educational advice

[sraiphin]

I am currently a graduate student at Emerson College, concentrating in audio production. I'd like to go into post-production for film and video when I have completed my MA. I also want to ensure that I am making the most of my time while in school. I have the opportunity to explore virtually any topic I wish in a directed/independent study course next semester. So, here's my question. What kind of topics/skill sets would anyone suggest I explore?

I've studied a small amount of ADR and 5.1 mixing. I wouldn't call myself an expert in either, but I think I've gotten a good grounding. If anyone has any suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[jayrose]

Depends on what you want to do. If you want to work at a general-purpose post house like National or SoundTrack (two places fairly near Emerson), you need to be able to do everything: music and dialog editing, ADR, fx placement, processing mixing. But the biggest thing you'll need is an understanding of session politics. Perhaps you could write a paper on what actually goes on in a session...

If you want to go to LA and work at a specialty house, study that specialty.

If you want to guarantee getting a job, study equipment repair.

I don't know anybody with an advanced degree in audio production who hasn't gone into academics. It's been a few years since I hired anybody, but I can't recall ever seeing an MA on a resume. We didn't even look much at resumes except to verify references. The reel, attitude, and (for non entry-level) experience were more important.