Written, Directed and animated by Ian W. Gouldstone
Additional animation by Martin Lye
Sound Design by Ian W. Gouldstone and Time Cullen; The Bridge Studios
Produced by Andy Gorden

A compelling musical take on climate change and how it affects people worldwide.

When OXFAM and Sound Talent approached me about making an awareness film about the human impact of climate change for an international audience at a wide variety of venues (TV, cinema, web, music festivals), I was floored by the scope of the project. Writing and directing a meaningful film about climate change is complex enough in itself. But producing it for a wide variety of cultures across the world seemed nearly impossible! Especially since different countries’ experiences of climate change are vastly different. However, my job was clear—this film needed to work for everyone across the world.

I was very tempted just there to drag out the old cliché that the film needed to make a very powerful statement...but that actually wasn’t the case. In my experience, telling people what to do might work for a while, but it eventually just aggravates them because you’re positioning yourself above them and saying, ‘I know best.’ It makes me quite angry just thinking about all the films out there that do that. So, with Face the Music I wanted people to take responsibility, come to their own conclusions, and make their own messages. And the best way of doing that, in my experience, is to ask the right questions and give people the responsibility to answer them how they see fit.

Indeed, responsibility flows through this film. The overall approach urges people to edit the film themselves as they would a painting—by looking at different parts of the picture instead of using forced editorial cuts. Unlike a painting, though, the film is time based, so you can’t possibly take in every element of the landscape. Of course, this approach relies on the audience actually wanting to watch this semi-sadistic piece, so making it fun was super important.

That’s why you might notice lots of videogame ideas and references in this piece: Guitar Hero and Populous in particular. And even if you don’t notice them, the visuals drawn in a fun, colourful style inspired by naive folk art. And if you still don’t notice that—well, there’s the universal appeal of carefully synched choreography and music to draw you in.

As conceptually water-tight as the film seems now, the idea required a great deal of faith on everyone’s part in the beginning stages. Indeed, right up until the end of production, there were a bazillion questions that could not be answered until the film was actually done. But with regular objective check-ups from the client, a small yet exceptionally strong and dedicated production team, and most importantly a willingness on everyone’s part to give the film a soul of its own, I genuinely believe we’ve created something special that actually has a chance to making a lasting impact.

Ian W. Gouldstone, 2008