Charis Productions
Etc. >> Movie Making FAQ
I get tons of messages on YouTube asking me the same questions over and over and over and I hate to repeat myself, so I made this. I would really appreciate it if you take the time to read this before sending me messages. These answer the basic in movie making with The Sims 2.
For Vanity High related questions, please go here.
1. How do you get rid of the thought bubbles and plumbbobs (green diamond)?
2. How do you get your graphics to look so clear?
3. How do you get your Sims to school?
4. Okay so how do you get more than 8 Sims on your Lot?
5. How do you get your Sims to stand still and talk but only have their lips move?
6. What Movie Making Program do you use?
7. Do you have any tips for someone who is just starting out?
8. How do you get your ideas for your movies?
Q: How do you get rid of the thought bubbles and plumbbobs (green diamond)?
A: To get rid of the speech bubbles, you need to use a cheat code. Type CTRL+SHIFT+C to open the cheat window. Type "showheadlines off" without the quotations. If you want to get rid of the green diamond (called the plumbbob), enter the cheat code "plumbbobtoggle" without the quotations. But I think that only works if you have Nightlife, but try it anyways. But there is a way for you to hide the plumbbob when making your Sims movie. You can either position your camera close to your Sim so that the plumbbob is out of the shot. Another way is by having an extra Sim on your lot. You can select that extra Sim and hide him away somewhere out of shot so that he has the plumbbob.
Q: How do you get your graphics to look so clear?
A: You have to change your in-game settings. Go to the graphics performance options and set everything to highest quality, that is if your computer can handle it. Make sure you also record with the sound off - it makes a huge difference in quality. If none of these tips are working for you, then your video card must be upgraded.
Q: How do you get your Sims to school? See them in schoool?
A: You can't actually see your Sims while at school. How did I make them do that in my movies? Well, I made a house that looks like a school.
Q: Okay so how do you get more than 8 Sims on your Lot?
A: You will need to use the cheat code "boolprop testingcheatsenabled true" And then shift+click on any Sim and select "spawn" and choose "Tombstone of L and D" turn off the cheat code by typing "boolprop testingcheatsenabled false" on the cheat window. Then click on the Tombstone and choose "Add Neighbor to Family..."
Q: How do you get your Sims to stand still and talk but only have their lips move? - alittlemid and Simsvillecreator
A: I use Decorgal's overlay hack, which is available for download on ModTheSims2. Make sure you read her instructions included in the zipped file. Don't be afraid to experiment with it with other hacks you may have.
Q: What Movie Making Program do you use?
A: I use Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0.
Q: Do you have any tips for someone who is just starting out?
A: Yes, I do. Always record in CAMERAMAN mode. To enter camera man mode, press tab. You can then control your camera by pressing WASD and press V to start recording and press P to pause. Always record your footage with the sound turned off. Keep your Sims' motives happy by using the cheat codes "maxmotives" and "motivedecay off". Take lots of close ups. It is important that you capture your Sims facial expression well so that your viewers can get a good feel of what your characters are feeling. Also, this is out of my personal preference but use music that is not distracting to your viewers. This is why I use songs without lyrics in Vanity High. It is very distracting to me when I watch a Sims movie (subtitled or dubbed) with songs that have words. I always imagine the Sims with voices so if you were to make a movie with voices and use the same type of song, I don't think it's going to work well, because you don't know who you're listening to! However there is a way to do this without causing your viewers to be distracted. The best way to do this is to lower the volume of the song as soon as the Sims start their dialogue.
Q: How do you get your ideas for your movies? -mileycrazysims2
A: The characters Benjamin, Lynne, Marie, and Zeke of Vanity High are existing characters from my old original stories I have written when I was in high school. But they are (in a way) different in that we put them in a different environment and circumstances. But in terms of personality, they are very similar. Anyways, to answer your question, Josh and I work together. We brainstorm together, but a lot of it is Josh really... Josh and I love to spend time watching movies together. We also enjoy reading books together and playing video games together. Vanity High is also our way of sharing our creative ideas together. One of my weaknesses in writing is writing "dialogue." Because of that, scriptwriting is hard for me, so that's why Josh usually writes the script for Vanity High these days. I also get a lot of my ideas from my dreams and personal experiences. A lot of my real life friends have inspired me because of their interesting personality... and vocabulary.