About the Score of Tkaronto

Shane and I quickly agreed that the film needed a score that was both intense and intimate. Thus, it needed to be cinematic yet not overblown or typically sentimental.

Composing a score for string quartet offered a unique opportunity to hire a small group of musicians for an independent film, hence leaving midi and loops, etc. out of it. It also provided the chance to work within a format (the string quartet) that has psychological implications—the format of string quartets has been, at least in the past century, one where you can discover the composer in a very stripped down, personal, “psychological” way. This perhaps unconscious connection composers have to this format seemed well suited to a story where the characters are engaged in a tremendous amount of emotion and intense thought. I felt the music could guide us through the psychological journey of these characters, experiencing the depth and juxtapositions of their struggles while giving us the cinematic feeling Shane and I had discussed as being very important.

I also think a film like this—shot with a low budget, restricted by a million and one things—needs to stay focused on its intent and as a composer, to compose for four players helps focus the score in a way I hope befitting the film.