LogInHere's how "improv and brutally fast thinking" helped Player One Trailers set up a neat shot.
Image Credit: Ironwood Studios, Pacific Drive
Unlike the openness often observed in the game development process itself, where it's common for developers to unveil details and gameplay through curated demo showcases, the behind-the-scenes work on game trailers produced by third-party teams is rarely revealed, largely due to the extensive number of NDAs such teams have to sign.
Recently, however, a rare sneak peek at the trailer-creation process was offered by Creative Director at Player One Trailers, Gage Allen, who shared an amusing backstory on how a "sick" shot from the reveal trailer for Pacific Drive, a recently launched first-person driving survival game, came about by accident.
Replying to a Twitter post from PlayStation's official page, Allen spilled the beans on how the car sliding shot, seen at around the 1:18 mark in the trailer above, was made, disclosing that it was entirely improvised.
According to the director, Player One Trailers' Producer at the time was driving the car when they hit the acid and lost traction. Allen, who was handling the camera, immediately recognized the potential of the unexpected loss of control over the car, quickly instructing the driver to "turn left" and "own it" to wrap the camera around the front end of the car and capture a dynamic transition cut. This spur-of-the-moment decision resulted in an impressive shot, which the director attributes to the ability to improvise and think on one's feet.
"Turned out sick as f-ck," commented Allen. "A lot of capture is equal parts improv and brutally fast thinking with fine motor skills to get the camera in position."
In the comments to the original post, the director provided more information regarding this shot in particular and the art of creating trailers for video games in general, revealing the best way to get the best capture for a trailer, explaining how the camera was controlled, and more:
We highly encourage you to visit Gage Allen's Twitter and LinkedIn pages, as well as Player One Trailers' official website to learn more about the incredible trailers the team has produced over the years.
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