While we may be in a slight Tomb Raider news lull at the moment, with Crystal Dynamics concentrating fully on their newly announced "Marvel's Avengers" title, and details on the second movie starring Alicia Vikander still in the works, the community has been electric with new events and new projects which has been keeping the passion for the series alive. Included in the recent announcements is a new work by a familiar name in the community, Devanté Jones.
Last month, filmmaker and cosplay extraordinaire, Devanté Jones (also known as DJ Croft), was back with another brilliant fan film entitled "Tomb Raider: The Silver Box".
.
Inspired by classic Tomb Raider adventures, Devanté's fourth fan film is a homage to Lara's earliest adventures with plenty of wonderful nods to its style, story, outfits, animations and more. Dual pistols make a sweet return in the action-packed fan film, with almost back-to-back gun-play. The look of the film is fantastic; filmed entirely outside, the deep green leaves and bright natural sunlight gives the film its distinctive look.
Synopsis: Deep in the jungle, Croft is on the hunt for an ancient artifact known only as "The Silver Box", but he's not the only one interested in the piece. Currently in the hands of Trinity's leader, and protected by armed guards, Croft must seek out and reclaim the box before the organization uses it for their own evil purposes.
Since its debut, Tomb Raider: The Silver Box has collected over 550 views and praise from fans worldwide, but this fan film wasn't originally meant to be. In 2018, Devanté released his third fan film "Tomb Raider Archives" which saw Croft step up to a new enemy, The Saleries, whose goal is to reunited two pieces of an ancient artifact and remake the world. After three years, and annual releases, Devanté had originally planned to conclude the hobby in 2018, with a strong send off.
Archives was a worthy conclusion to the trilogy, but naturally left viewers wanting more.
.
After almost a year on from its release, Devanté made the decision to once again step into Croft's boots. In our recent conversation with him, DJ reveals that, despite originally moving away from filmmaking, the lure of the fourth adventure was too strong to ignore; "Tomb Raider: The Silver Box came about with the idea of doing another Tomb Raider film based off classic Lara Croft with the dual pistols! I definitely wanted to touch on that era again! The classic era of Lara Croft."
Inspiration came from mixing the new and the old together in a story that would create an authentic Tomb Raider adventure for all audiences. "The inspiration was given by the original Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie. Since my last fan film, ideas were taken from the reboot and also from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I definitely wanted to go back to her roots! ...People are asking for classic Lara Croft to come back after the reboot closed after Shadow, so I wanted to take a lead on that and go back to the most iconic era of her time." As Devanté is also an experienced cosplayer, with a long history of portraying the character both in front of the camera and at events, the desire to step back into the classic outfit was also a major attraction for the piece. "...no one has seen me in [the] classic Lara attire [since] the first scene in 'Guardian of the Tomb Raider' and 'Tomb Raider: The Skull of Híízgo'." While he had the outfit set, there were still a few things that needed to align to start the ball rolling on the project; first up he needed a team.
The first major hurdle for the production came in the form of constructing a team to help him bring it to life, with the search for actors proving especially challenging. "It was difficult to get people interested in being an actors for a Tomb Raider fan film. I am aware that Lara Croft fan base is huge but still a lot of people don't really gravitate towards Tomb Raider so I had to get these actors interested by showcasing my work and also educating then what Lara Croft stands for!" With the team in place, the main focus was getting the right location. This time, Croft explores Khao Sok, a location choice inspired by Tomb Raider: Underworld's jungle setting.
By filming, Devanté had brought in a small team to be part of the production, with Tony Harrison, Ryan Sternberg, and Monse Cabral giving life to Trinity. Devanté stepped into Croft's boots once more, and was the film's Director, Editor, and Writer. The fifth and final individual behind the project was Tonny Caicedo whose role on the film was entirely behind the scenes, as Film Videographer, Director, and Editor.
Filming took just one day with the team on set for seven hours straight. Despite the intense schedule, it proved to be a memorable one as Devanté describes the day progressing smoothly. "The actors, co-director and I already had the outline and script and everything was organized and it was so fun filming!! Everyone was being goofy behind scenes and kicking ass on screen! It was a hot summer day and the jungle was just beautiful in the shots we took! It was a lot of fun and sweat from the hot weather ha ha!" The entire film spans almost six minutes and features several intense and hands-on fight scenes, an impressive feat given the heat.
.
With a talented team behind the piece, "The Silver Box" is another success and clear passion project. Alongside homages to Lara's recent adventures it's, at its core, a love letter to the classic titles, and a must-watch particularly for long-time Tomb Raider fans.
After an epic encounter with Trinity, the fan film ends on an eerie note. Reserved for viewers who watch until the very last moment, it's an indication that the adventure may not be truly over. Being an avid cosplayer and someone constantly on the move looking for his next project, we had to ask Devanté what fans can expect next. "Well the ending teased a little something, I'm not going to mention, only of you watch it. I have already talked to the co-director (Tonny Caicedo) and one of the main actors about doing about some time later in the future "SPOILERS" but nothing has been confirmed yet. It's still an idea not written on paper."
We're excited to learn more, but in the meantime, make sure to follow Devanté on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for more exciting adventures and to keep up to date on his latest news.
Last month, filmmaker and cosplay extraordinaire, Devanté Jones (also known as DJ Croft), was back with another brilliant fan film entitled "Tomb Raider: The Silver Box".
 |
| Promotional photo for The Silver Box. Source: DJ Croft, Facebook. |
Inspired by classic Tomb Raider adventures, Devanté's fourth fan film is a homage to Lara's earliest adventures with plenty of wonderful nods to its style, story, outfits, animations and more. Dual pistols make a sweet return in the action-packed fan film, with almost back-to-back gun-play. The look of the film is fantastic; filmed entirely outside, the deep green leaves and bright natural sunlight gives the film its distinctive look.
Synopsis: Deep in the jungle, Croft is on the hunt for an ancient artifact known only as "The Silver Box", but he's not the only one interested in the piece. Currently in the hands of Trinity's leader, and protected by armed guards, Croft must seek out and reclaim the box before the organization uses it for their own evil purposes.
Since its debut, Tomb Raider: The Silver Box has collected over 550 views and praise from fans worldwide, but this fan film wasn't originally meant to be. In 2018, Devanté released his third fan film "Tomb Raider Archives" which saw Croft step up to a new enemy, The Saleries, whose goal is to reunited two pieces of an ancient artifact and remake the world. After three years, and annual releases, Devanté had originally planned to conclude the hobby in 2018, with a strong send off.
Archives was a worthy conclusion to the trilogy, but naturally left viewers wanting more.
 |
| Screenshot from The Silver Box. Devanté as Croft, wearing an outfit inspired by the first Tomb Raider movie. |
After almost a year on from its release, Devanté made the decision to once again step into Croft's boots. In our recent conversation with him, DJ reveals that, despite originally moving away from filmmaking, the lure of the fourth adventure was too strong to ignore; "Tomb Raider: The Silver Box came about with the idea of doing another Tomb Raider film based off classic Lara Croft with the dual pistols! I definitely wanted to touch on that era again! The classic era of Lara Croft."
Inspiration came from mixing the new and the old together in a story that would create an authentic Tomb Raider adventure for all audiences. "The inspiration was given by the original Tomb Raider movie with Angelina Jolie. Since my last fan film, ideas were taken from the reboot and also from Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I definitely wanted to go back to her roots! ...People are asking for classic Lara Croft to come back after the reboot closed after Shadow, so I wanted to take a lead on that and go back to the most iconic era of her time." As Devanté is also an experienced cosplayer, with a long history of portraying the character both in front of the camera and at events, the desire to step back into the classic outfit was also a major attraction for the piece. "...no one has seen me in [the] classic Lara attire [since] the first scene in 'Guardian of the Tomb Raider' and 'Tomb Raider: The Skull of Híízgo'." While he had the outfit set, there were still a few things that needed to align to start the ball rolling on the project; first up he needed a team.
The first major hurdle for the production came in the form of constructing a team to help him bring it to life, with the search for actors proving especially challenging. "It was difficult to get people interested in being an actors for a Tomb Raider fan film. I am aware that Lara Croft fan base is huge but still a lot of people don't really gravitate towards Tomb Raider so I had to get these actors interested by showcasing my work and also educating then what Lara Croft stands for!" With the team in place, the main focus was getting the right location. This time, Croft explores Khao Sok, a location choice inspired by Tomb Raider: Underworld's jungle setting.
By filming, Devanté had brought in a small team to be part of the production, with Tony Harrison, Ryan Sternberg, and Monse Cabral giving life to Trinity. Devanté stepped into Croft's boots once more, and was the film's Director, Editor, and Writer. The fifth and final individual behind the project was Tonny Caicedo whose role on the film was entirely behind the scenes, as Film Videographer, Director, and Editor.
Filming took just one day with the team on set for seven hours straight. Despite the intense schedule, it proved to be a memorable one as Devanté describes the day progressing smoothly. "The actors, co-director and I already had the outline and script and everything was organized and it was so fun filming!! Everyone was being goofy behind scenes and kicking ass on screen! It was a hot summer day and the jungle was just beautiful in the shots we took! It was a lot of fun and sweat from the hot weather ha ha!" The entire film spans almost six minutes and features several intense and hands-on fight scenes, an impressive feat given the heat.
 |
| Screenshot from The Silver Box. Monse Cabral as a Trinity troop. |
With a talented team behind the piece, "The Silver Box" is another success and clear passion project. Alongside homages to Lara's recent adventures it's, at its core, a love letter to the classic titles, and a must-watch particularly for long-time Tomb Raider fans.
After an epic encounter with Trinity, the fan film ends on an eerie note. Reserved for viewers who watch until the very last moment, it's an indication that the adventure may not be truly over. Being an avid cosplayer and someone constantly on the move looking for his next project, we had to ask Devanté what fans can expect next. "Well the ending teased a little something, I'm not going to mention, only of you watch it. I have already talked to the co-director (Tonny Caicedo) and one of the main actors about doing about some time later in the future "SPOILERS" but nothing has been confirmed yet. It's still an idea not written on paper."
We're excited to learn more, but in the meantime, make sure to follow Devanté on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube for more exciting adventures and to keep up to date on his latest news.
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