Promoting your Sims99 Movie

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So you've made a movie. Great! Wait... no one is watching it? Not getting the number of ratings and reviews you see on other films? Are you frustrated because it seems like only 'famous' or 'popular' people from the bbs get their movies watched?

Well, that's actually not true. Recently, a list of the 'most viewed movie pages' was published on the sims99 bbs just as a response to some Q&A by users. Guess what? Everyone was surprised by the results. The most watched movies aren't always the highest rated movies. Why is that?

The key to it all is promoting your sims99 movie page! Getting the word out!

Fansites and Forums

Belong to movie or game fansites? Most of these sites will have forums, and nearly every one of those forums will have the option of attaching a signature to the bottom of every post you make. This is the easiest way to tell hundreds (and maybe thousands) of people about your movies! Add a link directly to your director's page or a specific movie's page on sims99!

Also, don't forget that most web communities allow you to post a fansite. Make it your director's page! You'd be surprised how often people will click on those links out of curiosity or to learn more about you. The same can go for non-machinima related sites. Many websites have sections for off-topic chatter or a place where you can list interests and hobbies. Tell them where to rate and review your movies!

Ask for and respond positively to feedback!

Other people will be more likely to watch and pay attention if they are drawn into the process and asked to give constructive feedback. Sometimes people will hesitate to tell a movie-maker how to improve. Remember, they don't know you, and are probably concerned with how you might react if their review isn't all praise! Let your viewers know you want their opinion. The more specific your request, the more likely you are to get good feedback. Saying 'tell me what you think' is okay. Saying 'Are the characters believable' or 'Did the mood of the film suit the music choice' is better! What do you want people to comment on? What feedback would help you improve the most? Think about it, and make specific requests.

When you do receive feedback, be sure you thank people and respond positively! It's okay to disagree, but keep it to yourself. People put a lot of time and effort into writing reviews, and if you respond with an argumentative attitude, they may cross all your future movies off their 'to review' list!

There are several appropriate places to ask for feedback, the Official site for the game used to create the movie, such as The Sims 2 Official BBS Movie Showcase and the Sims99 BBS 'Now Showing' forum. Also you could include your requests within the description of the movie on the movie page. Asking for reviews is a good way to get them!

Be a reviewer yourself!

You can't ask someone else to do something you aren't willing to do yourself! Want feedback? So does everyone else. When you take the time to offer your opinion, often others will return the favor and view yours as well. It takes some effort but what you get in return is worth the time. Not to mention that watching movies and giving feedback is bar-none the best method for improving your own work.

Music Videos

There are many places to promote your movies beyond the bbs for Sims 99 and The Sims 2 BBS. If you make a music video or are trying to showcase a favorite band, don't be afraid to join a message board or website dedicated to them and make a post linking to your sims99.com movie page. Fans may be more interested in watching a video about a certain band or of a certain song if they are already fans of the music. This is also a great way to showcase the possibilites of machinima to people who have never heard of it before!

Show off!

Show the people outside your 'internet life' where to see your movie by wearing a sims99.com t-shirt or drinking your morning coffee at work out of a sims99 mug. Use those totes and mousepads to tell people about your hobby! And even better, get it personalized so everyone knows whose movies to look for when they do stop by. You'll be amazed the interest you can generate!

Win the Contest

This is probably the toughest one, because only one person can achieve this each month. But out of the top five most-watched movies on sims99.com, four of them are award winners. That's because this site promotes its award winning movies at least 4 times every month as a part of plugging the Best Movie contest.

If that seems out of reach, then just remember these three things:

1. The more feedback you get, the better your movies will be, assuming you take that feedback to heart. Each improvement gets you that much closer to being an award winner yourself.
2. There is nothing wrong with asking people to vote for you when you send them to view your film!
3. Don't forget that of the top five most viewed movies, one of them is not an award winner! One of them is by someone who went to extraordinary lengths to send as many people as possible to their sims99 movie page!

Don't be afraid to shamelessly promote your film!

Nobody is going to rate and review your movie if they can't find it!