This past May, Chaos Innovation Lab unveiled Project Arena, a game engine alternative to virtual production. Expected to be available in 2025, Project Arena is undergoing real-world testing. One of those tests occurred in the form of a production-quality short film called “Ray Tracing FTW,” produced by Chaos with the help of experienced industry veterans (see related story here).
While the test was no joke, the screenplay is filled with a lot of Easter eggs in the form of industry jokes, surprise guest appearances, and references. The actors are, in fact, non-actors from Chaos and the VFX industry.
“We wrote the script in a way that non-actors could play themselves and not worry about it too much. I am essentially playing myself on the screen while dressed as a cowboy. If we felt that the actor could push the acting envelope (like we knew James Blevins could), then we leaned in on it,” says Chris Nichols, director of special projects at the Chaos Innovation Lab, about the casting.
As Chaos states, “Ray Tracing FTW” isn’t just a convincing demonstration of cutting-edge virtual production technology, it’s a love letter to the history of cinema and the VFX wunderkinder who have helped evolve the medium.
Personally, I watched the short numerous times and still missed at least half of the surprises. Thank goodness Chaos helped me out. Below are just some of the Easter eggs in the short, which was created using virtual production and Project Arena.
Nichols (and one of the bank robbers in the film) cracks jokes referring to “blue,” “Pandora,” and “I see you?” The reason: The person he is talking to is played by Ben Procter, production designer for Avatar: The Way of Water and its upcoming sequels.
Shout-outs are made to 2001: A Space Odyssey VFX pioneer Doug Trumbull and Jurassic Park VFX legend Dennis Muren.
As a VFX artist, “Ray Tracing FTW” director Daniel Thron’s bread and butter has been adding CG bullet holes, wounds, and blood to characters in movies such as Zodiac and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. When he’s shot in the movie, he adds a tracking marker so the VFX team knows where to add a bullet hole later.
Who is Dakota Joe, the gent with the dog right before the final act, who confidently says, “I told you so?” It’s none other than Scott Ross, ILM veteran and co-founder of Digital Domain.
At the bar on the train, Nichols orders three giant martinis (rather than a whisky), a reference to his Martini Giant podcast. It is a double entendre, also a reference to Westworld (1973), the first feature to blend CGI and live action, in which the character is rebuked for order a martini rather than the drink of the West, a whisky.
We name-dropped a few of the industry stars already above. Here is a list of the full cast with their day jobs listed:
- Chris Nichols, VFX guru and CG Garage podcaster
- Dan Thron, director, writer, VFX artist
- Erick Schiele, concept and AI artist, MacGyver-esque prop master
- Ben Procter, Avatar: The Way of Water production designer
- Kristin Guinn, Chaos events manager
- Morgan Lester, “Ray Tracing FTW” unit production manager
- Ron Eli Cohen, “Ray Tracing FTW” line producer
- James Blevins, virtual production producer, Mesh
- Rob Nederhorst, VFX supervisor, John Wick 3
- Daniel Buck, CG artist, Tron: Legacy, Oblivion
- Sean Hyde-Moyer, game designer & VFX artist
- Barbara Ford Grant, chair of the Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards committee
- Sebastian Sylwan, CTO of Scanline VFX and Eyeline
- Marcos Fajardo, creator, Arnold Renderer
- Kevin Mack, What Dreams May Come VFX supervisor
- Sally Slade, VFX artist and XR technical director
- Phil Galler, principal & founder, Lux Machina Consulting
- Vladimir “Vlado” Koylazov, Chaos co-founder and V-Ray creator
- Scott Ross, co-founder, Digital Domain
- Russell, Scott Ross’ dog
