Margate's Tidal Pool Explored in Meditative Docu-Short

Sheffield Doc Fest 2018 draws to a close tomorrow, and among the short films premiering on its final day is Taking the Waters, a cinematic study of an 80-year-old tidal pool in the rapidly-gentrifying coastal town of Margate, and the diverse group of swimmers who brave the waters inside its walls.

Directed by two Margate residents - Selfridges' resident filmmaker, Kathryn Ferguson and writer Anna Hart - the 18-minute film, conceived in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum, touches on themes of community, diversity, society and mental health to illustrate the healing power of the sea and the importance of this local 'watering hole' during turbulent political times.

Ahead of its world premiere tomorrow, shots caught up with the directors to find out more.

Co-directors Kathryn Ferguson [left] and Anna Hart

You decided to make the documentary in response to the unsettled socio-political landscape post-Brexit referendum. Tell us a bit more about the production process and how you made the idea a reality.
 
During tumultuous political times, community becomes so much more important, and safe communal spaces are more precious than ever. Against the backdrop of Brexit, Margate's tidal pool felt like a true oasis, a place of positivity, humanity and serenity despite the unsettled political landscape we suddenly found ourselves in, having moved to a UKIP stronghold the same month of the Brexit vote. Sea swimming in this Grade II listed 1930s lido became our coping mechanism, and as we swam, we were struck by the encouraging diversity and reassuring sense of community in the pool - a much-needed counter to the xenophobia and division being reported back on dry land. 

"Due to the nurturing, caring, protective spirit of a tidal pool, it seemed natural to make it a 'she'."

As we swam, we discussed how we felt this cherished human watering hole needed to be documented, and as it was so visual, so visceral, and so relatable, the best medium would be film. We found our cast members quite literally by swimming up to them, from a 60-something Barry on his dawn swims, to families splashing around in the shallows. Speaking to other swimmers, finding out about their backgrounds, their swimming rituals, and what makes them get in the water, and pulling together a diverse and representative cast immersed us in the local community in a really magical way. 
 

Once we'd secured the cast, we put together a talented crew, and we were fortunate to find many of Kathryn's regular crew believed in the project enough to support it. We booked the crew and equipment for two consecutive summer weekends - although we got one heatwave weekend and one melodramatic storm - and threw ourselves in at the deep end, quite literally. 

The decision to anthropomorphise the tidal pool and give ‘her’ a voice is interesting, what inspired that?
 
We wanted to make the film in 2018 as a tribute to this 80-year-old, Grade II listed Margate institution. And it really felt like the pool had a personality; every swimmer relates to the pool in a personal way, there's a relationship there. Due to the nurturing, caring, protective spirit of a tidal pool, it seemed natural to make it a 'she'. There are also a larger number of female wild swimmers than male, interestingly. To us, and many swimmers we spoke to, the pool feels like a wise and venerable grande dame, who had weathered a lot over her eighty years. We wanted her voice to tie the narrative together, bookending the film, but we believed in letting the voices of the swimmers speak for themselves.  

You approached casting by simply swimming up to people in the pool. Was it literally a case of approaching people who looked interesting? Who had the most surprising back story? And were there any people or stories you didn’t/couldn’t include but wanted to?  
 
Most people who swim in the pool look interesting to us! Leaping into bracing British seawater isn't for the faint-hearted, so the walls are a pretty good edit in themselves. The sea attracts bold, brave, big-hearted people, and we were blown away by the people we met within these three walls.  

It looks as though you shot in all weather conditions, which must have been challenging...

We shot over two consecutive weekends. The first was a typical Margate summer’s weekend with blaring sun, startling orange sunsets and calm waters and the second a blustery, stormy weekend that was more reminiscent of midwinter. We were in a bit of a conundrum of what to do the second weekend as it was so vastly different. We decided to embrace it and in fact, in hindsight, some of our favourite scenes were shot when the sea was at it’s wildest. We faced a fair few technical challenges throughout the shoot mostly related to attempting to film in and under the water. We were at mercy of the tides so had to base our shooting schedule around what they were doing which also proved quite tricky. 

The film is very much a community project, from the cast to the crew – even the soundtrack came courtesy of a Margate-based label, PRAH Recordings.  What’s been the response from the locals? 

We screened a preview of the first cut last summer in Margate, expecting only to have a few friends turn up. We had over 250 and had to add extra screenings to accommodate everyone. The support in Margate has been overwhelming. We were also very touched that the film seemed to emotionally connect with Margate residents and we’ve been cheered onwards ever since which has been wonderful. 

Ultimately, what message do you hope viewers will take away from the film?

Even at times of disconnectedness, division and disillusion, we can still find places that restore our humanity and hope. Human watering holes like Margate's tidal pool are precious and should be celebrated.