Editing Questions:
Other Questions:
How do you make movies?
Please see my Tips and Tricks under the Sim Stuff section for the step-by-step process I use, and recommend, for making movies. Another helpful resource is the Movie Making Tutorial on the Sims 2 website. Sims99.com also has many helpful recourses.
I want to make movies, where do I start?
Please see my Tips and Tricks under the Sim Stuff section for the step-by-step process I use, and recommend, for making movies. Another helpful resource is the Movie Making Tutorial on the Sims 2 website. Sims99.com also has many helpful resources.
Do you have any general advice or tips on movie making?
Please see my Tips and Tricks under the Sim Stuff section for the step-by-step process I use, and recommend, for making movies. Another helpful resource is the Movie Making Tutorial on the Sims 2 website. Sims99.com also has many helpful recourses.
I will also say that the most important thing when making a movie is to have a good story. Spend most of your time thinking of that because too many Sim movies are just thrown together without much thought put into them. If you want a successful movie, write a good story.
How do you write your stories?
My husband and I usually write our stories together. We sit and brainstorm, tossing ideas back and forth until we come up with an idea we like. One thing to remember is “the only good writing is re-writing,” so don’t get too tied to an idea once you have it. Keep working and reworking until it’s just right!
Do you film first and then add voices? Or record voices and then add the films?
I write my script first, then record the voices, and then film my scenes to try and best match the voices. I film much more footage than I need since it can be difficult to find appropriate actions to match the voices. Some people record the film first and then add voices, so really it’s what works best for you.
How do you get your camera angles?
I use cameraman mode. This mode is accessed by pressing TAB while playing your game. When you press TAB, you will see the Sim toolbar disappear and you will have much more control over your camera. To control the camera in TAB mode, use the following keys: Q/E – down/up W/S – forward/back A/D – left/right Z/X – zoom in/zoom out. You cannot rotate the camera in this mode. One tip to remember is that when you press TAB again, you will most likely lose the angle you have set because you will be taken back to normal view. To SAVE your camera angles, you press the CTRL key and any numbers 4-9. Each number will save a camera angle. You can do this in TAB mode and regular mode, so in all you can save 12 camera angles at once. This is a very handy and time saving way to get those difficult shots that take more than once to capture.
How do you get rid of thought bubbles and plumbobs?
The cheat to remove thought bubbles is: “showheadlines off” This will not get rid of attraction bubbles, but should remove all other bubbles. Without using a hack, the best way to get rid of plumbobs is to have an extra Sim off screen and select them while you’re filming your on screen sims.
How did you get the pre-recorded scenes in your movies (like woohoo, getting married, etc.)?
Those are called “cut scenes” and are programmed into the game. You have to have a somewhat current video card to view them. If you’ve been playing awhile and have never seen them, chances are your video card doesn’t support them. You can turn on the cut scenes option under game options, under special events camera enabled. You are able to film cut scenes, but you must press record before they start. Once they’ve started, you can’t record, pause, or anything else until they are over.
How do I make my movies more clear?
If your movie quality looks blurry or fuzzy, you may need to change the video capture settings in your game (warning: this can slow your game down depending on your video card). While in the game, choose options, click on the camera icon, and near the bottom you will see video capture settings. To have good quality videos, choose at least medium for video size and medium for video quality. I personally use medium for video quality and high for video quality.
Editing Questions:
What video software/editor do you use?
I use Sony Vegas 7 (used to use Vegas 5). It’s an excellent program but very expensive and difficult to use. If you are just starting out with movie making, I would recommend using Window Movie Maker. Most PC computers with this software. If you can’t find it on your computer, you can download it for free from www.download.com If you want something a little more advanced but also affordable, I would recommend Ulead Video Studio. The software I DO NOT recommend is Magix Movie Edit Pro. It is a horrible program.
How do I use Windows Movie Maker?
Here is a free, online tutorial of Windows Movie Maker.
How do you add voices to your movies?
You will need a PC microphone and voice recording software. Most computers come with a simple program called Sound Recorder. There are also many free programs available for download; just Google sound recording software. Once you’ve recorded your voice, you then import these sound clips into your video editing software the same way you import video clips. If you have recorded Simlish with your videos, most editing programs will allow you to separate the video track from the sound track. Just delete the sound track and add your own voice track in their place (in your editing program). If you would like to record in the game with sound effects but no Simlish, change your sound preferences in the game and “mute voices.” This you will hear the sounds of the game but no talking. If you would like to record with NO sound at all, go into video preferences and “Disable Sound.”
Other Questions:
When will you release another movie?
It’s hard to say at the moment. Atlas Productionz has a lot of other things going on outside of Sim movies, so unfortunately we aren’t able to dedicate as much time to it as we’d like. If we are going to release a new movie, there will be an announcement on this website, as well as Sims99.com and Sims2.com. Just keep checking back!
What website hosting service do you use?
We use Start Logic. It’s an excellent, inexpensive hosting service that has easy to use templates as well as 24/7 help service. Click here if you’d like to check it out.
Can you help me make a movie or be a partner in making a movie with me?
Thank you for the offer, but unfortunately we are too busy to help with the many offers we get to make movies with other simmers.