Aylesbury man reflects on starring in grassroots film on Amazon which is winning international acclaim

Daniel Davidson is the lead in Jed or Alive on Amazon which started out as a script written in Aylesbury and morphed into a international darling.

Six years ago when chatting with one of his co-workers Ed Mellin, Daniel was introduced to the story Ed and his brother Jack were working on.

Ed thought Daniel might have the chops to work on his new project when he revealed he had previously triumphed on a stand-up comedy competition which aired on ITV 2.

After Daniel sent an audition tape to his co-worker he won the role of Jed in the 70-minute movie.

Jed is a supposed survival expert whose career is in fact a sham.

The film joins the con artist when he finally decides to try and survive out in the wild for real.

Described as a drama on Prime Video, where the film was recently added, Dan reports the film mixes humour and a character study as one person must face up to his reality.

It took a lot of blood sweat and tears to get the film to a point where it could be featured on one of the biggest streaming services in the world.

With all the key members involved holding down full-time jobs and the need for continuity, the film was altered and reshaped over a number of years.

Dan describes Ed as a tough taskmaster who would often look at footage and demand reshoots if it wasn't up to standards.

Also, the man versus nature aspect of the film, made getting the setting just right paramount, meaning the team was limited to only filming in the summer.

The production was mainly split between the Isle of Wight and a private woodland area in Brill.

Both settings doubled for the remote island the film was set on.

Along the way the team had some luck and free support, another worker in Dan and Ed’s office was able to loan them his parents’ private boat.

Another one of Dan’s friend’s who lives in Aylesbury, Andy, scored the film.

Firstly, the film was sent to competitions across the UK, predominantly the London area, where it was tweaked based on feedback that was received.

But the film really took off when it was entered into competitions in the States.

It picked up three gongs at the World Premiere Film Awards in Los Angeles including a Judge’s Choice award.

At the Creation International Film Festival also in LA, it was crowned four more times with Daniel claiming a Best Actor award, along with further recognition for the feature’s visual effects work.

As well as more triumphs at another LA showcase, the film was also crowned at a festival in Istanbul.

Daniel told The Bucks Herald: “It has been a real passion project.

"We were very lucky with locations, the boat which we managed to borrow. The music, the editing, Ed learnt how to do all the editing himself.

"It has all been done in-house on a really low budget, basically.”

While Daniel says, he has caught the acting bug, working a full-time job and paying for his mortgage in Aylesbury has made committing to the dream virtually impossible.

Although, him and Ed have discussed working on another project in the future.

Continuity and making sure everything looked right, was one of the great challenges Daniel found working on his first film.

He had to make sure his hair and beard looked the same over the years.

Eventually, after rewrites, tweaks, and long days where they had to battle the weather, Daniel and his team have an award-winning feature available to film lovers across the globe.

Ed added: “We had a story and a talented and willing lead actor. We were determined not to be held back by a lack of budget or experience. After entering Jed or Alive in a number of industry competitions we have been delighted by the response and extremely pleased to have received these accolades.”

More information on the film can be found on its website, it is available to rent or purchase on Prime Video here.