Films Game Trailer Makers Should Watch
If you're a game trailer maker in search of inspiration, I suggest watching the films of stars whose work focuses on physical performance and action. In particular Hong Kong film stars Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, silent film stars Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and musical stars like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Because their work rely on physical performance there's a lot to learn about their storytelling techniques via direction, framing, blocking, performance, and editing.
I don't often think of or reference any of these works when making game trailers, but I assume some of it must've rubbed off somewhere since I try to depict game mechanics with as little text and voiceover as possible (unless it's a story trailer driven by dialogue).
You might be surprised at how enthralling some silent films still are today!
Of course, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were pioneers since they are from the literal beginning of film, but don't think for a moment that their filmmaking doesn't hold up. I'll caveat that by saying due to the era their films were made in, there is sometimes content which is EXTREMELY problematic such as blackface, in which non-black performers put on dark makeup to caricature black people. I would say it's not pervasive, but I wanted to warn you in case either it's a dealbreaker for you or so you don't get caught off guard when you search through their works.
One thing which I admire about a lot of their films is how they didn't rely heavily on title cards to tell the story. That is, the cutaways which include text telling us what is happening. In large part, the physical performance, direction and editing alone tell the story. This is something I recommend people try doing in game trailers before resorting to title cards to fill in the blanks. I forget where I heard this, but I've read suggestions that visual filmmaking didn't mature as much as it could've because the advent of talkies gave filmmakers a storytelling crutch to lean on.
There's so so much to learn from watching silent film, especially for cinematic game trailers which often don't rely on dialogue. But also just to get into the mind set "How do I do this if I can't explain it or use text?" The other reason this is a good goal is it will make your trailers more universally appealing across language barriers, and also work well in either GIF of muted form. For a quick summation of Buster Keaton I recommend the Every Frame a Painting video The Art of the Gag.
If your performers are this good, make them easy to see!
Fred Astaire is famous for not only his dancing, but for changing the way dance was shot on film. This is a great lesson in clarity of images and also confidence in the skills of your subject. Before Fred Astaire, dance numbers were largely shot in a series of closeups. For example, a tap dance would be filmed by intercutting closeups of the feet and the face of the performer and/or be framed in a very claustrophobic fashion like in this clip from 1933's 42nd Street.
It wasn't until around the 1935 Fred Astaire film Roberta where he told the director the dance would look better if filmed head to toe where you can see his entire performance. Seems like a no brainer when you think about it now, but I could easily imagine filmmakers with their camera lenses and editing thinking to themselves: "But film is all about different angles and editing, isn't it boring to just live in a wide shot!?" As with all film, it depends. If the point is to be able to see the whole performance, then don't cut it up! (Btw, thank you to my fiancée for her extensive film musical knowledge. I only sort of knew about the details, but she knew the history and precise examples)
I also highly recommend the films of director Stanley Donen whose most famous is Singing' in the Rain starring Gene Kelly. Stanley Donen was a dancer/choreographer/director whose work I think is deeply unappreciated in the modern era. There's a LOT to learn about his films in terms of camera direction, editing and a lot more. A lot of making game trailers is like a coordinated dance with specific choreography, so you could do worse than study the works of people whose life's work is just that (but in a different medium). Just look at this amazing oner from Stanley Donen's Seven Brides For Seven Brothers.
Again, a warning that though generally good natured, films of this era could be quite sexist in their content and might be off putting for some.
In games you can move the camera anywhere you want, so studying action cinema with good spatial continuity is essential!
Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung I cite in particular because they work both in front and behind the camera (as opposed to someone like Jet Li who is an amazing martial artist, but didn't direct or choreograph). Their early work stems from their Peking opera and like Fred Astaire use a lot of long takes in wide angles so you can see everything happening.
In their later films you can see how they enhanced these wide long takes with closeups and tight editing. There's much talk in modern film discourse about how fast cuts and shakey-cam are the bane of modern action cinema. But with the right director, editor, choreographer and performers, a fight scene can be cut pretty darn fast but still comprehensible. Also, not Hong Kong cinema, but this YouTube channel is a good example of how shakeycam can work if everything is center framed and well directed. Again, Every Frame a Painting does a great summary of Jackie Chan's action filmmaking. And another warning that though incredibly impressive as far as action filmmaking, classic Hong Kong cinema films can have some very cringy sophomoric humor, and sexist content.
You could spend your life studying the works of these people, but I hope I at least shed some light on one or two things you might've been unfamiliar with and can learn from. Game trailer making requires is a very unique set of skills but the rich history of film itself is a tall set of shoulders to stand upon if you know where to look.
Also, if there's a video essayist reading this right now, please make something about the work of Stanley Donen; there are enough video essays about Tarantino, Nolan, Spielberg, Kubrick, and Fincher :P