Schooling the gangs

Guns, knives, street violence, gang related thuggery – the Great British populace, and the London area especially, seems to suddenly be beset with youth-related violence on a day-to-day basis. Don’t worry, The Reel isn’t about to get all Daily Mail on yo asses, we’re media savvy enough to spot a tabloid selling trend when we see one, but the current spate of serious crime has seen an up-rise in superb, socially conscious creative – so we thought we’d take a little look at some of the highlights.

In terms of credibility, Quiet Storms recent project to tackle gun crime couldn’t have a more auspicious call sheet – being co-directed by up-and-comer Dennis Gyamfi, a former Brixton gang member who left to take up the lens, and written by Lambeth teenagers Jaron Williams and Alimur Raham. Penned by the pair whilst attending a creative workshop run by Quiet Storm for students at Lambeth Academy, the piece stems from the ‘Tackling Gun Crime Creatively’ competition, entered by 100 teenagers, with the 16 ‘finalists’ taking part in the special workshops. After winning first prize, Jaron and Alimur were awarded with the opportunity to bring their idea to life through the uber-agency/production company.

Featuring the mother of a boy who has just been killed by a gun, the film follows her tear on an emotional journey - from stream on her face, to a bead of sweat on the forehead of her son’s killer, to a drop of blood from her son’s bullet wound. Over the action a chilling poem is read by a 15 year old boy, ending with the haunting line: “Not one mother cries because her son’s gone, but two”. Quiet Storm plans to run similar Anti Gun Crime projects next year with other professional role models setting similar creative projects. With everyone working on the film giving their time for free we at The Reel think the piece and concept behind it gives a great opportunity to these young people to have a voice and inspire youngsters like them to turn away from gang culture.

However, not all youth violence related ads need to have come from the brain of yoot itself. Earlier this year we were treated to two exceptional knife crime related spots from RKCR/Y&R and Sonny London, both helmed by the perennial Reel favourtie Guy Manwaring. Focusing on realism, the two pieces show the harsh reality of a knife attack – one showcasing the act itself in terrifyingly accurate CCTV style, the other showing the bloody results in a graphic lecture. Shocking and brutally effective, these two spots show that a little creative thinking and respect for the subject can pay dividends.