Leighton Buzzard actor steps behind the camera to write and direct film - and wants your help to make it a reality

An award-winning Leighton Buzzard actor who has appeared in West End musicals and in hit films and TV shows is making the move to the other side of the camera – and wants you to get involved.

Joseph Milson, who has appeared in Casino Royale, The Last Kingdom and Holby City is getting ready to shoot his first feature film as a writer/director. Signs of Life will be the completion of a trilogy of films about kindness and connection.

He says one of the silver linings of the pandemic, was that he was ‘forced off the hamster wheel of auditioning and performing’, and that he and his actress wife Sarah-Jane Potts realised they no longer had to wait for permission to be creative.

He said: “Acting is perhaps a uniquely cruel art form to be drawn to because you cannot practice it alone, you need someone to do it with, either an audience or a fellow creative. Whereas writing and directing stories, you don’t need anyone’s permission to create something of your own.”

They began with The Magician, a short silent film written and directed by Sarah-Jane and shot in Leighton Buzzard in only two days which Joe says ‘were probably the happiest two days we’ve had as adults’. Self-funded and free to create art the way they wanted, The Magician, which stars Potts and Bob Barrett, is about a desperate woman who is saved by an unexpected encounter with kindness. The film went on to be selected and screened at festivals all over the world winning many awards and can now be seen by all for free on YouTube by searching ‘The Magician (4K)’.

The second film in the trilogy, partly funded via Kickstarter was Care. Written and directed by Joseph, starred well known actors Michael Maloney and Michael Begley and was also filmed locally. The film drew on Joseph’s own experiences working as an at home carer for the elderly, a job he retrained for when acting work was thin on the ground. He wanted to explore the unexpected benefits one can experience from acts of service and kindness to others.

"It’s also very funny,” he added, “life has a sense of humour even when we don’t.”

In the film, which can be seen on the big screen as part of the wonderful Leighton Buzzard Film Festival on September 24, a carer (Michael Begley), is making his first home visit to an ageing, disabled housebound man (Michael Maloney). Care is currently finishing its very successful festival run and can also be seen on YouTube (‘Care 4K).

The screenplay for Signs Of Life was inspired by both short films and sees a continuation and meeting between the lead characters from The Magician and Care. It was written quickly, the result of a flash of inspiration, described as “a heart-stopping drama with a side order of romantic comedy”. The script has received high praise from experienced industry professionals and received a distinction when submitted by Joseph as his final project for a Master's Degree in screenwriting at Falmouth University, a course he began during the pandemic.

The story follows Anne who is a selective mute, struck dumb by a dangerous cycle of depression and grief. In an attempt to shift her outlook, she takes herself on a cheap holiday hoping to find peace, beauty and perspective. But on arrival, Anne is met with noise, squalor and danger. A chance encounter with another solo traveller offers her an unexpected solution, and a chain of surprising events unfolds between two strangers, which will either heal them both or crumble their lives completely.

Joseph used an action movie template to write this delicate film. He explained: “For example, where in an action movie the story might shift with an exploding helicopter here we have a woman finally accepting an offer of help from a stranger, after saying no to life for so long the result is equally exciting and propulsive.

‘We have raised over two thirds of our very modest budget but are running a crowdfunding campaign for the final push. We are so excited to meet and collaborate with new people and have some fantastic ‘perks’ on offer. Supporters can read the script, get personal video messages, see their names up on screen, have personal coaching from Joseph, get a bespoke song written, be IN the film during a scene to be filmed in Leighton Buzzard, or even become an ‘Executive Producer.’ And if readers can’t spare any money the support offered by retweeting, sharing and recommending to others is hugely appreciated.

“I’m no social media genius, but we’ve made it easy to find us, why not watch our films on YouTube and take a good sniff of our crowdfunder.”

You can get involved with the Kickstarter campaign here, or follow the project on Instagram @signsoflifefilm1 @thatjosephmillson on X @SignsOfLifeFilm @josephmillson or on Facebook by searching for Signs Of Life Film.