Taryn Gillen

Challenging actors and getting them to where they need to be emotionally is something I have a real passion for. My senior thesis film Living With Eyes Closed, gave me the opportunity to train actors to perform not just dialogue, but also emote through body language. I find that the only way to help an actor get to where they need to be emotionally is to get to that point myself. I imagine myself in a different situation to relive those emotions all over again.
In one instance I relived the moment when I took my dad to the hospital. Using method acting I got my actress to feel those same feelings` of not knowing what was happening leading to a state of panic and fear. The feeling of being at the bottom of the ocean giving out a last breath. Bringing myself back to this place I was able to transfer what I was feeling to my actress for my senior film and together we were able to get her to cry on screen.

Acting also plays a part in my Sound Design projects. My actors need to reenact what they see on screen in order to emit the correct emotions in the whisper booth. All of this first started on a film called Infinite Nightmare. I had to be disciplined and work late nights, therefore the film won an award for best sound design. I am inspired by tv shows like “The Walking Dead”, “Hannibal”, “The Following” and other popular dramas. I reference the unique sound design from movies like Thor, The Amazing Spiderman, and the Avengers to think of new methods and techniques for all my future projects.

When the lights dim down in the movie theater the first thing you notice is the slow vibrations of sound traveling from the speakers and into your seat. The audience doesn't only hear my sound but feel it. I not only want the audience to enjoy a good show, but to walk away with rememberable characters that really touched their hearts.