TRAILER DEVELOPMENT

Game Examples For Footage

Per James' advice, I will be making a thematic trailer, using footage from already released games in order to give my audience a better understanding of what my game will be like. To do this, I've looked at other games that have a similar vibe/aesthetic to my own, and looked at what they've done for their trailers. Most of the trailers for these games were quite calm, with the exception of Viva Pinata's trailer, which was very upbeat and lively to match the party aesthetic of the game, and Slime Rancher, which was hectic to go with the chaotic nature of the slimes. As my game's essential experience is to relax the player and intrigue them with the interactions of various creatures they can take care of, I will make sure to emphasise the interaction element in the terrariums, and will briefly show off some potential environments the player can explore as they search for more creatures.

Trailer Research

How to Make an Indie Game Trailer - YouTube

The Trailer Line of Rising Action — Derek Lieu Creative - Game Trailer Editor (derek-lieu.com)

I've watched Game Maker's Toolkit's video on making trailers for indie games, and Derek Lieu's Graph of Rising Intensity was brought up as a potential way to structure the trailer. It has 5 distinct sections:

Cold Open
- An intense action moment, a slice of gameplay, or even a joke. Viewers shouldn't be bored with any outstanding information.
Introduction
- Non-stop action can't be maintained throughout the entire trailer. Viewers need rest, so this is a good moment to offer some more details about the game, such as the characters, or the world.
Escalation
- This is the moment to build on the game. Add more action, add more mechanics, have quicker cuts. This is the moment to show the content for your game. Each cut should show something new.
Climax
- The action builds to the most intense point, and stops. This is a good place for a cliff-hanger to leave viewers wanting more. The game name and logo and other supporting information is often shown after.
Button
- Not always necessary. Usually a small action moment or joke to support the game at the end.

This graph may not be so useful for me as my game doesn't have many high-octane moments that are exciting in the traditional sense, but I could use it to structure some grand moment towards the end of my trailer, such as the player coming across one of the Rare Occurrences at the end of a level in my game.

Trailer Research (Cont.)

Presentation is important. The trailer should be readable. Clutter should be reduced, and shots should be focused on what you really want to show. HUD and other interfaces should generally be hidden to reduce clutter. Where clips cut should also be clear, and the focal point should generally be in the same place each time to help the player know where to look. Music is also important, and a soundtrack is often composed to fit a trailer. Or the games soundtrack can be split and edited to match the feel and intensity of a trailer. Sound effects can also be included to add extra power to each moment of gameplay shown.

Trailer Plan

As I've said before, I've picked some examples for different games I can use footage from to illustrate my own. The main actions in my game are:

Building terrariums and creating environments for creatures to live in (Equilinox)
Watching creatures interact with each other and their environment (Equilinox, New Pokémon Snap, Viva Pinata)
Managing these creatures health and happiness (Equilinox)
Exploring environments to collect new plants and creatures and materials (Slime Rancher, New Pokémon Snap)
Returning to base to craft new terrariums and decorations (Animal Crossing)

In line with this, I've also chosen what I believe to be a suitable backing track for my trailer.

[Royalty Free] Calm Cinematic Background music for the Drone Footage and Nature Videos - YouTube

The music slowly builds into a majestic first note, and continues at a relaxing pace. It picks up slightly around the 0:30 mark, and continues to where I think I could create a natural end point by slowly fading out the music to the 1:30 mark, and go like that until 1:35. I'll plan out some potential shots, and then make the trailer quickly to see if it comes together.

Shot Plans

Shot 1: 0:00 - 0:05
- Equlinox's wide shot of an environment to symbolise what terrariums will be like in my game (but with a terrarium background in the final game)
Shot 2: 0:06 - 0:09
- "Build and nurture your terrariums."
Shot 3: 0:10 - 0:20
- Equilinox's "Create your environment for 10 secs"
Shot 4: 0:21 - 0:26
- "Watch your creatures interact with each other and their environment"
Shot 5: 0:27- 0:45
- Equilinox 0:18 - 0:21, 0:29 - 0:42, New Pokémon Snap 0:02 - 0:06 (splice the cuts for more variation rather than the two following each other)
Shot 6: 0:46 - 0:53
- "Explore environments to collect new plants and creatures"
Shot 7: 0:54 - 1:06
- New Pokémon Snap 0:35 - 0:37, Slime Rancher 0:15 - 0:24
Shot 8: 1:07 - 1:13
- "Gather materials and craft decorations for your terrariums"
Shot 9: 1:14- 1:24
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons 0:31 - 0:41
Shot 10: 1:25 - 1:35
- "And maybe witness something special"
Shot 11: 1:36 - 1:42
- Game logo on top of giant sakura tree 7 Cool Locations You Might Have MISSED In Breath of the Wild!!! [PART 2] (Iwata Tribute) - YouTube 8:24 - 8:25 on loop

🔴 How to use OBS for Screen Recording or Streaming - Beginner Tutorial - YouTube

AE Typography Tutorial / Bouncy/Wavy Text Animation Infographics - Adobe After Effects - YouTube

Adobe Premiere Pro CC - How To Cut Video And Audio - How To Split A Clip Tutorial - YouTube

How to Fade Out Audio in Premiere Pro CC (Fast Tutorial) - YouTube

Adobe Premiere Pro CC Tutorial: How to Apply Transitions between clips - YouTube

Final Trailer

Trailer Review

As this is my first time working in Adobe Premiere Pro, and second time in After Effects, I was very unfamiliar with what I was working with. However, I've learnt a lot about the basic interface of both programs, and have learned a lot about editing videos, such as creating transitions, and even altering the length of audio tracks. I think my trailer does a good job at getting across the ideas for my game; the music is relaxing, each game example I've chosen looks good in its own right, and there's plenty of interaction between different creatures. I do feel that maybe the typography wasn't the best choice, but I do want it to match with the type for the logo too. Also, certain cuts contain maybe a bit too much writing, and so I could've cut that down and made it more concise.