From the inception of CHILDREN OF THE WIND, it was our vision to have a powerful and emotional score that echoed the film’s epic visuals. We wanted to set ourselves apart from the traditionally rock-driven soundtracks of past extreme sport films and create a truly cinematic score; because the story of this film extends far deeper than the striking freestyle moves of the Bonaire boys – it is about race, class, family, and perseverance of the human soul. It was therefore crucial that we find a composer that could reflect these mature themes in the score. When our Executive Producer Pamela Laudenslager introduced me to a then sixteen year-old Phillip Lober, I was quite skeptical as to whether he could carry the full weight of underscoring a feature documentary at such a young age. However, we agreed to listen to a theme he had composed. After listening to the three-minute demo, I was in tears and had goose bumps down my arms. The song had so many remarkable nuances and layers that captured the essence of the film in a deeply emotional way that only music can achieve. He also incorporated sounds subtly reminiscent of wind and waves. This very first demo blew me away. I knew right away that Phillip understood the film at a core level, and that meant the world to me. I turned to our Producer and said, “This is our composer!” Over the next two years, Phillip and I worked closely on the score, day-by-day, scene-by-scene. Being that we lived across the country – myself in New York and Phillip in L.A. – we actually communicated solely over the phone throughout this time. The process really began after we compiled our initial rough cut. I created a “score sheet” guide for Phillip that mapped out each scene of the film and described my thoughts on the mood and tempo. Then for each section, we would start with a discussion over the phone, followed by Phillip composing an initial draft. At times that first draft was perfect, and other times we would go through five or six versions before we both felt satisfied. The most incredible aspect to our partnership was the mutual trust and respect. Phillip not only has a phenomenal musical instinct, but he is an acute and sensitive listener. He has that wonderfully rare ability to present a bold visionary composition and yet not be fearful to adapt it. I remember in particular when he was composing the music for Taty’s drug raid story (Who I Am) – perhaps the most emotionally charged sequence in the film. Phillip’s first instinct was to match the heightened drama of the scene with a dynamically layered and grand sound. I felt conflicted as to whether this was the right approach. So Phillip and I spoke at length about this scene in the days following. I told him about the moment on the beach when we filmed Taty and how honest and bare his confession felt, moving the crew to tears. Phillip also pointed out that I had edited the scene with very few cuts, letting Taty’s candid words speak for themselves. We came to the realization that the music should echo this sparse approach. I was amazed at how carefully Phillip absorbed our conversation, and then re-invented the scene’s score in a way that far surpassed my own imagination. The subtlety of this new version carried itself with such breathtaking beauty. - Daphne Schmon, director of 'Children of the Wind'