Defy AR Game
Trailer
Client:
Case Study
Brief
Create a game trailer for the new location-based RPG AR mobile game DEFY introducing the game’s storyline and the world to new players.
DEFY Game World
DEFY is a new awesome move-to-earn AR mobile game based on a near future dystopian world, where an evil corporation, Future Systems, has amassed power that a dictator could only dream of. Privacy and individuality are relics of a bygone era. We are reliant on Future Systems to provide the necessities of life that governments used to control - health, education and money. Future Systems has a mole (Kha0s), an inside man who wants to bring the whole system down from within. Using a hacked version of the Future Systems mobile client, crafted by Kha0s, operatives can utilise backdoors in the Future Systems network to bring them down.
Creative Direction
OUR CONCEPT PROPOSAL /
Our goal is to reshape this game trailer into a cinematic experience akin to a movie preview. This approach rapidly acquaints viewers with the game world, introducing key elements through cleverly placed title cards. Our aim is to ignite excitement, prompting people to eagerly engage with this narrative journey. By infusing drama, we elevate the game's "role-play" aspect, enhancing immersion.
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The core of the trailer revolves around an imagined character, essentially a player within the game. We focus on crafting this "player" as the trailer's protagonist—a relatable figure resonating with the audience. This character transforms from an everyday "average joe" into a truth-seeker within a corrupt system symbolized by Future Systems.
Depicting the game through the lens of an "average joe" trapped in a dystopian cycle controlled by Future Systems resonates with many individuals' everyday experiences. Anchoring the trailer around this player-to-protagonist transformation offers the audience a narrative gateway, immersing them in a storyline where they hold the power to navigate systemic challenges—reflective of real-life hurdles.
OUR TRAILER LOGLINE /
“In the near dystopian future, Future Systems has amassed power only a dictator could dream of. Aaron, who feels enslaved by Future Systems, encounters a hacked message sent by Kha0s introducing him to the world of DEFY where he joins other operatives to help take down Future Systems once and for all through a hacked version of the Future Systems app.”
OUR TRAILER STRUCTURE /
Part 1: Exposition - Introduction of main protagonist, Aaron, and the world he lives in, this is the life before DEFY. We establish Aaron as a lone wolf.
Part 2: The inciting incident - Receiving Kha0s’ message, deciding to join the revolution
Part 3: Challenges - We begin seeing Future Systems fighting back, but he meets other allies along the way.
Part 4: The Revolution - We begin to sense a revolution is brewing as we see others joining DEFY. What essentially began as one protagonists’ journey was then joined by many others.
Challenges
The challenge lies in the near-dystopian 2049 setting of the game. Recreating a futuristic world comes with high costs due to audience expectations set by Hollywood's iconic futuristic films. Our advantage: filming in Hong Kong, known for its cyberpunk vibe—skyscrapers, alleyways, and neon lights. Subtle visual effects heightened the skyscrapers, integrating "holograms" with "Future Systems" logos, showcasing the corporation's influence.
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Inspired by films like The Matrix, we aimed for a grittier, neglected world. Costume design, mirroring Interstellar's resource-scarce Earth, emphasised this. Neglect by Future Systems in impoverished districts adds authenticity. Props like earpieces and eyewear in "Ada's cyber cave" stimulate futuristic imagination.
In Future Systems' grasp on technology, characters ingeniously repurpose old devices, evading the antagonist. This highlights resourcefulness against technological dominance.
Final Result
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