Raymond Croft (@rayXcroft) is a cosplaying legend in the Tomb Raider world. Not only has he represented the Tomb Raider brand as an Official Cosplay Ambassador, stepping into Lara's boots for the Shadow of the Tomb Raider Reveal Event, E3 2018, and San Diego Comic-Con 2018, but he has also been a hugely positive force in the community. His charm and passion for the series that he grew up with clearly shines through in everything he does, and Lara's passion for adventure has obviously influenced him greatly; from how he approaches new challenges with both feet to even how he decorates his house.
For the piece, Raymond worked with a talented group to help bring his vision to life. Included was fellow cosplayer and Tomb Raider Cosplay Ambassador, Saylum Croft, who perfectly stepped into the role of Von Croy, Lara's former mentor. Starring alongside was Jordan Baylon and German Santos who stepped in as Lara's foes. Cinematography was by Xander Bissell, the Drone Operator was by Olly Nite, the Editor was Marc Schneider. For the film, Dr Marina Escolanlo-Poveda, from the University of Liverpool was the team's Egyptological Adviser. Giving the trailer's final perfect tweaks was VFX Artist, Tariq Mehmood, with music provided by Colossal Trailer Music.
Even now after almost two years I still get an overwhelming amount of support from
Tomb Raider fans regarding Wrath of Seth. This was such a huge project for myself and
my team to tackle, and what mattered most is that myself and my team were happy with
the work we had put out. It is a bonus that it was so loved by the Tomb Raider
community. I also think that it shows there are many various ways that life can be found
within the classic timelines.
The scene I am most proud of would have to be the Von Croy(Seth) and Croft face off in the desert. It was a tricky scent to film. One, because Saylum had to walk through the desert in heels while pretending to conduct a sandstorm, which I must say she pulled off effortlessly. Two, there is a part where I had to pull out my very real machete and jab it into the ground. The problem here was that in this scene I had my goggles on and I couldn’t see out of them, so I had to be very conscious about my hand placement as I didn’t want to hurt myself or anyone around me while pretending to be carried away by a gust of wind and sand. Very happy with how the scene turned out.
Usually, when trailers are filmed, the footage is taken from an already filmed movie. Since I knew I only wanted to create a trailer, I had to create a full script that followed the outline of an action trailer and cut it down within the span of two minutes. It was challenging because I wanted to include so much within the trailer and script, but a lot of it had to be cut down to fit within the timeline of the trailer. Challenging, but I believed it came out perfect.
We filmed in three different locations across California the first was at the Salton Sea, the second was at the Pismo Beach Sand Dunes, and the third was on a hiking trail in Tarzana. I wanted very specific locations that would give off a deserted, nature has reclaimed the land vibe. Since my fan trailer takes place two years after the events of The Last Revelation in a world where Seth wins, I thought it would be interesting to show locations where it would look like Seth had taken over the world.
Wasn’t she PERFECT? She is my favorite part of the trailer from her look to her acting as the sinister Seth. Saylum and I had been friends for quite some time now and I thought that it would be a great opportunity for us to work on something as ambitious as Wrath of Seth. Since I am a genderbend version of Lara Croft I thought it would be interesting to have a genderbend version of a possessed Von Croy to see what that dynamic would be like. I think it turned out great!
The idea really came to me when I was thinking of all the times Lara saved the world, and I just had a thought one day; “What if she didn’t?”. I wanted to see a Tomb Raider world through a post-apocalyptic lens. I chose Last Revelation to base this idea on because this is when Lara sets the apocalypse into motion with an enemy that has such a strong and sinister presence. I felt like it would be fun to explore and play with that story specifically because I felt it would be interesting that the world came into ruin, and it was ultimately Croft’s fault.
Hand to hand combat scenes are very hard to film. There are many aspects within them that you must remember whilst also trying to make it look and feel real. You want to make it look sleek and real, but you also want to make sure that no one gets hurt. You have to have an idea of where the camera is without making it look like you know you are being filmed. My cameraman and cinematographer, Xander Bissell, was excellent at capturing these scenes and aided the realism through his camerawork. It was ultimately challenging, and it took many takes to get the perfect shot, but it was all worth it in the end.
Two years ago, Raymond and a group of friends took on a new challenge, this time to create a live-action trailer inspired by Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. For the project, he took on a long and varied list of roles including writing, directing, producing and starring and put a lot of love into making it a reality.
Spanning two and a half minutes, the end result is a love letter to Lara's late 90s adventures with close combat fight scenes, iconic outfits, dual pistols, breathtaking landscapes, and Lara doing what she does best... and dooming the world in the meantime.
For the piece, Raymond worked with a talented group to help bring his vision to life. Included was fellow cosplayer and Tomb Raider Cosplay Ambassador, Saylum Croft, who perfectly stepped into the role of Von Croy, Lara's former mentor. Starring alongside was Jordan Baylon and German Santos who stepped in as Lara's foes. Cinematography was by Xander Bissell, the Drone Operator was by Olly Nite, the Editor was Marc Schneider. For the film, Dr Marina Escolanlo-Poveda, from the University of Liverpool was the team's Egyptological Adviser. Giving the trailer's final perfect tweaks was VFX Artist, Tariq Mehmood, with music provided by Colossal Trailer Music.
As it's a big year for Tomb Raider, we wanted to go back and focus on some of the projects that we absolutely loved. We recently sat down with Raymond Croft to talk about bringing together the project and the work that went into it.
Thank you for talking to us about your project. My first question has to be, as it’s been over a week
since your Wrath of Seth trailer launched, how have you been finding the reaction?
There was so much to see in just those two and a half minutes. What scene (or scenes) are you most proud of?
The scene I am most proud of would have to be the Von Croy(Seth) and Croft face off in the desert. It was a tricky scent to film. One, because Saylum had to walk through the desert in heels while pretending to conduct a sandstorm, which I must say she pulled off effortlessly. Two, there is a part where I had to pull out my very real machete and jab it into the ground. The problem here was that in this scene I had my goggles on and I couldn’t see out of them, so I had to be very conscious about my hand placement as I didn’t want to hurt myself or anyone around me while pretending to be carried away by a gust of wind and sand. Very happy with how the scene turned out.
What was the most challenging aspect of filming the trailer?
Usually, when trailers are filmed, the footage is taken from an already filmed movie. Since I knew I only wanted to create a trailer, I had to create a full script that followed the outline of an action trailer and cut it down within the span of two minutes. It was challenging because I wanted to include so much within the trailer and script, but a lot of it had to be cut down to fit within the timeline of the trailer. Challenging, but I believed it came out perfect.
Where did you film your outside scenes and how did you decide the location?
We filmed in three different locations across California the first was at the Salton Sea, the second was at the Pismo Beach Sand Dunes, and the third was on a hiking trail in Tarzana. I wanted very specific locations that would give off a deserted, nature has reclaimed the land vibe. Since my fan trailer takes place two years after the events of The Last Revelation in a world where Seth wins, I thought it would be interesting to show locations where it would look like Seth had taken over the world.
Saylum makes a brilliant Von Croy, how was it decided that she would be cast as Lara’s former mentor and new nemesis?
Wasn’t she PERFECT? She is my favorite part of the trailer from her look to her acting as the sinister Seth. Saylum and I had been friends for quite some time now and I thought that it would be a great opportunity for us to work on something as ambitious as Wrath of Seth. Since I am a genderbend version of Lara Croft I thought it would be interesting to have a genderbend version of a possessed Von Croy to see what that dynamic would be like. I think it turned out great!
"Wrath of Seth" is loosely based on Tomb Raider IV: The Last Revelation, what was it about the game that
you made you want to pay homage to that title specifically?
The idea really came to me when I was thinking of all the times Lara saved the world, and I just had a thought one day; “What if she didn’t?”. I wanted to see a Tomb Raider world through a post-apocalyptic lens. I chose Last Revelation to base this idea on because this is when Lara sets the apocalypse into motion with an enemy that has such a strong and sinister presence. I felt like it would be fun to explore and play with that story specifically because I felt it would be interesting that the world came into ruin, and it was ultimately Croft’s fault.
While exploration, characters, and death-defying situations were at the heart of the trailer, there were a few hands-on fight scenes. A number of fellow fan film creators who have included similar scenes found that they can be a little daunting. The ones in your trailer were extremely sleek, but how did you feel when deciding to include those scenes, choreograph it, and then finally filming it?
Hand to hand combat scenes are very hard to film. There are many aspects within them that you must remember whilst also trying to make it look and feel real. You want to make it look sleek and real, but you also want to make sure that no one gets hurt. You have to have an idea of where the camera is without making it look like you know you are being filmed. My cameraman and cinematographer, Xander Bissell, was excellent at capturing these scenes and aided the realism through his camerawork. It was ultimately challenging, and it took many takes to get the perfect shot, but it was all worth it in the end.
In the trailer’s credits, you give a shoutout to Dr. Marina Escolanlo-Poveda who was an Egyptological Adviser for the trailer. How did you two meet and how did they become involved in the project?
So glad you noticed Dr Marina. Doctor Marina is a Tomb Raider fan who is also an archaeologist
and a professor. I have yet to meet her in person, but I have been following her for some time
now and thought it would be great to have her on board to make sure we were as accurate with
Egyptian lore and mythology as possible. She helped immensely when it came to conducting
hieroglyphs for Wrath of Seth. At the end of the trailer, there are hieroglyphs that turn into the
words “Wrath of Seth” She was the one that sent me the hieroglyphs that translate to Wrath of
Seth. It was very fun to work with her. I also learned a lot myself.
I have a few Tomb Raider projects that I would like to see come into fruition. Cosplaying Lara is something I really love to do, and I do not see myself stopping anytime soon. Nothing I can speak on at the moment, but stay tuned.
What projects can we look forward from you next?
I have a few Tomb Raider projects that I would like to see come into fruition. Cosplaying Lara is something I really love to do, and I do not see myself stopping anytime soon. Nothing I can speak on at the moment, but stay tuned.
A huge thank you Raymond for talking to us! And a huge congratulations to him and the Wrath of Seth team for an amazing video. You can check out the trailer on Raymond's YouTube channel and follow his adventures on Twtter, @rayXcroft.
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