[Updated] Video trailer to showcase BfW artwork

[jro]

Before I reply to each of your paragraphs one by one, let me say that I don't think we should change the video any further at this point for these reasons:

OK, no problem. I think I agree with most of your reasons for not changing things anyway.

It's very nice to get detailed feedback like that, don't worry.

I'm glad you think so.

I think the painting section could possibly also use some titles along the lines of "A land under seige / a King betrayed / a Prince called forth", just to establish the story a bit.

Yes, would be nice. But don't you think we already have quite a lot of text squeezed into such a short clip? Also, I think the pictures are so well done, they tell the story by themselves.

Well, except that they are kind of out of order; the first one features Konrad (at least, I think it does, from the red hair), and then it jumps back in time. There's a clear story established between the others, sure, but the Konrad pic doesn't seem to connect narratively.

All of this makes sense (except for the "If it doesn't fit, find a way to make it fit"). You sound like a veteran TV boss here

I'm the sort of person that thinks artists work best when they are given a challenge with tough restraints. You have to ask tough things of people if you want to bring out their best.

Do you think a game trailer should display code? Marked up code in colors might look appealing to nerds like us, but certainly not for a general audience

Not to sound too negative, but I don't think wesnoth should be aiming for a "general audience" at this time. It would be better, I think to start with the geekier audience. For instance, I see that Wesnoth hasn't ever shown up as a slashdot article. That would seem like a good place to drum up some interest in the game (if the servers can handle it ) Anyway, what I was trying to get at wasn't that the trailer should display code, but rather that it should demonstrate that the game is "fully customizable". This is what is done for things like "200 units" by showing a unit selection screen, or "Internet play" by showing the network game menu. I'm not sure how to demonstrate "fully customizable", which is why I suggested showing code.

What's the point of the big gray banner/fabric at the bottom of the screen? It really obscures a lot of game material.

*meep* Actually, it obscures blank, black space below most of the ingame screen captures.

Ah, that makes sense.

For instance, what about having the rings appear in different places throughout the screen, so that the portraits accumulate rather than disappear?

There's no room for 4 portraits at the same time, plus I think it would not better the "drama". One of them would be onscreen really long compared to the last one to come in, don't you think?

It might work and it might not. Again, my primary concern is that you have the banner/logo at the bottom acting as a static element for a pretty long time (15 seconds), so I was trying to think of a way of disrupting that static-ness.

The speed at which the text at the end of the video appears is kind of agonizingly slow.

I think I questioned this slow speed some pages ago in this thread, too. But on the other hand, don't forget that first-time viewers are quite overwhelmed with all the imagery, copy and stuff anyway.

I don't think having text slowly appear is a way to "calm" the viewer, or to give them a chance to catch up. I think that is better accomplished by just using a static image. I have to sit through awful PowerPoint presentations all the time where people use the "text slowly appearing" thing. I (and others) find it extremely frustrating, not calming, because you are trying to read what it says, but you can't.

Mentioned adding additional sound effects, too, some pages ago.

I apologize for mentioning things that were already covered; I actually started writing this a few days before I posted it, so the thread content was changing as I was trying to write it.

Now, we could do a lot of things with sound effects, but I felt like cheating here if the actual game does not provide those sounds, as opposed to the music used which really is from the game.

Well there's lots of sound effects in the game, so one of those might be suitable. Certainly if you used a sound to punctuate text appearing, a sword slash sound would be appropriate, and Wesnoth has plenty of those.

nor do I work in the BfW marketing department

You do now! You made the trailer!

But it was my impression that the language used on wesnoth.org is (and wants to be?) different from a NES Ninja game. Anyway, I simply copied it from the webpage of BfW

I understand why and how you got the quote, I just think it's incredibly boring. I was trying to use the example to show how a simple factual description of the nature of the game may not be what's called for in what you'll have to admit is marketing material. Perhaps a less obscure example would be if a trailer for Warcraft 3 said at the end "Warcraft 3 is a real-time strategy game with a fantasy setting." It's accurate, sure, but there's no excitement to it.

Well, anyway, I know this video won't change, but if you'd value my opinion on whatever the next video for Wesnoth would be, I'd be happy to help. Just PM me when the time comes.

[radoz]

Well, anyway, I know this video won't change, but if you'd value my opinion on whatever the next video for Wesnoth would be, I'd be happy to help. Just PM me when the time comes.

I certainly hope you will add your input to any future video to come. The next days (er, weeks?), I'll have to do some other work, but of course the mind spins around and thinks about another video... I hope you will join the new thread in time

[Elestel]

Very good work!
Only two things:
The music change between the two intros and the rest, i think is a little forced.
The final letters seems a little small (at least seen in youtube's small screen)

In the other hand, i appreciate a lot about the sound effects, the smoke, and the great battles (high lv units and leave windows the last... jejej)

[Fynmiir]

I certainly hope you will add your input to any future video to come. The next days (er, weeks?), I'll have to do some other work, but of course the mind spins around and thinks about another video... I hope you will join the new thread in time

Can't wait to help out!

[bioman]

Thats great, the only problem I can see is that the text at the very end is a bit small - but I guess this is explicit to yourtube. Perhaps a special scaled down version that uses slightly bigger writing?

Keep up the good work.

Oh and I now have the urge to re download the game.

[highhole]

I don't know if this is asked already: Is it a good idea to update the trailer with the new wesnoth version? (For example the wesnoth-logo or the team colored units...)

[irrevenant]

I don't know if this is asked already: Is it a good idea to update the trailer with the new wesnoth version? (For example the wesnoth-logo or the team colored units...)

[OFWRA]Nah. The new Wesnoth-logo is a big step backwards.[/OFWRA]

[highhole]

I don't know if this is asked already: Is it a good idea to update the trailer with the new wesnoth version? (For example the wesnoth-logo or the team colored units...)

[OFWRA]Nah. The new Wesnoth-logo is a big step backwards.[/OFWRA]

You mean the swords?

IMO the logo with the swords looks better than the logo without the swords. It fits to "The Battle fore Wesnoth".
But the two swords are looking like the same. I for my part would like it if there were a bow instead of the right sword.

But IMO it makes the game showing like it's only a battle game.
The logo should show somethink which underlines the tactic you need to defeat an enemy, too. Fore example a map in background.