Learning from Critter Rush’s How to Play Video

In the near completion of Critter Rush - The Game, Adam decided to make an introduction video on how to play the game due to some of the game’s slightly complex features. Unless you think you’re a pro, like me, and select hard difficultly only to last a few seconds :O The aim here is to make the video fun, quick, entertaining and above all easy to understand. So come a little closer and step into the progress of how to create this video

Using Adobe Premiere, we set-up the video; size 600×450, 25fps, 44.1k, mono. Then I played the game to the point where I had full knowledge of everything featured and started writing down the script for the voice over. Unfortunately I had to use my voice as a reference before we got a professional. And my abilities with writing and speaking in the English language are somewhat far from magnificent, I’ve been known to speak languages that have yet to be discovered, haha!

With confirmation from Adam on the script, I then found an empty and quiet room, and started recording the voice-over. I tend to do a few takes of the script, making sure if one line doesn’t work, another one should. Listening to my voice over and over, I became more convinced that I was a ninja… as some of the lines I read out you couldn’t understand, haha. So after the recording was done, I imported the record through Adobe Audition and made slight alterations with the volume, overall feedback and removing clicks and pops.

The script also has a list of the type of footage we need from the game, using a capture program called Camstudio, we were able to capture high-quality picture and sound without losing too many frames. Unfortunately, we stumbled across a problem with the captured videos and Adobe Premiere, as the latest version had some conflict with the codec Camstudio uses. Fortunately, we managed to overcome this obstacle by using a program called VirutalDub and a mpeg codec from MainConcept. We used VirtualDub to convert the raw captured files and output the videos with the new codec which thankfully Adobe Premiere was happy with. Alas, I can start editing.

My inspiration for this video came from a video game called Smash Bros Brawl which featured a very slick, but fun “How to Play” Video, they used techniques like pausing, large text, arrow symbols, panning and cropping video, quick transitions and cartoonish SFX. I basically used the same techniques (with some of my own) and added more to them. One thing to note: regardless of how crazy these techniques look like, keep in mind that the viewer has to understand it, otherwise it’s pointless for you to use it. It’s like when a ninja talks, no one can understand him

Keep the pace but don’t lose the message.

With the video near completion, running at 1:35mins, all we needed was the proper voice-over. I had to rewrite the script so it matched what I was saying (there were a few alternations with the original script). For the recording we went to a recording studio where we meet up with the voice talent, Isabella. We showed her the video first so she had an idea of what type of voice we wanted. It was an enjoyable experience being in a recording studio, I was entertained by watching Isabella trying to speak in all these different voices to find the right voice me and Adam were looking for.

After the recording, we realised her voice was much slower then my original recording, so without disrupting Isabella’s voice we extended the time line so it fitted with her voice pace. Eventually the video’s running time was 2:03mins.

Overall I’m quite satisfied with video. I hope it is an entertaining watch and easy to understand But don’t take my word for it, check it out now! Unfortunately I don’t have a sample here You’ll have to download the game and watch for yourself