Video Game Trailer Mistakes to Avoid Video game trailers are an amazing way to market and promote a new or upcoming game. They are easy to watch and tend to be shared very quickly if the game appears interesting. However, not all companies seem to understand the proper elements of making a successful video game trailer and end up creating a video that turns off potential players. To avoid making a subpar video game trailer, here are some common mistakes to avoid. The Trailer is Too Long Like film trailers, most video game trailers should last for around a minute or two. Some are only a minute or even less, lasting long enough to just tease the game, but many can go over that time frame. If the trailer is going over four minutes, then it stops being a trailer and starts being a short film or a game walkthrough. This is fine if that is the intention. For example, Star Wars: The Old Republic had a popular trailer showing an animated short film that introduced the viewers to the story. It was suspenseful and it pumped up anyone who watched it. Most trailers, however, do not need much time to introduce the story or show off the gameplay. Keeping it short will hold the attention of the viewer. The Trailer Explains Very Little A game trailer is a way of promoting and marketing the video game before or during the release. Ideally, it is a way to excite fans about the game while also act as an explainer video, briefly detailing what buyers can expect from the product. Some companies try to make their trailers purposefully vague and intriguing, teasing the viewer to make them more interested. However, many of these trailers miss the mark completely and show an animated cut scene or clip that explains very little, if anything at all. If no one has any real idea what is going on in the video, then what reason would there be to buy the game? Or worse: what if people find the video so strange and nonsensical that they expect the game itself to be poorly thought out? The Trailer is More of an Advert Video games trailers are definitely advertising the game, but they are not supposed to feel like an actual advertisement. Viewers do not want to constantly hear a voice talking about how great and revolutionary the game is and how fans should hurry and buy it. Yes, flashes of reviews like “5/5� is good marketing, but that should not be the trailer. For a good video game trailer, let the gameplay be the pitch. A video game trailer is a way of exciting fans for the game launch, but it is also just as easily a way of turning them away. It’s necessary to put proper effort into video game trailer production if success is a goal. About Powerhouse Animation Powerhouse Animation is a traditional 2D animation studio based in Austin, Texas with offices in California, too. Since 2001, Powerhouse has been making ideas come to life through animation, illustration, and motion graphics. With a staff of 35 in-house artists, animators, videographers
and designers, Powerhouse works on a wide variety of projects and has created animation for companies including Disney, Sony, Marvel, DC, Old Spice, Coca Cola, Miramax, the USO and more. To learn more about some of these projects visit www.powerhouseanimation.com.