In the unusual setting of Grand Theft Auto Online’s digital replica of Los Angeles, known as Los Santos, a group of individuals endeavor to accomplish something extraordinary: staging a full production of Hamlet. Currently available for streaming on Mubi and in select theaters, this documentary chronicles the journey of Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen, two out-of-work British theater actors in their forties, as they navigate the challenges of bringing Shakespeare to life within this virtual cityscape. The story unfolds as we follow Sam, Mark, and Pinny Grylls, a filmmaker and Sam’s wife, as they attempt to convey their idea to strangers online, conduct auditions, scout locations, rehearse, and become increasingly engrossed in the production – all while navigating a Los Santos populated by players primed to kill anyone they encounter.
The film presents a heartwarming and impactful glimpse into the process of creating art in a world that appears antagonistic towards it. It’s also a documentary showcasing the richness, aesthetics, and humor of life within digital realms. Notably, Grand Theft Hamlet is constructed entirely from in-game footage, similar to Machinima style. For instance, Sam and Mark meet ParTebMosMir, a player with a chaotic demeanor who seems to have little common language or understanding of the crew’s objectives. However, he lends a hand to the production regardless. It’s touching to witness strangers uniting over a communal art project in an unexpected setting. Amusing as well, due to the peculiar avatars these strangers adopt; take ParTeb for example, who transforms into a suggestive-looking green alien. “To be honest,” Crane says, “we weren’t aiming to be humorous. We were genuinely earnest about our intentions. We were desperately trying to make this work.
During January 2021, we found ourselves in a troubled state. As actors for approximately 15 years, we primarily worked in theater, which was closed due to the pandemic. Though there were tentative reopenings, by the time we entered our third lockdown, there was this sense of unease that our main source of income might be permanently closed off. On a personal level, I had been dealing with the aftermath of my father’s passing a year earlier. My New Year’s resolution for 2020 was to move on from those hardships, but then something quite unexpected happened in February 2020. In summary, things were not going well for us.
Crane: Everything was going quite well for me before the COVID-19 pandemic, to be honest. I was all set to begin rehearsals for a large West End production, with a leading role. However, just like that, everything came crashing down.
Grylls: When the pandemic hit, it left me wondering how a documentary filmmaker like myself could navigate this changed world. My films had focused on the arts, such as theater, ballet, and performances, so I was unsure what my next move would be. That’s when I began observing Sam and Mark tinkering within Grand Theft Auto. They were conducting small experiments, discovering the Vinewood Bowl Theater, and enacting the opening scene of Hamlet with a couple trying to explode them. It seemed more like they were simply having fun with this concept. They started recording their actions quite early on, which is why there’s some footage from before I became involved in their project.
I recall peeking at Sam’s script and said something like, “Are you really planning to perform the entire play ‘Hamlet‘? Perhaps we could adapt it into a different project instead.” And so, we proposed this idea to BFI Doc Society, surprisingly receiving a modest sum to produce a short film. As soon as we began filming, however, we found ourselves thinking, “It seems this story might be longer than initially thought.
Had you been recording content beforehand?
Oosterveen: Indeed, we had. Watching videos of online streamers playing video games sparked an idea for us. Perhaps YouTube skits or something similar could be our niche. We attempted a football-analysis show within GTA.
Oosterveen: We did a modern dance piece.
Crane: We were just messing around. A lot.
At that moment, there was no set deadline or impending event requiring our attention. Since we were under lockdown, we decided to pass the time casually and amuse ourselves for a while.
Grylls: You guys were enjoying yourselves just as much, you know, by chance approaching strangers and asking if they’d be interested in doing a bit of Hamlet. To be truthful, it started out as a bit of a joke. But then things took a more serious turn.
Was there a particular instance that made you believe this experiment was intriguing for you?
Oosterveen: That moment came when we enacted the scene at Vinewood Bowl and the police intervened. It’s in live theater performances that you feel an electric atmosphere if something unexpected happens while performing. Your heart races faster. At that moment, everyone on stage and in the audience becomes alert, thinking, What’s going to happen next? Yet, you must press on.
As a movie enthusiast, it was then that I began discussing this intriguing idea with Pinny, and without a moment’s hesitation, she suggested it might make a compelling documentary.
Grylls: I’d never seen anything quite like it before, and unfortunately, we all found ourselves out of work. But if this doesn’t pan out, who cares? It’s not often an adult gets to experience such a feeling. As kids or college students, we could engage in whimsical activities without worrying about catastrophic consequences. For a brief time, the pandemic allowed us to revisit those carefree moments, offering an unusual yet welcome benefit.
Crane: I completely concur. One of the rare instances where the government performed admirably was by providing some assistance for freelancers and those who lost their jobs. However, it arrived too late, and it wasn’t accessible to everyone, but fortunately, we received a minimal amount of aid. This meant we didn’t have to worry about how we were going to afford food for ourselves and our families this month. This underscores the need for universal income, and undoubtedly highlights the importance of having support systems in place for artists, so they can focus on creating original works without immediate concern for their work’s financial success. After all, that’s not how you foster creative ideas and innovative methods.
What captivated me is that it essentially explores the struggle of creating art amid a setting that’s inherently corrupt and brutal. To put it another way, this is why crafting theater like this was such an intriguing challenge for me. During Shakespeare’s era, about 500 years ago, theatre was less respected. If you weren’t particularly talented, you might find apples being thrown at you on stage during a performance at the Globe Theatre. So, to be successful, one had to be exceptionally skilled. Moreover, it was quite violent back then. There were frequent brawls and even murders taking place in the background.
Performing can become quite tricky when one finds oneself questioning, “Is this audience member potentially dangerous?
Grylls: The instant I was convinced this would be successful was when Lizzie Wofford, who portrays Gertrude, auditioned. She’s not only a seasoned actress and voice artist, but also a gamer. I had my reservations about whether it was feasible to carry out voice work while managing an avatar, as you’re restricted to a specific set of emotes and gestures. Frankly, I thought it wouldn’t work because the performers wouldn’t move their avatars while delivering Shakespearean dialogue at a professional level. However, Lizzie pulled it off flawlessly.
Inquire further about the technical details. Could you explain how the performances are carried out? How extensively was the scripting done during rehearsals, as it may not be apparent in the documentary?
Grylls: I regret not putting more of the rehearsal elements in the film.
Translated by DeepMind: The performance is similar to puppeteering. In this style of acting, you’re usually advised to forget about acting entirely and concentrate solely on the movements of a puppet. If you’re a skilled actor, your acting will naturally flow into the actions you perform. Nick, have you ever played GTA?
The performance is akin to operating a puppet show. In this type of acting, you’re often instructed to disregard acting and focus only on the movements that mimic a puppet. If you’re an experienced actor, your acting abilities will naturally manifest in the actions you perform. Nick, have you ever played GTA?
It’s quite challenging for me to manage the avatars with any finesse. They feel rather unresponsive, especially when it comes to using the emotes. You can only use one at a time, and to change it, you have to navigate through a dropdown menu while delivering your lines. It’s quite an ordeal.
Oosterveen: Yes, it’s a real juggling act. The emotes, the small gestures, are particularly tricky since you can only use one at a specific moment. If you want to switch, you have to go into a dropdown menu, select the new emote, and then manually scroll through options while still delivering your lines. It’s quite madness.
How did you handle the camera work for the documentary?
Grylls: Essentially, I had to decide on the available options. I wanted it to feel genuine, like being part of the action, yet retain a sense of stillness in some scenes. One of the key features Grand Theft Auto offers is a first-person perspective, which enables removal of the avatar while allowing for movement. I discovered that using the in-game phone was most effective because it had a camera function that allowed me to adjust shot size. This way, we could do closeups, adding an intimate touch. I believe what sets it apart as a film, rather than just gameplay footage, is our ability to switch between various shot sizes and moving shots.
Oosterveen: I think I filmed some of the best stuff, personally.
Grylls: I’m confident that when I review your footage for editing the performance, it will undoubtedly be impressive.
It sounds like you’re editing the original performance together. That’s fantastic news! Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate it online. Your work is important since it can serve as a valuable educational resource for those studying plays, such as Hamlet, in school or university. They could then compare it to other productions like the Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh films, and our performance too. I believe this will be quite fascinating!
Grylls: For a while, the performance was available on YouTube, but since discussions regarding the movie’s sale were ongoing, we were forced to remove everything.
I was curious to know more about one particular aspect. While much of Grand Theft Hamlet records in-game events, there were moments that depicted real-world occurrences, such as Sam making calls to the National Theatre and scenes suggesting tension in your marriage with Sam and Pinny due to Sam’s fixation on the production. These scenes seemed staged or like reenactments to me. How did you handle those parts?
Grylls: Those scenes involving the National Theatre were a bit of humor on our end: clearly, he wasn’t making those calls using an in-game phone.
Translation: In our presentation, we utilized the authentic audio from that call, while simultaneously displaying other visual content – a common practice in documentaries during the editing process.
Grylls: Some might find such aspects annoying, but I find them intriguing elements of movie-making: The film is woven from various strata of reality. Authentic scenes like Mark discussing the essence of Grand Theft Hamlet, which occurred during an extended conversation about his personal experiences. All auditions were genuine. My dispute with Sam – while many assume it wasn’t real, it was. It stemmed from a real-life argument we had the previous day because he had been engrossed in Grand Theft Auto all day, and then when I entered the game at seven in the morning, and he was still playing despite my reprimands the day before for missing my birthday, you see? So that was a genuine event. Sometimes, viewers may doubt its authenticity as it seems like an animated film to them, thinking it can’t be real.
Crane: As Pinny pointed out, we’re discussing various layers of existence. We have Hamlet’s reality set in medieval Denmark, Shakespeare’s reality while writing in 16th-century England, and Los Santos, which is digitally crafted, but it has its unique reality too. Lastly, there’s our reality amid the pandemic, and these realities intertwine in a complex fashion.>
I was curious if you could explain the essence of the humor in Grand Theft Hamlet?
Oosterveen: I have an eloquent explanation: It’s quite reminiscent of Shakespeare. Many of Shakespeare’s plays feature characters whose primary role is to provide comic relief. These characters often present a stark contrast, like being tall and short, rich and poor, or smart and stupid. So, much of the humor in Grand Theft Hamlet seems to stem from this contrast: You have two refined-sounding British individuals trying to perform Shakespeare while someone suddenly bursts in saying something crude, such as “I’m going to kill you.” It’s a bit of a shock, but that’s part of the joke. There’s also a tension between what is perceived as high art (Shakespeare) and low art (violent video games), or between the cultured and the uncultured, the very old and the very new. Interestingly, we didn’t plan it this way, but this tension is very much in line with a Shakespearean approach.
Crane: We genuinely enjoyed our actions, yet humor wasn’t our intention. Instead, we were earnestly dedicated to our endeavor. Perhaps that’s what made it enjoyable. We were determined to bring success to our efforts.
It’s quite unexpected, really. The fact that our play got recognized at the Stage Awards is already amazing, but then it went on to participate in SXSW and win the top documentary award there… I must say, it took me by surprise!
Initially, we believed our movie was exceptional, but since it’s quite unusual, we weren’t certain whether others would appreciate it as well.
It was delightful observing two distinct groups enjoying the movie for various reasons. Those who were passionate about Shakespeare but had no interest or, truthfully, regard for video games walked away with a renewed appreciation. On the other hand, individuals who attended as video game enthusiasts, perhaps only intrigued by the temporary absence of GTA6, ended up finding themselves rethinking their perspective on Shakespeare. I find that fascinating.
Grylls: What resonated with me was a person approaching us following a screening, saying, “Hello, my son is autistic, and he spends his days playing games. I’ve never understood why he finds it so enjoyable or that he has friends through gaming. After watching your movie, I now realize the importance of discussing his gaming experience with him differently.
Me: We’ve developed a unique bond through our shared gaming experience, and it feels genuine to me. However, I haven’t had the chance to meet ParTeb offline yet. Hopefully, that changes someday, but for now, the connection we’ve built within the game is more than enough. It was truly beautiful and memorable.
In my opinion, I’d rather avoid crossing paths with ParTeb. Despite his charm on screen and the laughter he elicits, my personal experience working with him was far from pleasant – more like a constant headache.
Grylls: I’d love to meet him.
Oosterveen: You guys can hang out with him.
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2025-01-17 16:54