Meet Mary Chambers, a March 2019 graduate of the Sound Design for Visual Media program. She chose IPR’s SDVM program because it was in-depth and what she wanted to do. It also gave her the adventure she was looking for and the chance to experience winter which she may be rethinking after the crazy winter we’ve had. Her love for Sound Design came from Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere audiobook dramatization because of the audio quality and sound that was used to tell the story.
Prior to attending IPR, Mary was enlisted in the Navy. Mary chose IPR because it had a program dedicated to sound design, rather than film or music creation.
Mary says that IPR was instrumental in helping her develop her technical skills and also allowing her to develop the skills to work with actual clients. She says that the Navy helped prepare her for her post-secondary class workloads and project deadlines. Her experience in the Navy also helped her to overcome the challenges of learning new technical skills, which has allowed her to grow.
Valedictorian, Alumna and Award-Winning Sound Designer
In March 2019, Mary graduated Valedictorian from IPR with an associate degree in Sound Design for Visual Media. In addition to these accolades, Mary and her fellow IPR Sound Design for Visual Media students won Best Sound Design in the 2019 Z-Fest Awards in Minnesota for the short film, Frost Bite.
When asked what she liked the most about IPR, Mary said “You get out what you put in and you’re able to hone the skills that you will use in the field.” The most exciting project Mary worked on was Frostbite, a zombie movie. When asked what she wanted to do with her degree, Mary said “Take over the world…and produce audio plays/dramas; possibly dialogue editing.” She sees herself editing sound effects and dialogue work podcasts and movies in five years.
Advice from Mary
Some advice from IPR graduate Mary: “Read your textbooks at least once, go to class every time. Ask all the questions. If it scares you, do it twice. IPR gives people the freedom to make their own success. The people are pretty great and the staff and faculty are great resource.”