Three Short Documentaries from Emerging Filmmakers Challenge Narrow View of Drill Music

In 2020, Livity partnered with YouTube Originals to launch Terms & Conditions Film School, following on from the feature-length YouTube Original documentary Terms & Conditions: A UK Drill Story. The aim was to continue empowering next gen creatives and extend the story through the lens of three emerging documentary filmmakers. 

The school launched in November last year with a call to all young aspiring music documentary film markers within Livity’s 4,000+ network of young creatives, entrepreneurs, taste makers and innovators. 

With a total of 150 applicants, the Livity and YouTube Originals team selected 15 students to attend a weekend long ‘school’. Here they went through a storytelling and filmmaking curriculum of workshops led by the Livity team alongside industry insiders such as Terms & Conditions director Brian Hill and producer Kandice Abiola; director Olivia Rose Garden; YouTube music journalist Mr Montgomery; TikTok’s head of UK artist partnerships, David Mogendorff; LinkUp TV creative director, Jordan Boza; and YouTube Originals’ head of originals, Luke Hyams. 

The students were then supported and mentored by the Livity team to develop their own music-powered short documentaries across a week. The final treatments were reviewed by a panel including Livity creative director, James Hogwood, and YouTube Originals’ Luke Hyams, and three final filmmakers were selected to have their stories commissioned. 

The three young filmmakers and films selected were:

 

An artful documentary deconstructing the hypermasculine stereotypes that society forces on young Black men, through the experiences of rapper Joe Bay (aka Fr Joey).

19-year-old music video director Ellis has made a mini-doc exploring the experiences of Lid, a young gay, female rapper who grew up in care; exploring the challenges she has faced and how she channels them into her music.

First time documentary maker Steph decided to tell a story about the evolving status of female rappers in the UK; how they have to work harder than their male counterparts to have their talents realised, and how they push against the stereotypes imposed on them.

All films have been launched this week in partnership with Linkup TV. 

Currently within society there is a very narrow view of Drill music, its cultural impact, and the communities behind the artform. This activation helps to share wider perspectives of the culture of Drill and UK rap in general, increasing diversity in front of and behind the camera.

Livity creative director James Hogwood says: "What makes Terms and Conditions: A UK Drill Story so impactful for me is that it explores the artform, its cultural impact, and the community behind it in a curious, open minded way. Livity jumped at the opportunity of working with YouTube Originals to extend the story, through the lens of three young filmmakers who, while creatively unique in their own ways, share that same curiosity and passion for the culture.”

"With Terms and Conditions Film School, Livity gave a group of 20 young emerging filmmakers a weekend documentary skills 'bootcamp' to build their knowledge and confidence, so they could pitch original, music-powered mini-documentaries to a panel of YouTube Originals and Livity judges. Three were selected as our winners — and from that point Livity supported them closely on everything from developing treatments, to building their production teams and prepping interviews and planning Covid-safe shoots through to shaping the final edit. We're deeply proud of Naomi, Stephanie and Ellis, and what they've achieved with their films.

"YouTube Originals have used their platform to support next gen creatives. That's a powerful action to take in the world at any time, but especially in the context of Covid, when we've seen so many young people at the start of their careers struggling for meaningful opportunities. From the insight and access given by the Film School, to commissioning Naomi, Ellis and Stephanie, these gestures speak volumes and have rewarded the brand with three original, authentic stories. More brands should follow the YouTube Originals example.”