Watch as oscar-winning editor Walter Murch introduces his "Rule of Six": the 6 things to focus on when editing a film project. What did you think of this theory? 

Career

Learn about the editor's "Rule of Six."

Learn how to make some of your own sound effects in this video. Do some of the projects in this video, then brainstorm 3 sounds of your own and try to create them!

Create your own sound effects!

Remake part of a show or movie you like or come up with something new of your own. You can film on your phone or digital camera. Get practical experience in what it takes to produce and direct a film. 

Start a film project with your friends.

Film and Video Editors

Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Second Interest High-Point

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

First Interest High-Point

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Third Interest High-Point

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Television, Video, and Motion Picture Camera Operators and Editors

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Media and Communication Equipment Workers

Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.

Study scripts to become familiar with production concepts and requirements.

Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.

Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.

Mark frames where a particular shot or piece of sound is to begin or end.

Determine the specific audio and visual effects and music necessary to complete films.

Verify key numbers and time codes on materials.

Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.

Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.

Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.

Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.

Record needed sounds or obtain them from sound effects libraries.

Confer with producers and directors concerning layout or editing approaches needed to increase dramatic or entertainment value of productions.

Manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to make the parts into a continuous whole, working closely with people in audio, visual, music, optical, or special effects departments.

Supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in film editing, assembling, and recording activities.

Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.

Develop post-production models for films.

Piece sounds together to develop film soundtracks.

Conduct film screenings for directors and members of production staffs.

Collaborate with music editors to select appropriate passages of music and develop production scores.

Discuss the sound requirements of pictures with sound effects editors.

Estimate how long audiences watching comedies will laugh at each gag line or situation to space scenes appropriately.

Audio patch bays

Desktop computers

Digital video disk DVD recorders

Digital video editing systems

Laptop computers

Network routers

Personal computers

Video patch bays

YouTube.com

Adobe Systems Adobe After Effects

Adobe Systems Adobe AfterEffects

Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe Systems Adobe Director

Adobe Systems Adobe Flash Player

Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Systems Adobe Premiere Pro

AJAX

Apple DVD Studio Pro

Apple Final Cut Pro

Apple QuickTime

Apple Xsan

Autodesk Maya for Design Visualization

Autodesk Smoke

Avid Digidesign Pro Tools

Avid Technology

Boris FX Continuum Complete

Brightcove

Cascading Style Sheets CSS

Extensible markup language XML

Google Video

Hypertext markup language HTML

JavaScript

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Sorenson Media Sorenson Squeeze

Web browser software

Windows Media Services

YouTube

Film Editor / Sound Designer

>> THIS SUMMER, WE'RE TRAVELING CROSS-COUNTRY IN THIS RV AND... >> BASICALLY JUST TALKING TO PEOPLE. >> AND ASK THEM, "HOW DO YOU FIND YOUR OWN ROAD?" >> HOW DID YOU, LIKE, NOT LISTEN TO PRESSURE FROM OTHERS? >> WHAT DID THIS AGE MEAN TO YOU? LIKE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU WAS OUR AGE? >> BUT NOW I'M YEARNING FOR PEOPLE TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE ME ADVICE. I REALLY NEED THAT. I NEED THAT RIGHT NOW. >> WALTER MURCH, BORN JULY 12, 1943, IS AN ACADEMY-AWARD-WINNING FILM EDITOR, SOUND MIXER. HE WAS BASICALLY PART OF, LIKE, ONE OF THE BEST FILM GROUPS OF ALL TIME, LIKE AT U.S.C. THEY'RE LEGENDARY. >> THAT'S ALONG WITH GEORGE LUCAS. >> YEAH, AND ALL THOSE GUYS. THE GUY THAT MADE "GODFATHER." LIKE, THEY'RE ALL REVOLUTIONARY FILMMAKERS. >> ALL RIGHT, SLOW DOWN. IT'S, LIKE, COMING UP. I THINK I SEE HIS BARN. YEAH. >> IS THAT IT ON THE RIGHT? >> I THINK SO. >> ARE WE GOING TO PULL IN HIS DRIVEWAY OR WHAT? >> AM I REALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO PULL IN HERE? >> YEAH, YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF FEET. >> CAN YOU NOT PULL FORWARD ANYMORE? >> COULD I REVERSE, OR ARE THERE CARS COMING? ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT? OK. >> WHOA. >> [GASP] >> THAT'S BAD. >> YOWZA, YOWZA, YOWZA. >> HI. HOW ARE YOU? >> WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO IS GONNA BACK ONTO THE ROAD, GO INTO TOWN, AND TURN AROUND. >> WELL, THAT WAS AN INTERESTING WAY TO PULL UP TO WALTER MURCH'S HOUSE. >> YEAH. >> THIS THE MOST NERVOUS I'VE FELT GOING INTO AN INTERVIEW. >> REALLY? >> YEP. BEING LATE, YOU KNOW. >> SORRY ABOUT ALL THAT CONFUSION AND EVERYTHING. >> IT'S ALL RIGHT. >> IT OCCASIONALLY STRIKES ME-- YOU KNOW, I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING, AND I WONDER, HOW DID I GET HERE? WHAT WAS THE PATH? BECAUSE IT DEFINITELY WASN'T A DIRECT PATH FOR ME. I GREW UP IN MANHATTAN AND HAD NO CONNECTION FOR THE FILM BUSINESS AT ALL. WHEN I WAS 10 OR 11, I'D GOTTEN VERY INTERESTED IN TAPE-RECORDING, RECORDING THINGS, HANGING THE MICROPHONE OUT THE WINDOW, BLOWING INTO THE MICROPHONE, TAPPING ON IT, AND THEN TAKING THOSE TAPES AND CUTTING THEM UP, I DISCOVERED EDITING JUST MYSELF, THAT YOU COULD TAKE SOMETHING THAT WAS RECORDED AND CUT IT AND TURN IT UPSIDE-DOWN OR PUT IT IN A DIFFERENT ORDER OR PLAY IT BACK TO FRONT OR SLOW IT DOWN OR SPEED IT UP OR MANIPULATE IT. SO IT WAS AN INTOXICATING IDEA. BUT THEN I WENT THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, AND ADOLESCENCE, AS YOU KNOW, IS A KIND OF CONFUSING TIME, AND YOU TEND, AS A 15-YEAR-OLD, TO LOOK BACK ON WHAT YOU DID AS AN 11-YEAR-OLD AND THINK, "AH, KID'S STUFF." THEN I GOT INTERESTED IN ARCHITECTURE, IN OCEANOGRAPHY. SO I WAS...IT WAS... CINEMA WASN'T ONE OF THOSE THINGS EXCEPT THAT I SAW "THE SEVENTH SEAL," WHICH IS A FILM BY INGMAR BERGMAN. I CAME OUT OF THAT THEATER THINKING, "SOMEBODY MADE "THAT FILM. I AM A SOMEBODY. I COULD MAKE A FILM." THAT WAS A REVELATION TO ME AT AGE 22, WHEN I WAS, YOU KNOW, IN MY FIRST YEAR AT GRADUATE SCHOOL AT U.S.C. CINEMA-- OH, THAT PASSION THAT I HAD HALF A LIFETIME AGO, WHEN I WAS 11, CAN ACTUALLY BE PUT TO USE, AND I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING. IF YOU CAN TAP INTO THAT THING THAT YOU WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN WHEN YOU WERE 11 YEARS OLD, IT GIVES YOU AS GOOD A SHOT AS YOU'RE EVER GOING TO GET AT BEING HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU DO LATER, BECAUSE IT'S WHEN YOU'RE 11, YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE WORLD, AND YOU KNOW A LITTLE SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF, AND YOU'RE NOT YET OVERLY INFLUENCED BY YOUR PEERS OR THE CONFUSION THAT HAPPENS IN ADOLESCENCE. YOU'RE KIND OF CLEAR-MINDED WHEN YOU'RE 11 IN AN INTERESTING WAY. AT ITS CORE, I'M STILL THAT 11-YEAR-OLD KID HOLDING THE MICROPHONE OUT THE WINDOW AND RECORDING THINGS AND TURNING THEM UPSIDE-DOWN AND REARRANGING THEM. AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE, EVEN WHEN I GOT TO FILM SCHOOL, THAT I COULD MAKE A LIVING AT THIS STUFF. I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WHAT I WANTED TO DO. "HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE A LIVING AT THIS?" I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA. I WAS JUST INTERESTED IN WHAT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. AND I WANTED TO EXPLORE THAT AS MUCH AS I COULD. AT THE END OF THE SECOND YEAR AT SCHOOL, THE TEACHERS HAD IDENTIFIED WHAT THEY CALLED THE "TROUBLEMAKERS." THAT WAS ME AND GEORGE LUCAS AND JOHN MILIUS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO KEPT BREAKING THE RULES OF THE SCHOOL. WE WERE ALL JUST FILM STUDENTS, AND WE LOOKED AT THE INDUSTRY, AND WE THOUGHT, "WELL, "THAT'S KIND OF STUPID. LET'S DO IT THIS WAY." AND WE PUSHED TECHNOLOGY IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION, AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THAT,  AND I JUST-- I KEEP ON DOING IT. YOU KNOW, AT ANY OPPORTUNITY, I WILL TRY TO PUSH THINGS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. >> DID YOU EVER KIND OF LIKE QUESTION OR DOUBT THAT, LIKE, STUFF COULD BE DONE, AND WHAT WAS KIND OF GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU WERE TRYING TO PUSH THESE NEW THINGS? >> YEAH. NO, I MEAN, YOU'RE FULL OF DOUBT, BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE. ON "APOCALYPSE NOW," THAT FILM, FRANCIS DECIDED THAT HE WANTED A DIFFERENT FORMAT FOR THE SOUND FOR THAT FILM, ONE THAT HADN'T EVER BEEN HEARD BEFORE. HE WANTED TO IMMERSE THE AUDIENCE IN THE EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, AND I WAS THE SOUND DESIGNER ON THAT FILM. SO IT WAS, "ALL RIGHT. MAKE THAT HAPPEN." YOU KNOW, THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF RESISTANCE TO THAT. THE THEATERS SAID, "WHAT ARE TRYING TO DO?" YOU KNOW, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF RISKS TAKEN ON IT, AND WE ALL HOPED THAT IT WOULD WORK. WE DIDN'T THINK, "NOW WE'RE ESTABLISHING A NEW FORMAT." BUT NOW, AS IT TURNS OUT, 5.1 IS THE STANDARD FORMAT FOR, YOU KNOW, EVERY MOTION PICTURE YOU GO TO SEE. >> IT'S INTERESTING TO HEAR THAT YOU'VE KIND OF LIKE... YOU'VE GOTTEN TO WHERE YOU ARE BY KIND OF JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE REALIZING THAT PEOPLE TELL YOU YOU CAN'T DO SOMETHING, BUT STILL, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GO DO IT, YOU KNOW. HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD THAT ATTITUDE, OR COULD YOU KIND OF JUST... >> I THINK SO. AND ALSO, THE FLIP SIDE TO THAT IS...YOU FIND IS THAT THE THING THAT YOU OVERCOME, IT'S SUCCESSFUL, AND YOU THINK, "HEY, I DID IT," LATER ON CAN BE THE THING THAT UNDOES YOU. YOU KNOW, YOU KEEP STICKING WITH THAT ONE IDEA-- "I CAN DO THIS." WHEN PEOPLE SAY I'M WRONG, I KNOW THAT I'M RIGHT. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP YOUR ANTENNA OPEN TO RECEIVE THE MESSAGE, EVALUATE IT, AND THEN DO WHAT'S RIGHT. DON'T GET STUCK IN A RUT. >> THE COOL THING ABOUT THIS TRIP IS, I MEAN, IT'S OUR JOURNEY, BUT IT'S BEING DOCUMENTED. SO IT'S BEING SHARED WITH OUR PEERS AND OUR GENERATIONS. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF LIKE LAST, FINAL WORDS THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO SHARE... >> IF YOU THINK OF YOUR SITUATION, WHATEVER IT IS, AS BEING BASED ON 3... LIKE A TRIPOD, ON 3 LEGS THAT HIT THE GROUND, AND EACH OF THOSE LEGS HAS A NAME, AND ONE OF THEM IS LUCK, THE OTHER ONE IS TALENT, MEANING ABILITY, AND THE OTHER ONE IS HARD WORK. ALTHOUGH ONE OF THOSE THINGS WILL GET YOU INTO A SITUATION, AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, YOU HAVE TO GET ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE TRIPOD LEGS ON THE GROUND, BECAUSE THE WORLD IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TALENTED WHO WERE NOT LUCKY AND DID NOT WORK HARD WHO KIND OF WASH OUT OR ANY OTHER COMBINATION YOU CARE TO THINK OF. RECOGNIZE THAT ANY ONE OF THOSE THINGS WILL GET YOU INTO A SITUATION. YOUR JOB IS TO GET 2 OF THEM CONNECTED AS SOON AS YOU CAN AND HOPE FOR THE DAYS WHEN YOU GET ALL 3 CONNECTED. >> OH, THAT'S GREAT. >> ALL RIGHT. >> THE TRIPOD. >> YEAH. >> THAT WAS A REALLY AMAZING INTERVIEW. I THINK HE'S JUST A REALLY BRILLIANT GUY. >> HE IS SO INSPIRING. DID HE PLAN THAT, LIKE, WHOLE TRIPOD ANALOGY? THAT WAS PHENOMENAL. I FELT LIKE THAT'S WHAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN TRYING TO TELL US THROUGH ALL THE INTERVIEWS, BUT THEY HAVEN'T SYNTHESIZED IT IN THAT EXACT, CONCISE... SO CLEAR AND SIMPLE. >> I THINK HE COULD BE SUCCESSFUL DOING ANYTHING, THIS GUY. >> YEAH. YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE THAT ATTITUDE THAT HE HAS. IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE, MAYBE THIS CAN'T BE DONE, BUT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, LET'S JUST TRY IT OUT. >> I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I'D BE HAPPY DOING. SO YOU'VE JUST GOT TO TRY OUT A WHOLE LOT OF DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES AND BE OPEN TO WHAT COMES YOUR WAY. [MUSIC PLAYING] >> ♪ FORGET THIS, AND I'M SO BORED OF IT ANOTHER BROKEN HEART WHEN THE FOOLS PLAY MY GAME I CAN'T LOSE OH... ♪ >> QUINCY. WHOO! [MUSIC PLAYING] >> OH, MAN. >> WOW. >> THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME. >> HA HA HA! >> THIS IS JAKE. >> HEY, JAKE. CHARLIE. NICE TO MEET YOU. >> HI. I'M LEAH. >> THE REASON WHY I WANTED YOU TO SPEAK TO JAKE IS BECAUSE THIS IS HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE HERE AT HIGH SIERRA. SO HE COMES WITH COMPLETELY FRESH PERSPECTIVE. >> MAYBE WE CAN EVEN HAVE JAKE PLAY A LITTLE BIT FOR YOU GUYS. >> YEAH, THAT'D BE GREAT. >> I GUESS THAT WOULD BE OK. >> ALL RIGHT. LET'S SEE. [PLAYING UKULELE >> WOW. >> BEAUTIFUL. OH, MY GOSH. >> WOW. THANK YOU. >> THANKS VERY MUCH. >> THAT WAS INCREDIBLE. >> WE'RE ALL KIND OF SEARCHING FOR WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH OUR LIVES PRETTY MUCH. >> DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO FIGURE THAT OUT? >> YEAH. >> YOU DO? >> YEAH, I DO. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO MAKE A DECISION THAT I'M GOING TO REGRET LATER ON. >> I DO FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE SO MUCH IN FRONT OF YOU, AND I LOOK AT MY LIFE, WHEN I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, AND HOW OPEN I WAS. I MEAN, A FRIEND OF MINE ONCE SAID, "IN THE TRAPEZE "OF LIFE, LIFE EXISTS WHEN YOU "RELEASE FROM ONE BAR AND YOU'RE REACHING FROM THE NEXT." AND IT'S THAT MOMENT THAT YOU'RE NOT ATTACHED TO EITHER BAR WHERE LIFE IS. AND THAT'S THE EXCITEMENT. >> ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I WANT TO GET OUT OF THE ROADTRIP IS JUST BEING ABLE TO OPEN MYSELF UP TO PEOPLE, BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK I'M AT THE POINT WHERE I REALLY FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING MYSELF AND MY ART WITH PEOPLE, AND YOU WERE SO... YOU JUST SAT RIGHT DOWN AND WERE SO OPEN WITH YOUR MUSIC, AND I JUST WANT TO KIND OF KNOW HOW YOU GOT TO THAT POINT, OR DID YOU WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND JUST... >> NO. YOU KNOW, LIKE, HONESTLY, I TELL YOU, AND THROUGH THIS INSTRUMENT, IT HAS HELPED ME TO LEARN TO OPEN UP, BECAUSE THIS IS JUST THE VESSEL, RIGHT, TO BRING OUT YOUR SPIRIT, BUT IT'S ALL HERE, AND IF I CAN TRULY BE MYSELF AND FIGURE OUT WHO I AM AND JUST DO THAT ALL THE TIME, THEN I'M GOING TO BE THE BEST IN EVERYTHING THAT I DO. >> I MEAN, I LOOK AT YOU GUYS, AND YOU'RE JUST VIBRANT AND BEAUTIFUL AND YOUNG AND READY FOR THE WORLD. YOU KNOW, THE WORLD IS YOURS. THAT'S WHAT STARTED THIS. THIS IS NO ACCIDENT, WHAT YOU'RE DOING, SO IT'S GREAT. IT'S GOING TO OPEN UP YOUR LIVES FOR YOU, AND IT'S JUST BEGINNING. [MUSIC PLAYING] >> OK. IT'S ON THERE FOR GOOD. >> WE JUST LEFT THE HIGH SIERRA MUSIC FESTIVAL. I JUST WAS TURNING AROUND THE CORNER. WE HAD GONE, LIKE, NOT EVEN 5 MINUTES, AND I WENT TO GO ACCELERATE ON THE GAS, AND JUST THE PEDAL JUST SNAPPED, JUST FELL ONTO THE FLOOR. I'M NOT KIDDING. ALL OF A SUDDEN, I JUST WENT TO GO DO IT. I WASN'T PUSHING HARD OR ANYTHING. AND IT JUST, LIKE, SNAPPED. NOW WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO, CALL UP SOMEONE TO FIX IT HOPEFULLY. I MEAN, WE HAVE AN INTERVIEW IN 5 HOURS. >> I WAS JUST HOPING WE COULD HAVE SOMEONE COME OUT HERE, BECAUSE OUR GAS PEDAL DOESN'T WORK RIGHT NOW ON OUR RV. UH, IT'S GREEN, BRIGHT GREEN. >> THIS THE KIDS? >> YEAH. >> THANKS AGAIN FOR HOLDING. >> TOMORROW'S THE EARLIEST WE CAN DO ANYTHING, REALLY? >> YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND ANYBODY TONIGHT, SIR. >> WELL, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO TODAY? >> WHAT? >> HE DOESN'T KNOW. HE'S LIKE, "IT'S FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND." HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW IF HE'LL BE ABLE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH ANYBODY. >> OH, GOSH. THOMAS KELLER'S TOMORROW IN NAPA, AND THAT'S, LIKE, THE INTERVIEW THAT I PROBABLY WORKED THE HARDEST TO BOOK. >> THIS IS, LIKE, OUT OF OUR CONTROL, YOU KNOW. >> HI. COULD I SPEAK WITH JOHN, PLEASE? I WAS SPEAKING WITH HIM EARLIER ABOUT MY RV THAT BROKE DOWN. >> I HAVE, LIKE, SO MANY, LIKE, CONTACTS OUT RIGHT NOW, I FEEL LIKE I'M COLD-CALLING. >> HE SAID THAT THE PART'S IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. IT'S AN OSHKOSH CHASSIS THAT WAS BOUGHT OUT BY FREIGHTLINER. SAFARI WAS BOUGHT OUT BY MONACO. LIKE, BASICALLY THIS THING IS A RELIC, AND THERE'S, LIKE, NO RECORDS OF ITS PARTS, THERE'S NO PARTS. >> WE MET THIS GUY YESTERDAY THAT WE'D HITCHHIKED INTO THE CONCERT WITH, AND HE WAS, LIKE, REALLY NICE, AND HE JUST WANTS TO COME AND CHECK BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON, SO HE SAID THAT HE COULD-- DID YOU ASK ABOUT JIMMY-RIGGING? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS, BUT... >> I WAS HOPING IT WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THIS SCREW FITS. >> HAVING ALL THESE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER AND JUST START, LIKE, HELPING US TO GET OUT OF THERE FROM, LIKE, THE KINDNESS OF THEIR HEARTS-- LIKE, THIS WOMAN OFFERED US HER CAR FOR THE DAY TO DRIVE DOWN TO NAPA. >> I WENT IN AND TOLD A FRIEND. I GO, "HEY, COME ON. HELP PUSH." AND HE GOES, "PUSH WHAT?" AND I GO, "LOOK OUT THE WINDOW." >> YEAH. EVERYONE JUST, LIKE, STARTED PULLING OVER, LIKE, CALLING UP THEIR FRIENDS. >> IT'S PINCHED PRETTY GOOD, HUH, KEVIN? >> OH, YEAH. >> I GOT HER MASHED DOWN. >> ONLY THING BETTER YOU COULD DO WITH IT IS WELD IT. >> IF WE GET IT WELDED, IT WILL BE THAT MUCH BETTER. HE WALKS OUT, AND HE'S, LIKE, THIS BAD-ASS GUY WITH, LIKE, THIS HUGE, LONG BEARD. >> FIRE IT UP. SEE IF IT WORKS. [ENGINE STARTS] >> I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. HAPPY DANCE. CHARLIE. SEE? THINGS WORKED OUT. >> I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH GENUINE, LIKE, KINDNESS FROM A STRANGER. THE WHOLE TRIP DEFINITELY MADE ME REALIZE THAT, LIKE, THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON, AND THE BAD THINGS AREN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS THE BAD THINGS. >> ♪ THINKING ABOUT THE DAYS THAT USED TO BE HIGH ON THE MOUNTAIN, OH WIND BLOWING FREE THINKING ABOUT THE DAYS THAT USED TO BE HIGH ON THE MOUNTAIN, OH >> HAVE YOU-ALL THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT QUESTIONS YOU-ALL ARE GONNA ASK IN THIS NEXT INTERVIEW? >> I MEAN, I THINK THIS WILL BE, LIKE, A LOT MORE APPLICABLE TO MY SITUATION, BECAUSE HE'S AN ARTIST. LIKE, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT SOMEONE'S, LIKE, FOLLOWED A PATH THAT I REALLY WOULD CONSIDER, BUT I JUST KEEP HAVING THESE DOUBTS THAT, LIKE, MAKING SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL ISN'T REALLY THAT WORTHWHILE. >> IS THAT WHAT YOU ULTIMATELY WANT OUT OF YOUR ARTWORK? >> THAT'S WHAT I WANT OUT OF LIFE, YOU KNOW. I WANT TO LEAVE AN IMPACT ON THE WORLD. AND ALSO I HAVE THIS FEAR THAT, LIKE, SO MANY PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE THAT ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN ME, YOU KNOW. >> I THINK EVERYBODY FEARS THAT. OBVIOUSLY HE WASN'T THE BEST AT THE VERY BEGINNING. >> YEAH. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO ASK HIM ABOUT. >> ASK HIM WHAT KEPT HIM GOING, YOU KNOW. ALL THESE QUESTIONS ARE GREAT, DUDE. THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO BE ASKING. >> THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, RIGHT. RIGHT. >> I SPENT A LOT OF TIME BEING KIND OF TORTURED, REALLY QUESTIONING IS THIS WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING? IS THIS THE RIGHT THING TO DO? AND THEN I WOULD DO CERTAIN THINGS, AND THAT WOULD STOP. AND WHATEVER MADE THAT STOP WAS THE STUFF I SPENT THE MOST TIME DOING, AND THE ONE PLACE THAT I FELT SAFE, THAT I FELT COMFORTABLE WAS WHEN I WAS WORKING IN THE ARTS, WHEN I WAS MAKING THINGS. >> THAT REALLY RESONATES, JUST BECAUSE, I DON'T KNOW, I'VE NEVER HEARD SOMEONE DESCRIBE DOING ART AS FEELING SAFE. >> WELL, IT'S SAFE IN RELATIONSHIP TO THINGS THAT I FELT SO UNSAFE ABOUT. AND WHAT I FELT VERY UNSAFE ABOUT WAS, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?" AND I THINK ESPECIALLY AT YOUR GUYS' AGE, THAT IS A BIG DEAL BECAUSE THE WORLD IS-- YOU KNOW, DON'T YOU FEEL ALL THESE EYES LOOKING AT YOU, GOING, YOU KNOW, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" >> I'M AN ENGLISH MAJOR AND A VISUAL ARTS MINOR. I COULD GO DOWN THE ART PATH OR DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY... COMPLETELY OPPOSITE, AND I JUST HAVE A TON OF DIFFERENT INTERESTS, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO KIND OF FOCUS ON... >> WELL, I'VE GOT SOME VERY SUCCINCT THINGS TO SAY TO YOU ABOUT THAT. >> COOL. >> YOU'LL NEVER BE SURE. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SURE. IT'S NOT A MATTER OF BEING SURE. IT'S A MATTER OF JUST HAVING ENOUGH FAITH AND LOVE FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. VERY MUCH LIKE YOU, I STARTED CERAMICS WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, ACTUALLY EVEN BEFORE THAT. MY MOTHER WAS A PAINTER. SO I WAS INVOLVED IN THE ARTS EVER SINCE I COULD WALK. AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE AROUND THE ARTS, AROUND ARTISTS, AND FOUND MYSELF WITH SEVERAL MENTORS IN SCHOOL THAT HELPED ME WITH JUST MY PASSION FOR MAKING THINGS. AND THEN IN SO DOING, I WAS ABLE TO EXPLORE THE AREAS OF THE ARTS THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN. IN MY CASE, IT WAS CERAMICS AND QUICKLY BECAME GLASS. AND I WAS OFFERED A JOB AT AN ART SCHOOL UP HERE AS A TRUCK DRIVER BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD TO BE THERE AS A STUDENT AND DIDN'T HAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS. SO I LIVED IN A TREE HOUSE, DIDN'T HAVE ANY ELECTRICITY OR RUNNING WATER. EVERYTHING I OWNED WAS IN A FIAT 128 SEDAN, INCLUDING MY DOG. I MET AN ARTIST THERE, A GUY NAMED DALE CHIHULY, A FAMOUS GLASS ARTIST. I SAW THE WAY HE WORKED. I WAS FASCINATED, AND I SAID, "HEY, CAN I HELP YOU? I'LL DO WHATEVER." HE SAID, "SURE. BE ON THE PAD WITH ME," ON THE WORKING FLOOR, THE NEXT MORNING, AND I WORKED WITH HIM FOR 10 YEARS. I NEVER TOOK A DIME IN PAY. AND HE WOULD TELL ME, HE WOULD SAY, "THERE'S 2 THINGS "YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER "ABOUT LEARNING SOMETHING. "IF THERE'S SOMEBODY OUT THERE "THAT DOES IT BETTER THAN YOU, "YOU HAVE, ONE, THE CHOICE "OF DOING IT THE WAY THEY DO IT OR PAY THEM TO DO IT FOR YOU." AND OF COURSE, I WAS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN THE PRIOR BECAUSE I COULD NEVER AFFORD THE LATTER. SO...BUT THE POINT WAS WAS THAT ANYBODY THAT I SAW THAT WAS GOOD AT SOMETHING, I JUST DID WHAT THEY DID, UNTIL YOU REACH THE POINT WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR CHOICE FOR YOURSELF. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I STRUGGLE WITH IS KIND OF, LIKE, ONCE I FIGURE OUT WHAT I WANT TO DO, HOW DO I GO ABOUT DISTINGUISHING MYSELF? LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S GRADUATING WITH ME IN MY CLASS. I WANT TO BE, YOU KNOW... NOT NORMAL. >> THAT'S GREAT. WELL, THEN YOU ALREADY ARE. WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AHEAD YET YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW. IT WILL MANIFEST. SAME THING WITH ME. YOU'RE LOOKING AT ME, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE MANIFESTATION, AND YOU'RE THINKING THAT I HAD SOME KIND OF A PLAN. YOU'RE MISTAKEN. I DIDN'T HAVE A PLAN. I NEVER HAD A PLAN. I WAS SITTING THERE SAYING EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. GO OUT AND MAKE WHAT YOU THINK ARE MISTAKES. THERE ARE NO MISTAKES. JUST HAVE YOUR EXPERIENCES, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO GLEAN THAT WISDOM OFF ANY OF IT. AND IF YOU WANT REAL EXPERIENCE, THEN BE COURAGEOUS ABOUT IT. DON'T BE GUTLESS. HAVE THE FAITH. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU COULDN'T MAKE A WRONG DECISION, WOW, LOOK WHAT YOU COULD DO. YOU KNOW, LOOK WHAT YOU COULD DO. YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE ONE YEAR OF UTTER JUST VITALITY, OR WOULD YOU HAVE 10 YEARS OF JUST SORT OF HO-HUM MEDIOCRITY? YOU KNOW, EITHER CHOICE IS FINE. BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, BE THE CHOICE THAT YOU MAKE. BE IT. DON'T MAKE THE CHOICE OF VITALITY AND LIVE MEDIOCRITY. YOU KNOW, LIVE THE CHOICE THAT YOU MAKE. >> SO ONE DAY RICHARD CALLS ME UP AND SAYS, "WHIT, WHAT WOULD "YOU SAY IF I TOLD YOU "THE NEXT THING WE SHOULD DO IS A BOARD GAME?" HA HA HA! >> EVERYTHING AROUND ME IS SO DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT WAS 2 DAYS AGO. >> YOU GUYS SITTING HERE ALL HAVE IDEAS. WHETHER YOU PURSUE THEM OR NOT IS UP TO YOU. >> I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS, LIKE, THAT IDEA OF, LIKE, THERE'S ONE RIGHT THING FOR EVERYBODY. THERE'S A LOT OF RIGHT THINGS. I HAVE LOOKED, YOU KNOW, INSIDE MYSELF, AND I WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I ONLY REALLY LOVE PASSIONATELY 2 THINGS-- HORSES AND COOKING. >> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON "ROADTRIP NATION" AND TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HIT THE ROAD, VISIT pbs.org. 

<p>In Bolinas, CA, the Roadtrip Nation team gets a bit lost on their way to film editor and Academy Award winner Walter Murch's house. Then it's off to Quincy, Oregon for the High Sierra Music Festival where they interview founder David Margulies and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. They then head north to Seattle to interview William Morris, a glassblower and artist.</p>

Bolinas - Seattle

Sorry about all the confusion and everything. >> It's all right. [MUSIC] It occasionally strikes me when I'm in the middle of something and I wonder, how did I get here? What was the path? Because it definitely wasn't a direct path for me. I grew up in Manhattan and had no connection with the film business at all. When I was 10 or 11 I'd gotten very interested in tape recording. Recording things, hanging the microphone out the window, blowing into the microphone, tapping on it and then taking those tapes and cutting them up I discovered editing, just myself. That you could take something that was recorded and cut it and turn it upside down, or put it in a different order, or play it back to front, or slow it down, or speed it up, manipulate it. So it was an intoxicating idea, but then I went through adolescence and adolescence as you know is a kinda confusing time. And you tend as a 15-year-old to look back on what you did as an 11-year-old and think, kid stuff. Then I got interested in architecture and oceanography, so it was, cinema wasn't one of those things except that I saw The Seventh Seal which is a film by Ingmar Bergman. I came out of that theater thinking, somebody made that film. I am a somebody, I could make a film. That was a revelation to me at age 22, when I was in my first year at graduate school at USC Cinema. That passion that I had half a lifetime ago when I was 11 can actually be put to use and I didn't see it coming. If you can tap into that thing that you were really interested in when you were 11 years old it gives you a good a shot as you're ever gonna get at being happy with what you do later. Because it's when you're 11, you know something about the world and you know a little something about yourself. And you're not yet overly influenced by your peers or the confusion that happens in adolescence. You're kind of clear minded when you're 11 in an interesting way. At its core, I'm still that 11 year old kid, you know, holding a microphone out the window and recording things and turning them upside down and rearranging them. And there was absolutely no sense, even when I got to film school that I could make a living at this stuff. I didn't think about what I wanted to do. How are you going to make a living at this? I had absolutely no idea. I was just interested in what was right in front of me and I wanted to explore that as much as I could. At the end of the second year at school, the teachers had identified what they called the troublemakers. That was me and George Lucas, and John Melias, and a number of other people who kept breaking the rules of the school. We were all just film students and we looked at the industry and we thought, well, that's kind of stupid, let's do it this way. And we pushed technology in a certain direction and I just love that and I keep on doing it. You know at any opportunity I will try to push things and see what happens. >> Did you ever kind of like question or doubt that like stuff could be done and what was kind of going through your mind when you were trying to push these new things? >> Yeah, I know, you're full of doubt because it hasn't been done before. On Apocalypse Now, that film, Francis decided that he wanted a different format for the sound for that film. One that had never been heard before. He wanted to immerse the audience in the experience. I was the sound designer on that film. So it was, all right make that happen. There are all kinds of resistance to that. The theater said what are you trying to do? There were a lot of risks taken on it and we all hoped that it would work. We didn't think we're now establishing a new format. But now as it turns out, 5.1 is the standard format for every motion picture you go to see. >> It's interesting to hear that you've gotten to where you are by realizing that people tell you you can't do something but still I want to go do it, you know? >> Right. >> Have you always had that attitude or did you kind of just? >> Yeah, I think so and also the flip side to that is you find is that the thing that you overcome, it's successful and you think, hey I did it, later on can be the thing that undoes you. You know, you keep sticking with that one idea, I can do this. When people say I'm wrong, I know that I'm right. You always have to keep your antenna open to receive the message, evaluate it and then do what's right. Don't get stuck in a rut. The cool thing about this trip is it's our journey, but it's being documented so it's being shared with- >> Right. >> our peers and our generation so if you have any kind of like last final words that you'd wanna share. >> If you think of your situation, whatever it is, as being based on three, like a tripod, on three legs that hit the ground. And each of those legs has a name. And one of them is luck, the other one is talent, meaning ability, and the other one is hard work. Although one of those things will get you in to a situation as quickly as possible, you have to get another one of those tripod legs on the ground. Because the world is full of people who are talented who were not lucky and did not work hard who kinda wash out or you know, any other combination you care to think of. Recognize that any one of those things will get you into a situation. Your job is to get two of them connected as soon as you can, and hope for the days when you get all three connected. 

Chance

Confidence

Dedication

Desire

Doubt

Exploration

Hard Work

Passion

Perseverance

Risk

Talent

Interview

The cool thing about this trip is it's our journey, but it's being documented so it's being shared with- >> Right. >> Our peers and our generation. So if you have any kind of last final words that you would want to share? >> If you think of your situation, whatever it is, as being based on three, like a tripod, on three legs that hit the ground. And each of those legs has a name. And one of them is luck, the other one is talent, meaning ability, and then the other one is hard work. Although one of those things will get you into a situation as quickly as possible. You have to get another one of those tripod legs on the ground. Because the world is full of people who are talented, who were not luck and did not work hard, who kind of wash out or any other combination you care to think of. Recognize that any one of those things will get you in to a situation, your job is to get two of them connected as soon as you can, and hope for the days when you get all three connected. 

Luck, Talent, Hard Work

And it was absolutely no sense even when I got to film school that I could make a living off this stuff. I didn't think about what I wanted to do, how you gonna make a living of this? I had absolutely no idea, I was just interested in what was right in front of me. And I wanted to explore that as much as I could. 

Making A Living

It occasionally strikes me, when I'm in the middle of something and I wonder, how did I get here? What was the path? Because it definitely wasn't a direct path for me. 

How Did I Get Here?

It's interesting to hear that you've kind of like, you've gotten to where you are by kind of just like realizing people tell you you can't do something but still, I wanna go do it, you know? >> Uh-huh. >> Have you always had that attitude or did you kind of just? >> Yeah, I think so. It also, the flip side to that is you find is that the thing that you overcome, it's successful, and you think, hey, I did it, later on, can be the thing that undoes you. You keep sticking with that one idea, I can do this. When people say I'm wrong, I know that I'm right. You always have to keep your antenna open to receive the message, evaluate it, and then do what's right. Don't get stuck in a rut. >> The cool 

Passion Put To Use

Did you ever kind of like question or doubt like stuff could be done? And what was kind of going through your mind when you were trying to push these new things? >> Yeah, no. I mean you're full of doubt because it hasn't been done before. On Apocalypse Now, that film, Francis decided that he wanted a different format for the sound for that film. One that had never been heard before, he wanted to immerse the audience in the experience. And I was the sound designer on that film so it was all right, make that happen. There were all kinds of resistance to that, the theatre said what are you trying to do? And there were a lot of risks taken on it, and we all hoped that it would work. We didn't think now we are establishing a new format, but now as it turns out 5.1 is the standard format for every motion picture you go to see. 

Creating A New Standard

At the end of the second year at school the teachers had identified what they called the troublemakers. That was me, and George Lucas, and John Milius, and a number of other people who kept breaking the rules of the school. We were all just film students and we looked at the industry and we thought, well, that's kind of stupid. Let's do it this way. And we pushed technology in a certain direction and I just love that and I just keep on doing it. At any opportunity, I will try to push things and see what happens. 

The Troublemakers

When I was ten or eleven, I had gotten very interested in tape recording. And then taking those tapes and cutting them up, I discovered editing, just myself. That you could take something that was recorded and cut it and turn it upside down or put it in a different order or play it back to front or slow it down or speed it up or manipulate it. So it was an intoxicating idea. If you can tap into that thing that you are really interested in when you were 11 years old, it gives you as good a shot as you're ever going to get at being happy with what you do later. Because it's when you're 11, you know something about the world and you know a little something about yourself and you're not yet overly influenced by your peers or the confusion that happens in adolescence. You're kind of clear-minded  when you're 11, in a, in an interesting way. 

Walter Murch Highlight

People thought alternating current's useless, cuz it just goes [SOUND] and Nikola Tesla, who was a student about your age in Budapest. He was a functioning autistic person. That's how he would be defined today, but all of his symptoms were kind of obsessive compulsive autistic. But he was this, as autistics are, a genius in a certain aspect. And he was having a bad month where the negative parts of this had him in its grip. And the doctors who were called in said, well, he's gonna die. It's incurable, he'll die in a couple of months. But he got better. And a friend went over to him one day and said, let's go for a walk. He was just capable of doing that. So they went out, it was evening, and they were in a park and the friend said, look, look at that beautiful sunset. He looked at the sunset, and Tesla had a photographic memory, and he started reciting a poem by Goethe, the German poet. And the idea of the poem was, look at that beautiful sunset. If only I could rise up and fly ever westward, into the sunset as the sunset is ever receding from me. Essentially, get in a jet plane and fly a thousand miles an hour, because the Earth is turning at a thousand miles an hour. And if you did that, you would be always looking at a sunset. So here's a way of making the impermanent, it's so beautiful, and it fades as we look at it, but there is a practical way of seeing it permanently. And suddenly, Tesla went into a fit, and the friend thought, no, he's gone again. And he said, no, no, don't you see? That's it, that's it. And what he suddenly saw was how the alternating current motor could work, which is a shaft that's turning at a certain speed with electromagnets around it. And as the magnet in the shaft is being pulled toward this magnet, this magnet turns off, and the shaft keeps going and gets pulled to this next magnet. And then the next and the next. And so it's always chasing something that's always receding in front of it. And that's the foundation upon which alternating current, which is to say the world that we live in, is based on. That and the fact that click, I can turn on the light. And you can have all of this stuff is based on that essentially poetic idea, that was his response to the teacher saying, alternating current is impossible. 

Alternating Currents

At film school, I suddenly thought, that 11-year-old thing that I did and film are the same thing. And in fact, I think if I'd been told by the professors that, yeah, what you did was one thing, but the sound that goes with films, it just happens. We can't change it. It's like we're recording on this camera and whatever sound there is that comes at the time, that's it. They're fused and you can't unfuse them. I would've thought well that's too bad because I know a better way to do it. But if that's the way it is, there must be some technical reason for it. But in fact that's not the case, film and sound exist in separate universes, and you have to do a lot to make them come together. Especially to make them come together in interesting ways. And that was a revelation to me at age 22 when I was in my first year at graduate school at USC cinema. That passion that I had half a life time ago when I was 11 can actually be put to use and I didn't see it coming. It was one of those things that is kind of amazing in retrospect. 

Film and Sound

Seems like you've come and done so many things. Like what drives you to keep doing what you're still doing? &gt;&gt; One of the things about film is that it's a wonderful laboratory for studying human reaction and human perception. If we do this, what will they see? What will they think if we put these two shots together or we photograph this way, what effect will that have on people? And so it's almost like doing research in a well funded laboratory about human perception. And I'm fascinated with that part of the human experience, how do our perceptions affect the world that we, not only perceive, but make as a result of those those presumptions? And you can analyze that at whatever level you want. At the kind of molecular level, which is just how is it that I see your face in that light with that color and your gray jacket. And just on a kind of atomic level you can study perception. But then you can study it on a much broader level, which is why do we think some people are bad and others are good? And how does that affect how we relate to ourselves and to other people? So film is a very powerful way of manipulating and studying the effects of that manipulation. 

Hobbies & Pastimes

Perception

What I was saying about when I was 11, I loved doing things with my hands, and the kind of groundedness that that gives you. It's not just all thinking, it's you're making something. And film appealed to me on that level, that it seemed to have both aspects going forward. You could think about it in an abstract way. You could talk about the clouds, and the drapery, and how a shot was composed. It has those elements in it. On the other hand, it has to be in focus, and you have to put the things in the right way, and you have to move the camera a certain way, and you have to edit this way, not that way. And that mixture of what you almost might call shoe-making kind of craft, this is how you make a heel, this is how you glue the heel on. Well, that's interesting, that stuff. And film making has those parts of it. You have to tape up the magazines so that the film doesn't get exposed, this was back then. But there were certain things, and the glue has to be this temperature, otherwise the splice won't hold. So it appealed to me on that level, and on the level of a more wide-ranging aesthetic aspect to it, and those are still very true today. I love the process of making a film, but I also love thinking about it in a larger sense. 

Craft of Filmmaking

When I was ten or eleven, I'd gotten very interested in tape recording, and those were just becoming on the market. You could buy, an ordinary family like ours could buy a tape recorder for $125 or something, which, I don't know, in today's money is a lot of money, but stil,l you could just afford it. And I found a friend who had one, that's how I found out about these things. And I would go over to his house all the time and make a pest out of myself. Recording things, hanging the microphone out the window. Blowing into the microphone. Tapping on it. And then taking those tapes and cutting them up. I discovered editing just myself, that you could take something that was recorded and cut it, and turn it upside down, or put it in a different order, or play it back to front, or slow it down, or speed it up, or manipulate it. So it was an intoxicating idea that you could capture reality, or an aspect of reality, and then manipulate that reality to produce something completely different, and also layer it. Do something and then put something on top of that, and something on top of that. And it was my own little Lego universe of sound, I didn't know anyone else who was doing it. And then I came home one day from school and turned on the radio, and was a classical music station, but there were all these sounds coming out of the radio, I said, what's that? Sounds like something I did. And I quickly turned on my tape recorder and plugged it into the radio to record this, and I just sat there and listened to this, thinking, what is this? And at the end it said this was the first panorama of musique concrete, which is a French school of taking real sounds and manipulating them, looping them, what we would call sampling today, but using 1950s technology. Layering them, playing them backwards, upside down, exactly what I was doing. But this was grown up people in France, doing this and making records out of it. So it was, it was, it laid a kind of a bed of, hm, this crazy little thing that I'm doing, other people in the world do it, and even grownups do it, and people take them seriously. And I didn't know what to do with that. But it certainly laid down a layer of foundation, upon which my interest in sound and film certainly built. 

First Sound Recorder

The advantage of going to film school is that you're there with a group of people who are like minded and I made friendships at film school that I still have today. And George UNKNOWN] was a film school friend. Francis Coppola was a film school friend at UCLA across town. And we met other friends, John Milios and Hal Barwood, and other people at film school. And so what that does also is, it creates, I guess, a young boy network, meaning, you're all pounds and if one of you happens to get a job, that might lead to just one of you being hired to also work on that job. Hey, do you have any friends? We need somebody right now. [SOUND] Hey, there's a job. And or when you leave a job, we need somebody to replace you, well that's how I got my first job in the film business. Was from Matthew Robins who had landed the job at Encyclopedia Bathenica films as PA. He got accepted at the AFI in their first year and said I'm leaving this job, do you want this job for 

Support & Encouragement

Young Boy Network

George and I had been finalists for a scholarship at Warner Brothers, six months kind of internship. And we were going in for the final interview and we thought, well, one of us is gonna get it and the other one won't. But if something happens that turns out to be good, let's make an agreement that the one who gets it will turn around and help the other guy. And George got it, and he met Francis Coppola at Warner Brothers. Francis was shooting a film, they bonded. Cuz they were the only two people with beards on the whole lot at that time. And when Francis needed somebody to do the sound on The Rain People, which was original screenplay that he wrote. George said, well, Walter can do it and so we all moved up to San Francisco together, George, Francis, and me, and our families, and started American Zoetrope. So it all kind of, it all, one thing leads to another in a very complicated kind of way. 

Walter Murch

Film Editor / Sound Designer

Videos

Walter Murch

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Film

Music

Being Creative

Interviewed By

Break the Norm