EXCLUSIVE - BEHIND THE SCENES OF "TOMB RAIDER: VOICE FROM BEYOND"

October 19, 2020 Kate Sykes 0 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: Some cast and crew of the upcoming fan film "Tomb Raider: Voice From Beyond".

Hello raiders!

It's been a very long time since my last post, a year in fact. 2020 has been strange and frightening for us all in many different ways. The whole world has been at a stand still and with it, the arts have taken a massive hit. As a new filmmaker, it's hugely important to me that we keep the spirit alive and show support for these projects at a time when escapism is needed the most.

That is why I'm so pleased to have had the chance recently to talk to the makers of a new fan film which only just wrapped filming days before the pandemic hit. Last night, they finally released their first teaser trailer.

We have Adam Thede, the writer/director and Rama Montakhabi, a Persian-American actress, writer, and freehand artist who portrays a classic inspired Lara Croft.

TDD: How did this project first come about?

AT: I worked with Jennifer Grimes (our Amanda) on an earlier project, and one of us made a joke about doing a Lara Croft fan film. As sometimes happens to me with off-the-wall ideas, it stuck to the back of my mind, and I finally decided to just sit down and see what kind of story I could come up with. What ended up on the page seemed to encapsulate a lot of what I enjoy about a film project, and since I was itching to direct again anyway, this seemed like good fun.

TDD: What made you choose to set your story in the classic universe?

AT: I’m actually a huge fan of the reboot games; I’ve never seen the Angelina Jolie films, and my exposure to classic Lara was very limited prior to starting work on this film. As I looked harder at the classic franchise, what fascinated me was the cultural conversation between whether she’s a manufactured sex symbol or a strong female hero. As much as I love the new Lara, I wanted to pay tribute to classic Lara and comment on her value in culture. Also, the costuming is more fun.

EXCLUSIVE: Writer/director, Adam Thede applies SFX make-up to lead actress, Rama Montakhabi (Lara Croft)

TDD: How did you assemble your crew?

AT: I wanted to keep things small and light (and cheap), so I only approached a few people I’d worked with before, like Edmond Manpanty, our sound engineer. I met Michael Padilla, our DP and Steadicam operator, at just the right time for us to work on this film together, and Evan, his son, assisted him. I met Christina Sittser during the casting process, and she ended up being the costume designer and PA I didn’t even know we needed.

EXCLUSIVE: From left to right: Edmond Manpanty (sound), Adam Thede (writer/director), Jennifer Grimes (Amanda Evert) Ernest Keith Walker (Shayne) and Raquel Vilarino (Nikita)

EXCLUSIVE: Edmond Manpanty (sound) and Michael Padilla (Director of Photography/steadicam)

EXCLUSIVE: Costume designer and PA, Christina Sittser helps set up one of Jennifer Grimes' (Amanda's) scenes.

TDD: How did you go about casting your actors?

AT: I posted an open call on LA Casting and reached out to a some actors I already knew to invite them to audition. As I mentioned, I had worked with Jenni before, and she was part of the genesis of the project, so it was great fun having her aboard. Rama, Raquel, and Ernest simply submitted impressive audition tapes.

RM: I was on LA Casting submitting myself for parts when I came across the audition for Lara Croft. I was really familiar with Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in "Tomb Raider" [2001] and loved her bad ass character so I was excited to audition. Wasn’t too familiar with the game so I learned a few things about her while on set.

TDD: How did you prepare for the role?

RM: I prepared for the role mainly by working out & practicing my lines. Ironically, I had played around with the British accent for years and would actually go out some nights in full character never breaking my accent so for me the dialect was the best part! Felt like a natural delivering my lines.

TDD: What was it like working with the rest of the cast and crew?

RM: The cast and crew were AMAZING! They were so professional and so much fun to work with! All my costars made it super easy to bring this vision to life. It was magical. Can’t believe we were able to fit everything in a 2 day shoot.

EXCLUSIVE: Lead actresses, Rama Montakhabi (Lara Croft) and Jennifer Grimes (Amanda Evert) rehearse lines while Michael Padilla (Director of Photography) and his son Evan unload the gear.

TDD: Tell us about the costumes.

AT: A quick shout out to my friends at Enchanted Characters for letting us cannibalize their Black Widow costume for Lara’s boot covers and Nikita’s gloves, as well as loaning us a Kylo Ren cloak for Shayne. The rest were a combination of various thrift store finds, actors’ own wardrobes, and Amazon Prime items that Christina and I found. I wanted Lara to be instantly recognizable from her wardrobe, which I believe we accomplished. I copied Amanda’s look in part from the Legend game, but we tweaked it so she could have a physical transformation at the climax of the film (spoiler alert). I wanted Shayne to appear like a classic cult leader, but a simple robe is boring, so we cobbled together a few different items to give him some color and texture. Nikita’s main role is to be physically threatening, and since Raquel is highly athletic, we just tried to highlight her physique. Christina modified and distressed the clothing just before the shoot and gave it all a perfectly weathered look.

EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Grimes (Amanda Evert) and Rama Montakhabi (Lara Croft)

EXCLUSIVE: Ernest Keith Walker as mysterious sorcerer, Shayne.

EXCLUSIVE: Raquel Vilarino (Nikita), Rama Montakhabi (Lara Croft) and Ernest Keith Walker (Shayne)

TDD: So far, has there been any difficulties with the production that stick out in your mind?

AT: Every production has its surprises and challenges, and this one was no exception. Lara’s costume came together at the last minute when we had trouble finding Airsoft guns in stores that looked realistic enough (I had to paint over the orange parts by hand) and a backpack that would work. We had great weather, thankfully, but we were shooting in a public area with noise from hikers, bikers, families, etc. Did you know that most people will quiet down right away if Lara Croft herself asks them nicely?

RM: The funniest moment on set would have to have been when I yelled “quiet on the set” to some people nearby in the woods making noise, then ran over (in full costume) to tell them in person. It wasn’t until they saw me in my costume that they actually stopped making noise and wanted to know more info about the movie. The cast & crew got a real kick out of my “Lara Croft” attitude. 🤪

EXCLUSIVE: Director of Photography, Michael Padilla films a close-up of Rama Montakhabi (Lara Croft).

AT: Our biggest problem ended up being batteries, which we were going through like crazy since we couldn’t plug anything in. On top of that, our second and last filming day got off to a late start for a variety of reasons, so we were racing the sun at the same time. Then, a few days after we wrapped filming, the entire country shut down due to the global pandemic, which basically paused our entire postproduction process. We’re very close to a final cut though, and I’ll be submitting it to film festivals soon.

TDD: How long will the film be?

AT: It’s shaping up to be about 9 minutes before credits, which is exactly the number of pages in the script.

TDD: Have to ask. Will there be a sequel?

AT: Michael jokingly brought up the idea of an Indiana Jones film, and now I want to do a crossover. But these projects are a lot of work to pull together for something that can’t be monetized. However, inspired by working on this project with fit, sexy, badass women, I have developed an original series concept that I expect will be coming soon in some form or another.

TDD: Would you play the role again if asked?

RM: I am truly honored to have been given the opportunity to bring Lara to life and I would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat!

TDD: After this pandemic is over, what’s next for you?

RM: I had a small part on a feature film for Lifetime that we filmed earlier this year that should be coming out at the end of the year called “Sinister Sister” so look out for me there. I also have a few projects that I’m excited to begin working on once things open back up, as well as a movie that I am writing myself. The pandemic actually gave me the time to write it so for that, I am thankful.

TDD: Finally, what was the most rewarding part?

RM: Pretty much everything about being a part of this project was rewarding for me. Portraying such a strong and powerful character was the most rewarding part. Being told that I was “made for this role” was another rewarding part.

AT: The dedication and hard work of our little team was humbling to watch. Despite our time constraints, we had a wonderful, organic, loose vibe on set, which I love to see as a director. The film looks like dynamite, too; it was shot in 4K on a Steadicam, and Michael did incredible work giving us a smooth but kinetic feel throughout.