EXERCISE - What to convey in a trailer
Transcript
For this exercise we're going to look at your game and brainstorm which of its qualities the trailer will be best used to convey.
On Page 2 of the workbook I've listed the Primary and Secondary Strengths of game trailers. I'm going to quickly walk you through these, and you're going to then write down what those look like in your game on Page 3 of the workbook.
First up, Mood & Tone
What is the mood or tone of your game? Is it happy? Sad? Nostalgic? Upbeat? Suspenseful? Horrific? Quirky? Unsettling?
How do you want the game to make the player feel? Write down as many things that come to mind. There's no reason to hold back; you can decide later what is most important.
For each of these sections you can either pause the video and fill in your answers, or watch the whole video and fill them in once you're done.
Next is Game Feel. How does the game feel to control? This will vary based on the genre of game you're working on. At one end of the spectrum you have slower paced games where the player doesn't do much more than walk around, look at things and pick up objects, and at the other end there are action games where precise movements and button presses mean the difference between success or failure.
How do the controls of the game feel? Loose? Tight? Snappy? Smooth? Clunky? Communicating this in the trailer is just one way to show people whether or not the game is for them. You don't want to make an action game look lethargic and slow paced, just like you don't want a chill narrative game look tense and stressful.
Game Mechanics are very important to convey in a trailer, especially if your game's mechanics are unique or have a unique combination of them. At the base level, you need to show how the player interacts with the game just so they know what kind of game it is. If none of the shots in the trailer show player inputs; you're only going to frustrate people trying to figure out how they fit into the game.
What are the game's mechanics? Why are they interesting? How are they different? How will they test the player's abilities?
Write down as many things related to the game's mechanics and player verbs, and add a star to the ones which feel like they'll be particularly difficult to understand through visuals alone. Get into the shoes of a person watching a streamer play the game, and ask yourself: "Would I understand what is happening when they interact with this mechanic?"
If your game has a story or narrative aspects, write down the parts you want to tell the audience.
- What is happening now?
- What happened in the past?
- Where is it set?
- Who are the characters?
- What are their wants & needs?
- What are their obstacles?
- What are their plans to succeed?
Those are the primary strengths of game trailers, but sometimes it's necessary to get into the secondary strengths. Typically I see game trailers start with these, when I'm of the opinion these are only relevant to people already sold on the primary strengths.
What are the features of your game and in what quantities do they exist?
How many game modes are there? What multiplayer options exist? How much content is there? Levels? Bosses? Weapons? Upgrades?
Let me reiterate, these are not the strongest selling points of most games. People don't care there's a lot of something until they know what that thing is.
Put another way, you're probably not interested in how many flavors of ice cream I'm selling until you're interested in my ice cream at all.
HUD/UI elements I think are mostly distractions in game trailers, but they have their place depending on the purpose of the trailer. They can be a good shorthand for communicating a game's genre or mechanics, but once those ideas are established and understood, I think it's better to leave them out unless the trailer you're making is for an in-depth overview or walkthrough style trailer.
If you're having trouble filling out answers to this exercise, watch the next video where I'll demonstrate how I would do it.