and 29 minutes
Eight-time Grammy-winning artist Usher has toured the world countless times performing in global arenas and captivating an audience for more than 25 years. Here, he teaches the technical skills, career lessons and breakthrough advice that he has used over the years while letting you in on how he approaches performance and wins over audiences from the studio to the stage.
For more information or to sign up, visit www.masterclass.com/
