DOUGLAS ROMAYNE: Expressing the Inexpressible “...This album...is a fabulous demonstration of Romayne's ability to create melodic, large-sounding scores in many genres...This release is highly recommended for those interested in hearing a voice that we can only hope will move on to more high profile assignments...” —Steven A. Kennedy, Film Score Monthly Online, 6.19.07 Available At iTunes Movie Music Online CD BABY

As filmmakers reach for greater levels of subtlety and emotional sophistication in their films, the job of writing music for those films becomes more challenging. Such was the case with Lindsey Shockley's drama, The Truth About Faces. Not only did Lindsey write a delicate, unfolding story about a mother and daughter dealing with a recent tragedy, but she also chose to shoot the entire 13 minute film as one continuous take. The result is a touching, unrelenting and honest look at some of the ways people deal with grief.

The challenge came on two levels - first, how to underscore the emotional thread of the story without becoming maudlin or melodramatic. Lindsey relayed to me up front that some had advised against any score at all, while others had suggested using only source music, i.e. songs being played in the clothing store where the film takes place. I certainly see the wisdom in both of those viewpoints, but Lindsey felt there needed to be some emotional underpinning that only score could provide.

The second challenge was more logistic - where to bring music in when there are no traditional filmic breaks in the story, i.e. cuts, fades, etc. In dramatic films especially, I often look to bring in the music in a manner that doesn't call too much attention to itself. Usually the entrance is motivated by shifts in drama and/or dialogue, but it also helps when there is a cut or fade or some action to help camouflage the entrance. In Faces, there were none of these mechanical props.

The solution to both challenges was to create a simple, evocative theme that appears when the characters reach points in the drama when they can no longer keep their 'everything is okay' masks on. There is never any gushing of emotion or a moment of grand resolution - Lindsey is too mature a writer and director to let that happen - but by quietly, almost subliminally, supporting these moments with music, they become ever so slightly more powerful.

The bulk of the music in the film comes at the very end of the story and over the end credits in the cue "Baby Steps." The title comes from Lindsey's description of the characters' emotional state at the close of the story - there is no quick or easy resolution to the loss they've experienced, but every day, as they celebrate the past and find ways to move forward, they take a few more baby steps toward happiness.