Beni: Wow! Three years is a really long time. Are the story and/or the characters different compared to what they were initially going to be? How?
Mykell: Oh, yes, indeed. Especially Bryan Northon. Initially, he was supposed to be the main villain, so the Hetman. However, while working on the plot and creating more characters, I came to the conclusion that the Hetman should be someone else. At the beginning, there were also less characters than in the final version. Another example is definitely Mark Anders, Bryan’s boyfriend. He was going to be a bad guy (what is mentioned in episode seven), but I just couldn’t imagine him as an antagonist. So I changed my mind, and he instead was a man that really cared about his soulmate.
Beni: Every writer has a favorite character to write for. Who was yours in QUEST and why?
Mykell: To be honest, there were plenty of them, but if I had to choose only one, I’d go for Mark Anders. The scenes with him and Bryan were such a pleasure to write for me. When I was making an episode, I couldn’t wait to focus on their scenes, because I loved them both so much. They’re absolutely my favorite characters in QUEST. Also, Dave Snakes. I mean, he was the best police officer I’d ever made. He was both sweet and badass, and I still can’t forgive myself for what happened to him in the show.
Beni: Which episode was your favorite to write, your favorite to film, and your favorite episode overall?
Mykell: Okay, so I think all three awards go to episode 11, because: 1.) As I began working on this series, I couldn’t wait ’till I finally started filming this one. I love when a lot of things happen all at once, and it’s a great example. 2.) Filming the editing scene in this episode was my dream ever since I came up with an idea of what was supposed to happen. Every time I listened to the song I used in it (“Rain In The Heart” by Michele Morrone btw., a great song, highly recommended), I always saw that editing scene in my head. 3.) I have a love-hate relationship with this one, because I love it so much and hate it so badly at the same time. None of the other episodes make me feel this way, so episode 11 deserves it.
Beni: Which of the characters do you relate to the most?
Mykell: Honestly, it’s hard for me to relate to any of my characters, but I have to choose one, right? So my choice is going to be Gregor Grant. Mostly because he’s German and I study the Germanic philology XD. I also love the German language. It’s kind of sad that people think he’s the bad one, because he was never supposed to be bad. Rose was dangerous, and he cared about himself and little Kathlyn.
Beni: What is the one thing that you hope QUEST taught people? What do you wish the viewers take away from the show/story?
Mykell: QUEST is a story about manipulation and morality, but also about the struggle with current problems, like cyberbullying (even though it could be a bit too exaggerated in the series). I wanted to show that it’s better to sacrifice only one person rather than too many people. I know that way too many people died because of the game QUEST, but it could’ve been more if not for Rose. I can compare it to the ending of Life Is Strange where you have to choose between sacrificing Arcadia Bay or Chloe. Besides, Rose doesn’t give up; she wants to reach the goal, no matter what. This series is also about that determination.
Beni: Is there anything you did during the time of making the show that you regret or you wish you had done differently?
Mykell: I think the coloring could be better haha, but well, I’m aware this series isn’t perfect and it’s okay. I’m not a perfectionist, and I feel okay with it. The other thing I wish I’d done differently is Reshade. I discovered it too late, and I had problems with it that got fixed when there were only two episodes left. You can notice I tried to use manual blurring (the one you can create in postproduction), but I decided to give up. Now, there are plans for season two and Reshade does work now, so you can expect it in the future.
Beni: How did you get familiar with machinima? What was the first machinima you've ever seen?
Mykell: That can be a really funny story. The first machinima I ever watched was a Sims music video to Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”. It wasn’t well-made when I look at it from my current perspective, but I absolutely loved that you could make your own music videos with The Sims. I also came across some series - a Polish Sims series called “Dom” (in English, “The House”) by simka1382 was the first series I watched and I fell in love with the story. When I was 12, my sister gave me The Sims 2 as a birthday gift and I started making my own shows, even though I didn’t publish them. I remember making something like Total Drama Island with Sims or Top Model. It was really fun.
Beni: Do you have any real life aspirations to produce/write/direct films or series?
Mykell: I don’t feel like becoming a real director or producer. For me, Sims machinima is a hobby, a getaway from reality. I really like it this way and I want it to stay the same.
Beni: You are one of the few people who are brave enough to film in The Sims 3. What would you say is the biggest challenge of filming in this infamously laggy sims game?
Mykell: I have to say it XD. I was one of those people who said The Sims 3 was so bad because you couldn’t play such a laggy game... Until I launched it on my new computer and my jaw dropped. The Sims 3 worked perfectly fine, and making movies with TS3 has been so pleasant after that. I remember the time I used my older laptop for TS3 and when I moved to my new one, I was like, “Oh my God, it’s so unusual that filming with slow motion doesn’t freeze the screen!” XD. The only thing I hate about TS3 now is the build mode, because I’m too used to the Sims 4 one and I lack a searcher. It could be easier to find objects you need for your scenes. I also hate building; it’s my least favorite thing about creating a machinima.
Beni: You are working on a new series, The Trickster. Are there any details you could share with us? How far along are you in writing/filming?
Mykell: Yes, The Trickster is going to be my next series after QUEST. This time I’m switching to The Sims 4. It’s going to be another thriller/crime story. The main character is Conrad Bradbury, an architect, and he gets framed as the culprit of serious crimes. The crimes concern the women who are found half-naked in Brooktown. The police investigate the case, while detective Allison Smith helps Conrad find out the truth. And the true culprit is, of course, the Trickster, but who is he? We’re going to figure it out soon 🙂
To answer the second part of the question, I’m currently writing episode three and I really like the new characters that appear in it. After episode three, there are only four episodes left.
Beni: QUEST was a subtitled series, and I think I remember reading on your Twitter that you plan for The Trickster to be voiced. What made you decide to shift from subtitled to VO?
Mykell: Yes, The Trickster is going to be a voice-over series; at least that’s my plan. There’s a certain difference between these two series: SCRIPTS. QUEST didn’t have scripts, because all dialogue was written spontaneously. The only thing I had were plot descriptions. Without scripts, it’s difficult to ask for voice actors. I also had bad memories with writing scripts from my first published series, “Przypadkowi z doświadczenia” (in English, “Accidental from experience”). Now, when I write The Trickster, I feel like I accept writing them, but I still find it hard.
The change to VO is mostly because I want to try it out. I’ve had no experience with it, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. I love VO series that other machinimators create. You guys are doing a great job, and let’s not forget about VAs that make our dreams come true.
Beni: What introduced you to the Sims? Do you also play in your free time?
Mykell: My interest in The Sims started in 2010 or 2011 when my neighbor had The Sims 2. In 2012, my sister gave me the same game on my birthday. I fell in love with it so much, and Sims became my obsession since then. I used to play a lot for a few years. Now I play Sims less; I launch the games mostly for filming. Now my obsession is Dead By Daylight, which I play with my friends. One of them is Izumini - she’s also a Sims machinima maker and she creates animations too.
Beni: Do you think the Plumbbob Awards is a good experience for a machinima director?
Mykell: Absolutely yes! I’ve been following the Plumbbob Awards since 2019, I guess. It’s because of my friend Carmen - she participated in multiple seasons and I kept my fingers crossed for her. This year, because I was active, I decided to take part and submit my series QUEST and my music video to Dreamcatcher’s “And there was no one left”. For me, it was mostly for fun, and I had no hope to win in any of the categories, so I was very surprised when my projects earned some prizes. I do think it’s a good experience for directors, because after the ceremony, you get beautiful rubrics with opinions that may help you in your machinima road to fame.
Beni: What is the most important lesson that you learned since becoming a machinima director?
Mykell: Never give up. It seems to be difficult in the beginning, but no one is born as a master. It takes some time to learn, but you’ll see for sure that it pays off. I never considered myself a perfectionist, but I’m aware I make mistakes and I try to get rid of them, which also takes time. Another thing? Envy. It’s okay to envy someone who’s better at something than you. That’s what it’s like in real life. But you shouldn’t focus too much on others. Maybe get some inspiration from them, but don’t repeat the same things over and over. Always be yourself. Find your own style you’ll feel the best in. It can be making short stories, music videos, series, maxis match or alpha, maybe a mix, everything’s good as long as you feel good doing it.
Beni: Thank you for joining us this season and for agreeing to do this interview! Looking forward to see what you have planned for next season!
Mykell: Thank you so much for the interview, I really liked the questions. ❤️
