F.A.Q

So, for the benefit of you guys, here’s my FAQ. I think I’ll find it easier doing it this way. I will be adding more Q and As as time goes on, but here’s what I have for now.

**WARNING** If you ask me a question that is addressed on here, I will ignore you. I’m not typing this out just for the fun of it, lol…..

Q: What editing software do you use?

A: Sony Vegas Movie Studio 8.0, but I’m still a loser when it comes to it, so no technical qtns about it please. I’m inexperienced. And a bit slow XD

Q: What Sims 2 games do you have?

A: All of the stuff packs, and all of the expansion packs up to [and including] Apartment Life EXCEPT for  Happy Holiday Stuff, BUT I have the VERY first Christmas (or Holiday) Party Pack…or something like that. I can’t remember, and tbh I don’t care enough to look and find it, lol.

Q: Where is Greenfield actually set?

A: Take a look at the spelling of the subbies. That give you a clue?…It’s actually just a fictional place (obviously), but when looking at the bigger picture, we’ll just say Greenfield is in England. That clear it up for ya? ;p

Q: I’m confused, are there two Darrens?

A: Good Lord, I get this question so much. Yes, there are. One is obviously Darren Slater- Jaime’s husband- and the other WAS Darren London- Bex’s dad, and Morgan’s fiancé. It was a big mistake on my part, and then it was just too late to change it. One’s dead though, and to be honest, I think it’s pretty obvious which one some of the characters are referring to.

Q: Who is/are your favourite character/s?

A: I actually really like this question because I’ve never really thought about it. Too busy focusing on bringing out the ep, I guess, lol, but I’m actually really unsure…Okay, let’s do it this way:

AF – I think this would have to be between Jaime and Sam. I don’t actually know why, lol.

AM – Shawn or Fenton. Even though Shawn was a little runt in the beginning, I think he’s finally realised how much he’s hurt Sam. Fenton, because he’s just so damn caring and always trying to help the people he really cares about. He’s made some mistakes, but he’s a good guy really…well, now anyway.

TEEN – Lindsay. Simply because she’s a lot more complex than people think. She can be a cow, but she is actually hurting deep down.

Q: Who is/are your least favourite character/s?

A: Kat. By a mile. I mean, (excuse my language) what a bi*ch, right? Who needs enemies when you have friends like her? And Darren. I have no respect for men who abuse women. Or anybody for that matter.

Q: How do I download custom content? My downloads won’t show up in my game, what do I do? Why do I need a mesh?

A: Seriously, I had to learn, and I’m the most rubbish person when it comes to all this stuff, so I’m sure you can too. Besides, it’s too long to even try and begin to explain. That’s what TUTORIALS and GOOGLE are for.

Q: I love your custom content, what sites do you go to?

A: A LOT. It’s not very good because I need to cut down, lol. But check my links page because I won’t waste time telling different people the same thing. For now though, my main ones are raonsims, peggyzone, rosesims2, xmsims, modthesims2, thesimsresource, sims2wiki, thesims2exchange

Q: I love your music, can you please send me some tracks?

A: Erm, no. If you want the track, go and find it, I credit all of the songs I use at the end of each ep, and I even have a list of the songs (in the order they’re used) on my website just so you don’t have to wait ten years for the vids to load to view the credits and whatnot.

Q: Can you please watch and/or comment my video(s)?

A: I would LOVE to be able to spend a lot of time watching and commenting other peoples’ videos (I mean there are some REALLY talented people), but I just don’t really have a lot of time atm to be honest. I try my best to watch and comment vids when I can, so don’t get offended if I don’t do so straight away. I just get very busy sometimes.

Q: I’m new to moviemaking, can you please give me some tips?

A: Research what you’re doing before you do it. Rushing into it is one of the BIGGEST mistakes you can make (I did that, and it’s pretty obvious from my early videos, lol).

Look at tutorials (namely thesiddog’s or britannicadreams), and remember that Google is your friend.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Find what works for you, and look at other people’s work too. Just for ideas though, don’t just imitate other people’s work. No one likes a copycat. ALSO, if you know there’s some elements you’re weaker in, practice hard to improve them- so if you know your weakness is camera angles/movements or using effects, try your hand at a music video (I heard it’s sometimes better to practice with them anyway), or if you’re not that good at script-writing, try your hand at writing stories and putting them on TSR or The Sims 2 Exchange or something

Be patient and take your time. I know it’s easier said than done, but moviemaking isn’t as easy as some of you think it is, so be prepared and give yourself plenty of time to prepare and tweak the important stuff (sets, characters, promo shots should you choose to use any, etc.). This is kind of why, I TRY not to set myself deadlines. I want my videos to be the best they can be (and I’m sure you do too), so rushing to bring stuff out all the time isn’t an option. I also listen to music whilst filming and whatnot as well, just to make time go by quicker because my loading times in-game sometimes are reeDICulous. So find something that helps ease your frustration whilst making videos because, believe me, it can be very frustrating.

To me, one of the most important things in your movies, series, etc. is the script. Spend time trying to make it as realistic as possible. To me, the best series that I watch always have great scripts and keep things true to life. It’s all well and good trying to be sensationalist, and making your video drama/action-filled all the time (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing), but that really means nothing when your script lacks depth. Remember, people viewing your videos want to watch something that they can engage with, something that they can relate to or even a character they can identify with, and there’s more chance that they’ll remember you and your videos if they can. They can’t do that if there’s a lack of realism and/or character development.

Q: Do you write scripts for your videos, or improvise?

A: For LIG, I don’t actually write the scripts beforehand, I kinda improvise. The thing with me is that I listen to A LOT of music, and when I listen to particular tracks, I just get so motivated and can sometimes create a scene in my head there and then. I usually know (and list) what scenes I’m going to have in each ep and think of the general tone I want portrayed in the scene, and when I go in-game, just film on the basis of that. It may sound weird, but sometimes the dialogue just comes to me. Bare in mind though, that because of that, I spend a bit more time in editing trying to make the dialogue in the scenes as realistic as possible and change things around quite a bit. Seven to One is/will be scripted though.

Q: Will you be using The Sims 3 to make videos?

A: No…Not for a long time to be honest…if at all. The Sims 2 suits me perfectly fine, and I feel that with all the hacks, pose boxes, and custom content available for it, why not make the most of it? You know what they say: If it ain’t broke…

Q: Are you stopping/cancelling *insert name of series here*?

A: I know sometimes it can take me forever and a day to bring something out, but you have to understand that life for me can be pretty hectic sometimes. I wouldn’t just STOP doing a show though and not inform you guys- I’d let you know so you don’t carry on waiting for something. It’s not really fair to keep you guys hanging on like that, so I’d definitely let you know. I do have my things for LIG and Seven to One backed up though, so I don’t think either of them will be getting cancelled or stopped anytime soon If you get bored waiting though, there are so many other talented machinima directors! My fave movie is ‘Turbulence’ by jpro07 (which you can find on youtube) so if you haven’t already, I recommend that you check it out! Some of my other fave directors (who can also be found on youtube):

• ponytales
• TheOneMuse
• Indievixen07
• kitsparrow27
• digigirl17
• ERUJIEproduction
• fenderchick2010
• goodiesbaddies
• StarrySkyProductions
• miboy1991
• penyln81
• Serenityandhersims