Glastonbury Presents: Live At Worthy Farm wins prestigious Royal Television Society Award

23 November 2021 - Press release

Driift, the pioneering promoter and producer of livestream music events, is deeply honoured that our Live At Worthy Farm livestream for Glastonbury Festival, and the stunning camera work of director Paul Dugdale and team, has been recognised at the prestigious RTS Craft & Design Awards 2021 - winning the category for Best Director Multicamera. 

Paul and Driift were also shortlisted in the category for Multicamera Work. 

Hosted last night at the London Hilton on Park Lane, the RTS Craft & Design Awards celebrate excellence in broadcast television and aim to recognise the huge variety of skills and processes involved in programme making. 

Broadcast online on May 22nd, the hugely ambitious 6-hour+ global livestream was shot on location across Glastonbury's iconic Worthy Farm site, and featured performances from Wolf Alice, Michael Kiwanuka, George Ezra, IDLES, HAIM, Coldplay, Damon Albarn, Jorja Smith, Kano, DJ Honey Dijon and Róisín Murphy, as well as a world exclusive set from The Smile, a new project from Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. Live At Worthy Farm also featured spoken word interludes from PJ Harvey, Jarvis Cocker, Kae Tempest, George The Poet, Kurupt FM, Little Amal and festival-founder Michael Eavis.

View the video trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFL96Ommwsg

Proceeds from the event supported Glastonbury's three main charity partners, Oxfam, WaterAid and Greenpeace, as well as helping to secure the Festival's return in 2022. Co-produced by BBC Studios Productions, selected highlights from the livestream were broadcast as part of the BBC's Glastonbury Experience 2021 alongside a 60m behind-the-scenes documentary, presented by BBC Radio 2's Jo Whiley. 

The RTS jury gave particular praise to the project's utilisation of multiple locations across the 900-acre farm, stating they were "very excited about this winner and their amazing work, directing and executing many different styles for each of the acts in their various locations."

Ric Salmon, CEO, Driift: 
"Live At Worthy Farm was undoubtedly Driift's most ambitious and challenging livestream to date. In the middle of the pandemic, it was a huge undertaking involving hundreds of people behind the scenes. Despite some well-documented technical issues with the transmission that affected some ticket buyers, I am immensely proud of what was achieved creatively and we are all delighted that the production and craftsmanship of the project, and especially the work of our brilliant director Paul Dugdale and his team, has been recognised with such a prestigious award." 

Paul Dugdale: 
"I am absolutely delighted to receive such a major accolade from the Royal Television Society. From a directorial perspective, Live At Worthy Farm was a hugely complex and physically demanding undertaking - shooting multiple performances across a diverse range of environments, and then editing the recordings into a coherent long-form film. Given the context of the pandemic and the shutdown of live music and festivals, I think it stands as an incredible team achievement and a work I'm extremely proud of."

Nominated for multiple Grammys, Paul is one of the world's leading multi camera directors, responsible for creating critically acclaimed, pioneering concert films, music documentaries and global live events. He has worked with the world's biggest artists, including Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, Shawn Mendes, Coldplay, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, The Prodigy, Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Green Day and U2, and collaborated with Driift on multiple projects, including Niall Horan's hugely successful livestream from London's Royal Albert Hall. 

Earlier this month, Paul directed Adele's live US TV comeback For One Night Only from the Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, premiering on CBS and now broadcast around the world. 

Launched in August 2020, Driift has built a reputation for creating unique pay-per-view online events. The company has produced and promoted shows for artists including Nick Cave, Niall Horan, Kylie Minogue, Biffy Clyro, Andrea Bocelli, Laura Marling, Dermot Kennedy, Courtney Barnett, Dita Von Teese and Sheryl Crow, selling more than 600,000 tickets to audiences around the world. 

Upcoming shows for Driift include Living Proof, a global live event for The War On Drugs, filmed at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and premiering on Thursday December 9th.