Cheers.

Here’s a diddy I got from “Caleb Gregg” - gregg.caleb8153@gmail.com:

“I saw your resume on cl and i have a job oppertunity for you. Im
looking for REAL people who can bring a great talent and mental
toughness to the workplace.

I want you to fill out our application (its simple, just confirm your
phone number) and someone from our main desk will call you to schedule
a interview. The site you can visit to confirm your number is:

http://consumerdatallc.com/sms/”

Do NOT fill in and submit your information.  They WILL NOT call you back as they promise.  They will simply sell your information to 3rd party advertisers in order to spam your mailbox and inbox.

Another popular spam email you will inevitably receive upon placing your resume on Craigslist is the dubious “Mail Dispatcher Wanted” email.  Here, the potential hirer will say something like,

“I own a small shipping business and I tend to operate a high cost of operation and I want to cut down my expenses by employing someone in each state of USA.someone who will be getting mails in bulk and open the bulk mail and dispatch them in units to there final destinations in there respective states…”

Blah blah blah, they will toss some numbers at you, say that you might have to pay for some postage sometime.  These emails are littered with typos, usually come from the U.K.  It has SCAM written all over it.  They’re after your information, nothing more.  Names of interest:  “Deacon Smith John, Deligth Consult UK”  Hehe, the poor guy can’t even spell “Delight” properly.  His email address is even misspelled!  Also, beware of “Louis Milan.”  He will want you to contact him via Yahoo IM at terryduck@yahoo.com.  Do no such thing!

Much thanks to Scam.com and their forum members.  They’re usually first on the list when googling fishy emails.  Always go through them first when doing background checks on a company or job offer.  And never, EVER send your information to a prospective employer.  If they are unwilling to give you a straight answer about the exact nature of their business, they have no interest in giving you a job.  They want only your information, and like snakes, will wiggle their way in and out of conversation topics until either 1.)  You leave the conversation, or 2.)  You fold and give them information.  If you choose the latter, be sure it’s fake.  ;)  The more time these scumbags are following blind leads, the less time they can spend preying on more gullible victims.

• Craigslist

Craigslist is surely the most eclectic job hunting forum out there, and while the glitz and glamor may not match up to CarreerBuilder.com or others, its effectiveness and speed is unmatched.  I have scored a few odd-jobs from Craigslist in the Film/TV/Radio section - voice overs and such, but nothing full time as of yet.  Still, I lie in wait, hoping for opportunity to strike.

• Mandy

Though a bit underpopulated in job offers, Mandy.com has some pretty sweet gigs typically aimed at professionals with experience (or at least the up-and-coming hard workers that have a few small gigs under their belt).

• Media-Match

Media-Match provides opportunities for some sweet film jobs mainly aimed at those living in California or New York.  Of course, if you live in the Midwest, you’re a long shot from landing a respectable Film/TV gig anyway.

• Gamasutra

If Games are your pleasure, and employment is your vice, then Gamasutra will be right up your alley.  Unfortunately for us typical audio guys, you’re usually going to want to tack on a ton of programming experience with your sound skills.  For the uber computer nerd who loves audio, you may have just found your dream job.

Some other sites I feel I should mention, but really don’t care to deliver a synopsis for each one:

• Production Hub
• Reality Staff
• TVJobs
• Indeed

Let me know what you think, and if you want to get in contact with me, the email’s there too. And if you’re also unemployed and looking for work, best of luck to you. We’re in the same boat.

Chris is an award-winning sound designer in the independent film industry. He strives to capture the attention of people in his line of expertise who have money because he has none! Thanks to the current economy, he is a recently laid-off producer for a nationally syndicated radio program, moonlighting as an artist of audible excellence. Starting immediately, he is searching for his next source of income. If you are looking for a sound designer in any way, whether it be for your film, website, whatever - check out his reel and send him an email now!

Click here to check out some of my resume and view my REEL!

For a full resume and a list of references, please send an email to christopher.steven.wright@gmail.com

15kHz (Fifteen kilohertz) - that’s the threshold, the line that commonly draws itself between the younger generation and the older men and women of yesteryear.  15kHz is a very high frequency which, as people age, becomes undetectable.  Teenagers use it for their cellphones as a sort of stealth ringtone in the classroom (See: Mosquito Ringtone).  Mall outlets use it to deter younger people from loitering outside their stores.  I use it to make sure that I haven’t gone completely deaf yet.  I need my ears.  For you who insist on blaring your tunes through your earbuds so everyone in the room can witness your poor taste in music, consider this.

The scream was recorded and archived, never to be heard again until Ben Burtt, the father of modern sound design, discovered it as a studio reel labeled “Man being eaten by alligator.”  Ben resurrected the clip by using it in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.   The clip is named after the 1953 film The Charge at Feather River character “Private Wilhelm,” who also emitted the scream.  As Burtt began including the scream into other movies he worked on, other sound designers followed suit and the joke has since held firmly its place in audio lore.

Here’s the original scream recording,

as well as a compilation video of a small handful of movies to incorporate the scream:

In last night’s episode of LOST, the scream manifested in the last two minutes of the show.  After it ended, I walked into my bedroom where my roommate and his fiance were watching License to Wed.  Five seconds after entering the room… “aaaAAAAaahgh!”  It made my night. 

Today, I had the pleasure of watching the twenty-minute long featurette on Sound Design in the Special Features disc for Wall-E on Blu Ray.  If I could post it to my website and avoid copyright infringement, I would do so in a heartbeat.  I highly recommend going out and buying Wall-E just for that segment - the man is a true genius.  If anyone plans on doing sound for animations, this is a must-see.  I found this video on Youtube, which incorporates a couple tidbits from the featurette.  Enjoy!

The fun of being a sound designer is always to create a world of sound and, especially if it’s a science-fiction movie, you get the challenge of really creating a whole world because most of the sounds you hear in the movie - from the ambiences, to the motors of the robots, to, in this film, the characters themselves - have to be created. You get to invent something that hasn’t been heard before.

Source

My primary artistic outlet comes in the form of Webserials.com.  For the most part, the guys behind WebSerials are former classmates from days past in the film academia at Biola University, in La Mirada, California.  The production company, a part of Sikora Media Group, has released a handful of successful compelling feature films broken into bite-sized episodes, attracting thousands of loyal subscribers.  They are relatively small, and as of now, funded mostly out of pocket - with the exception of the site funding itself through ad revenue.

WebSerials is wonderful in such a way that the people backing it are not in it for money.  We are artists who simply long to create, and yearn for a medium that allows as many people to enjoy our work as possible.  Turning a profit is second priority to us.  In turn, we work freely without the strangulation of corporate oversight.

I have worked with WebSerials since production of Cataclysmo and the Battle for Earth began in early 2008.  Since then, I have had the privilege of manufacturing a plethora of unique sound effects - ranging in diversity from airlocks to flying saucers, from the subtle presence of android servos to the thunderous roar from rocket-powered Winnebagos.  Truly, working on Cataclysmo has stretched me as a sound designer, and taught me to tackle difficult scenes from unconventional angles.

Cataclysmo finished its run last winter.  This year, The Black Dawn reins.  I have much work to do.  My load has been lightened by the help of fellow sound designer, Chris Irwin, whom I look to for advice on a regular basis.  He shall be tackling the more technical side of audio for The Black Dawn as the ADR Mixer, liberating me to focus on my favorite part sound in movies.

This year will be busy, but I hope to post regularly on the topic of sound in music and movies for a very long time.  Soon I will permalink to some demos of my work. Your compliments, and criticism alike, are very welcome.