2.1
Quality4.2
Difficulty20%
Would Retake87
Reviews20%
Would Retake
87
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
10
4
11
3
8
2
15
1
43
What Students Say
“Oh and did you know his son went to Stanford”
CINE - 1.0 rating“Without a doubt the worst and most disrespectful instructor at SF State”
CINE454 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
CINE508
5.0
(1)CINE102
4.8
(4)CINE454
3.3
(3)CINE345
3.3
(4)CINE373
2.8
(16)Difficulty by Course
CINEMA
5.0
CINEMA102
5.0
FILM
5.0
INTROTOFILM
5.0
SCRIPTWRITING
5.0
Reviews (87)
Very old school. His way or the highway. This is not Catholic high school.
No Comments
I liked the class it was easy and intresting. He is very monotone though so drink coffee to stay awake before you go.
This teacher is very smart...but has the "holier than thou" attitude. He makes rude comments on papers, and is very closed minded. Awesome class, but the professor makes it hard to enjoy.
He should be in an english deparment not film. He understands rules. Very rigid. Not tolerant of creative minds. Stay away!
I don't know what is wrong with the other people who rated him, they are expected to be entrertained at school as they are at a circus. McBride is very intelligent and very helpful- he really gives you attention and his time. He is smart and interesting.
some person wrote "this isn't catholic school". there couldn't be anything farther from the truth- McBride hates the way he's been taught at catholic school and he is very left-wing. he's very open minded and urges his students to questions ever
McBride is an EGOMANIAC. He is constantly mention-ing the assinine things he has written (awards shows and uncredited as writer on Rock and Roll HighSchool) and bragging about filmmakers he met while a critic as if they was personal friends. Always wrong
Prof. McBride makes a fine English teacher. it's unfortunate that he was hired to teach cinema. Becuase of this mans inability to teach anything relevent on the subject, I will never take another screenwritting class again.
the WORST!!he talks too close to the mic,all i hear is him breathing.he says his tests aren't trivial,what a LIE!while i was taking his midterm,i felt i was on Jeopardy.if you want to learn film history,do NOT take his class!!
This Guy's Fav Saying Is " When i wrote for variety " you will get so sick of hearing it you will want to shoot yourself
I was really scared of this class because you could tell mcbride means business. So i spoke to him and he made things clear- it was a very interesting class and will stick with you, if you are interested in film.
he sucks
He has a very biased point of view and selection of films. Very boring.
No Comments
McBride is a nightmare! He doesn't lecture, all he does is talk about his past. When he corrects your papers all he cares about is grammar, and when he fixes your grammar he just makes it worse. I KNOW THERE IS A HYPHEN IN UPSIDE-DOWN. HE DOESN'T. Try your best to never take any of his clases.
Yes, kinda an egomaniac, but his class is not that hard.not a good lecturer but much better on a one-on-one basis. as long as you stick to his guidelines for the assignments you will do fine. grades on a curve and offers a short, easy extra credit paper. get over his personality and you'll be ok.
Prof. McBride will not hand you your grade on a silver platter. You have to actually work to get it. He is very anal about spelling and grammar, which is very annoying, but he does know a lot about film, and it is still worthwhile to listen to him.
Montonous droning voice through a microphone. Far too liberal, and reads into the conspiracy theories a bit too much. Tests are at a medium-high difficulty, but doable (esp. w/ a curve); papers are a bit highly graded: Not the easiest for non-film majors, but he's not that bad either.
I found his class to be quite easy. And those that dislike him only have themselves to blame -- for not listening.
McBride gets a lot of flack for his teaching styles, and not all of it is unwarranted. He knows alot about film, but not filmmaking. I think he is unsuited to teach 202 (a technical class and a req. for cine majors) and would be mush better at film history. Not a bad guy, but definitely not a good teahcer for 202.
I took McBride for screenwriting and did pretty well - the thing is you have to figure out his system. He's going to be extremely anal about grammar. He's also a fanatic about details. Describe everything in your script. Also be very careful to follow the correct format. Chances are it's going to take a few low graded papers to figure it out.
Just read all the negative adjectives below. Why does the dept. keep him? He doesn't seem to enjoy teaching. Why does he stay? Don't take a class from him. He should teach math or engineering...something very precise. You must conform to his strict view of the world. He is not open or creative and can not work with open and creative students.
Avoid him. Worst instructor I have ever, ever had. All he does is drop names and mumble about his favorite quotes from his favorite directors, especially Welles, Spielberg, and Ford. We barely touched our book. Even our tests consisted of mostly quotes. There was a tremendous amount of frustration throughout the entire class.
he's an elitest wash up screenwriter who's forced to teach film courses here. He can't teach worth****.
No Comments
OMG, if you were in this class with me last temr you know what im talking about. "Lets Watch a clip" was a daily routine, and this was supposed to be a techincal film calss not a FILM TRIVIA class. WTF was that about.....wow what a waste of time~
This guy is boring. Not a good teacher. Very Critical of students. Also, he is boring.
Rambles about unrelated topics, DOESN'T GIVE BREAKS in 3 hour classes, will fail you on assignments for not following directions exactly to the point. gave me a c+ in class that I needed a b- minimum to pass. what a jerk :(
I reiterate what others have said, he is a grammar and detail Nazi. While he may be fit for teaching screenwriting, he is unfit for Introduction to Filmmaking. He taught the course as if it was Cinema Trivia 101. The final exam was more trivia oriented than technical specs. He is very strict on grading, but does not give clear and precise directions.
This guy wrote Rock N' Roll High School - enough said.... btw, you figure this robot would have SOME sense of humor - but he doesn't.
WARNING!!! do not take his class!! my god, i felt like i was playing jeopardy while taking his midterm and final!! jesus h. christ!! he didn't teach much about film history (which is what the class was supposed to be!), he talked more about grammar and sentence structure! we even had to buy an grammar book and make comments and turn it in for extra credit!! i think he'd make a good english teacher.. but for cryin' out loud, he can't teach film history!!
He is BY FAR the worst class i have ever had at sfsu. avoid this "teacher" as if your life depended on it. I knew only one person who liked him and she was masochistic.
No Comments
run, run far away....
Easily the worst professor I have ever taken a class from, and I have taken a LOT of classes. He has absolutely no trust or faith in his students and imposes his rigid rules over every aspect of the class. Completely boring lecturer. Has made me question the very notion of studying film. If getting a film degree means ending up like him, forget it.
I took this fool for a short form screenwriting class and I've regretted it ever since. Never again. Avoid him like the plague. You won't learn a thing. Plus, you will end up watching clips of his poor work or other things that are not related to the class.
No Comments
Okay, so I completely ignored everyone's comments about McBride being a grammar nazi and all I can say is I regret it. It's over the top and ridiculous. The worst, though: he doesn't give breaks in a 3-hour class and then keeps the class over at the end every single time! Is also an ass to the TA, and makes everyone line up to sign in for roll.
No Comments
Watched excellent and interesting films. McBride is an important guy so pay attention! Loved the text, except for Columbia Companion. He's not as hard or as bad as everyone makes him out to be. He expects you to be a student - maybe a little more.
Evil. Who knew a teacher could be so strict with assignments/tests in a class of 100+. Maybe because he had 4 TA's, but he's papers were hard. This was the most evil Segment III class ever. He uses all the books assigned in his tests, so read up. :(
The first "Real" professor I had at State.
He knows his stuff. He knows everyone in Hollywood. I wouldn't take the class without knowing a bit about the subject first. He lectured unrelated to the film screenings. The midterm & final were ?s unrelated to the lecture but trivial questions from the 3 books. Dates mostly. He's hardcore into spelling but that wasn't at all my flaw in his class
way strict on grammers and spelling...the hardest writing class ever. He treats papers as if we were professional writers.
What made this class so hard was that he had no real structure to the class and didn't tell you what to focus on while reading or watching the films. Also very full of himself. The two papers that you had to write where not graded in any academically acceptable way. Avoid like the plague if possible.
These negative comments need to stop. McBride was a fine professor who clearly defined the class objectives and assignments. Yeah, sure, he's a journalist, so he is strict about grammar. But is that an excuse to bash someone? Because they ask that you do NOT write in an incoherent manner? If you don't mind acting like a college student, take him.
McBride is an interesting person but a terrible lecturer. Only take his large lecture classes like 373 if you have to.
McBride is a pain when it comes to grammar. He will make you a better writer but it will be a tough road getting there. He will mark your paper full of red even if you think it is perfect.
Do NOT take his class unless absolutely necessary. He tells students what to think instead of allowing room for critical thinking. His opinion is obvious and apparently the only opinion that counts. He is knowledgeable without a doubt but, unfortunately, he does not know how use that knowledge to benefit his students. I met with him during office h
His weirdly neurotic obsession with punctuation gets in the way of his ability to teach, and he is rigid and uncompromising when grading your papers. Even with 5 different revisions I STILL got one of the worst grades I?ve ever received on a college paper. My angle/opinion was not McBride?s opinion-Huge mistake. Run away from this class as fast as
We watch a movie every class. Take notes on EVERYTHING he says before and after, and take notes on movie. His tests are based on little things in movie and tidbits that he says. His expectations are high for the two papers you write for him. Take if you WANT a college level writing course. Dude is old school, but movies are interesting.
this is the worse teacher ever!!! cant teach and he is a writer so he expect us to write as good as him. if i wrote that good i wouldnt have to be in school!! dude wears the same suit to class and he is boring as hell. overall, cant teach, grades paper so strict that he doesnt give people a chance. **** him!
Terrible teacher. class sounded great but he ruined the cinema department for me. unrealistic goals for students with writing; i'm a good writer but if you don't agree with his points of view you won't get good grade. also, EXTREMELY monotonous voice, very boring lectures. AVOID IF POSSIBLE!!
Avoid if at all possible. All the other negative comments are completely correct. The man wants you to think like him, write like him, and if you don't be prepared for your grade to suffer. He sits the whole class period and this laziness shows around his waist. The class has so much potential but not with him teaching it.
Ignore what people have to say about McBride. He's an excellent professor, the problem is that most students at State expect to have professors hold their hand; he will not. He will, however, work with you to help you be a better writer. Nice guy too.
McBride is a guy who really knows what he is talking about and wants to share it with others. His ideas are well articulated and will really help you understand the class. Anyone who takes their education seriously will do just fine in his class. If anything, it will make you a much better writer.
Had him for Film + Society. Great teacher, watched a lot of great films and the readings were great. Eye opening class. You really do earn the grade you get with this guy. This review is just for F+S though, ask around when choosing a screenwriting professor.
It's McBride's way or the high way.
Here's a secret: if you get a bad grade in his class early on, GO TALK TO HIM. Ask him how you can improve and SHOW AN INTEREST. After that, you'll be on his good side and he'll let stuff slide (like absences and sleeping inclass.) Put forth an effort, and you'll learn something, even if he just tells his same ol' hollywood tales.
Fair warning: this guy's a ball buster. But if you're serious about screenwriting as a career, then I highly recommend him.
If you are an above average student avoid taking this class if you don't want to mess up your transcript. Never in my life have I received such poor grades on my essays.
Worst teacher I've ever had, hands down. He rambles on in class about how our generation doesn't know American history as we should even though he is citing obscure references that only history majors would know the answer to off hand. He t critiques you if you don't know the answer, truly deterring you from answering another question.
Without a doubt he is the most disrespectful "professor" I have ever experienced. aVery rude and has zero enthusiasm during lecture. Not only does he spend a tremendous amount of time going off on his personal unrelated stories but he will personally attack students. The things i witnessed in my class were sad and disturbing. Avoid at all costs
Don't stress about knowing everything in the history book. Focus on the syllabus, specifically where it details each of the films screened in class. Try to memorize those film facts because that is the majority of the midterm and final. McBride's lectures feel like a long aimless conversation but what he says will be on the tests so take notes.
Without a doubt the worst and most disrespectful instructor at SF State. Professor McBride has unreasonably high expectations for his students, and you either meet them or you don't. Period. When a struggling student reaches out for help in the class, he is rude, disrespectful, and will intentionally make students feel stupid. Very large ego.
I joined this site to refute others' ratings of Prof. McBride. I took his class due to his status as a great historian. Before taking the class, I thought he'd be knowledgable yet aloof. I was only half-right: he's knowledgable & the most generous prof. I've ever been taught by. He responds to emails very quickly. Cannot recommend him highly enough
Pretty much a jerk. Classes consist of about 10 minutes of talk and the rest of the 2 hours and 45 minutes all go to watching incredibly boring documentaries. Very disrespectful to those who reach out for help, backhanded comments should be expected. Theres only 4 items in the whole class your grade is based upon, and he grades tough. Run away
Honestly, I went to SF State and never took a class that I felt was challenging in terms of course rigor. Joseph gives you that, and I actually felt quite accomplished when I persevered through getting lower grades than I was accustomed to. People at this school never get graded on grammar, and he does that often. Take him for a challenge.
The hardest professor Ive ever had. Unforgiving grading style and will rip your paper apart if its not grammatically correct. Super boring lectures but knows what he is talking about since hes been involved in the film industry since the 1970s, from that he is very precise and particular. His exams are on the most minute details from readings.
If you enjoy listening to the un-muted microphone of a professor incapable of receiving feedback or responding to the concerns of students, by all means, enroll in his class. Teaching online is hard. That's understandable given the pandemic. Being obstinate and dropping students for raising their hands or asking questions, that's Joseph McBride.
Taken a bunch of classes with McBride and he is one of the best instructors I've ever had. His classes are very challenging but he is kind and generous if you're willing to work hard. His personal insight and historical knowledge of great filmmakers is insane. If he's offering a class on Orson Welles, take it, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.
He is a tough grader and he will make you work hard to earn your grade. But it is the only way you can improve as a student. I improve a lot learning with him. If you can not handle a few harsh critics hear and there then you won't make it in the film industry. McBride want you to prepare for the worst.
HE NEEDS TO BE FIRED...Not only does he consistently insult the potential of the school but even students in class. This sorry excuse of a teacher has the most negative energy. Just another example of a professor who is bitter because his "career" was a flop so he takes it out on all of the students and projects his sense of failure onto us.
This guy has a whole god complex just because he was in a movie about fifty years ago, for about five seconds. Oh and did you know his son went to Stanford.. of course you did because he is always bragging about that. Baffled that this guy is still employed, he treats students like he is on a power trip. This "professor" needs to be reported!
I had a great class experience with McBride. I began my semester poorly and I thought I would fail this class because of these reviews. But after finishing the class, I have improved so much in my writing due to putting more effort into class participation, going to office hours, and doing more film history research/reading.
AVOID THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS! This professor cold calls on students, and if you don't know the answer, he will belittle you. Participation is part of the grade, but the sheer anxiety I feel in this class makes me not want to attend, ask questions, or answer them.
If you've never used the student mental health center, start now. Professor is bitter, condescending, and disrespectful; he doesn't even teach. No official rubric so he just fails people whenever he wants. Also, someone teach this guy how to use Canvas; he's online, but we're e-mailing essays to him like it's 2002. Good luck to those with him.
I was very disappointed with this professor. On one hand, I do think the guy is very knowledgeable in the subject he teaches, but he's too egotistical, boring, and impatient with his students whenever they ask him to repeat questions they didn't either hear from him or understand. For these reasons, I highly suggest students to look elsewhere.
He is the hardest and most arbitrary grader I have ever encountered. His instructions are incredibly vague and his handwriting is difficult to read which is especially frustrating when he violates papers with more corrections than there are sentences in the paper itself. His pursuit of “Omitting Needless Words” will kill your own creativity.
Professor McBride is the worst instructor I've encountered so far. He assigns pointless readings every week and often goes off on long, unrelated tangents about his personal experiences, which then spiral into another off-topic rant. He regularly belittles the school's potential and demeans his students. Avoid him if you can!
Grading doesn't make sense at all. First paper I received a B and got feedback for revisions. I did those revisions and then got a D on the paper. Idk how that works? I would avoid this professor if you can. He acts as if he is gods gift to cinema and writing.
Abysmal professor in every sense of the word. Incredibly condescending, an unclear grader, and he'll occasionally just ramble on about something completely unrelated to whatever topic you were discussing, after which he'll cold call on someone as if he hadn't been talking about the mechanic he takes his car to for the past 30 minutes.
A very pompous person that won't stop talking about his kid going to Stanford. This fellow who suffers from a superiority complex needs to get the boot and the school should really invest in engaging professors.
DO NOT TAKE. He belittles students, states he does not believe you will succeed in the film industry, and is impossible to get a good grade on for essays. He puts personal opinions over student individualism or thoughts. Seriously needs to be fired.
Professor McBride is the WORST professor I have ever had. He assigns an absurd amount of reading each week, then calls on students to answer specific questions and belittles them if they get it wrong. He's unclear about what he wants in the homework, and grades way too harshly. For a writing class, he spent almost no time teaching about writing.
Please do not waste your time taking this class. Do not give him any attention. Joseph McBride is a sad excuse for a human being. He has no ounce of respect for you, he garners no sympathy to his students, and demonstrates time and time again he has no respect for the establishment that employs him. Stay away from him.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
96%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
CINE508
5.0
(1)CINE102
4.8
(4)CINE454
3.3
(3)CINE345
3.3
(4)CINE373
2.8
(16)Difficulty by Course
CINEMA
5.0
CINEMA102
5.0
FILM
5.0
INTROTOFILM
5.0
SCRIPTWRITING
5.0