The Crew
Alex Hughes
Director​
"As Long As I Live" is a film that I have been manifesting for a very long time, and I am happy to say that it has materialised in a satisfying and cinematic way. It was only in the Summer of 2024 that I had properly began considering creating the film and made the decision to direct it as part of my final project at the University of Portsmouth. Luckily, I have met an amazing crew along the way and because of our experiences separately and collectively, I knew I could direct everyone on the right path to execute the vision I had conceived of years ago. This journey has certainly given me the greatest insight of my life thus far into the filmmaking process and how much work it takes to build a project from the ground up: From writing post-it notes of story ideas, to then building a full fledged storyline, to pitching it to the crew and then to our executive producers, to casting and storyboarding, scouting locations and finally filming before assembling it all in the edit. I am proud to say that we have executed the vision to the absolute best of our ability, showcasing our determined ambition while retaining a complex emotional through-line about family.
John Casey
Producer
As Long As I live was my first sole producer role on a film. This allowed me to put my all into honing my management/financial skills in all stages of the production. Majority of the crew are close friends of mine who I have been working with for the last couple years. Allowing us to bounce off each other throughout the production. Sourcing locations that would work in a zombie apocalypse was a uniquely fun/challenging experience along with props and costumes. Overall this production was a great learning experience more than anything. Me and the team were able to take the skills we have refined over the course of the last two years to the next level. Hope you enjoy the film!
Fred Flemming
Writer
Alex first introduced me to the idea for As Long As I Live a few months before pre-production properly started. I spent my summer watching and reading films that were significant parts of Alex’s vision for the film as well as others that became big inspirations as well. We spent a couple of late nights in the library going over the first drafts and from there the story evolved and grew exponentially… we never imagined we would be filming in a massive historical fort or paying homage to the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later when I started writing this. It was a huge honour working with the incredible cast and crew throughout production and slowly watching what was once just words on a page come to life through amazing acting, teamwork and perseverance.
Lewis Bryant
Director of Photography​
This film has been a huge opportunity for me as an individual to prove myself in a major filmmaking role. Working with the rest of the crew has been nothing short of an absolute pleasure, and I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to bring our goal of making such a cinematic film to life for you to enjoy. My whole life, I’ve had a passion for cinematography, so when Alex approached me and explained the idea of the film and the motivations behind it, I couldn’t say no. We’ve taken joy in using a range of inspirations from our favourite films. Whilst you watch, see if you can spot little similarities taken from films such as 28 Weeks Later, The Road, The Revenant and much more. The making of this film also brought about amazing opportunities for our camera department, in terms of getting hands-on with top level industry equipment such as the ARRI Alexa Mini LF, as well as the DJI Ronin 4d. As a camera department, I’m extremely proud of what we were able to achieve with the cinematography in the film. The amount of experimentation we were able to pull off, is something that I take great pride in, and I look forward to bringing this to the screen.
Alfie Dixon
Assistant Camera
Working in the camera department for the second year in a row has been a brilliant opportunity for me to develop my creative and technical skills, marking myself in major cinematography role.Having previously worked as a DOP and 2nd AC on previous projects, I wanted to learn the creative and technical demands that are required for a 1st AC and a focus puller, like constructing the camera and pulling focus. This had creative impacts on the story, while also giving me the responsibility of upholding the visual style that was carefully decided by the camera department with the director. From researching films for inspiration in developing the visual style, we worked very hard in creating it, paying tribute to many post apocalyptic genre films. I was also a camera operator for certain sequences which developed my cinematography skills further. Working with the DOP, Director and gaffers has been a brilliant experience as everyone has been working together collaboratively which made suggesting ideas much more enjoyable, and my creative contributions much more worthwhile. In short, I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to make this film with. I had so much fun creating a project where we put absolutely everything into it, in hopes of making something that is truly cinematic, and I hope that when you watch it, you can appreciate it too!
Anna-Marie Minchin
Production Designer
Being the set designer for ALAIL has been such an exciting opportunity. I love creating things and bringing sets to life through costume and set decoration to really engulf the audience in the story. Being set during the zombie apocalypse, I have had so much fun creating this apocalyptic world for the characters to explore. Sourcing sustainable props, costumes and set dressings has not only helped me to make the sets look more worn and tarnished but also reduced our pollution, so we don’t end up like our zombies! I have used inspiration from so many famous films and TV shows, and it’s given me a new eye for details within film that most people wouldn’t even notice when it’s in shot, but would definitely notice when it’s missing, and creating such ambiance is great to see on set and on screen. Working alongside an amazing team, this film has been brought to life on the big screen, and it’s been an amazing experience.
Pedro Pinto
Editor
As Long As I Live was by far the most ambitious film I have worked on. Being the editor I enjoyed building and creating emotion through the beautiful pictures provided by the camera department. I have learned how to work in a bigger post production team, getting 5+ different people involved into creating VFX sets and 3D models, was not an easy team to manage but made everything so much better in the film. We challenged ourselves to bring a high value production to the set compiling layers of VFX, we used Motion Capture and 3D scanning for the first time and it was amazing to get a better understanding on how these programs work! To resume this I thank this project and the director for letting me be so free and creative on the post production letting me explore some boundaries and new ideas!
Nathan Nwabenu
Sound
I was the sound designer for ALAIL, and this was my first real experience working in sound design. I used FL Studio to create original soundscapes — building drones, layering ambient textures, and designing effects that helped shape the atmosphere and tone of the film. From quiet, suspenseful moments to intense sequences, I wanted the sound to play an active role in telling the story. I worked closely with the director and editing team to make sure each audio detail added to the emotional impact and pacing. My inspiration came from a mix of sources — films like Oppenheimer showed me how silence and subtlety can build tension, while games like The Last of Us taught me how sound can immerse an audience completely. This project pushed me creatively and technically, and it was a great chance to learn what sound can really do in storytelling. I’m proud of how it all came together, and even more grateful to have worked with such a talented and driven team.
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