Strange Country

Directed by Rhys Day from 13co, this film was a joy to work on. Set in a far remote corner of Australia’s wilderness, Strange Country centres on the ancient spirits that inhabit the region, and the people they choose for special tasks to protect the land from those that wish to steal from it for personal gain.

My music is intentionally sparse to represent the Australian landscape and let the images and voice over take centre stage. The pallet features treated violin recordings, harmonics, playing over the bridge and fingerboard and other special effects such as percussive sounds where I tap the violin and treat it wth production techniques. I wanted to give myself a limitation with this soundtrack by only using sounds from violin, which made me think outside the box in terms of production and performance, and produces a unified distinctive sound for this score.

Starring upcoming Australian actors including Hunter Djali Yumunu Page-Lochard (The Sapphires and Around the Block) and Lily Sullivan (Jungle and
Picnic at Hanging Rock), the eerily atmospheric film was shot by Tyson Perkins, alongside D.O.P Drew English.