Logan Brickhill

I have chosen to study the trailers of both: Fortnite and Terraria. I have taken screenshots at key parts of some scenes in each trailer and have figured out how and why they have been used.

I chose to analyze this clip in the Fortnite trailer because I found it to be the most intense and I think it shows off the freedom of the game quite well.

This medium wide shot is used to establish the scenario. It also shows the building mechanic where you can place jump pads

This wide shot shot here is used to create a sort of narrative of the guy chasing the woman. Makes the game seem more intense.

Another medium wide shot of the woman is shown again as a plot twist in order to show how quirky and unique the game is.

This long shot is used as a sort of cinematic clip of the resolution of the chase.

To conclude, this shot is then used in order to show off the cartoony art style of the game.

I played back the trailer again and listened to all the sounds used. Here is what I found:

00:02 – 01:12 Main background music

00:05 Bus horn

00:07, 00:08 Swoosh

00:10 Glider deploy

00:12 Explosion

00:18 – 00:21 Gunfire

00:23 Gun pickup

00:24 Pull out gun and shoot

00:29 – 00:34 Building and shooting

00:36 Electricity

00:38 Grenade launcher fire

00:39 Gunfire then explosion

00:41 Reloading

00:43 Sniper shot

00:45 – 00:47 Building

00:48 Shooting

00:49 Building

00:50 Grenade thrown and bouncing

00:51 Explosion

00:54 Shotgun

00:55 Launcher bounce

00:56 Gunfire

00:57 Launcher bounce

00:58 Rocket launcher

00:59 Explosion

01:05 Explosions and gunfire

01:06 Grenade launcher fire

01:08 Explosion

01:11 Sniper fire

01:15 Explosion

01:24 “PlayStation”

I chose this Terraria trailer because it was my favorite trailer for Terraria. This was the trailer for the update when I first started playing.

This establishing shot shows off the unique art style of Terraria. They also show off their impressive accomplishment of sales which makes the audience understand that it has to be a good game.

This shot starts close up to the character as he is falling down through a cave. It shows off very well the unique world waiting to be explored in Terraria.

This is another screenshot of the clip above after it has zoomed out more. The lava and underworld being shown creates a sense of challenge which may make players want to explore it.

This wide shot shows off yet another biome in the game and shows off other fun features in the game like the fireworks. This makes the player understand how much content has been put into the game.

This shot is from a clip where it zooms and transitions into a bunch of different types of caves. It shows off the wide variety of biomes and enemies in the game.

This wide shot is used to set an intense mood and show how complex and fun the boss fights can be. It can also appeal to wider audiences since it shows off crossover content.

This shot it a part of a clip which shows off the creative side of the game. It also shows how multiplayer is incorporated into the game.

This shot is just after the one before once they’ve finished building the house. This shot is used in order to show off the limitless creativity you can use in the sandbox world.

Finally, a short clip of the logo and motto is used. They deliberately didn’t say the title of the game until the end to leave a lasting effect on the audience.

Again for this trailer, I listened again closely and observed all the sounds used. Here is what I noted:

00:03 Intro logo sound

00:05 Glowsticks bouncing

00:07 – 01:13 Music

00:09 Swoosh

00:10 Birds chirping

00:19 Swoosh

00:20 – 00:24 Fireworks

00:24 – 00:28 Multiple swoosh

00:30 Pixie hit

00:42, 00:47, 00:59 Swoosh

00:55 Hitting enemies

00:59 Weapons firing

01:00 Swoosh

01:07 Rattling

01:13 Building

After analyzing the two trailers, I have realized the similarities and differences between the two. For example, the music in the Terraria trailer is similarly used to the music in the Fortnite trailer because both trailers use a single song throughout the whole video in order to set the mood of the game. They also both have similar scenes where they say something about the game with the text being in the actual game. Another aspect of these trailers I find similar is how they show off their unique art style by using many cinematic shots of the game. I think it flatters the game very well and will make people want to play it. However, both trailers do have differences. For example, Fortnite uses quite a lot of sound effects throughout the whole trailer. I think they do this because sound is an important part of the game and it keeps the mood intense. However, Terraria uses some sound effects, but most of the sound just comes from the background music which I think well represents the game. It makes it feel mysterious and uplifting. However, Fortnite’s music and plethora of sound effects makes the game feel like non-stop action.

I think that researching both of these trailers has helped me understand more deeply on how everything is used in order to persuade the audience into trying the game. I think I could now make my own trailer by using similar aspects from both of these trailers.

I am going to make a trailer for the new Fortnite chapter (chapter 6 season 1). This trailer will include cinematics of the map, clips of gameplay, and some special effects to create an intense mood. I will have a song playing in the background and I will make sound effects for each clip. This trailer is aimed towards teenagers so I will make sure it isn’t too childish or mature and will have lots of action throughout the trailer.

Visuals

To make creating my trailer easier, I created a storyboard to follow while filming the trailer. I think it will well represent most of the new features in chapter 6.

Audio

To produce my trailer, I used Adobe Premiere Pro for creating the visuals and I used Adobe Audition for creating the foley sounds. I also used Suno AI to create a music track to go alongside the trailer.

Video

First, I gathered my clips from Fortnite by using their built-in replay mode. This took a lot of time because I had to hope certain events happened in game so I could get footage.

By using Premiere Pro, I managed to create some nice transitions in my trailer by dragging in transitions from the effects panel and editing the values to my liking.

I also managed to download the same font they use in the game and export it into Premiere Pro so the trailer could look more authentic.

I wanted to make a 3D-ish text animation saying the game’s title while it has a wide shot of the whole map so I figured out how to do it and made a 3D effect by combining a few drop shadows and rotating the text and shadows at the same time.

Throughout the trailer, I used quite a few different transitions and different text elements to make it more visually appealing.

I also used a very wide range of different shots on different locations and characters in the game to show off and flatter the game and how fun it is.

Audio

For the audio, I first started with the backing track which I created with Suno AI. After messing around with it for a while, I ended up making a tune I really liked and decided to use it for my trailer.

Here’s my song:

Next, I needed some sound effects for my trailer to make certain moments more memorable and exaggerated.

I created some foley sounds for: The battle bus horn, rifts opening, sword slashes, building, and the water sprites

For the battle bus horn, I videoed myself beeping a car horn

For the rift opening sounds, I videoed my friend Ed making a “tss” sound

For the sword slashing sounds, I videoed myself whipping the air with a shower tube and used a sound my friend made scraping two metal objects together.

For the building sounds, I used a rustling sound my friend recorded.

For the water sprite sounds, I videoed myself shaking a bunch of bottles with different amounts of liquid in.

Each of these sounds I edited in adobe audition to remove background noise and add distortion or change pitch. Each of these sound can be heard in different points of my trailer.

To get others’ opinions on my trailer, I created a survey by using Google Docs. Here are the results I received:

After looking at the results, I agree that my foley sounds could be improved a bit. Some of them sound a bit too loud or out of place.

Overall, I am very happy with my final results in this project. I think I have improved greatly in video and audio editing and planning out scenes.