Back in the 90s, artists turned video games into movie sets, and their wildest ideas are finally hitting documentaries. Before “virtual production” existed, filmmakers cracked open PC games and used them like back-lot studios. This film traces that underground invention—machinima—from hacked Quake mods and live Halo shows to today’s festival docs shot inside Grand Theft Auto. Hidden Levels: Machinima explores authorship, community, the relationship between art & commerce, and whether or not there is really a benefit to being a pioneer. Fast, funny, and unexpectedly emotional, this film promises that you will be seeing a lot more films shot using video games.