Stylish vs Substance in Game Trailers

Aggressively stylish game trailers are a tricky thing to execute. When done well, they can use editing and graphics to reflect the look and feel of the game in ways you can't from just showing game footage. The danger is if the style of the trailer obscures the game or make it look like you're PURPOSEFULLY trying to hide it because otherwise it won't look good. 

Here are two recent trailers with very over the top style, one for Need For Speed Unbound and THE FINALS. I think these are both great trailers with very high impact editing yet subtle differences. Let's take a look at Need For Speed Unbound first.

This trailer uses a lot of editing "tricks" like picture in picture, light leaks, damaged film overlays, color grading, grungy graphics, and background textures. This is done to fit the new art style which features stylish smoke and graffiti inspired visual effects which can be customized and toggled in the game.

I really admire how bold this trailer is. There's no denying the game has a new direction and is fully committed to it. It feels very much like the trailer for a movie or TV show (which is both good and bad). The good part is the trailer seems to really nail the feel and aesthetic of the game, the bad part is it makes it a bit more difficult to see the actual gameplay. There are so many things added in post it's difficult to know where the editing effects end and the game footage begins.

Ultimately though, I think it works really well because the editing style is an extension of the game's aesthetic rather than doing it just to look cool. The music is also very well done and I'm sure heavily inspired the hard-hitting editing. Also, this is a reveal trailer, not a gameplay trailer. Initial announcements can focus on feel and atmosphere rather than the 100% authentic gameplay. After sparking interest, subsequent trailers like this one can pull back on the editing style and give a clearer sense of what the gameplay looks like. 

While there might be new gameplay ideas in this version of Need For Speed, the main hook of this one is clearly the art style and feel (which this trailer showcases magnificently). Credits to the people who made this trailer!

This trailer for THE FINALS is also very hard-hitting with its LCD TV filters, glitchy graphics, jump cuts, and flutter cuts. Here the style seems less tied to the art direction of the game, but it still feels fitting. In this trailer the graphics are mostly intercut with game footage rather than overlayed. This makes it much clearer what is and isn't part of the gameplay (though there do seem to be some glitchy overlays here and there).

Most of the style in this trailer is in the music, sound design, and fast cuts. The distorted sound of the music matches the glitchiness and fast cuts. I also love how the announcer's "Here we go!" turns into a sound effect that feels like it stretches through to the end of the trailer. 

The hooks of this game gradually reveal themselves in the game footage. My first impression was that it's just another first person team-based multiplayer shooter game with "realistic" graphics. The first hook I saw was when defeated enemies turned into gold coins. Then they showed expanding foam weapons like Prey's GLOO cannon, and then buildings which can fall apart when the structure is weakened.

Poorly integrated and designed graphics can make a game look "cheaper" when the quality of the editing doesn't align with the quality of the game.

This sort of stylish editing needs to be done with a lot of care so it doesn't feel like style over substance. A lot of amateur editors rush too quickly to use ever filter in the editing suite (and it shows). If you feel the game trailer you're making can benefit from some extra visual editing flair (but you don't possess the skills to make the graphics) you can search sites like Video Hive for stock footage and templates.

Just make sure the reasons you're doing this for your trailers isn't just "to make it look cooler." The editing and graphics should contribute to the core message of the trailer and game. You don't want to look like your trailer is trying to compensate for poor art direction or mediocre game design. Relatively high quality stock footage can make amateur art look even worse because the gulf between the two is so much greater.

For some great examples of indie game trailers augmented by great graphics, check out Kert Gartner's past work; he's an expert at creating motion graphics which blend together seamlessly with game footage.