Making Trailers in Response to the Zeitgeist
No game trailers are released in a vacuum. Staying aware of current trends and conversations can pay off big if you make your trailers to either join in or respond to the current zeitgeist. For example, in the late 90s, people were overwhelmingly hyped for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace so the new Austin Powers movie sequel released this teaser trailer:
A high school friend of mine reportedly screamed in disappointment when he saw this
This doesn't actually say much about the new Austin Powers movie, but I'm sure it got a mix of laughs and irate people. Either way, it elicited an emotional reaction, implanted itself into people's brains, and likely had a lot of people talking about it. Awareness is a huge part of marketing, and it's a big win to make something which gets a person to say to a friend: "I was at the movies and saw a trailer I thought was for Star Wars, but it was for the new Austin Powers movie!?"
Not as big a production as Austin Powers, but the game Grounded did a similar call out in this trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. The difference between these two is the rug pull of the Austin Powers trailer is for comedic purposes, which aligns with that film being a comedy. But as far as I know, Grounded isn't known for being a comedic game. So of the two I'd consider the Austin Powers teaser to be a much more successful trailer.
One of my favorite game trailers of 2020 was the Snow Runner "United We Drive" Trailer which riffed off of the release of the highly anticipated Hideo Kojima game Death Stranding. This is a trailer which I think did a great job of starting (and finishing) as a parody but ended up becoming a great dramatic and affecting trailer. This was particularly effective because both games are about delivering things through treacherous terrain.
On top of that, this trailer was released during the initial lockdown of the pandemic, when delivery people were on top of people's minds as they sat isolated in their homes receiving things they ordered. This could've been done in a way that was pandering, crass, or tone deaf, but my hat's off to whomever produced this trailer.
This trailer for The Outer Worlds 2 is much like this trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which parodies modern movie trailer editing. This Outer Worlds 2 trailer was not only responding to modern game trailers as a whole, it released during a massive online showcase chock full of other AAA cinematic game trailers. For a stream being watched by gamers and industry folks, it was guaranteed to strike a chord (it later won the Golden Trailer Award for Best Game Trailer). Again, this doesn’t directly say anything about the actual game, but it could be seen as representative of the humor of the game. Sort of like a sense of humor sample so people can decide if they connect with it.
In my own work, I made my first trailer for Firewatch knowing it was going to be the only indie game trailer playing at the Sony E3 press conference that year. Based on previous years I made the assumption most trailers would be shooty grim dark AAA games. With that in mind I thought it would be a nice palate cleanser for the audience if I started the Firewatch trailer with a joke.
It would be amusing if these exact scenes did actually appear in The Outer Worlds 2
Even though trailers are sent in weeks before a show airs, I still feel like the trailer makers should think of a show like a stand-up comedy show. A really good stand up comic or master of ceremonies will riff off previous acts or topics which came up during the night. I've seen comics completely turn the room around and release tension after some very awkward performances.
The other strength of making a trailer which shows awareness of the conversation is that it can really make people feel a close connection to the game or the people behind it. It's kind of like playing a point-and-click adventure game and trying to solve a puzzle in a way which is clearly not the correct answer, but sparks a funny response from the game. In the case of trailers it can make it feel less like an ad, and more like a conversation the trailer makers are honestly having with the audience. Though the worst case scenario is misfiring and looking like the Steve Buscemi "How do you do, fellow kids?" meme."
