Rate My Professor Mark Berger

A UC Berkeley alumnus, Berger received his B.A. in experimental psychology in 1964, having initially intended to major in physics but shifted focus due to interests in perception and involvement in campus activities. Following graduation, he volunteered with the Peace Corps in Colombia for two and a half years and briefly pursued graduate studies in psychology at UCLA before transitioning to documentary radio and film production amid anti-war activism. His professional entry into film sound began with work at KQED on documentaries such as San Francisco Mix and The Place for No Story, which led to collaborations with Walter Murch and Francis Ford Coppola. Beyond Berkeley, Berger has taught extensively on the semantics and application of sound in cinema worldwide, including as a Fulbright Specialist in Chile and the Republic of Georgia, and in Ireland, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Spain, Israel, Iceland, and Cuba. His Berkeley course explores the psychological science of perception, technological evolution, music, and dialogue in film, providing students with analytical tools to appreciate auditory dimensions of cinema.