OLD Subject Specialism - Research - Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Trailer

Research - Subject Specialism

For this assignment I have been tasked with picking something to do with games and game design
and create something in that field of my choice. 

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War Trailer

For the first part of my research I want to dissect another trailer for a game that is very similar to what
i want to do. The game is ‘Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War’ and they released a cinematic trailer for
the game that gave an insight into what the universe and characters would be like. The game was
released on September 20, 2004, it has had multiple add on's and spin off games. This game shares
the science fiction real-time strategy of my game if i were to make it. Because of this I can see how
they showed off their game without actually showing any game play and what techniques they used to
draw in an audience but not mislead them with false advertising. 

It's a cinematic trailer, this means that it doesn't have to show game play but instead is used to bring
attention to the game and it's themes. It also allows for much more creative freedom when creating a
trailer then you would get if you had used actual game play footage.

Figure 1

After the company logos have appeared and disappeared the trailer jumps straight into the action as a
ship comes flying down to a small fortification that's under heavy fire. I like this approach as you don't
need to create a full backstory and narrative in order to get people's attention. It then cuts to a shaky
cam shot of the Space Marines inside of the fortification as you hear the enemy shots come flying over
and the chaos of a firefight, Figure 1 and Figure 2. The use of the shaky cam at eye
level is a great way of engaging the viewer and putting them straight into the action of the scene, it also
helps that the camera reacts to the explosions that are happening around it.  

Figure 2

It's at this point that we get a closer look at the character and asset models, for 2004 i think that they
did a very good job with the texturing of the environment and the armour for the characters. It looks
like they took the in game models but made a higher poly version with more detail but their movements
and the way they fire all feel like how they do in the game. Another nice touch is the fact that in the
background you can see other Space Marines moving around, this helps add to the chaos of the scene.
Almost forty seconds in and we don't even know who these people are fighting until we hear some
shouts and a wide shot of a jagged and scarred hilltop, Figure 3. It then cuts to a medium shot of these
figures moving on the hilltop with mortars flying above them, we have now had the introduction of both
of our sides in this fight. It's clear which one we are supposed to root for as we have had a closer
introduction to the Space Marines, even going as far as to put us in there with them.

Figure 3

Figure 4

I like how after the mortar shots had been fired it then cuts back to the space marines in the fortification
as this back and forth of firepower is exchanged, we hear the missiles approaching fast as they slam into
a tank just behind the lead character, Figure 4. It then cuts back to the hill as we get our closest look at
this other faction as they take their opportunity to charge down the hill at the fortification. I believe the
sky in this entire video is actually just a picture but it's been painted well and it matches the colour
grading that has been done. The ground texture in this low shot of the orcs charging over the hill is really
well done and it looks like it's made of actual dirt and rubble. The use of different sized rocks is a
simple but effective touch because in this particular situation, bits of rubble will fly everywhere so a
perfectly clear floor would pull the viewer out of the moment.

Figure 5

As the Orcs come running down the hill we can finally get a better look at their character models, they
all look very similar but with different details in the assets that they carry which is nice, Figure 5. If they
did use the same models but changed it slightly it's a smart choice as it saves a lot of time and it's what
the actual game is like. It then cuts back to the Space Marines who survived the explosion as they fire
down on the charging horde, Figure 6. The lighting in this particular scene is good and I like how they got
the shadows of the barricade and weapons to affect the lighting on the characters. So far this video has
had very little dialogue but the phrases from the Space marines really helps anchor the scene in reality
and give an insight on what the characters are doing on scene. For example in that scene one of the
Space Marines shouts “INCOMING!”, this shows that they need to draw their attention to the oncoming
foe. It then pans across to the main character as he is recovering from the explosion and is still alive, the
animation in this scene is very smooth and they do a good job of showing what needs to be scene and
not drawing shots out way beyond what it should be. The physics on the banner is also well down as it
moves as cloth would do. It then cuts to a shot looking up at the barricade from the Space Marines
perspective as the Orcs are about to jump over, so far there has been no break in the action and all of
the camera shots have been a bit shaky which works, Figure 7.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Just before they reach the defenders we see a storm of bullets kill the Orcs and a robot walker that we
didn't see before is revealed as the music swells with a small victory for the defenders, Figure 8. I like
the back and forth of this battle as at first the Orcs blow up the tank of the defenders and now the Orcs
have been stopped by the arrival of reinforcements for the defenders. Having the vehicle emerge from
the smoke is cool as it's slowly revealed. Along with the swell of the music the defenders believe that this
is their chance to finally take this hill. The texture for the main characters face is decent and he has
additional assets attached to the face that help add detail to him. The colour grading also helped as it
darkens areas like the eyes and mouth so you don't need to add the extra detail there.

Figure 9

The reason I mention the music is key is because as they charge up the hill the music changes from a
somewhat victorious theme then it gets brought back down into an uncertain and dangerous tone as
dozens more of the Orcs are revealed to be hiding behind the hills ridge, Figure 9. The shot of the Orcs
raising their weapons and preparing to charge is great because we have the backdrop of the orange
smog filled sky and the battle damaged ruins in the background that frame this reveal. Once again the
ground texture in front of these orcs looks really good and I hope to learn something from this as the floor
can easily be forgotten as an important detail for these low to the ground shots. 

Figure 10

The wide shot of both sides about to clash on the hill is really cool and well animated, Figure 10. First we
have both sides firing up at each other as they charge so as each side gets hit with shots they tumble
forwards or backwards, it's a nice detail that adds to the scene. Second os that we get a wider view at the
constructs in the background that we wouldn't see before. It looks like there is a whole city complex in the
background, from this shot that we get i would say that the constructs are modelled decently well but it's
hard to say. 

As both sides clash it's an explosion of blood and violence, we finally get to see how effective these orcs
are with their close combat weapons that they have been using in this entire video, Figure 11. Every time
someone from the other side dies the favour is returned, this is a great way of keeping the tension and
not giving either side an advantage. The combat animations are brief but well done, they only show the
point where a character is killed then it cuts to the next close combat fight, doing this keeps the scene
going and increases the pace of cuts and the action shown.

Figure 12

Figure 11

The next major shot shows the robot walker easily picking up an orc and breaking it's back before
slamming it into the ground, the music then goes back to the same theme as it did when it was shown
for the first time, Figure 12. The sound design in this whole video is well done and you can really feel
the weight of the weapons firing or in this scenes case, the breaking of a character back by a huge
robot. It then cuts the main character of this video as he uses his chain sword to cut through the
stomach of an orc, blood sprays out and it goes onto the camera which is something i might try and
replicate as it makes it feel like the viewer is a lot closer than they actually are to the action. We then
have a handheld tracking shot that follows an orc as the run up behind the giant robot walker and
sticks a bomb to it's back. The music build as the orc is running and we are following him because
something big is going to happen which will change how the fight is currently going. 

Figure 13

Following the explosion of the walker it looks like all of the Space marine defenders have been killed
apart from the main character as we see him struggle to get up off of the floor, Figure 13. The music
has also stopped as if it was holding its breath to see what was going to happen next. The shot of the
main character running up the hill as orc soldiers fire hundreds of shots at him is pretty cool, especially
when you can see the shots fly past and some even hit him but it bounces off the armour. Now that there
is action again the music has started and it's fast paced because our main character has only a short
amount of time to get to the top of this hill and plant the flag.

Figure 14

As he reaches the top of the hill we see a shot go flying past that hits him straight in the side of the neck,
this is followed by a spray of blood as he falls to the ground, Figure 14. Showing this character take a
shot to the neck and still keep going shows how tough these Space Marines are and how much it takes
to kill them. It also builds tension him reaching the top of the hill is put into question as he might have
been killed straight away by that shot.

Figure 15

The final shot of this trailer is the flag being raised on top of the hill with a slow zoom out to show the
full battlefield in the background and the burning sky. It also looks like the reinforcements for the Space
marines have arrived as they fall from the sky in drop pods, Figure 15. The music also ends on a victories
note, even if the main character died we know that they have won because of this theme that plays. I
assume that the background is mostly just a static image but with some smoke effects added to show
movement.

It's a good shot to end the trailer on and it does get you hyped up to play the game or look into what this
game is about. Overall I think this trailer did a good job of showing off the universe of the game and also
building the hype for it as well.