Berger studiedexperimental psychology at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[3] He took part in the recording of somedocumentaries for radio about the opposition toVietnam. Through this work, he got a job in the South focused on the civil rights of workers. He spent nine months inNew Orleans making the film. When he returned to Berkeley, he started to realize that his filming experience was more interesting than his studies and he found a job recording sound for a documentary on the programs of theU.S. Agency for International Development [USAID]. He visited 11 countries in the course of 7 days.[2]
After Berger worked on the documentaryThe Place for No Story,Walter Murch noticed him. Murch was an editor and sound mixer who had been working withGeorge Lucas andFrancis Ford Coppola.[2] He tried to recruit Berger for Coppola’s new film –The Conversation – but Berger was committed to a trip to Cuba to interviewFidel Castro. When Berger returned and got in touch with Murch he was offered the job of working onThe Godfather, Part II. This was his first job in feature film.[2]
Berger created, and has been teaching the “Film 140: The Sound of Film” course at UC Berkeley in their undergraduate program since the year 2000.[2] Berger is married to Berkeley City Council member Susan Wengraf.[2]
