 The actors began working on the game in 2010 . Their performances were mostly recorded using motion capture technology . Dialogue for scenes with characters seated in vehicles was recorded in studios . Because the actors had their dialogue and movements recorded on @-@ set , they found their performances no different to those of film or television roles . Their dialogue was scripted so that it did not allow the actors to ad @-@ lib ; however they sometimes made small changes to the performance with approval from the directors . To prepare for his role as Michael , Luke gained 25 pounds and studied Rockstar 's previous games , starting with Grand Theft Auto IV . Luke considers Michael 's characterisation to be an amalgamation of Hugh Beaumont 's portrayal of Ward Cleaver in the American sitcom Leave It to Beaver ( 1957 – 63 ) and Al Pacino 's portrayal of Tony Montana in the 1983 film Scarface . 
