Blog

The straight cut is an under appreciated tool in the belt of a trailer editor. While on the surface it’s not as flashy or “trailer-y” as a dip to black, it holds the power to do so many things if you’re willing to give it a shot. Here are why and when straight cuts can be much more effective than the fancier tools at your disposal.

Is trailer fatigue a thing, why might it happen, how can you possibly mitigate it through multiple delays, and does it even matter? Here’s a look at my analysis of the trailer campaign for DEATHLOOP!

When gamers cry out “Just show me REAL gameplay” or “I just want to see unedited, REAL gameplay!” why does it matter if a trailer is well edited? Why not just make a music video montage with a bunch of clips and leave the hard work up to the viewer to piece it together? Videos of this style still get attention and interest, so why does it matter?

Story trailers typically tell the story via in-game dialogue, omniscient voiceover and/or title cards. I’m a strong proponent for using in-game dialogue because I think it presents what feels like the most unadulterated form of storytelling which allows the players to see the game without feeling the hand of the editor or marketers.

It’s important for games to have a “hook” but is it beneficial for a trailer to have a hook? Do you want the trailer to sound interesting when you describe it in a tweet, or make it into an article headline?

Cinematic game trailers give a means to announce a game before the gameplay is ready to show and also flesh out the story and world, but I think they’re also used for purposes which position devs and publishers in the market and give them the means to make bigger business deals.

Game trailers encompass much more of the full filmmaking experience than movie trailers since it’s on the game trailer makers to be directors, cinematographers, choreographers, actors and editors. Here are a number of filmmakers and performers whose work I find particularly inspiring and helpful for visual filmmaking.

It’s easy to tell people why your game is good, but it’s very unconvincing. It’s much harder to show footage of your game to allow other people to come to their own conclusion that your game is good. Here’s what a hard sell looks like and what you can do to avoid it if you so choose.

I’ve noticed in trailers for films and games featuring Asian characters: it feels very telling about the people making the trailers and more broadly how Western culture sees Asian cultures.

Your game trailer ideally says more about the game than it does about you and what you think of the game. This is what it looks like when the trailer makers’ ideas don’t align with the game itself.

Someone watching a game trailer has expectations and needs which you need to consider in order to meet and fulfill them. A trailer which doesn’t give them what they want, it will be very frustrating. So here’s what I recommend.