TFoster:

sbhedges:

PS. This is likely to ruin the TMOscars if movies on TMO can't be viewed. Please let all uploaded movies be viewed untill atleast January 2009 but that none can be uploaded.

We could call it The TMUscars?...

No, that's killed it!

Bugger, that's what I was gonna say...

Great to know we've still got the forums - I've met some really great people on here who I wouldn't want to lose contact with, and have some amazing memories.

The site may well go - but the spirit of TMO lives on...

Besides, we've got TMOA, TMU, 8eyedbaby, Skinshack....all still there. Many of us will stick around and stay as a community, even if we do move to another home.

Let's not be negative about it - sure, it's gonna go, but thank you LH for the three years or however long that it was. We've had our ups and downs, but none of it would've happened without LH, let's be honest.

And as for favourite memories? Almost all of it. I came into this community an uncofident, stupid, immature, lazy, incompetant idiot. In the year and a bit or however long it's been that I've been here, my confidence has rocketed, I've matured, and learned how to work and organise myself (even if I'm still not perfect there yet), started working harder, and made some great friends along the way. As for being a stupid lazy idiot still... well, no-one's perfect, but I owe a lot to TMO, as I think many others here do.

---

A shame really!
Loved TMO for the time it worked out well! =) But everythings got a end, so ... RIP TMO!

---

sbhedges:

TFoster:

sbhedges:

PS. This is likely to ruin the TMOscars if movies on TMO can't be viewed. Please let all uploaded movies be viewed untill atleast January 2009 but that none can be uploaded.

We could call it The TMUscars?...

No, that's killed it!

Looks like the case Tom . Maybe we should make these a special last TMOscars.

I'm really emotional after reading that post Roger.

TMO has been such a big part of my life for so many years, now it's gone it's like something I had a passion for has died.

My best memories has to be FoDoog's movies. They really were a gem and very funny to watch.

I think you're overreacting.

By the 20th November, you'll know who the nominees are right?

I will download the relevant films safely onto my drive if they aren't already there and we'll set up a channel for said films on TMU where the nominees will be uploaded for everyone to watch (a bit like what they did with TMOA Idol). We'll make it with 2 weeks to spare!

Remember also that this forum is not coming down - you can still take votes from its members well into next year as well as those on TMU.

Really, the only thing that's changed is that the cranky old TMO upload site is being shut down. They never really fixed it properly anyway - the writing was on the wall.

For me - when it comes to my review threads - I will adopt permanently the "emergency" measures I took during the crash.

That means I will be going down the release threads for any movies uploaded to other sites (there's quite a few of those), and putting them in "recent releases".

I might close the random movie thread after December 5th - I enjoyed discovering new films I'd never heard of, but there's no random button on TMU - I might figure out a way of doing it using electric dice or something like that. (hmmm - that should be quite easy as every film has a 4-digits or less number)

Top charted films - that's easy, the films uploaded to other sites that have the most posts next to them get watched first.

And my open thread remains open for business as usual to films from any site.

In addition, I will start my "Lifeboat" thread where everyone's invited to name any films they think should be downloaded and put on the lifeboat (my harddrive). I will watch each film, if it gets 4-stars or more, or is part of a series with a film that has managed that, it gets put on the lifeboat - if not, then you'll have to ask someone else to rescue that film (or do it yourself). No riff-raff will be allowed on the Lifeboat, only 1st class passengers!

I think - as ever - people (I'm one of them) have become confused by the term "TMO" - thinking it's these forums that they're closing when in fact it is only the upload section that not many are using now anyway (their rationale for closing it).

I think it will be useful to have a few sentries remaining here to point any new filmmakers towards how to upload their films to other sites, where to find the .wmv file for doing that etc.

So that's why I'll be staying. My movie vault thread will continue as usual - as all the films in it are already in the vault and available on request. Any films added to the lifeboat, by definition, become a part of the archive.

To be honest, it's easier (barring some very naughty bugs involving quotation marks) to upload files to TMU, and you can export shorter films in super hi-res.

So - overall - I can't see much that's different to where we were already. TMO uploads had become very restrictive anyway considering the alternatives available.

---

ear

Woody:

As the press release says here - http://movies.lionhead.com/news.html?story=476 - the website of The Movies Online will be shut down early December.

I've got some very memories about the online aspect of The Movies, we've seen some amazing creations, seen great talent come and go, went to a few festivals and I'd like to ask you all to let us know about your best memories.

Woody,

You guys killed through mismanagement and shoddy moderation, what could have been the greatest Machinema site online. Its sad but true.

In the end, I'm sure you guys took stock of the total decline of members and quality of films being released and saw the light.

Still, no reason to not keep this wonderful depository of films alive, even with no new uploads, is there? I mean, its a very unique thing you guys created...save it for the sake of knowing you guys created something...

---

TMO was the first online communtiy I have ever been in and it will be a shame for it to go down.

 

I had a lot of fun creating movies on TMO and enjoying the responses. TMO was a big part of my life and I want to thank Lionhead Studios for creating such a website. The Movies is hands down my favorite computer game, because I am a very creative person and the ability to create a movie is just amazing. A lot of people on the TMO community have been very friendly and willing to help. As TMO closes down for ; I will sit back and watch a few classics before the TMO train takes its final stop. I will help new TMOers find their way into TMU and I encourage everyone to do the same. TMO will be greatly missed.

-BenTuttle90

 

---

Very sad news, but no surprise to me after all...

I had some times here.

Now that LH and Activision (I guess) call it an end, there are two burning questions on my mind:

Is there a chance that LH will give the modders details on how to make new scenes for the game (or mod it even more completely, with permission), which will help them and speed up their work considerably?

And is there any chance that we might one day own the rights to our movies? Some of us have taken the software far beyond of what I guess LH might ever have dreamed of... and it would be nice for those of us who still love the software, and want to create great new and astonishing films using it, to be able to show them not only on festivals, but also be able to make money out of them, by releasing them, lets say, on Metacafe. I for one would be glad if these things would at least be thought about, especially as loads of machinima nowadays is made combining several programs.
It would be a great advertisement for TM (and thus LH), plus it would be a grand gesture.

Just my two cents.

wow, I finally have a bit of free time to post and browse the forums (after a few months being gone) and come back to find this

It makes me sad to here the site is going down.

I too have some great memories of the site, and will miss it. Sorry to hear it's closing.

---

TMO Studio: Closed

TMU Studio: Temporarily Closed

Spelling Skillz: none

sisch:

Is there a chance that LH will give the modders details on how to make new scenes for the game (or mod it even more completely, with permission), which will help them and speed up their work considerably?

This would be a VERY NICE GESTURE on LH's part if they would release the modding tools that they once promised ages ago (I believe).

Get's my vote!!

This is sad news. I haven't been around for quite sometime now, so I can't say that I've gone through what has happened around here in the past few months, but this is definently an end of an era.

TM was the first game that really got me into an online community. Previous to that I had never been a member of ANY communities. Since then I've joined up on some other forums and joined other communities and left TMO behind, but I never forgot about it.

For the past few years, TMO and TM have been a big part of my life. I can recall staying up many late nights working on a movie, talking with friends, posting on the forums etc..

I don't think I'll ever forget my time around this community. It is to see that movies will continue to be uploaded on TMU and the community will stay alive on both the TMO forums and the TMU forums, however I'm not sure if I'm going to be a part of it.

Even though the site had it's problems, I'm going to miss it.

Now that Fable2 is out, and you're taking this course, I hope you at least modify the propshop items to be available to all - It'd be a shame if those who came to the game later never had the chance to grab all the content you made. Pity it's gone this way - greater pity is that the game was never big enough to warrant more expansions, nor small enough that it made sense to release modding tools.

Had a lot of fun, though. Most recently was a month ago - I had my copy on a laptop, and while I was on holidays, showed my younger cousins how to make their own movies - these are kids that generally have the latest game, but they still really enjoyed being able to tell their own story. That's THIS year, so long after the game was originally released. The game was never really marketed as such, though, so I see it as a colossal failure that in the age of custom content and youtube, a game where you make your own movies was marketed as a sim.

I know there's people working on mods still, movies still, and of course the modding tools, and now people are starting to branch out into other machinima tools. I'm still yet to find one I find that matches my flow as well as The Movies did, and I hope that this experience isn't going to deter other companies that were interested in this sort of game, from developing it.

You can't blame TMU for this. TMU was born after a lot of problems on the TMO site, when there was a great deal of uncertainty - the story behind the server downtime really spoke to a lot of community members as to where the priority lied with Lionhead. Nothing wrong with that, they're a business not a charity, and it made sense not to piss loyal community members off before Fable2 was released, in the hopes that some of those bought the game too. It worked - it's just a pity that this was the acknowledgement we were waiting for.

Anyhow, a lot of memories, a lot of time. I've tried to contribute as much as I could up until a point, because I really thought the game and the community were something special. To me, it was. For one thing, it's the first time I've been able to see a story idea through - not always a great one, but I got to the end. Scenes I'd imagined years ago, ones I did just for here, ones based on dreams. It put me onto the screenwriting path, whereas before it was just novels.

I guess the biggest shame of all, is that TMO is dying with a whimper, not a bang.

 

Oh, and I notice this closure isn't a big enough thing to get a mention on the blog. What's up with that?

 

---

Even a page a day will get you there.

It's a real shame to see the curtain finally close on TMO. It's been a huge part of my life since I came across it in January and I've learned a tremendous amount since then. I've also met some great people who i've made friends with.

So all i've got to say is bye TMO, thanks for everything.

---

It truly is a shame that TMO will be closing its doors. So many great films from so many great filmmakers from years gone by to even still today. I had always hoped this day would never come but of course I had figured it would. I'm oh so glad that there is TMU now, as now so many filmmakers will still have a place to display their works. TMO has been a great place, really, and although I came over long after some of the greats had roamed this site and mere days before the forum change that lost even more members, I've still made a lot of friends here that I couldn't make anywhere else and for that I am grateful that a simple machinima site could be so friendly and tight-knit and a great environment in general until the tragic recent months.

I'll see you all over at TMU now I guess. Now I've got a lot of films to download!

bye TMO, I hardly knew ye.

---

^ Check what Beck's up to now.

TMUnderground

Very sad news but not totally unexpected, I suppose.  All things must come to an end, unfortunately.

I have many happy memories of TMO.  In fact, if ever I become a grandparent, I shall regale my grand kids (i.e. bore them rigid) with tales of this great place that was once on the internet called TMO and the great community it spawned.

Nothing but fond memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to make one last film for TMO...

I Did it my Way by Frank Sinatra - http://movies.lionhead.com/movie/153690

A last wave bye!

---

jazzx:

sbhedges:

TFoster:

sbhedges:

PS. This is likely to ruin the TMOscars if movies on TMO can't be viewed. Please let all uploaded movies be viewed untill atleast January 2009 but that none can be uploaded.

We could call it The TMUscars?...

No, that's killed it!

Looks like the case Tom . Maybe we should make these a special last TMOscars.

I'm really emotional after reading that post Roger.

TMO has been such a big part of my life for so many years, now it's gone it's like something I had a passion for has died.

My best memories has to be FoDoog's movies. They really were a gem and very funny to watch.

I think you're overreacting.

By the 20th November, you'll know who the nominees are right?

I will download the relevant films safely onto my drive if they aren't already there and we'll set up a channel for said films on TMU where the nominees will be uploaded for everyone to watch (a bit like what they did with TMOA Idol). We'll make it with 2 weeks to spare!

Remember also that this forum is not coming down - you can still take votes from its members well into next year as well as those on TMU.

Really, the only thing that's changed is that the cranky old TMO upload site is being shut down. They never really fixed it properly anyway - the writing was on the wall.

For me - when it comes to my review threads - I will adopt permanently the "emergency" measures I took during the crash.

That means I will be going down the release threads for any movies uploaded to other sites (there's quite a few of those), and putting them in "recent releases".

I might close the random movie thread after December 5th - I enjoyed discovering new films I'd never heard of, but there's no random button on TMU - I might figure out a way of doing it using electric dice or something like that. (hmmm - that should be quite easy as every film has a 4-digits or less number)

Top charted films - that's easy, the films uploaded to other sites that have the most posts next to them get watched first.

And my open thread remains open for business as usual to films from any site.

In addition, I will start my "Lifeboat" thread where everyone's invited to name any films they think should be downloaded and put on the lifeboat (my harddrive). I will watch each film, if it gets 4-stars or more, or is part of a series with a film that has managed that, it gets put on the lifeboat - if not, then you'll have to ask someone else to rescue that film (or do it yourself). No riff-raff will be allowed on the Lifeboat, only 1st class passengers!

I think - as ever - people (I'm one of them) have become confused by the term "TMO" - thinking it's these forums that they're closing when in fact it is only the upload section that not many are using now anyway (their rationale for closing it).

I think it will be useful to have a few sentries remaining here to point any new filmmakers towards how to upload their films to other sites, where to find the .wmv file for doing that etc.

So that's why I'll be staying. My movie vault thread will continue as usual - as all the films in it are already in the vault and available on request. Any films added to the lifeboat, by definition, become a part of the archive.

To be honest, it's easier (barring some very naughty bugs involving quotation marks) to upload files to TMU, and you can export shorter films in super hi-res.

So - overall - I can't see much that's different to where we were already. TMO uploads had become very restrictive anyway considering the alternatives available.

Forgot about that Jazzx, Once again you come to my rescue!

---

maggot:

You mean there are so many xbox threads because it is such bad hardware and kills itself every week..

Songs recently listened to :
1. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
2. Livin on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
3. Radio GaGa - Queen

NOOOOOOOOOO! Well, all things come to an end I suppose I'll summarize my history with TMO right here.

I remembered the first day I came here, document.write(postedstr(mov_posted));Saturday March 11th 2006. I was eager, amitious, wanted to make the best movie I could make on the site. I started off with a series called "Who Shot Parker" which started me off and made me a member of the TMO community.

 Then I tried my hand at making some comedies, and I realised these were better than what I tried making earlier, the best of which I made was "7 Excuses of not doing homework" (March 2006) which got me my most amount of reviews. That was the movie that got me recognised at the time.

 Later I joined the forums, where I kinda went over the top a bit. I was a bit spammy, and a bit flamey which got me the title of "Low Karma". I was a bit unpopular on the forums (DerekHH unpopular).

 From there I discovered I had a "passion" for writing parody songs so I came out with my very first music video "I Shot the Teacher", parodied from I shot The Sheriff (May 2006) then "Wind of Gas", parodied from Wind of Change (May 2006).

 Soon after I recieved visits from the one star ninjas, angered by this I formed a "gang" known as the "OSA" (One Star Alliance) (Consisting of me, Worldu and some other guy) we vowed to beat one star ninjas, by one starring them back HEAVILY. But like most "Superheroes" there are always "Supervillains" and we had ourselves a war with another "gang" known as "The Heroes of Chaos" (Consisting of Mikeychaos, Adam09 and some other guy). We were mortal enemies, we both launched campaign movies trying to reach out to the community that they were bad people and had to be stopped. Eventually we both recieved emails urging us to stop and the day after hostilities ceased between the OSA and THoC, the whole TMO community was plagued by seeing the message "ATTENTION!Before posting your comment please read section 5. Online Forum in our Terms of Use. We will not allow offensive words, harassment of other members and/or any other rude language! This will result in a ban of your account". So it was really my fault that, that message was there.

Then I started making short flicks leading up to my retirement in November, ending with "Who wants to win £10" (September 2006), I left without knowing I would make a comeback.

I returned 2 years later in Early June 2008. During my retirment I discovered something which I should have discovered before: Musicals. And released my best movie to date "Bmaitland: The Musical" (June 2008 ). At the time Britian's Got Talent was showing so I decided to spoof it and make "TMO's got Talent" (July 2008 ) where I handed out a grand prize of 50,000VC to Kwistufa for winning (Sparky1512, Adamrcook88 got 2nd and 3rd).

I made a film earlier called "The Tooth Fairy of " (June 2006) and was making a sequel, and was going to make it a trilogy. But I decided to mix in The Tooth Fairy of with Bmaitland: The Musical. I then linked "The Tooth Fairy of 2" (August 2008 ) with Bmaitland's Storyline thus leading to "Bmaitland: The Musical 2" (August 2008 )......and here we are TMO is closing

Well, that's my story. Its sad to see it finally coming to an end But we must remember TMO for what it was, not how it ended

---

http://movies.lionhead.com/movie/153691
my movie to tell TMOers about the closure, its not been taken well be them....nuff said....

Oh well, life is full of inevitabilities, and I am very grateful that Ken created TMU, so when this day doth arrive, it's not actually the true end, and for a game that did so poorly in comparison to have 3 years of life in a year's worth normally is inexplicably great.

I still remember nagging my mother to give me one of my Xmas presents early, the game, and spending a weekend of being ill just doing Tycoon mode, heck, it was only mock exams, not like I needed to do it.
And then in the real exams just waiting for Stunts and Effects, and freecam, and all that gloriousness to come.

And then TMOA, and the community, the times, the bad times, the ugly times (More recently the bad and ugly merged to form Buglerster, the monster of ness)

I can't say I'm not sad, but I can say that I am truly grateful to TMO, for having a wonderful game to live out some short story concepts, for finally getting a hotpick (And just in time it seemed) and of course for making such a diverse and entertaining bunch of friends on here, some who have left I still keep in regular contact, and one at least I had the great pleasure of spending a day out in London, it's weird to live around the area and suddenly one day be a tourist, but it's been over two years and still a highlight of my life, and I look forward to meeting more of you as I save up to explore the great wide west of America in the next few years (You have been warned)

Thank you for an update and a warning Woody and Sam, you guys were cool, and the hate people give you I just don't feel is justified.

It was great to know TMO, and to be a part of it for so long, and to be the final Ultimate TMOer I guess, it'll have to be TMUer from now on then, mwhahahahaha, me and Andy are the elite...

I just hope the forums will be active and skype too, and of course one hopes Ken doesn't give up on TMOA for some time yet, though I wouldn't be surprised if he took this as a great excuse to cut loose and run away from everyone, finally just spend time with work colleagues, not with some weirdo from England for hours on end, beating him in war games and such.

---

Last three films seen on the big screen:
Law Abiding Citizen - 5/10
2012 - 5/10
A Serious Man - 6/10

I am very sad to hear the news. But alas all things do end. I have wonderful memories of the many increidble films I have seen here. But more than that I am greatful for the friends I have met though The Movies. I never dreamed when I started that it would become such a huge part of my life. The Moives gave me the oportunity to make films I had only dreamed of making and the fantasy of being a movie mogul like in the old days of Hollywood.

 Creating stars that people fell in love with was super fun for me. Introducing Heddy Hooper as a publicity device was a hoot. Having online premieres ("Cleopalooza" was the tops thanks to everyone at TMOA)  It was in short a dream come true for me.

Thanks for the memories.

Hugs to you all.

MGM

Michael C. Smith

San Francisco November 7, 2008

---

It was great being here, I had a load of fun, met some intelligent and fellow-minded people, and really found this place as a great way to express my ideas. This will continue of course on TMU, but seeing as how this was the original place we all started at, it's sad to see it go.

That aside - I am surprised Lionhead didn't do this sooner. It was costing it money to keep the servers up, and as a business it definitely has kept this all up for much longer than most other games would.

- Orky

---

Ahh, I remember the run up to when Stunts and Effects was released, and Roger and others getting a sneak peek of the game before the rest of us mere mortals. It's actually quite interesting to look back in the S&E forum and see all the discussions that went on about what might be in the expansion pack.

Oh, and I remember when freecam was announced for it....big celebration.

---

The only thing worse than beating a dead horse is betting on one.

Sad news.

I want to send my apologize to mippa, Goofparade and Roger that gave me their voices for L as in Love. I will not finish the film. But I guess that dosen´t come as an surprise since I haven't been around the site for several months.

I will remember postmodernhucks amazing movies of course. They are special. But even more so those movies that you saw and thought "How the hell do he do that?". - That is a unique feeling. And a big kiss to all you friendly people out there ...;D.

It was a fun ride. No more movies for me, but I hope and I know that the creativity will continue on TMU. luck with that.

Darlings, this is indeed very sad news to me. I guess I am out of a job unless they let me in over at TMU. I just want to take a moment and thank all of you for reading my collumn and for your encouragement to me and my boss MGM.

   I shall miss this thing that was so dear to all of us, this age of discovery and friendships, this golden age of The Movies.

This is Heddy Hooper, signing out Darlings!

---

deliriousstudios:

Ahh, I remember the run up to when Stunts and Effects was released, and Roger and others getting a sneak peek of the game before the rest of us mere mortals. It's actually quite interesting to look back in the S&E forum and see all the discussions that went on about what might be in the expansion pack.

Oh, and I remember when freecam was announced for it....big celebration.

The best bit of the S&E celebrations that I liked was the pictures people posted with their games. I'm still trying to recover from maggots pictures!

---

maggot:

You mean there are so many xbox threads because it is such bad hardware and kills itself every week..

Songs recently listened to :
1. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
2. Livin on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
3. Radio GaGa - Queen

Although I never have really had the time to make numerous movies like the rest of the community (work), or watch many for the matter (Dial-up killed watching longer films when I lived with the parents),  I have had many memories of TMO.  I remember FoDoog's infamous trilogy, which I think Showdown in Foggytown was the best comedy film ever written.  I remember coming home every night and checking by the hour to see if my film was still in the top 20.  This only to name a couple of many memories.  Only to wish I had made more times around for more movies.  I will forever remember TMO.

But most of all, I had made a few friends here and there.

Now, when I get a chance to finish my new movies I'm making and by the time they are released, TMO will no longer exist.  And it will be sad to not being able to export to TMO whenever I will export my films.

---