Features
Glastonbury Livestream Director Wins BAFTA
“Glastonbury Festival presents Live At Worthy Farm,” the 2021 livestream, co-produced by Driift and BBC Studios Productions, was one of the winner’s at last night’s 2022 BAFTA TV Craft Awards, with Paul Dugdale picking up the “Director: Multi-Camera” award for his creative and innovative approach to this event.
“Glastonbury Festival presents Live At Worthy Farm,” a ticketed event streamed globally, featured performances from artists including Coldplay, HAIM, Wolf Alice, IDLES, Jorja Smith, Kano and Damon Albarn, all shot on location across the iconic festival site in Somerset, England.
Dugdale has worked extensively with Driift since 2020, including productions for Niall Horan at the Royal Albert Hall, James Bay from Shakespeare’s Globe and The Smile at Magazine, London. His work on Live At Worthy Farm was previously recognised at the 2021 Royal Television Society’s Craft & Design Awards.
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Paul Dugdale said, “I’m so delighted to receive this recognition from BAFTA. This category, as its title suggests, is the result of a collaboration of astonishing work, from a cast of very talented people. I’m so thrilled to be able to represent the team, and be honoured for directing this film. To win for a project that celebrates music and the arts, and of course celebrates the worlds greatest festival is a huge thrill.”
Driift’s chief executive Ric Salmon said, “As well as collaborating with the world’s greatest artists, Driift is committed to working with the world’s most creative directors and we are absolutely delighted that Paul’s technical innovation has been recognised by BAFTA – and against some incredibly strong competition. Filming so many artists across such an immense and formidable environment as the Glastonbury Festival site presented some real technical challenges, and yet Paul’s work never loses its sense of coherence or wonder. It’s a real landmark moment to be recognised in this way.”
Incredible news on @thepauldugdale winning a @BAFTA for Live At Worthy Farm. So well deserved. https://t.co/YrPmYxYVEp
— Emily Eavis (@emilyeavis) April 25, 2022
Glastonbury promoter Emily Eavis tweeted, “Incredible news on @thepauldugdale winning a @BAFTA for Live At Worthy Farm. So well deserved.”
Coldplay tweeted, “Massive congrats @thepauldugdale and everyone involved
@glastonbury. Totally deserved. PH.”
Earlier this month, Live At Worthy Farm was named as a “Webby Honoree” at the 26th Annual Webby Awards, hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, in the Virtual & Remote – Best Performance category.
Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 14,300 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The distinction of Webby Honoree is granted to only the top 20% of all work entered into the 26th Annual Webby Awards.
For the second year in succession, Driift are also shortlisted at the 2022 Music Week Awards in the category of Live Music Music Innovation.
Driift, by its own admission, has sold more than 600,000 tickets to audiences worldwide since launching with series of ticketed online shows for the likes of Laura Marling, Dermot Kennedy and Biffy Clyro in 2020. Since then, the company has also produced shows for artists including Niall Horan, Nick Cave, The War On Drugs, Kylie Minogue, Andrea Bocelli, Big Thief and Sheryl Crow.
Over recent months, Driift has delivered hybrid event for The Smile at Magazine London that combined three separate in-person performances with simultaneous livestreams; a St Patrick’s Day livestream for Fontaines DC in partnership with Jameson; a “House Show” with Big Thief; and a one-off online show for Westlife watched by a record-breaking audience of 24 million via TenCent’s Weixin platform.