+ PRACTICE A LOT with camera movements and in cameraman mode, which can be accessed by pressing Tab in the game. Cameraman mode is tricky at first (take it from me, I thought I'd never learn how to use it) but trust me, it will get easier with practice.
+ Film in HIGH QUALITY and in a LARGE capture size if your computer can handle it. The movies will look a lot better. I don't recommend High Uncompressed because it generates a very large file. Too many of those clips saved on your computer will take up a LOT of memory. It's really no different from high quality except that the files are not compressed to make them smaller.
+ DON'T GET FRUSTRATED if a scene doesn't turn out right the first time. This happens to me a lot when filming. Just take a deep breath and try again. If it doesn't turn out right after several attempts, have your sim do something differently or try capturing the scene from a different angle or perspective.
+ MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD PLOT BEFORE YOU MAKE A SERIES! The plot is what drives your series. Good plot (along with other key elements) = good series. Bad plot = bad series. Brainstorm for ideas. And even when you're not brainstorming, brainstorm. (LOL does that make any sense?) I say that because my best ideas have actually come when I wasn't brainstorming at all. The idea to make Lyndsey bulimic actually came in the middle of math class in my freshman year of high school. (Betcha didn't know that one!) Anyway, a good series contains originality, creativity, and a solid storyline, so keep that in mind. DON'T copy another machinima artist's work or the overused plots of TV shows and movies. Doing that is basically asking for a series that will bomb. Now of course, there's nothing wrong with making a series inspired by a TV show or movie - just make it original by adding your own touch and changing a few things about it. If you need help coming up with a plot, bounce ideas off your friends or read books and watch movies that you haven't seen or read before. You just might get a good idea or two.
+ DON'T SHOW THE SKY, PLUMBBOBS, THOUGHT BUBBLES, OR RELATIONSHIP POINTS IN YOUR MOVIE. If you have Nightlife, type "showHeadlines off" (without quotation marks) in the cheat box to get rid of thought bubbles and relationship points. You can type in"PlumbBobToggle off" (minus the quotation marks) to get rid of the plumbbob. I'm pretty sure that cheat works for everyone. There are also ceiling tiles you can download at modthesims2.com that will take care of the sky issue. If you have Apartment Life, you get ceilings, anyway! Sure was nice of Maxis to include those...
+ Finally, RELAX, HAVE FUN, & ENJOY MAKING MOVIES. Moviemaking will seem like an endless chore if you don't enjoy it. It shouldn't be stressful. If you do find yourself stressed out, just tell your fans that you're on hiatus for awhile. (And then, actually take the break, haha). They will understand (hopefully). If you find yourself bored with your series, try changing the plot or adding a new character who stirs things up a bit. If you're working on your very first series and you find yourself stressed out, you should consider making a series that is less complicated and less time-consuming while you get your bearings in the world of machinima.
Q: How do you do greenscreening aka chroma keying?
A: You'll need editing software that supports greenscreening, which means something more advanced than Windows Movie Maker. Magix Edit Pro 12 is about the most reasonably priced software you can find that supports greenscreening. Then, you will want to downlod some greenscreening walls and floortiles from somewhere like modthesims2 or another site. Or if you use Magix, you can also blue screen using the Ocean Depths paint that comes with your sims game (I'm not sure if it's with the base game or an expansion pack though). But, make sure your sim is not wearing a shirt that is the same color as the greenscreen walls or the background you film will appear on your sim's shirt as well. Even if it's a different shade of green (or blue if you're bluescreening) it still won't show up correctly. To avoid problems just have Sally Sim wear a pretty red shirt instead :-) Okay, moving on. Next, position your sims in front of the greenscreen doing whatever it is you want them to do for the scene. If they're driving for your scene, make them sit in the car while it's in the driveway and use moveobjects on the drag the walls around the car. Then film.... You're done filming alreaady? Great! Now you want to film the moving background. This can be done in the neighborhood mode or on a lot. Just press Tab, position the camera at a decent height above the street, then film as you hold the down arrow key to move from one end of the lot (or neighborhood) to the other. Then, open your editing software and put it all together. Your editor should have instructions or a help section on how to use the greenscreening feature if you need help.
