{"id":37478,"date":"2021-06-24T13:47:37","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T13:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/?post_type=cu_story&p=37478"},"modified":"2025-02-03T11:30:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:30:16","slug":"writing-the-manual-for-your-dream-job","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/story\/writing-the-manual-for-your-dream-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing the Manual for Your Dream Job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Writing the Manual for Your Dream Job\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n

By Ainslie Coghill<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve given myself  three, three and a half years to at least have one credit on iMDb,\u201d says Akash Iyer, a 2021 MA graduate in Music and Culture<\/a> with a collaborative specialization in Digital Humanities<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Success in the entertainment industry often begins with a foot in the door, and through his Master\u2019s research, Iyer has found a way to build insight and connections in pursuit of his dream job \u2014 becoming a music supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guild of Music Supervisors defines the role as \u201ca qualified professional who oversees all music related aspects of film, television, advertising, video games and other existing or emerging visual media platforms as required.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Iyer has defined the role, perhaps in the most detailed account yet written, for his Master\u2019s research paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I can write a 70-page paper about it and understand the process from top to bottom, the knowledge will hopefully hold me in good stead as I begin my career,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviewing your Idols<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve ever watched a film and thought to yourself, \u201cWow, what a perfect soundtrack,\u201d you may have a music supervisor to thank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent my days watching visual content and understanding music\u2019s role within it,\u201d says Iyer, who graduates from Carleton University in June, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Akash Iyer, photographed near his home in Ottawa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For Iyer, gaining a deeper understanding of the subtle intricacies of the craft meant speaking to some of North America and the U.K.\u2019s most successful music supervisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He set his goals high, connecting directly with Karyn Rachtman, whose work includes the films Pulp Fiction<\/em> (1994), Clueless<\/em> (1995), and Boogie Nights<\/em> (1997), Andy Ross, whose credits include Whiplash<\/em> (2014), and Alex Hancock, a top independent music supervisor in the U.K. who\u2019s worked on popular television series\u2019 Skins<\/em> (2007-2013) and People Just Do Nothing <\/em>(2014-2018).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His final list of industry interviewees includes the names of 19 talented, experienced individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI wasn\u2019t even sure this research was possible until a couple of these people were willing to speak to me. It was a way for me to understand their process, and hopefully to imbibe all those qualities for my own practice down the line,\u201d says Iyer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At the early stage of his research, Iyer noted that beyond two seminal papers, there was very little academic literature on the subject of music supervisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis research started out of almost nothing,\u201d he says. \u201cI had to convince myself it was important. My research supervisor Professor James Wright really understood that, and helped me structure the paper the right way, to truly hone in on the intricate process of the supervisor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balancing the Aesthetic and Administrative Roles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Iyer\u2019s paper offers an overview of the role as it has evolved over time while defining its two main components: the \u2018aesthetic\u2019 and \u2018administrative\u2019 functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From his interview with Karyn Rachtman, Iyer points to the 1980s and early 1990s as \u201cthe soundtrack era,\u201d and Rachtman provided insight into what were the glory days for music supervisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rachtman is famous for supervising most of director Quentin Tarantino\u2019s films from that time, and looks back at that era as especially lucrative, and one which defined the music supervisor as an aesthetic powerhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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