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[PompiPompi]

I am looking at this tower defense game at Steam.
I think, hmm, nice game, the visuals are nice 3D, but I could make such a game myself if I wanted. But then I look at the trailer and I see amazing quality of the trailer. Or maybe I don't know how to make such trailers.
I know these trailers are probably over hyping the game, but how indie developers are able to make such professional trailers?
Maybe I need to learn a new set of skills in making pro looking trailers?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/18120/?snr=1_5_9__205

[Player Ʒ]

Yeah, the Unstoppable Gorg's trailer definitely appears to attempt to be as cheesy as old mid twentieth century sci-fi films. One common theme with casual indie games' trailers is humor. They're normally funny somehow.

If need be, get a game people would be all "Shaddup and take my money!" and possibly host a Kickstarter for advertisement creation purposes. Can't guarantee KS works that way, but it's a shot.

[Paul Eres]

the trailer is good doesn't seem that exceptional to me, i thought the binding of isaac trailer was much better for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDFnMfJnI7s

i think the answer to your question though is that a lot of people know that the trailer often matters more than the game quality when it comes to how many copies will be sold, so a lot of people put months of time and effort and money just into the trailer

[Gabriel Verdon]

Yeah I agree with Paul, the Unstoppable Gorg trailer looks pretty stupid. I enjoy the Isaac trailer though.

Probably my favourite indie game trailer in recent memory was the Sword and Sworcery one:

http://vimeo.com/20379529

I love the way they kept it mysterious, sparked your interest, and implied that the release date was on the next equinox.

[Dugan]

Yeah I agree with Paul, the Unstoppable Gorg trailer looks pretty stupid. I enjoy the Isaac trailer though.

Probably my favourite indie game trailer in recent memory was the Sword and Sworcery one:

http://vimeo.com/20379529

I love the way they kept it mysterious, sparked your interest, and implied that the release date was on the next equinox.

That trailer is great - makes me want to buy an iPad just for that game.

[Ashkin]

I agree that the S&S trailer was awesome. Maybe just because I love that guy in the suit, though.
I'd like to keep an eye on this thread- been contemplating trailers a bit, lately.

[PompiPompi]

I guess part of my question(s) is, should I make an awesome trailer? Can I make an awesome trailer?
Because as a game developer I can appreaciate how hard or easy are games to make, but when I look at this trailer I have no idea what work was done to make it. I just see the result and it makes ms stunned thinking I can never do it myself.
But maybe, just like pixel art that I was really bad at, I can improve in this as well.
Can you guys make great trailers yourself? Do you let other people make the trailers for you? Do you actually intend to make awesome, live action production trailers? Or something like that?

[ANtY]

I still think that Unstoppable Gorg's one is way better than Isaac's one.

However S&S trailer is the top indie trailer I've ever seen.


BTW: I'd also want to know how to improve at making trailers.

[pgil]

I guess part of my question(s) is, should I make an awesome trailer? Can I make an awesome trailer?
Because as a game developer I can appreaciate how hard or easy are games to make, but when I look at this trailer I have no idea what work was done to make it. I just see the result and it makes ms stunned thinking I can never do it myself.
But maybe, just like pixel art that I was really bad at, I can improve in this as well.
Can you guys make great trailers yourself? Do you let other people make the trailers for you? Do you actually intend to make awesome, live action production trailers? Or something like that?

You should make a trailer. I don't know if you can make an awesome one, but you can probably make a good one. Just get some screen-capturing software and start capturing footage of your game.  Get some free video editor (Windows Movie Maker, Virtual Dub, or iMovie) and cut together your best clips.  Add some intriguing text, an good  music, maybe a voiceover if you're good at that.  Don't worry about making it look professional, because you're not a professional.  Just try it and see what you get.

[rivon]

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet trailer is the best

[Paul Eres]

I guess part of my question(s) is, should I make an awesome trailer? Can I make an awesome trailer?
Because as a game developer I can appreaciate how hard or easy are games to make, but when I look at this trailer I have no idea what work was done to make it. I just see the result and it makes ms stunned thinking I can never do it myself.
But maybe, just like pixel art that I was really bad at, I can improve in this as well.
Can you guys make great trailers yourself? Do you let other people make the trailers for you? Do you actually intend to make awesome, live action production trailers? Or something like that?

not all trailers should incorporate live-action. it's nice when you can, but there are plenty of effective game trailers that use no live action, even in trailers of AAA games. for live-action you need a script, costumes, a digital videocamera, and friends with some acting talent, so that's an added expense not all indies can afford

but even if you do no live-action, you should still do some clever editing, and match the action on the screen to the music. there are a ton of great examples of trailers which are just game footage with nice editing. here's a few of my favorites (i'd recommend you watch them all! you may get some ideas for how to make your own trailer from them):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M0FLAXXvRU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usn49wVIvBM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGnG77eFeBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW1xt1Id4Sw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rd1Hr3IzNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j12-ZUIJpLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrHDRRmKas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYcHGJViqMQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ub0qiNFsxk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HoV-QBt15I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsQC9reFbdQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEI5hpPpRio

all of them except three are indie games, i believe

[Ashkin]

This might be a good resource for the technical side of things.

[idmadj]

Unstoppable Gorg was developed by Futuremark. They're the guys behind 3DMark and other commercial benchmarking stuff. Steams vaguely lists them as indie, but they have vastly deeper pockets than the average indie developer.

I think the key is to show what makes your game unique in a very short time, using what you already have: in-game footage + your game's music. Live action and trailer-specific CG looks nice, and may end up selling more copies of your game, but in the end, you're better using the resources on the game so it speaks for itself.

[rivon]

Hope you guys don't mind ressurecting this topic:
Nitronic Rush trailer is just amazing

[Graham.]

A trailer is literally a list of shots from your game, a soundtrack - which can be from your game - and cut effects. Maybe you want a couple text-overs. There's no budget required. It just takes a lot of practice.

Most trailers fall flat from not clearly communicating the strengths of the game, and not being interesting productions in their own right. You literally do not need any assets from outside your game. A trailer for Gears (or Gears 2...) has Mad World (from Donnie Darko) playing over it. It was fucking excellent. A little juxtaposition can go a long way. You can't license music probably... but if you want to go hardcore you can create something specifically for your trailer, then include it in your game somewhere. All the Harry Potter trailers are just the awesome theme music. Movie trailers tend to overlay sound from one scene into depictions of another.

Trailer making is an art. Learn it by studying and practicing. It's free money.

You'll have to spend a lot of time understanding what your game is "really" about, clipping scenes, arranging them, re-arranging them, re-re-re-arranging them until they communicate why someone should buy your game perfectly. Bad trailers are bad because the creators didn't put enough work into them. They didn't think about what they wanted to communicate, what they _really_ wanted to communicate, the _best_ way to do that.... Bad trailers are bad because of poor choices. No budget required. You can tell a lot about how well a developer understands the meaning of their own work to a potential audience by looking at their trailer.