In the past, Florida A&M University physics professor Ray O’Neal − who passionately immerses himself in the world of film − has been in the spotlight as an actor in local theater performances.
But a new pursuit has led him to work behind the scenes in the writing, directing and producing duties of his new spy-action-thriller short film “Shadow Recall,” a production in which he also takes on the lead role. The project marks O’Neal’s first time creating a film, and he’s looking to bring features such as animations, special effects and visuals to the big screen using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
“One of the things I’m trying to do with this film is push the boundaries of technology for expanding production capability,” O’Neal told the Tallahassee Democrat as a few of his cast members began shooting scenes at Lake Ella Park on Nov. 7. “I’m trying to see what can be done with the emergence of new digital tools like AI.”
While the emergence of AI has become a sticking point for workers in the film and entertainment industry for fear it will be used to write screenplays and create “virtual” actors, O’Neil says he doesn’t plan on doing that − save for necessary exceptions.
His short film, which is expected to be 15 to 20 minutes long, was completely written by him and has 11 cast members along with several extras for some of the film’s scenes. But of those 11 cast members, O’Neal says two of the characters will appear as AI avatars since two actors dropped out at the last minute, and he wasn’t able to cast replacements in time.
“It was my intention to cast all of the characters physically, but as we got closer and closer to production time, folks dropped out for various reasons,” O’Neal said. “Instead of not having those characters, I wanted them in some way, so I’m going to use AI versions of the characters.”
Florida A&M University physics professor Ray O’Neal acts in the short film that he wrote and is directing Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
The possibility of films being overtaken by AI and having little to no human involvement was a fear of SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America − unions representing American actors and screenwriters − when they went on strike in 2023 due to the concerns.
More recently, Tilly Norwood, a controversial AI “actress” created by artificial intelligence production studio Particle6, caused a firestorm in Hollywood earlier this year as the unions believe creativity should remain human-centered.
Despite the controversy, O’Neal explained that the replacement of human cast members is not his intention. “I know AI is very controversial in the film industry,” he said, “but when I pitched the idea, I said that my goal is to use AI to extend production capability – not to replace actors.”
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O’Neil’s inspiration for the new film, how he plans to use AI
A Chicago, Illinois native, O’Neal holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctoral degree – also in physics – from Stanford University in California, which is where he started pursuing acting in the 1990s.
O’Neal has been a FAMU professor since 1999 after working as a staff astrophysicist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics until the late FAMU physics professor Elliott Treadwell − who was a mentor of his − contacted him about joining the university’s faculty. While his office is located in FAMU’s Frederick S. Humphries Science Research Center on West Pershing Street, he teaches classes all over campus.
His recent acting experience includes playing roles in the Southern Shakespeare Company production of “Antony & Cleopatra” and in Theatre Tallahassee’s 2022-2023 season production of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” More recently, he also played in a comedy drama film called “One of the Good Ones” that was produced in New York earlier this year.
“Ever since I was a kid, I had some interest in the arts. I also grew up in church,” O’Neal said, referring to an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Chicago. “My father wrote plays for the church, and I would perform in those plays.”
The film “Shadow Recall” is about a former military spymaster − Derek Bennaker, being played by O’Neal − who returns to his post in the Advanced Espionage for Global Intelligence and Security (AEGIS) because of a reemerging threat. The fictional agency is based on a blend of the National Security Agency and the the Central Intelligence Agency.
O’Neal was motivated to work on the short film after meeting with members of the community group Tallahassee Filmmakers to pitch his idea to them in efforts of putting a crew together. When it comes his playwriting imagination, he says a lot of it stems from his scientific interests, and that the project includes some science fiction elements.
“Given the times that we’re living in now with the sort of advent of AI, I was inspired to try to address that in a fictional narrative,” O’Neal said.
AI is an emerging technology where machines are programmed to learn, reason and perform in a way that imitates human intelligence. In the film, O’Neal plans on utilizing AI tools to generate images from 3-D models of locations he doesn’t have physical access to, and cast members would then be composited into those virtual locations.
He’s also thinking of using AI to alter the appearance of objects or props in the film, such as turning a cardboard prop knife into what would look like a real knife.
Related news: FSU, FAMU work on new AI policies as faculty navigate the emerging technology in higher ed
Besides O’Neal, other cast members include local professionals and student actors like Zira Brown, a 26-year-old Florida State University senior and theater major. She’ll be playing the role of Andromeda Curry, or “Agent One.”
“I love action movies,” Brown, a Tallahassee native, told the Democrat. “I’m excited to do some of the fight choreography and some of the stunt work, and I’m also excited to see how it all comes together with the use of AI because it’s a really good tool.”
Florida A&M University physics professor Ray O’Neal, center, and Florida State University senior Zira Brown, right, act in the short film that O’Neal wrote and is directing Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.
Tallahassee State College nursing student Macey Mirowitz, 19, will play the role of an agent’s kidnapped daughter. “I just love the filming experience, and I can’t wait to watch it,” she said, referring to the film’s final product.
Although the total cost of O’Neal’s film is not yet clear, he says the estimated budget is currently $10,000 and he’s paying the expenses out-of-pocket with hopes of selling merchandise related to the film to raise money. Additional filming days will take place on Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 at a local studio to film visual effects, and after filming, the post-production stage is expected to take about a year.
O’Neal hopes for a premiere of the film to be held at the Challenger Learning Center’s IMAX theater by the end of 2026, and he also plans on submitting it to film festivals once it’s complete.
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: AI helps FAMU professor craft spy short film