Padraig Gilmore
My documentary is about my granny, May Kenna, and her lived experience within the home that has multiple generations of my family. The aim of my documentary short was to explore memory, nostalgia and continuity through May’s storytelling, using a combination of pictures from the present and the past. Instead of constructing a conventional narrative, I wanted my granny to share anecdotes of her life to guide the structure of my documentary. The house functions not only as a setting but as a place of memory, containing stories of childhood, motherhood and family life. My choice for doing a documentary about my granny came from listening to her share all of her stories with us growing up and even now.
My project explores how the sound design of 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild' shapes player emotion and perception within its open world environment. Focusing on silence, adaptive music systems, leitmotifs and memory, my project examines how BOTW doesn't just use sound as background accompaniment, but also as a core element of immersion and storytelling. By analysing the contrast of the silent over world and the emotionally resonant themes associated with villages and the Champions, my project argues that Breath of the Wild creates a fragmented yet deeply immersive soundscape that redefines the role of music in open-world video games. Using theories from game sound studies, my project shows how audio design can shape a player's emotional experience, sense of space and connection to the story.
Hello! My name is Padraig Gilmore and in the past four years of completing my New Media Studies degree, I've creating all sorts of projects that I am proud of and have highlighted here in my OnShow! Throughout my time in NMS, I learned a lot of new skills and honed them through my four years of study. I have a passion for graphic design and editing. These and many other skills helped me in creating podcasts, short films, documentaries and video essays like the one for my final project titled 'Sound, Space and Solitude: The Evocative Soundscape of Breath of the Wild'.
Hope you enjoy! :P
