Francesco Le Metre on ‘Disclosure’s’ Emotional Soundtrack

Critically acclaimed, Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, has almost received a universal approval for its engaging, contextual, and reevaluation of some of our favorite films and TV shows.

Directed by Sam Feder and executive produced by Laverne Cox, Disclosure reveals how the fabled stories of Hollywood deeply influenced how we understand trans people, and how trans people are often taught to perceive themselves. Not only does this film directly deal with these serious issues, but a large component of Disclosure’s praise can be attributed to the film’s emotionally engaging original soundtrack, scored by composer Francesco Le Metre.

Based in Los Angeles but born in Italy, Le Metre up-and-coming composer who has contributed to Garth Davis’ biographical drama Lion, Marc Turtletaub’s drama Puzzle, and Greg Berlanti’s romantic comedy Love, Simon.

Audiences and critics alike agree that Le Metre truly helped reinforce the point that Feder was set out to make. The Disclosure soundtrack accompanies the film with 14 pieces that underscore the emotional nuances of the stories being told on screen. The richly textured tracks weave in and out of contemporary classical, modern indie, and synth heavy alternative to cultivate a sonic tapestry as diverse and original as the lives showcased in the film. Le Metre has positioned himself as one of the most promising composers of this generation.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Le Metre about Disclosure, as well as his passion for music and his debut album, Abroad, which was released over the summer.Hi, Francesco! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me about Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. As the film’s composer, you wrote a magnificent score. How did you get involved with this project, and why did you want to be a part of it?
Sam Feder and Amy Scholder reached out to my agent, and she sent a reel of my solo album. They both liked it, and that is kind of how they decided to go with me musically. Then on a more conceptual standpoint, my agent came to me and talked about the project and what it was about. At first, I was extremely excited. I wanted to do it. Then for a second, I felt scared in a way because it was an important project. I wanted to make sure to give it justice. I met Sam, who is an amazing human being, we connected so much immediately. He is down to earth, and Amy as well. They were both involved in the music and they were very welcoming.

I feel like when you score something new, you want to first understand the story and the message. I usually focus on what you don’t see in the picture. When I do music, I do not want to tell the story that you see in the picture, I want to tell a different side of it. When we had this meeting, I learned a lot about the community. Obviously, I knew a few things, but with this project, I learned a lot more as I was talking to them. Later, I met a lot of beautiful people and had beautiful discussions about the trans community, their history, and what they are trying to do. For being an outsider, it really opened my mind to a lot of things.

Disclosure may be up for some major awards. How exciting and significant would that be?
I don’t think anybody was expecting this amount of traction, it obviously, it is super exciting. I would not say it is exciting for me, but it is exciting for the community and for the fact that a lot of people like myself really got to know a lot of things about the trans community. We learned about the injustices, misrepresentations, and all of that.

How long did it take you to compose the score from start to finish?
I would say about three months.

How did you go about composing the score, and were there any major challenges?
As I mentioned before, when I approach a film, I always want to tell the story that is not represented on screen. I want to add something to the story. In this case, I remember meeting with Sam and talking about one of the key points around this score should be based on the paradox of visibility, which means the community had at some point more exposure, but with more exposure obviously means more excitement. People are more aware of you, but the reason why it is a paradox is because there is also more tension because some people really do not like who you are or what you are trying to do. At the same time, you become more vulnerable.

So, score wise, the challenge was to capture all of this musically. I feel like another quality Sam specifically asked for was that the music have this grounded feeling, but also be empowering. Think of the courage of the people fighting for this community. The concept was based around that, and specifically, I was thinking about how we have to use a lower register to give this sense of power, but at the same time, we did not want it to upset the music. Vulnerable, positive, all these contradictions. So, I ended up being like okay, let’s do some major key in a lower register, let’s use some guitars to create some tension and some modular synthesis to create some sort of meditative quality to the score.

When I watched the first cut, I really thought, and Sam and Amy were both in the same boat with me, the interviews had a lot of emotional weight already. Those people, I do not want to say actors, these people were sharing their stories. So, I immediately stayed away from strings and having a score that was too emotional, or at least giving off a sad emotion. I feel like the interviews have that already.

Related Article: Laverne Cox: A Trailblazer for Trans Representation

What do you hope audiences take away from the score?
I really hope that people in general become more aware of the trans community, and I feel like it goes beyond that. Be more aware and educated about other people’s difficulties. Be more accepting towards all kinds of things. That is why I do not just want to limit it to the trans community. I am saying all kinds of communities and minorities. Personally, I think when people judge certain things, they go rationally about it because they do not consider the emotional side of a person that is a minority. I feel that also goes for the African American community as well. People tend to be very logical and rational, but they need to be more emotional and understand that if they are not part of that community, then they really cannot experience what these people are experiencing.

How were you feeling once you saw the final product?
Besides the final product, the story itself really had a major impact on myself as a person. I feel like I grew up a lot and I became more aware. I have always been very open-minded, but I guess I became even more. I was not there throughout the final day, especially in post-production because I was doing the music, but I felt very proud because the project started very small, and then with the amount of work everybody put into it, I was amazed. It was a beautiful experience.What did working on Disclosure personally mean to you?
I am always a person, this sounds very pretentious, but I always like to put my art to the surface of very meaningful projects. I am not against doing projects that are not happy all the time, but personally, I feel more satisfaction when I contribute my art to a cause that is greater than the project itself. It meant a lot for me to be involved with this. Like I said, I was kind of scared at first, but I understood how much it meant for everybody to be involved.

Have you always had a passion for music?
Yes. Believe it or not, nobody in my family is a musician. Me and my brother played music when we were kids, but for some reason, my parents brought me to piano lessons when I was five-years-old, and I did it for like 6-7 years, then I switched to drums for a few years. Then I did bass. I was always playing something. Then about seven years ago, I decided that I wanted to start writing music instead of just playing all the time. I was always involved in music, and I am definitely passionate about it.

You released your debut album, Abroad, over the summer. Can you tell us more about the inspiration and concept behind it?
I wrote Abroad a few years ago, I think two years ago, and it is a concept album that really explores my personal journey. It is an emotional journey of being away from my family and loved ones. I left Italy like 10 years ago. The album starts with a sense of positivity, but also, it is a little melancholy. As you move forward towards the middle of it, it really becomes sadder and heavier because I obviously had a hard time living with the choice leaving my family to pursue my dream. Everybody has been super supportive, but personally, I feel like I am abandoning everyone. I know that sounds dramatic, but I am moving away from everybody to do this. You have pressure because you do not know if you are going to make it and you don’t have any other plans. I didn’t have any alternatives if music did not work out. So, at some point, I felt the need to tell my own personal story in music, and Abroad is exactly that journey. In fact, the album ends with a sense of hope.

How has Abroad been received by audiences?
Good! A few people have reached out to me saying they enjoyed it. I always struggle in thinking if my work is either too simple, too trivial, or too deep enough. Everybody has a different reaction, but all of them are common in saying they feel like they stepped into a very deep journey, despite it being simple because it is very minimal. It is nothing huge, but people still felt they related to it.

Related Article: Sam Feder Brings Trans Visibility to Life in ‘Disclosure’

What more do you hope to accomplish as a composer?
That is a good question [laughs]. Personally, I want to really explore myself as a musician more because as you get more involved in the industry, you can start to lose touch with yourself a little bit. Again, this may sound pretentious, but once you work on a lot of projects, you do not really have time to unplug yourself from the machine and think about where you are. So, musically, I want to keep exploring myself more, do some research about myself, and take time to develop my own voice. At the same time, I would still like to be involved with films, especially films that have a certain quality of purpose that can go beyond just entertaining people.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
I am working on a TV show with a dear friend of mine, mentor, and obviously, fellow composer, Dustin O’Halloran. We are doing this TV show right now, and I think that is going to keep me busy until February. Other than that, who knows what will come next? Especially with COVID. Maybe I will have some time to do some research and soul searching to create some music again that is purely personal.

To stay up-to-date with Le Metre, follow him on Instagram, or visit his official website. Disclosure is streaming on Netflix, and Abroad is streaming on Spotify and all other digital media platforms. The official soundtrack for Disclosure is also available on all streaming platforms, and is available on vinyl via MONDO.

Photos Courtesy of Francesco Le Metre