Web Video / The Borrowers That Lend

Aubrey Carey and Samara created The Borrowers the Lend and produced two vlog style web series: A Document of Madness and The Better Strangers.

A Document of Madness is a modernized retelling of Hamlet. After the sudden passing of his older brother, college freshman Hamlet uncovers hints of a conspiracy. As he digs deeper, his mental state because more unstable, and he plots his revenge.

Told concurrently through Hamlet and Horatio's Channel (A Document of Madness) and Rose and Jill's Channel (The Better Strangers)

The full playlist found here

The Better Strangers is the sequel series to A Document of Madness and a modernized retelling of As You Like It. After briefly meeting at a party, Orlando becomes infatuated with Rosalind. The only problem was that he was drunk and can only remember her name. Unknown to Orlando, Rosalind exclusively goes by Rose and is mad at him for starting the fight that got her roommate and her kicked out of their house. As revenge, Rose agrees to help him win over the reclusive Rosalind, never playing to go through with it. Things only get more complicated as Rose falls for Orlando.

Told concurrently through Rose and Jill's Channel (The Better Strangers)and Orlando's Channel (de Boy on Camera)

The full playlist found here

The series as a whole provides examples of:

• Adaptation Name Change: In line with the Setting Update many of the names have been modernized.
  • Claudius becomes Claudio
  • Polonius becomes Paulie
  • Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are Gender Swapped and become Jill Stern and Rose Crantz
  • King Hamlet becomes Kingsley "The King"
  • The previously one name only characters are also all given last names.
• Character Blog: on top of being a vlog series many of the characters also have twitter accounts
• Composite Character: Due to the series adapting two different plays certain characters had to be merged.
  • Rosalind "Rose" Crantz is Rosencrantz and Rosalind. An off-handed comment to Orlando about her ex-boyfriend Romeo reveals she is also Roseline
  • Jill Celia Stern is Guildenstern and Celia
  • Audrey Horatio is Horatio and Audrey
  • Afred Adam Butler is Afred and Adam
  • A minor examole: as Marcellus and Barnardo were Adapted Out it is Rose, Jill and Paulie who go with Hamlet and Horatio to seek out the ghost.

A Document of Madness provides examples of:

• Canon Immigrant: The Player and Alfred both appear despite originating in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead not Hamlet
• Celebrity Paradox: The characters watch The Lion King (1994) despite it being based on Hamlet.
• Related Differently in the Adaptation: Due to all of the characters becoming the same age, many of the relations had to be changed.
  • Hamlet and Kingsley are now brothers instead of father and son
  • Claudio and Gertrude are changed to be Kingsley's best friend and girlfriend (in the original, they are his brother and wife). As a consequence, neither is related to Hamlet.
  • Ophelia and Paulie are twins instead of father and daughter

The Better Strangers provides examples of:

• Almost Kiss: In "Disguises" Orlando and Rose lean into kiss but Rose pulls away last minute.
• Comic Role Play: Just like the original Orlando practices talking to Rosalind with Rose (who is actually Rosalind).
• Kissing Discretion Shot: In "Not Afraid" the blog ends just as Rose and Orlando lean in to have their first kiss
• Loving a Shadow: Rose accuses Orlando of feeling this way towards "Rosalind"
  Rose (as Rosalind): Don't love the idea of me love me
• Poor Communication Kills: Many problems could be solved if characters just talked to each other (or watched each others videos)
• Second Love: Orlando for Rose
  • Also the Duke for Silva
• Shipper on Deck: In "Not Afraid" Silva and Adam encourage Rose to finally ask out Orlando
  Adam: (to Rose) Well you see what you need to do is stop talking about this and go make out with [Orlando]
• Stylistic Suck: Orlando's poetry
• Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Orlando. He meets Rosalind once at a party and becomes obsessed with her despite not even remembering what she look like. He plan to find her is to put up poems around campus