Calm’s This is Not a Drill campaign is a masterclass in using humour to deliver a vital message

Uniquely exploring the deeply personal and sensitive topic through the lens of drill music and comedy, This is Not a Drill – a partnership between Common People Films, Calm (Campaign Against Living Miserably), T&P, and The Young Arrows – tackles mental health head-on, speaking to the audience as directly as the narrative encourages. 

The films approach subtle signs of struggle as emergencies, weaving sharp lyrics and good humour to champion the signals highlighted in Calm’s Worried About Someone guide. At its core, the project seeks to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health and arm viewers with the knowledge and confidence to step in and help. Although younger generations, on the surface level, are perhaps the most vocal on mental health awareness, Calm’s research reveals a surprising gap, with over half of 18-24-year-olds feeling hesitant to talk about their own struggles. In flipping this narrative, This is Not a Drill creates a space where reaching out – whether for yourself or others – feels natural.

“The idea began with the thought that we should treat signs of people in mental health trouble as an emergency,” creative Osagie Samuel says. “We wanted our films to act as a wake-up call to show that young people might be suffering in silence,” he adds, whilst similarly showing how impactful it is to simply listen. “Right from the start we were adamant humour would feature,” he continues, “so we could tackle a critical issue in a way that would resonate emotionally without being overly bleak,” an approach that similarly led them to drill in the first place. Osagie explains that “drill music is an urgent, and often misunderstood genre,” one that notably resonates for Gen Z. “We felt the tension in combining this with drama and humour could be as powerful as it is unexpected.” Osagie’s creative partner Arnold Jorge (AJ) agrees, saying, “we also knew that adding sprinkles of humour would connect with people, because who doesn’t love a good laugh!”

As This is Not a Drill’s director, Kevin Hudson, explains, the challenge for the creative team was translating such a sensitive subject into something intentionally impactful. “Even though it is a sensitive and touching subject,” Kevin tells us, “we felt telling a young audience to simply check on their friends and family wouldn’t stick the same way as giving them an impactful, comedic short series would.” Notably, Kevin stresses the need to create something people would excitedly share, “whether it was due to the catchy music, comedic nature or more importantly the message,” he adds, “and by creating something that includes all three we felt it stood a better chance of reaching more eyes and ears.”

For everyone involved, This is Not a Drill strikes a personal chord, and was created with action in mind. “As someone that has been through my own mental struggles,” Kevin opens up, “I’ve previously chosen to bottle it up before realising sharing my thoughts can really help,” now hoping that, through the films, others will instead choose to. “I also hope that through this series, this topic becomes a conversation amongst everyone who watches it,” Kevin adds, “helping to spread awareness to not only those suffering in silence but also those who see the signs and then act on it.”

Osagie and AJ also hope that audiences take away the importance of listening and communication, as well as a desire to shift the harmful, toxic narratives around mental health. “I’m hoping to change the narrative that mental health is a taboo and try to make it ‘cool’ for people to speak about,” AJ says, “not embarrassing or shameful, which it really shouldn’t be.” As Osagie suggests, the mixture of drill, humour and drama is a creatively unexpected one and, hopefully, one that will catch people off-guard. “Hopefully it will stop them in their tracks while doom scrolling,” he says, “and interrupt the deluge of daily content and teach them something useful,” and actually get people talking. “During the making of this project our friend and colleague, and my creative partner, Gareth Ellis passed away,” Osagie ends, “it would be a great legacy to him if this project can help save some lives.”

If you’re struggling, don’t bottle it up. Please speak to someone or visit thecalmzone.net/get-support for support.