Tommy Nesbitt
When her daughter Chloe emigrates to Australia, Aislin confronts the emptiness left behind. Struggling with loss beyond absence - her sense of purpose and identity - she faces the challenge of redefining herself outside motherhood. As routine unravels, Aislin must find the courage to embrace change, put herself first, and discover where she truly belongs.
Role: Sound Recordist / Sound Designer
SÁRÚ is a chilling folk horror short rooted in Irish mythology. When a young girl moves into a secluded house on the edge of an ancient forest, she discovers a mysterious fairy ring hidden within. Drawn by curiosity, she crosses a threshold never meant to be broken - unleashing the preternatural, as the forgotten rules of the old world claw their way back.
Role: Sound Recordist
Through working on these two films, I further familiarised myself with the gear and the relationships between departments on set. I improved my collaborative skills and my ability to effectively communicate issues and solve them quickly. I became more comfortable with the commands and plugins on Pro-Tools during post-production. I became more comfortable with recording on location through both of these projects. I gained a clearer understanding of the layout and technicalities of the ZOOM recorder and the communicative abilities necessary for effective collaborative working.
For my thesis I explored the dark, experimental and hallucinatory works of the late Kenneth Anger, a renowned figure in the American underground film scene and avant-garde circles. I aimed to study his work through his employment of aesthetically beautiful and dark imagery and his use of symbolism and mythology. Anger's controversial and thought-provoking themes were of deep interest to me. I studied his past and background and showed how it influenced a variety of techniques and motifs present throughout his films. Anger's promulgation of occult spirituality mixed with his own unique identity and ideas was of great interest to me. I explored his use of soundscapes and music and his influence on the popularisation of the music video through his juxtaposition of 60s pop and rock songs with images that shouldn't match. Through juxtaposition, Anger sends messages to the audience regarding how the image should be interpreted and how the film as a whole should be interpreted. Anger's uncompromising faith in his own artistic visions and his fearless opposition to censorship with his art is something I find inspiring.
Tommy Nesbitt majored in sound design and has a strong interest in experimental film, particularly in how visual arts—such as painting and illustration—influence cinematic expression. His work explores the dissolution of traditional, chronological narrative structures.
Tommy believes that films which break from aesthetic and structural conventions often reveal more universal truths about life, existence, and differing perspectives. He is drawn to liberated forms that allow for creative freedom and maximize the potential for expressing inner truths.
His practice seeks to solidify the subtle yet powerful connection between poetic literature, visual aesthetics, and moving images.
