Jan Krzysztof Nosal
Role: sound recordist and sound designer for two graduate projects:
"Tymek"
After relocating to rural Ireland, a defiant Polish teen finds himself at odds with everything around him - especially his father. Stuck in a place that feels nothing like home, their clashes simmer until rebellion turns personal, and the fallout becomes impossible to ignore.
"At What Cost?"
After being denied disability allowance, a father battling depression is forced to look for work, despite being unfit for it. Alone and unmoored, he feels cut off from the world—and most painfully, from his young daughter. As he struggles to close the widening gap, a system meant to support him pushes him further to the edge.
TYMEK
AT WHAT COST?
These two films differ greatly in style and tone. Tymek is bold and rebellious, rich with the sounds of leather, chains, and pounding punk music. At What Cost? leans into social realism—slow and contemplative, with sparse dialogue, framed by the ambient sounds of urban Dublin and a cold, biting wind.
Despite their differences, my goal in both was the same: to draw the audience into each protagonist’s world through an immersive, emotionally resonant soundtrack.
In Tymek, the loud energy of punk culture is suddenly replaced by the bleak quiet of a rural town. Rain pounds on the metal roof of his new room; classrooms in his new school echo with emptiness. As Tymek begins to accept his new life, familiar sounds bring him solace. I believe the sound design elevates the emotional weight of his journey, makes the difficult relationship with his father feel even more raw, and carries the film to a powerful conclusion.
The soundtrack of At What Cost? immerses the audience in a city soundscape—from the hum of a dingy apartment to the clamour of traffic and construction, and finally, the muted calm of the seaside, where crashing waves and distant seagulls drown out the urban noise. This is the world in which the protagonist, Elliot, feels overwhelmed and crushed. It’s chaotic and unstable, like his life, and it never yields to the peace he so desperately seeks. Through sound, we move closer to understanding his pain and empathising with his struggles.
I’m proud of my work on both films. I achieved what I set out to do and discovered new ideas along the way. Each project was both collaborative and creatively fulfilling, pushing me to refine my technical skills while remaining responsive to the needs of each story. They deepened my understanding of how sound can shape emotion, rhythm, and perspective in film.
This thesis aims to provide a detailed exploration of how sound designers can effectively use diegetic and non-diegetic sounds to craft unique soundtracks which elevate the art of filmmaking.
I'm a film sound major with a long-standing passion for storytelling through cinema. After moving from Poland to Ireland to study at the NFS, I focused on location and post-production sound. I’m dedicated to professionalism, recording quality sound, and crafting immersive soundscapes that enhance narrative emotion and bring characters to life.
