Before I begin, the goal has been and still is a September/October 2026 release and I don't see any reason why that target won't be met. Everything listed in the About This Game section has been implemented completely or above 90% completion in-game. To dive into it a bit more, in creating Studio Sim I broke it down into three pain parts:
Film production
Television production
World Simulation
Each one taking a 1/3 chunk of the pie and when combined form the full Studio Sim play experience. I will do a deeper dive into the World Simulation next time, but for now let's focus on the two main game loops. Film and Television.
Film Production is divided into three phases.
Pre-Production
In-Production
Post-Production
These are followed by Release.
Pre-Production involves hiring the writer, defining the Roles, Hooks and Modifiers for the screenplay, booking a Shoot Location and hiring the Director. Once those are selected, the writing process begins. Writing will last anywhere from 4 - 16 weeks, depending on factors such as the writers speed.
During the writing process, 'writing events' will happen where the writer will need your input. Such as an idea for a grand scene that will require the Production Addition: Explosions or CGI, or a grand set design.
Another quick example: the writer may be writing a character and think an actor would be a great fit for this part. The writer will inform you and you have the option to send the rough draft to the actor, where they can agree to take part in the project right there, or pass on it:
In-Production involves casting the Roles by either hiring talent directly or holding auditions for the Role and choosing the best of the bunch. Selecting an actor enters Negotiations with that actor. There are different ways to get the talent to sign on the dotted line, such as higher salary, incentives like a Star Trailer, First Class Travel, etc. As you unlock Studio Perks you'll be able to use them to enhance the contract offer. Such as giving them use of the Studio Jet, for instance.
Production Additions are also chosen in the In-Production phase. Production Additions can enhance the quality of the Film but come at a financial cost. Additions include Stunts, Major Explosions, Greenscreen Sets, Premium Cinematography, and more.
Once all the roles for the script are cast and any Production Additions have been chosen, filming begins. The time it takes to complete filming varies based on the Shooting Schedule chosen and can range from a quick shoot to a blockbuster shoot. Of course, the higher costing more time and money.
During filming, events will happen on-set, off-set and all around involving actors, tabloids, the director and a myriad of other events that can transpire around the filming of a project. If the on-set dynamic is good and interactions between actors is mostly positive with little drama, the project will receive boosts in Filming quality. A lot of fun on the set will result in word spreading to the Tabloids, generating even more interest in the project.
Conversely the opposite can happen. Too many negative interactions between actors or directors on-set can snowball into more trouble if word spreads to the Tabloids about all the on-set drama.
Once filming has wrapped the editing process can now begin. You'll start by selecting an editing studio to handle the editing, or choose to do it in-house to keep costs down. The editing process can take weeks or months depending on the size of the project and the speed/quality of the editing studio.
Decisions can be made in the editing phase such as adding a post-credits scene or mid-credits scene, or both. And what actors will appear in the scenes. Runtime will need to be set. And alternate endings can be chosen.
Alternate endings may be warranted if the initial test screenings come back with negative reviews.
Much like writing and filming, editing events can and will happen that need your input.
As the editing process is running, marketing and promotion can now begin. This involves creating and releasing the trailer. Release the trailer as a 30 second tv spot, a 2 minute featurette before movies at theatres, or both.
Book actors involved in the project for guest appearances on the three main in-game late night talk shows.
- Night Time With Morris Gable. (The big mainstream late night show, on the largest network. Real life counterpart: Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.)
- The Midnight Show. (The culturally popular, hip, youth-oriented late night show. Real life counterpart: Late Night with Letterman or Conan.)
- Richard Posh Live. (A more serious, grounded talk-show. Real life counterpart: Dick Cavett Show)
When the actor appears on the late night talk show, you will be able to read the transcript and view the results of the interview. Depending on a number of different factors the interview can be a hit, boosting interest in the project, or be a disaster for the actor, causing a hit to the project hype and the individual actors fame score. Actor personality traits play a large role here.
Beyond late night talk shows and trailers, there is also the Magazine Rack. Where eight of the top entertainment magazines will offer the project different features in next month's issue. Such as the Cover story, a feature article, a photoshoot with individual actors or the full cast, or use the magazine to disparage an actor.
Once Editing is complete the player will get a final project score which is Final Screenplay Quality + Filming Quality + Editing Quality. A great quality project will not guarantee a smash box office perfomance or top rated television show, but it certainly helps!
Now you can select your release strategy. Global, International, Domestic or Direct-To-Video. Each with different costs and bonuses. You can also choose to sell distribution rights to different areas to recoup some of the budget back, but you'll lose out on chunks of the box office returns.
Be mindful when selecting a release week. Too much competition can bury your project or give it a hell of a fight at the box office. Releasing during a holiday week can give bonuses. Matching genres to holidays can give even more bonuses. Such as a romantic comedy released on Valentines Day.
The film will run the opening weekend then remain in theatres for an additional five week run. Totalling six weeks. Once the theatrical run is complete, the Home Video plan can be set up and implemented, providing residual income for years if your film is of good quality. You'll also have the chance to have the film become a cultural cult classic on home video as time goes on.
The television process is similar but different to the film process.
The Pre-Production phase of a television show runs much the same as films. Hire a writer to write the pilot script, set the Roles, Hooks and Modifiers and choose a shoot location.
This process is truncated as the writer is only writing the pilot script, instead of a full screenplay. Much like film projects, you can choose to have revisions done to the script, hire a rewriter or move the project into Pilot Production.
This phase runs similarly to In-Production for film projects. The roles/characters chosen for the project will need to be cast. Production Additions can be chosen and a quicker shooting schedule is selected.
Once ready, filming the pilot episode will begin in the shoot location chosen. This process can take 2 - 4 weeks.
The final piece of Pilot Production is Negotiating with one of the major networks in game. (currently there are five, but more may be added before release.) Some will be interested while others might not be. Networks typically offer season-at-a-time deals and renew at the end of each season. Terms negotiated will be for the # of episodes for the season (6, 10 or 22), airdate, timeslot (daytime, afternoon, evening, primetime, late night, over night) and network payment to the studio.
Once a deal is negotiated with a network and season premiere airdate is chosen, you will have about 1-2 months to market the show in much the same manner as marketing film projects. Late show appearances, magazines, etc. Once on-air you will be able to edit each episode if you so choose. Giving them individual titles, comparing episode ratings against other shows in the same timeslot, book special guest stars for episodes to try to get a ratings bump for a Finale or special episode.
After the finale and once the season has wrapped there will be a cool down period for the show. During this time the Network will reach out and either offer a contract extension, or decide to cancel the program. If an extension is signed, the player will need to re-sign all the talent involved in the show to new contracts after the first season. These rounds can lock the actors in for multiple seasons if the show runs for that long.
The player should have a strong idea if the show is likely to be renewed or not before the Post-Season phase begins. The TV Snapshot is always available in the Show summary screen.
There is no final Release phase with television projects, as the Season Production is running concurrently with the show being aired. For instance, episode 3 could be airing on television, but episode 12 is currently being filmed. This puts the player in a better position to pivot if a show is not hitting the ratings the way you'd hoped. Instead of having the season locked in at the beginning, adjustments can be made during filming. This is a quick summary of both systems and there is a lot I didn't touch on here. I was hoping to give a broad overview, but please reach out if there is anything requiring more explanation. Next time I will be doing a deeper dive into the World Simulation Engine. Mark | PrattDesign