Reflection: ‘Sex Lies & Depravity (2012) + RARE Photographs

In 2012 we made a film called ‘Jake’ that was later known as ‘Sex Lies & Depravity’ upon distribution in the United States. I’ve made a brief little piece here, as today I have come across thousands of pictures from the shoot that I think even I’d forgotten existed.

If you like your movies indie, a little grungy, and very rough around the edges, then S.L.D is certainly a product of its time – like a bargain bin ‘Skins’, but still with relevant messages on domestic abuse, sexuality, youth and addiction. I’d started writing ‘Jake’ before making an acquaintance with Jason Impey. I was introduced to his mother in a local pub, and a few days later he called me asking to see the script… The rest, as they say, is history! It would begin a working relationship that spanned numerous films, and on/off working in collaboration over the last twelve years.

(The first promotional shoot and meeting as a group. As a note, the guy in the pink shirt didn’t even end up playing Arran and was replaced during filming by Matthew Hopkins. Feb 2012).

I have little to do with film these days, preferring to focus on the special interest work that I do, both written and in photography, but as chance would have it, I did team up with Jason this year to film ‘The Lustful Dead II’ – a one-off, 10th-anniversary project stemmed from it’s original.

Sex Lies and Depravity initially had two stand-alone films, and then in 2019 we collaborated once more, with a cast both new and old to make ‘The Last Sex Lies & Depravity’. The film itself pales to the original two, but that isn’t due to quality – the third film’s quality is far superior to its predecessors, but the charm is gone…

A young me on set! This was the ‘sound stage’ in which the roof later came tumbling in – April 2012.

I am still bemused that these films to this day are so widely streamed across the globe. As well as writing the film, I played Ethan Price, an inner-city drug flipper, and big mouth! From my supporting role in the first feature, Ethan went on to become a central character, an anti-hero if you will! These films represent his descent into chaos, and emotionally he was the most challenging character I have ever played. It is exhausting being constantly angry, and Ethan was an extremely volatile person!

‘Pissing about’ – on Set Leigh Sorrell & Wade Radford.

‘Jake’ was filmed across Milton Keynes city centre and surroundings – The shoot lasted for seven exhausting days between late March to April, with the final scenes taking eighteen hours against a schedule that was running out of time! I since have never worked with such a tight-knit group, dare I use the word ‘Family’ – but the cast was incredibly close at that time! Local take-outs supported the film by feeding us, and pubs and homes were provided by those who wanted to back us – it was a community affair! We created one set that would have a particularly rough time, out of a garden gym/shed (a type of sound stage), that when we went back to use for the final scenes the roof had fallen in from the rain! No money exchanged hands for this production, the cast drove from all over for what they believed in, I ran pick-ups and drop-offs to the stations, and we had (initially) strangers staying in our homes to make this production work.

Jason often used to talk about the ‘Jurassic Park’ early morning – it was a memory of his that he still talks about! We’d been up all night shooting and needed to film the scene in which Jake has a showdown with Hannah & Ethan. The time was nearly up, and the sun would come up soon! We did a bit of ‘breaking and entry’ and opened a gate to private land, somewhere in the middle of nowhere where we could scream and shout without raising suspicion. Once we’d got through I had Jason in my car, and the rain beat down torrentially – Jason and I got flung from side to side as I kept speed in the vehicle across the field so as not to get stuck in all the mud. The shoot ended with around eight people sleeping against walls in one of the production assistant flats.

Between takes – Kealey, Wade & Natascha. Mar 2012.

We filmed at the now-defunct Milton Keynes Ice Rink. I had a permit from central management but we were met with resistance upon arriving. I think it was ITV who were filming there as well. A woman strides up to me and says ‘You can’t film here, we have a major celebrity, and you can’t catch them on your camera!’. I explained we had a permit and would be filming – I don’t suffer fools gladly! She kept reiterating about a ‘major celebrity’, so I asked her who it was as she wanted me to enquire clearly. She told me ‘Well actually, it’s Kirk from Coronation Street!’ – I said ‘Who!’ and then I laughed! The situation ended with me sticking to my guns, and subsequently putting cones through the middle of the Rink – ‘You film that way, and I’ll film this way!’ I told her… I then asked her not to get MY major celebrity on camera that we were filming! Ever sarcastic I was and she was pissed off! I have no time for national broadcasters and their paddies!

My first ever ‘sex’ scene in the last chapter of the film was the LEAST erotic experience I’ve EVER had! Zachary and myself were doing ‘our thing’, Jason was on top of us, standing above us pointing a camera down – and every so often, Niah would pop up from beside the bed to spray glycerin in my face for sweat!

From sets falling apart, glass in my wrist, ‘past its best’ bacon giving the actors a bad gut – S.L.D was chaos, and we enjoyed it! The soundtrack was beyond amazing combining the talents of veterans such as punk Honey Bane, and the melodic Kerry Jo Hodgkin with newcomers Jamie Stimpson, Mister Vitez & Adiescar Chase. Curiously I recently found out that the very talented Adiescar went on to have a career composing music and has been nominated for a BAFTA for the compositions for Netflix Heartstopper – Chase also composed some of the sounds for the sequel! Honey Bane continues to make music, and from what I know Kerry Jo Hodgkin still performs live in various productions – Kerry Jo also played the social worker to Carrie in the film, and its subsequent sequel!

I’m not sure about what became of a lot of the cast – I do believe a number of them have now left the acting game. Last I heard central man Leigh Sorrell was involved in voice work – and from what I’d seen of it his impersonations were super amazing!

Actors also had to do everything else!

When we first sent the film to distributors they didn’t like the title ‘Jake’ – Which I understand! Jason emails me one day and says ‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! – The label wanted to call the film ‘Fags, Bitches & Deprivation’ – The censors banned it! So, Sex Lies and Depravity it became, and I’ve always hated that title for its unoriginality and its attempt to milk a cash cow that wasn’t ours – Maybe I’d have preferred fags and bitches!

A lot of people gave time willingly to this – working for nothing (Jason and I) included, but just having passion! From Niah Hallam heading a brilliant makeup team, to Heaven Mayer who just got so stuck in assisting with production and then set dresser Victoria Howlett, with whom I’d shared a long partnership before prior.

As for Jason and I, we went onto to make 12 feature films together and numerous other shorts. Jason also served as an editor on my short debut ‘Boys on 8 Tape’ (2014), and rendered sound and masters for my debut feature ‘Caught in a Landslide’ (2017). With TWINK (2014) we received a high amount of success together, and between 2014 and 2015 we saw an incredible shift to our successes. Jason is still heavily involved in film, and since 2021 I’ve been heading BedlamBD, creating and distributing my photography, poetry, and special interest zines and books.

When I went through these pictures of ‘Sex Lies & Depravity’, it was very apparent to me just how much fun we had, had – I caught myself smiling multiple times! It was fun before anyone else got involved, it was innocent and full of faith that we could make something from the nothing we had! What is special about those times is they were before distributors, before money, before judgment; and with a little success the whole landscape can change, and it isn’t the same innocence and anarchy it once was!