A film reflecting Bath’s uncharacteristically silent streets during lockdown has been produced by a recent graduate and a visual content producer at Bath Spa University.
Lockdown Lullaby was made by Eve Betts in collaboration with BA (Hons) acting graduate Naomi Knox, who supplied a self-scripted spoken word recital about Bath and her lessons learned during lockdown. 
Eve said: “Making this film meant a lot. We wanted to reflect on just how eerily quiet the streets have become during this time. The city is just as much an important part of staff, students’ and graduates’ lives as our campuses are.”
From the usually busy and bustling Bath Abbey to Walcot Street, Pulteney Bridge and Victoria Park, and the university’s picturesque Newton Park campus and more, the video takes viewers on a unique tour of Bath.
Eve added: “It felt surreal to walk around empty roads that would usually have people socialising on every corner. Capturing the city for the whole community was central to the film and Naomi’s words have really brought it to life in a wonderful way.
“Although the lockdown has, and continues to be, a challenging journey for many, it has also brought out the good in our community, and this film is to remind everyone that it won’t be quiet forever.”
Eve said making the video was a real team effort.
“Normally artists would come and sit in the editing suite with me and we talk through it together from start to finish,” she said.
“This time, due to social distancing and lockdown itself, we had to do everything virtually. I sent Naomi the shots of Bath first and then she sent her words back to me, so it was very much a mutual process – and it really worked well.”
The theme of unity underlines the video. Bringing the poem to a close, Naomi says “In this disarray, I pray I find understanding, that when these streets populate again, love is not abandoned”.
Naomi said she was inspired by her own experiences during lockdown and her reflections on them.
“I asked myself, and believe we should all question, ‘What will I take away from this time?’ With how the world is feeling today, especially speaking as a Black person, I feel a true need for the love shown online in solidarity in this time to go beyond post-lockdown.
“My experience of my day-to-day life changing, as well as my perspective on many things, is and should be universal in my opinion, and that’s the story I wanted to tell. I would like to thank Bath Spa University for giving me this opportunity, I am forever grateful.”
To watch Lockdown Lullaby, go to Bath Spa University’s YouTube channel here.
Bath Spa is one of the UK’s leading creative universities, offering a wide range of courses across the arts, sciences, education, social science and business to more than 7,000 students.
A group of students from its BA (Hons) Film, Television and Digital Production degree course, in collaboration with performers from BA (Hons) Comedy, recently created a 30-minute improvised comedy show titled Pulling the Strings to help lift the gloom of lockdown – conceiving, writing, filming and editing it while working remotely and with social distancing measures in place.
