Pixboy Tales: My Machinima Process (Patreon)

The first thing I do is come up with a story idea, and I have plenty of ideas. It might come from a Sim I’ve created, or I’ll craft the Sims for the story. Story ideas are generally restricted by what is possible within the game using existing animations and custom content. In The Warrior’s Oasis I went beyond the boundaries of The Sims for additional scenery.

Once I have the idea I develop the story arc, roughly plotting what happens in each chapter. Sometimes things can change in the middle of a series. I might get new ideas or change my mind. I don’t write scripts or dialogue in advance. All the dialogue is written while I’m editing.

Next, I build a world for the story. Sometimes this is done well in advance of filming. I create additional characters and sometimes a bunch of townies to populate that world. I seldom create lots from scratch. I modify existing lots or download new ones to modify for the story. If I were to built all my own lots I’d never have time to make videos. If I’m feeling lazy the whole lot doesn’t need to be functional, just a room for a scene. I might create a ReShade color grade for the series to give it a unique look.

I start filming once everything is in place and the characters are finalized. This can either be an easy or a tedious process, depending on how the Sims and the game behaves. Just like real actors, sometimes you need to make the Sims do multiple takes to get the scene right. I always film more than I need so I have options in editing.  I use a lot of cheats to get my Sims in the right mood, put them in the right place, or make them perform a specific animation. I never actually play the game. I just use it as a film studio.

Next comes the organizing. I organize and rename all the clips to make editing easier. I do this while I’m watching television.

Everything goes into Adobe Premiere Pro and the editing work begins. Once scenes are assembled I add music. I either use music ripped from the game or royalty free tracks. The last thing you want is a copyright lawsuit. Next comes color correction, sound design, and writing the subtitles, not necessarily in that order. I generally have a plan for what my Sims are talking about when I film them, but I don’t write the actual dialogue until the edit. I try to make the dialogue match the rhythm of their Simlish. This is how their emotions are conveyed.

Finally, if I need to create special titles or effects.  I do that work in Adobe After Effects.

It’s a lot of fun to make these videos, but it’s also lot of work!!!  Producing a new chapter, filming to final movie, can take about a week of my free time. More time is involved in creating new Sims, new worlds, art work and photos, planning a new series. Therefore, I appreciate it when you take 2 seconds to like or retweet a post. I appreciate it even more when you take a minute to leave a little comment about the video, the story, or the characters!

Thanks for watching my films and for supporting me!

(As a reward for those who actually read this, I’ll reveal that my “Sim Self” is in the picture above.)