Students involved in two local DC Metropolitan Shakespeare production programs saw their well rehearsed dreams dashed when their planned performances were forced to shutter due to the pressures of the pandemic. But that didn’t deter these aspiring thespians from getting creative and embracing the moment to overcome their quarantine realities. Their director, who also happened to be local filmmaker, Mark Ricche, crafted an idea to employ green screen technology, later matting the students into the final project jointly to make it seem like they were all present together during filming.
Cryptic Pictures Distribution, in association with Zoop Studios, is proud to announce the presentation of Hamlet and The Winter’s Tale, now accessible on Youtube after a lengthy post production period that required stand-ins for students who were too COVID shy to participate, but who later sent in separate headshot images to be edited in over costumed body doubles, the acting troupes finally get to see their efforts become reality.
The word of mouth garnered by the production process eventually encouraged Ricche to hold two additional film classes centered around use of the same technology. Those troupes subsequently produced Juliet and Romeo and The Taming of the Shrew, both comical recreations with a #MEtoo bend, and soon to be follow up releases on the Zoop Studios Youtube Channel.
Cryptic Pictures LLC is an award winning film production company. Zoop Studios is a viral video production house with more than 4.5 million Youtube followers.
