Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Positions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted.

Class record · FILM · MCAS

FILM 1171

Filmmaking I · 4 instructors on record · 26 sections

What the course score is made of
87BC evaluations26 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of
14thMore challenging than 14% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
83BC — “Intellectually Challenging”26 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of
30thMore work than 30% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
46BC — “Workload”26 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

How observations and visions are turned into images. How images are connected to form ideas. Projects in silent filmmaking, shooting, lighting, and editing are included. The course is also about film as a form or expression and communication. A class for beginners. Equipment is provided.

The board

4 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Joseph La RoccaFilm Studies9110 records41st22ndno page
2Robert HeimFilm Studies9013 records25th9thno page
3Georgie FriedmanPart-time Faculty, Film and Studio Art · Art, Art History, and Film Provisional801 record78th21stno page
4Laimir Fano VillaescusaFilm Studies Provisional732 records39th26th902 ratings · all classes

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse. 2 of 4 rows are marked provisional: fewer than 3 records stand behind the number. That is thin evidence, not a bad instructor — the record count is in every row. The RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 26 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9133rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8923rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9244th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9445th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8625th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9038th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9242nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9367th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8937th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8830th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.
4630th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8314th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9145th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

26 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Joseph La RoccaSpring 202601979360
Robert HeimSpring 202602969540
Robert HeimSpring 202603989540
Joseph La RoccaFall 2025011009760
Robert HeimFall 202502878740
Georgie FriedmanFall 202503806560
Laimir Fano VillaescusaFall 202503606560
Joseph La RoccaSpring 202501928840
Robert HeimSpring 202502100100
Robert HeimSpring 202503898940
Joseph La RoccaFall 2024018082
Robert HeimFall 202402908740
Laimir Fano VillaescusaFall 202403867840
Joseph La RoccaSpring 202401938040
Robert HeimSpring 202402909040
Robert HeimSpring 202403919120
Joseph La RoccaFall 2023019194
Robert HeimFall 2023028984
Joseph La RoccaSpring 202301829060
Robert HeimSpring 202302839340
Joseph La RoccaFall 202201959360
Robert HeimFall 202202898440
Joseph La RoccaSpring 202201828240
Robert HeimSpring 202202878440
Joseph La RoccaFall 202101959360

Showing the first 25.

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.