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Matthew McConaughey Will Be Teaching Film-Making Class At UTA [Video]

By Dee Sharp
Published on: 18:05 PST, Jul 2, 2016

https://youtu.be/2AEvRtjCxsQ

If you want to learn how to be a filmmaker and you live in Texas, chances are you might have a college professor by the name of McConaughey. Matthew McConaughey, that is – the Texas native will be teaching a film-making class at the University of Texas at Austin according to Variety.

But if you think that might mean you will be attending a class with the Free State of Jones actor at the head of the class, that probably won’t happen but maybe once. The class at UTA lists Scott Rice as the official professor, but McConaughey and director Gary Ross (Hunger Games) will help teach the class.

The class course description on UTA’s online catalogue, says that the class will take students “behind the scenes” of McConaughey’s new movie, Free State of Jones, which is also directed by Ross. McConaughey will mostly “teach” the class through pre-recorded videos, but is supposed to visit the UTA campus at least once. The online description, according to Variety, says that “by studying the movie’s source material, script, shot lists, storyboards, shooting schedule, VFX, final cut and even exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, students will garner insight into the production of a major Hollywood feature.”

https://www.facebook.com/UTAustinTX/videos/10153528241876930/?permPage=1

The UTA Facebook page says that the class will actually be offered at the Moody College of Communication at UT Austin. According to US Magazine, this is the second time Professor Matthew McConaughey will be teaching the class, as it was offered in the Spring 2016 semester. The first class revolved around the movie Free State of Jones as well, but since the film had not been released, students had to sign nondisclosure statements and were not allowed to take photos or videos. The class is a higher level class open to juniors and seniors. There are no prerequisites or fees involved, but the class is limited to only 30 students.

The movie Free State of Jones opened last weekend alongside Finding Dory and Independence Day 2 and only took in a disappointing $7.5 million at the box office. The movie is about a white man who sympathizes with slaves during the Civil War and is based on the real-life story of Newt Knight, a Southern farmer and Confederate medic who led an uprising during the Civil War and later marries a former slave. The movie executives were hoping that the movie would bring in at least $8 million on it’s opening weekend but it unfortunately fell short of that goal.

Matthew McConaughey has had lots of experience with films and has received an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance as a cowboy who is diagnosed with AIDS in the film Dallas Buyers Club. Matthew also won a Critic’s Choice Award for his role as Rust Cohle in HBO’s series True Detective. McConaughey has also produced and directed a few of his over 40 films. McConaughey’s breakout role was in 1993’s Dazed and Confused in which he played a 20-something-year-old loser named David Wooderson who is still hanging out with high school students.

Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde, TX to James and Mary (McCabe) McConaughey. The McConaughey family moved to Longview, TX where Matthew grew up and graduated high school. He attended UTA after living for a year in Australia and received a bachelor’s degree in radio, television and film in 1993. While in college, Matthew appeared in student films and commercials in Texas. He also directed a short film, Chicano Chariots in 1992. McConaughey met producer Don Philips at a hotel bar in Austin, who introduced him to director Richard Linklater who later cast him in Dazed and Confused. Professor McConaughey often visits his alma mater UTA to support the Longhorns.

[Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images]

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