[Dzines4SAMP]

HOW DO YOU CREATE A SERVER TRAILER?
*Big enough to get your attention.

I decided to create this topic eventually due to this topic. Most people (hundreds, thousands) will be working their ass off to at-least promote their server somewhere. It can be a advertisement, whispers, etc. and finally comes a trailer. Well, in this topic, I'll give tips, what you need before making a trailer, and the resources needing to make a trailer. Firstly, I'll start with the tips.

TIPS

Always have a number of players willing to help you

It's essential to have plenty of players to support you with your trailer. You have a sexy map and a awesome script, but where are the players? Most players tend to play only if that particular server has a good player-base, so yeah. It can also add more RP, like you can assign them to do this form of RP. Eg., 3 players as firefighters and 2 as helpers to those firefighters, in saving 2 hostages in a motel fire. Make sure to take the action in a suitable place, and the shot must be moving slowly, or still in a place where the action is going on. Most people don't want to see poorly-taken shots.

Bloom your mind with imagination and creativity

Let your mind flow with imagination and creativity! Without it, viewers are just going to dislike, because there isn't something unique and new they haven't seen, which usually catches their minds. Eg., a shoot-out is going on. So, it's just 2 cars, few gang-members with pistols, M4s, AK47s, etc. shooting at their enemy (RP-based shoot out). You're not just going to record that. Shooting, shooting, that's it? Add mere things, like gang-members coming to the shoot out with cars, drive-bying, coming with helicopters for backup, that will show how open-minded and smart are they!

Know what you are doing

In G.I Joe, a quote goes as "Knowing is half the battle", but in this case, knowing is half the trailer. You have to be precise with what are you trying to show in each sections of your trailer. If you have a Stunt server, you can't show a drift scene, in the same shot, a person death-matching another guy, or stupid crashes happening. You have to be perfect and exact with what you are taking, and must make sure you planned out everything perfectly. Also, you have to remember and know exactly what you are doing, because if a part goes off the meaning of the server name, it will be useless to use it in the trailer

Make sure the video reaches to its point

The main thing about a trailer is that, it must reach to the point where the viewers know all the basic features of the server, and know all the basic infos of a server. If it goes far beyond that, viewers tend to ignore everything. The main thing viewers want to see is what they want to find and know.

It's important about the TIME too!

Have a good management about your trailer's time length. Make sure to have it less than 3 minutes, or viewers are not going to watch it. After you get every video shot, add all of their time together to see if it comes below 2:30 minutes, maximum. Then, the extra 30 seconds can be used for graphics, styles, etc.. Also don't make it too short, or the video will be pointless, regarding how much hard work have you put in it. A min. of 1:45 minutes and a max. of 3 minutes is more than enough.

What you need before making a trailer

You need -:

• Sony Vegas Pro (or Windows Movie Maker)
• Plenty of players willing to help you
• FlyCam 2.0 (SA-MP FS)
• Many features in the script which is enough to attract players

Resources

(( Please not that the download links are not of torrents, or nulled/cracked ones. They are versions, either free evaluation or a trial version of the paid ones, and is legal under the rules. ))

Download links

Sony Vegas Pro 12 (64 bit only)
FlyCam v2.0 for SA-MP
Windows Movie Maker

*All downloads are from its respective author's website, and is genuine to its latest standards.

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I did my best in this topic, so if you have any points, stuff for me to add, I'll surely add it!

Credits to Rajat_Pawar for feedback and clarified some parts of this under his feedback. Thanks Rajat!

[Shadiy]

Good Job, useful information

[rbush12]

Very useful

[RajatPawar]

7 players required? Meh, I got 3 players to do one - we managed fine, depends on your script. Wouldn't require much if it were roleplay, but hell yes, if it is a TDM.
Also, the thing I dislike is the most stupid and common idea server trailers use - weapon battles between opposing team. Cops VS robbers, america VS europe, Roleplayer1 vs Roleplayer2, etc. That is horrible and wastes time!

[Dzines4SAMP]

Hmm.. Thanks you both. I'm planning to add more stuff, like adding different ways of making a trailer, etc.

[Dzines4SAMP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajat_Pawar 7 players required? Meh, I got 3 players to do one - we managed fine, depends on your script. Wouldn't require much if it were roleplay, but hell yes, if it is a TDM. Also, the thing I dislike is the most stupid and common idea server trailers use - weapon battles between opposing team. Cops VS robbers, america VS europe, Roleplayer1 vs Roleplayer2, etc. That is horrible and wastes time!

(( 3 second right after I posted mine, grrr ))

I said 7 players or below is fine too. Also, about the weapon battles, I'm talking about the RP ones. Thanks for your points/views anyway.

[ColorHost-Kevin]

Nice and very useful!

[Dzines4SAMP]

Thanks Kevin, clarified some things Rajat misunderstood of