Starting my own sims series?

vanilleonsims

I've recently been wanting to start my own machinima series because I love just creating stories in my head while playing the sims and I think it would be really fun! For any of you that make machinima videos, what are some of the main things I need to know before attempting to make my own? Is there anything you wish you knew before you started making your own videos that would have made it a lot easier?

Simmerville

Hello! I'm not all that experienced, but i think it's smart to have a plan before you start. Especially if you want to make a long term series. The framing/category/feel should remain the same even after 3 or 4 episodes. I'm thinking both on visuals (how you edit) and how the story is presented. I know this can be hard, because you might get new ideas etc as you go.

I made many films, but nothing everlasting. I found producing stuff made me familiar with the editing software, everything gets easier if you mess around a bit with the program before it gets serious. Knowing about possibilities means you won't get all wow when you discover them later, wanting to add everything to your film

You will of course also need to write down the plot, character descriptions, relations etc. Making a rough character map might be useful in the long run. I think some sort of cliffhangers is necessary to keep viewers. Another input is to always be ahead with producing new episodes, to avoid gaps of no updates. Viewers might wait a few weeks for each episode, but not a few months I think the best publishing strategy would be to produce all episodes before publishing the first, then you have full control. I know this is pretty much impossible though, when the first is ready you will be too happy and proud to not releasing it, besides it might be good to have some feedback too, while you still can adjust the direction of the story/concept.

If you plan 3-4 episodes, most of this is less important. And, because it's hard getting viewers out there, it's more important that you enjoy the creative process yourself