VW See Film Differently competition winner gallery

April 19 2008, Shepperton Studios, south-west London: Competition winner Neil gets the Guardian portrait treatment. "'Go for a heroic kind of look,' Julia the photographer suggested. I think I managed cold and windswept." Photograph: Julia McKay/guardian.co.uk

A zombie gets his costume fitted for the shoot. “I got off lightly in comparison, wardrobe-wise,” says Neil, “just getting a walkie-talkie clipped to my belt!” Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

The 2nd assistant director shifts the queue around. “One of the crew told me that in reality they would always get served before the zombies!” Note: walkie-talkie expertly worn by our Neil Photograph: Julia McKay/guardian.co.uk

The director watches over a take. Neil acts his socks off Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

Elsewhere on set, an actor performs what appears to be a fairly standard piece to camera... Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

Aah. He appears to have gone on fire… Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

Yep, definitely on fire. Drop and roll. “The director joked that they’d be setting me on fire too,” says Neil. “That would really have tested my commitment…” Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

A wet towel and all is OK. “On one take, his briefcase stayed alight even after they extinguished him,” says Neil. It’s dangerous work this acting business Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk

A member of the undead gets some blood added. Or is that ketchup? Photograph: Julia McKay/guardian.co.uk

A camera operator sets up the shot as Neil looks on. “The camera wasn’t rolling here, so I didn’t get in trouble for looking over at it so obviously.” Photograph: Julia McKay/guardian.co.uk

Hello handsome: the actor who performed Neil’s winning ident. Note the matching eye colour – they think of everything, don’t they? Photograph: Graeme Hall/guardian.co.uk