Blood Baths

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In the Autumn of 2016, The Social Agency embarked on one of its most ambitious projects to date – to devise and produce a comedy vampire film called Blood Baths. The inspiration for the story for this came in part from a number of our group members who like vampires, but also because we were able to a get permission to film in the old Victorian swimming baths in Tunstall. The latter came about thanks to Stoke-on-Trent’s Art City programme which enables artists to work in council owned properties that are currently closed to the public. The development of the film involved researching the portrayal of vampires in film, a local vampire story (Vampire of the Villas), and creating the characters and narrative through a series of drama sessions. The shoot took place over 4 days in late October, and let’s just say, it was warmer outside the pool that it was inside! We are indebted to professional lighting designer Dave Thom who helped create a great atmosphere with a limited rig.

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The film was then edited throughout November and received it’s premiere screening at a special showcase event held at King Street Studios, Newcastle-under-Lyme in early December 2016. The film was subsequently screened as part of the 2017 Oska Bright Film Festival in Brighton, where it received a nomination for Best Performance.

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You can see it below, along with a number of location photos taken by Natalie Willatt.

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