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Sound Professors At Film Schools and The Ethics Surrounding Them (Are There Any?)


Matt Bryant

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Hey, just saw Deadpool 2 and got the old brain juices going.  Probably because of the awesome production audio tracks, idk

 

I was wondering what peoples opions, if any, were regarding production sound professors working in academic institutions as adjunct faculty members while maintaining union membership?

 

My NYU Professor was Chat Gunter who was very upfront about his mental problems and suggesting he might be too overwhelmed with his personal life to be a professor, however in retrospect, it seems like maybe anyone with IATSE Union membership status shouldn't be teaching in a film school given they might not have any incentive to help early careers of promising future sound mixers, and actually may have incentives to give bad advice.  For example, Chat Gunter in 2006-07 would tell students to work for 100/day, those are 12+ hour days, making it happen.  I had to literally go to therapy twice a week to learn how to negotiate higher pay because future film producer take Chat Gunters sound class and hear him tell future mixers to accept 100/day rates... I had an argument with a director at the School the member The Senator taught at out in LA somewhere, I left the production because 1 the director was insane and kept threatening me about him knowing "The Senator" plus I was called to work on a 695 job so f that Senator Connect but the director thought I should be greatful for the 125/day rate I had adeptly negotiated for myself or something... and $75 a day in 2009 was normal, down 25 due to the recession or something...

 

Also, everyone who mixes in NYC who graduated NYU seems to think this guy Chat Gunter offers to give you set visits too is the worst and I have been straight up told not to visit that guy, that "it's a trap" and this guy is just looking to steal new techniques from the students or something.  One kid was like, "yeah, he had a spine injury and made me wear his Cantar X the whole day, it was stupid", this was back in 2011 but at this point, if I asked a person to put a Cantar X on their chest, I'd be assuming I'm telling them to do something that will lead to an injury.  

 

Anyways, maybe the Senator wants to chime in?  That guy still alive and on these forums?  Maybe some old Chat Gunter students want to clarify my confusion or change my opinion.  My mother taught University and helped a lot of people on their paths to PhDs so my film school experience just seems like I was scammed a la Trump University style.  For real, Cal Arts got busted, why not the rest?  

 

The cool thing, I guess, is I am no longer opposed to joining like the CIA now given the extent of the pain I experience.  I'm confident I can withstand torture due to serious pain I had to get used to, pain that had I owned a gun, no question I'd have blown my brains out to stop it, I'm sure some people here know the pain I'm referring to, that pain that is what a 9 out of 10 has to be, you can kinda imagine the pain being worse but it never goes away, you're awake for 30 hours before your brain passes out but 6 hours later the pain wakes you up, you're exhausted from being sleep deprived but the pain won't leave, and now adrenaline is filling your body to cope with the pain and keeping you from falling asleep.  Pretty sure that is some gitmo level torture.  Oh yeah, and while all this is happening, you are being ghosted by your NYU alumni... because they are retarded or something and have disabilities related to autism...

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7 hours ago, Matt Bryant said:

Oh yeah, and while all this is happening, you are being ghosted by your NYU alumni... because they are retarded or something and have disabilities related to autism...


I vote for "...or something", such as maybe the "something".... is yourself?

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Please proof read your post and re write it so that it makes sense, use punctuation, and formatting. “Stream of consciousness” style writing is difficult to follow. 

 

But it to answer what I think the question is: Yes I believe that sound professors should:

 

A- Know what they are talking about

B- Have legitimate experience

C- Not just be a grad who couldn’t make it

 

They should talk about realistic job prospects in different markets, rates, and different kinds of jobs that are applicable instead of the obvious top three, and how to run a business and be a freelancer. 

 

Hours, safety, the competition, setiquette, negotiating, etc. Are all things that should also not be overlooked. 

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On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 11:10 AM, Dalton Patterson said:

33ee702f7e7ac83e3293ebc6372d27846d842677857ee40e2e90dead96d3140c.jpg

 

Internet is Forever

Any information or picture you post on the Internet, stays on the Internet. If you don't want your future employer or children and grandchildren to see, think again and filter what you upload. 

 

You do understand that in Europe, that is not true... right?  Also, yeah, people's work is forever.  Like, I can go rent a movie in town and play it for people and then play other movies in comparison.  One thing, someone looking to get a PhD in Film Studies could do right now is write a thesis about all the tv shows and movies getting put out where the main vehincle for catharsis is murder and then show similar growth statistics, such as autism increasing.  Autism is increasing faster than natural evolution can happen so scientists see it as a product of something environmental, life equipment we all use that emits radio frequencies... I'm all ranting on autism because autism is a disability with a broad spectrum now thanks to Bush and his Presidential Committee on Mental Health and what they funded research in in 8 years while y'all were not paying any attention because who outside the mental health field pays attention to that... 

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:57 PM, JonG said:

Please proof read your post and re write it so that it makes sense, use punctuation, and formatting. “Stream of consciousness” style writing is difficult to follow. 

 

But it to answer what I think the question is: Yes I believe that sound professors should:

 

A- Know what they are talking about

B- Have legitimate experience

C- Not just be a grad who couldn’t make it

 

They should talk about realistic job prospects in different markets, rates, and different kinds of jobs that are applicable instead of the obvious top three, and how to run a business and be a freelancer. 

 

Hours, safety, the competition, setiquette, negotiating, etc. Are all things that should also not be overlooked. 

 

Yeah, I did that proof reading for a long time, it sucks and I barely care.  NYU Screenplay professors got fired at some point for somehow being sued for stealing students work and there was some investigation that proved they were not working at the University for the interests of the students but for themselves and their wga buddies.

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 1:09 PM, Mobilemike said:

EF7EC3E6-0A7D-47E6-A20E-2FD52F6E460D.png

 

I'm pretty sure you should use drugs.  Steriods and that estrogen.  Trolling is like the call sign of the autistic... Memes = Retarded, they retard conversations.

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 5:15 AM, IronFilm said:


I vote for "...or something", such as maybe the "something".... is yourself?

What's it like knowing you are native to a country for being a criminal hundreds of years ago?  I grew up with the son of the business head for UCD and they came from New Zealand and he would brag about how his ancestors were such criminals, they were sent to New Zealand.  

 

How does "myself" work as the something?  They are myself?  This got too Zen for me maybe.  

 

It's kinda whatever, I'm like an investor or something now... you'd think you'd want to maintain your NYU connections, like, pick out who might inheret shit first and then keep in touch.  I'd seriously produce a indie movie now, I'm just bored.  I'm putting money into like pharmaceutical companies or some shit... this stock market stuff is so dumb.

 

Any DPZ millionaires in the forum?  I feel like Gotham Sound might have some DPZ geniuses?  We got a stock market thread in here?  Spread the wealth of knowledge where it matters?  ROKU and Twitter were strong calls back when they were 18 a share.  

 

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13 minutes ago, Matt Bryant said:

What's it like knowing you are native to a country for being a criminal hundreds of years ago?  I grew up with the son of the business head for UCD and they came from New Zealand and he would brag about how his ancestors were such criminals, they were sent to New Zealand.  

 


I'll try not to get offended you just called me an Australian. 

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On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 10:32 PM, Mirror said:

1272x920design_01.jpg

 

 

I'm trying to reply with a meme but I just get a red highlighted error when I put a link into the Insert Other Media bar... Who is Mirror?  This person clearly sucks.

4 minutes ago, IronFilm said:


I'll try not to get offended you just called me an Australian. 

 

This guy of New Zealand decent, Matt MacLauchlan, claimed that was true for New Zealanders, or maybe they were shipped off to Australia and then moved over to New Zealand.  The dude would come over to my friends house and whip his balls out and now works in politics out in DC... him and his dad I guess felt my mothers pension was outrageous despite like, it being why my mother taught at UCD for 40 years... so, I have an unfair bias against new Zealanders, which he was, he loved the All Blacks, or whatever, the rugby team.  One of the single worst people in my life growing up... a cancer to social groups

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You're getting Australians and NZers mixed up again. 

We didn't get the convict ships sent to NZ, they went to Oz. 

We didn't even get any people sent to NZ ever, only sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. Then they breed, and made lots and lots and lots of more sheep. Then they breed.... and here we are today, with 50% of the world's population of sheep all located here in NZ. Would you like a sheep? I'll swap it for wood. 

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3 hours ago, IronFilm said:

You're getting Australians and NZers mixed up again. 

 

Great post IronFilm!

 

It's a common mistake here in the US. But this one-minute instructional video shows the key to differentiating between Aussies and NZers:

 

 

 

 

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I feel that scene was written by a time traveler scriptwriter. Who traveled forward in time to this present moment we live in, saw this thread and thus thought up the most perfect scene to sum it up, and went back in time to her own timeline to convince Flight of the Concords to film that scene.

 

And thus here we are, with a video posted to this thread which was created perfectly for it!

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7 hours ago, IronFilm said:

We didn't even get any people sent to NZ ever, only sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. Then they breed, and made lots and lots and lots of more sheep. Then they breed.... and here we are today, with 50% of the world's population of sheep all located here in NZ. Would you like a sheep? I'll swap it for wood. 

 

Wait, this sounds like you were descendent from sheep? Or is that the joke I‘m once again not getting?

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11 hours ago, Constantin said:

 

Wait, this sounds like you were descendent from sheep? Or is that the joke I‘m once again not getting?


I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine if I'm being 100% dead serious about NZ or if I'm joking. 

A kiwi doco about actual life in New Zealand:
 

 

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18 hours ago, IronFilm said:

I feel that scene was written by a time traveler scriptwriter. Who traveled forward in time to this present moment we live in, saw this thread and thus thought up the most perfect scene to sum it up, and went back in time to her own timeline to convince Flight of the Concords to film that scene.

 

And thus here we are, with a video posted to this thread which was created perfectly for it!

@Matt Bryant will you please offer @IronFilm a red delicious so we can all go back to talking about microphones? 

 

😃

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/18/2018 at 1:05 AM, Matt Bryant said:

 

Also, everyone who mixes in NYC who graduated NYU seems to think this guy Chat Gunter offers to give you set visits too is the worst and I have been straight up told not to visit that guy, that "it's a trap" and this guy is just looking to steal new techniques from the students or something.  One kid was like, "yeah, he had a spine injury and made me wear his Cantar X the whole day, it was stupid", this was back in 2011 but at this point, if I asked a person to put a Cantar X on their chest, I'd be assuming I'm telling them to do something that will lead to an injury.  

 

 

It's a trap to be on set with the guy who mixed Martin Scorsese's movie After Hours?!...........................

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I think everyone's college experience is going to be different, and usually, you get out of it what you put in. I also went to NYU, and while I thought it was ridiculously expensive (could have probably gone to a city college and learn all the same for a fraction of the cost), I did value the connections that I made there (I still work with a few of my friends / old classmates who went on to make their own production companies).

 

Chat Gunter's production sound classes were actually some of my favorites, as they were all practical. You actually got hands on gear and set experience. He was definitely eccentric, but from what I remember he does care, and goes above and beyond to make sure you get it. I can't speak about him telling students what rates to go out for, as he never spoke about rates in my class, and in fact, my biggest feedback about his class was that there is no mention of the business side of things (though you could say the same about any college class really). I know a few handfuls of professional working sound mixers who took Chat's classes, so I'd say your experience, while not invalid, is probably very rare.

 

Being a professor/teacher is extremely difficult. I've been on that side as well. Most, if not all, colleges and universities have a rigorous vetting process to make sure you have the appropriate credentials (whether it be school, job experience, or both), and usually require the recommendation from other active professors in the univeristy before you can begin teaching. Not only that, you're usually on a trial period for one or two semesters before they actually hire you full time. Then starts the tenure track. Despite what you may think of him, Chat does have a pretty decent resume, and IMO he does know his shit (at least from a scripted work standpoint). He's been teaching for quite a while now. I'm sure NYU is keeping him on the roster for a reason.

 

Anyway, I digress. Best of luck to you in your endeavors.

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Here's a secret you might not know about teaching:  the ability to teach well is a separate talent from whatever it is that's being taught.  You can be a great, inspiring English lit teacher and not be a writer, you can be a wonderful memorable history teacher and not be a historian and you can successfully teach filmmaking without being a great (or even good) filmmaker yourself.  I've known several teachers of film+video in various aspects, music professors and so on who really fired their students up (many of whom entered the film and music professions), but their personal work in the field was unexceptional.  It doesn't matter--and often people who are really great at what they do--the geniuses, are TERRIBLE, impatient, inconsiderate teachers who lack any talent for the job.  Another thing: getting together a full course of study for students in any field is a huge amount of work, and the work on the course has to be updated and adapted all the time.  Teaching a real class over a whole term or multiple terms is very different from just showing up as an Honored Guest and telling war stories.

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+1 Phllip

 

I'm considered pretty good at film sound and writing about it. But the year I tried teaching -- at a major 4 year music/recording college -- was a waste. I enjoyed developing the lectures (and the esthetic behind them), and the students gave me good ratings, but something was missing.

 

It was a few years later, when I watched my wife-to-be teach high school science, that I realized what was wrong. I was teaching the subject. She was teaching the kids. Totally different. One might even argue I'm a better scientist than her. But she's a heck of a lot better teacher.

 

 

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