Ferrago: How long and how sophisticated can the you create in-game be; and how large a role will creation play in the game overall?

AM: They can be as long as you want, but bear in mind that if you want to make a movie that reviews well and makes you lots of money in the game, you'll need to keep it a reasonable length (about 30 seconds to 3 minutes). It's like reality - no one wants to see a film that is too short or goes on for hours and hours and hours.

Movie creation can play a small part - it's possible to make films with 3 clicks of the mouse. That's great if you want to make okay movies and concentrate on designing your movie studio and looking after your stars. If you want to make movies however, you can get as creative as you want, and it's a brilliant feeling putting a film together, seeing the fruits of your "labour" as it comes out of the editing suite, and then seeing lines of people around the block as becomes a big hit (if you achieve that of course).

Ferrago: From what I can ascertain The Movies offers a very complete representation of studio life, will players be able to pick the areas of the job they like best, or have they to deal with every aspect of running the 'shop'?

AM: You are the studio boss, so you hire people to look after different areas for you, whether it is making costumes or designing sets. You're the boss so you decide how dirty to get your hands!

Ferrago: Clearly the premise has nigh-endless potential, where might you take the game with future add-ons, upgrades or sequels?

AM: We have add-ons and sequels planned. We have downloadable content being designed and built right now, for once the game is released. It's hard to know where to stop - there is a wealth of material to draw upon with this subject matter. The world of The Movies is so vast. And amusing. Sometimes tragic.

Ferrago: How will The Movies avoid being another formulaic 'Sim', 'Theme' or 'Tycoon' style game? In what ways will it break the genre mould, and at the same time offer an experience with 'personality'?

AM: We have innovated in a number of ways - the interface, the engine, the way in which the advisors offer you help as you play. I'm not going to give away our best secrets yet but what I will say is that there is no other game that offers you the chance to make movies and own them, sending them to your friends over email and uploading them to hopefully win awards. It's a new, fresh simulation game with a theme that has never been touched before, with a whole creative element that will have people immersed for a long, long time.

Ferrago: Will the game have a natural end point, and are any competitive options tabled?

AM: The game plays through from 1900 to a short way into the future, but you can carry on playing as long as you want without new technology to research. You play against computer-controlled rival studios but the human multiplayer side is covered with the part of the game.

Ferrago: Finally, when can we get our paws on the game, and what is your hope for the final experience?

AM: The final experience will be fresh, funny, simple to play yet deep and fulfilling. There is lots of customisation, lots of choice, lots of fun things to play with and lots of mad temperamental egomaniacal movie star characters walking around, full of their own self-importance. Some of your stars are easier to deal with but they're not so much fun! The feedback we're having so far is incredible. The team is working very hard to realise The Movies' full potential and apart from the late nights and bleary eyes we're having a blast doing it.

Ferrago: Thanks for your time!

By Luke Guttridge