Is it all gone?

[dean240]

I came back to the Moviestorm site almost after a year and the first thing that I did when I logged in was check the recent releases section. What I found was that it was full of "new mod" videos. There were also some movies among them, but most of them were neglected. The "In Production" threads also seemed stagnant and looked like there wasn't much change in the last couple of months .

Now while I am not against mods and modders, in fact I have immense respect for what they do and feel amazed at their works, my question is, is it all dying? I mean there are hundreds of mods, but the movies for which these mods are being built, are they there or are they losing their prominence?

I was thinking of renewing my subscription ( i still don't understand the billing thing ) but now, unfortunately, I am having my doubts.

Regards,

[primaveranz]

See my last two posts on this thread .

But no one is stopping you making movies - and you have a lot more props to choose from now

[kkffoo]

I think Moviestorm needs more props of all kinds. The best movie makers are being let down by a restricted palette. The modders here are mostly self taught, and modding Moviestorm, for the most part, isn't easy.
So in my view it is a question of time.
I know of at least five top class movie makers who are currently working on MS movies. They won't be releasing a movie a week that's for certain!
That's what happens as a machinima community matures, movies take longer to produce because the creators aim for higher quality.
The modders here are completely vital.
A 'this is where I'm at' modder's diary movie takes less time to produce.
These will mix in with 'my first movie lol it sux' uploads.

The thing is that people start with Moviestorm making quick turn over movies...and as they progress it takes longer because they commit more time and energy to making the films better.
Many films can take a year, or two to produce, and most take over 3 months.

Maybe we've lost some of the middle ground, those two week to a month experimental movies......many of the people who might be making those are now modding because they have an epic script in their back pocket and they can't quite yet make it.

Most of the old hands here have tried the other programs...iclone for instance is easier to mod...but as soon as you try to make an actual movie you get bogged down pretty fast. Having said that there are just as many 'old hands' working in iclone, and they are not producing the one week movie either.

This is a sign of maturity and settling down for he long haul.

[corthew]

Now while I am not against mods and modders, in fact I have immense respect for what they do and feel amazed at their works, my question is, is it all dying? I mean there are hundreds of mods, but the movies for which these mods are being built, are they there or are they losing their prominence?

Definitely not dying. They're diligently working on patching some of the holes and on the somewhat exhausting undertaking of adding a smaller puppet with basic animations and interactions to the mix.

The ability to mod your own props and animations though should weigh heavily on your decision.

I'm making a large number of mods, some of which I'll release as I get them done, others that won't be released until after the movie is released and a few that are so specific to the scene they are created for its unlikely anyone would have any use for them otherwise.

Squirrelygirl and Writerly and Quasimodder and several others are going "INSANE" with their mod releases.

Definitely not dying.

[lucindamc123]

Actually, I don't know what other film makers are doing but I now make full length feature films and they take a year to make and since they are hopefully going to be commercial, I can't release anything except the trailers and the props I make for them and I make a lot of props and sets for the movies I make. Or I get offers from people to make videos, ads and other types of things for which I am paid and of course I can't release those either here as they belong to the person who purchased them from me.

[Armanus]

The simplest answer would be that there are several places online that people can upload movies to. It would be nice to have everyone upload their movies here too but not all do, and it makes sense in a way because this isn't really the place to have your work seen by the general masses.
Mod vids though make sense here, since MS enthusiasts are more likely to be here to see them

[kv]

Both my modding and movie creation have slown right down with my busy life, work and my kids take my time up and any free time I do have I prefer to use relaxing.

I have a project in the works, been at it on and off for 3 months yet I am still only about halfway through it with lots more to do. I do upload my movies here when I make them but I tend to prefer Youtube or Vimeo as they allow me to showcase them in HD (Vimeo I think does better quality and less fussy), here though I feel chops my video qualities too low for me to want to showcase to the world. I always render in HD and prefer to maintain that, particularly since my style of filming is generally dark and creepy, so mainting visual detail for me is important.

[urbanlamb]

I upload to youtube and vimeo

mostly youtube as they let me upload 20 gig films with no time limit lol. I host some stuff on my own servers although I am slowly switching to vimeo for hosting of hd stuff. Moviestorm is fine, but when I went to upload the max size allowable was small and since everything I do is in HD is means I am limited and can only put short stuff up here . If i want to put a 30 minute movie in HD its not possible here

[lucindamc123]

I upload to youtube and vimeo

mostly youtube as they let me upload 20 gig films with no time limit lol. I host some stuff on my own servers although I am slowly switching to vimeo for hosting of hd stuff. Moviestorm is fine, but when I went to upload the max size allowable was small and since everything I do is in HD is means I am limited and can only put short stuff up here . If i want to put a 30 minute movie in HD its not possible here

I use a free program called 3gp Video Converter from http://dvdvideosoft.com and you can convert your films to many types of files and they can be uploaded here on Moviestorm. It reduces the size of the file but does not effect the quality of the film.

[dean240]

A MORE PASSIONATE APPEAL -

Thanks guys for your replies. I do understand the sentiments. Time constrains are indeed a major part of the problem. But I do not agree with the top class movies part. Even if I did, most people wouldn't. My views are based basically on the quality of films being produced and the numbers. Now I don't expect our top film producers to come out every now and then with great films , but it seems this way that --- most of the prominent members have gained their prominence because of two things , 1) Because of the movies that they made 2 years ago 2) Because they are modders.

So I guess we come back to this fact, what are the mods for? Yes, it is for personal satisfaction , just like how one produces movies. After a long day of tiring work, we all love to go back to something we love, be it family, your beloved guitar or your script for the upcoming big flick.
But the problem is that the big flick is never going to come. Your voice actors are going to send you the lines, you are going to be very excited to try your hands on the new MS 1.5, upload the film onto TMU or MS and after 13 comments and XX no. of views, it's all done. Your joy is only shared by 13 people.

So, I guess , the topic again diverts to the fact, is MS like machinima really worth anything out there? It is a passionate mechanism , i agree. People here make movies on MS because they are passionate about designing their character and showing their directing skills , be it to millions of people or just to himself.
Perhaps , I am not as passionate about movies or modding as all of you here. But I know the feeling. I play my guitar not expecting anyone to hear it or stand next to John Mayer and play, even though that is my dream. I love to play it and that is that. Same I guess would go for you guys.

But again then I question, is there any scope for the guy who one day finds about about Moviestorm on Google and downloads the free trail? Is there any place he can go with his movie after it has been produces and not feel heartbroken?

--

[kkffoo]

Well I have part share in an Emmy for machinima work, that seemed pretty cool to me?

[corthew]

But the problem is that the big flick is never going to come. Your voice actors are going to send you the lines, you are going to be very excited to try your hands on the new MS 1.5, upload the film onto TMU or MS and after 13 comments and XX no. of views, it's all done. Your joy is only shared by 13 people.

I suppose then, the question really should be, "How important is your vision to you?"

Mine is important to me or I would not have started using MS to begin with.

All the little videos I put out are just practice as I learn the process.

They're a fun way to improve.

When I complete the project I came to MS for I will not just upload it to MS or TMU, or only submit it to the Machinima Expo.

Its important to me and its going to be put out there to be seen.

How it is received will depend on the quality of the story, the vocals and the soundtrack mainly.

Also important will be the pace and post editing.

That it was filmed in MS will not play a major role in the average person's opinion of it.

Its only in the machinima world that that holds importance.

But you're basing your perspective on the average video.

That is a foolish perspective.

If you want to know what's possible you base your perspective on the best.

That's what you're going for. If you're only going for average what did you expect?

[lucindamc123]

I really do this for myself because I like to make movies. Of course now I have script writers submitting scripts to me for full length feature films that we want to become commercial. I have been an artist all my life and I always made my art for myself even though I sold everything I ever created. So you can't be influenced by how many people watch your film. If you like it, it should be enough. Most commercial film makers are just doing this for the money anyway which is why commercial movies aren't really that good.

[dean240]

I really do this for myself because I like to make movies. Of course now I have script writers submitting scripts to me for full length feature films that we want to become commercial. I have been an artist all my life and I always made my art for myself even though I sold everything I ever created. So you can't be influenced by how many people watch your film. If you like it, it should be enough. Most commercial film makers are just doing this for the money anyway which is why commercial movies aren't really that good.

How do you make Moviestorm movies commercial ?

[primaveranz]

How do you make Moviestorm movies commercial ?

Cue Deloris!....NAWWWWWT!

[primaveranz]

How do you make Moviestorm movies commercial ?

Cue Delores!....NAWWWWWT!

[lucindamc123]

How do you make Moviestorm movies commercial ?

You submit the finished movie on a DVD to various distributors. If you don't get a distributor, you put it on Amazon for sale. It is best if you get a distributor because they advertise the movie and promote it.

It is not very profitable to sell your own DVD's, however you can get your movie on IMDB if it is a commercial movie. And there are sites that will post your movie and charge for views. I have had companies contact me about having a couple of my movies on those sites but I have not done that yet. It is more profitable to make short films for people who use them for advertising purposes or for instructional videos for different training. I did several for a company in Ireland who taught customer service. I am now making a trailer for someone who wants to submit it to sell his script. And I have done previs using Moviestorm for different film makers and been paid for that.

[kkffoo]

Most commercial stuff is every day , like Lucinda describes, people wanting training videos, or promotional work.
We used Machinima stills to illustrate a cookery book once!

There's a larger commercial machinima community in Second Life (just because there are more machinimators there) so you might get some ideas of potential markets from folks working in other engines.
It is much more of a challenge to take your own work and commercialise it...but then that's true in any media.

Machinima is a creative outlet for me, so it's more important for me to be able to do my own thing.

[squirrelygirl]

But again then I question, is there any scope for the guy who one day finds about about Moviestorm on Google and downloads the free trail? Is there any place he can go with his movie after it has been produces and not feel heartbroken?

That all depends on a few things. First of all, if this is a new user, he needs to spend some time introducing himself to the community. Someone who is new to the community and hasn't been in the forums who just uploads their video and doesn't let anyone know is probably going to have fewer views than someone who joins, makes a post like "hey my name is so and so and...," then makes the video, and makes a forum post in the new releases section with a link to the video. Even then he'll probably get around 20 views, unless he also put a lot of effort into the movie (clean voice overs, good story line, good camera angles, etc). In that case he'll be more likely to have views who watch his movie promote it by adding the link to their Facebook and leaving comments. Now, he could also upload his movie to TMU, Youtube, Vimeo, and even premier it at Indy Radio, which I think is run by Kinte, who is very good at promoting videos to gain a nice size audience for premiers. kkffoo also mentioned second life. There are some theater owners in SL that premier movies. If you get in with that crowd you can have your Moviestorm movie premiered at one or more SL theaters. The owners will promote your movie before the premier to gain an audience.

So, it all comes down to how much time you put into your movie and how much time you spend promoting it. If your goal is gaining viewers you can get a bigger audience to watch your movie, it just depends on how much time you have.

[Armanus]

There are a lot of people who download MS and make a movie (or make a machinima movie with some other software), upload it to a site, and expect that it will go viral and they'll be the next famous director. Most are disappointed when the views don't match that. Even those with more modest hopes often find that their views can be disappointing.

But that isn't because of the software or the medium, necessarily. The ugly truth is that many people who make machinima only have an average talent for film. That's part of the drawback of software such as MS and the democratization of digital media, and unfortunately since there are so many machinima works out there that are average, many times even below that, the general public tends to not look at machinima as worth their time. Places like machinima.com that are more concerned with showing frag vids and calling them machinima doesn't help.

But there certainly is no shortage of talent out there, and many make good with it. Hugh Hancock, the "godfather of machinima" has parlayed his talents into a career making machinima and doing other related ventures. Iceaxe (Iain Frair) gets his MS movies screened in theaters. D.L. Watson used a machinima film he made to get funding to make a live action version. Some directors have gotten legitimate celebrity talent to do voice work for them. Some have gotten their machinima shown on television.

The medium and the software are not an issue. It's all a delicate balance between talent, ability, effort, and your goals and expectations. If you don't have those, it doesn't matter if you upload an MS movie or a live-action effort, the result will be the same. Granted, machinima does have the challenge of getting past it's own reputation, but it's getting easier.

Myself, I enjoy making average movies for my own glee, because I enjoy it when I get around to doing it and I like expressing myself artistically. It doesn't matter to me if anyone watches or if anyone like it. For me, the joy is in the making.