Guitar Hero Live isn't a virtual reality experience, but in terms of immersion, it's the next best thing, according to the just-released game trailer from 72andSunny.
The game and the trailer were both created with live-action film. You perform in a real band, in front of real crowds who react in real time to your playing. (As lead guitarist, you play in a variety of venues, from the smallest clubs to the main stage of an outdoor festival.) And you'd better play well—or as you can see in the ad, you might catch some grief from bandmates and fans.
The trailer is amusingly Spinal Tap-y at the beginning, indulging in the clichés of the backstage rock 'n' roll experience. Soon, though, you're led to the stage, where you'll either triumph or fail in front of a giant crowd.
"The creative center of both Guitar Hero Live and the trailer for the game is about bringing to life the visceral thrill and terror of being up there in front of thousands of people," says Tim Ellis, chief marketing officer of Activision Publishing.
Indeed, the trailer was made from the same building blocks as the game. 72andSunny, along with director Giorgio Testi and co-director/game developer Jamie Jackson, shot additional footage from the live-action shoots for the game—and used them for the trailer.
In addition to GH Live, in front of crowds, the game also introduces GHTV, a mode that lets you play along to a continually updated collection of official music videos across various genres. In all, it's quite a leap forward for a console franchise that was the quickest in gaming history to reach $1 billion dollars in sales in North America and Europe, and was played by over 40 million people.
"Guitar Hero is a franchise that so many people love. Figuring out how to bring it back with true breakthrough innovation has been years in the making, and a labor of love," says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.
"Guitar Hero Live lets people rock real crowds with real reactions. Our goal was literally to give people stage fright. And with GHTV, we have created the world's first playable music video network. All of it is playable on consoles, or mobile devices. Guitar Hero is back and better than ever."
CREDITS
Film Credits
Client: Activision Publishing
Product: Guitar Hero Reveal Trailer
Title: It's About to Get Real
Activision
Chief Executive Officer Activision Publishing: Eric Hirshberg
Chief Marketing Officer Activision Publishing: Tim Ellis
VP of Global Brand Marketing, Head of Digital: Jonathan Anastas
Consumer Marketing Manager: Orlando Baeza
Consumer Marketing Manager: Karen Starr
72andSunny
Partner, Chief Creative Officer: Glenn Cole
Partner, Chief Strategy Officer: Matt Jarvis
Group Creative Director: Frank Hahn
Creative Director/Writer: Tim Wolfe
Creative Director/Designer: Peter Vattanatham,
Lead Designer: Garret Jones
Lead Writer: Evan Brown
Designer: Ryan Dols
Writer: Jack Lagomarsino
Director of Film Production: Sam Baerwald
Film Producer: Kara Fromhart
Business Affairs Director: Amy Jacobsen
Business Affairs Manager: Kelly Ventrelli
Junior Business Affairs Manager: Amy Shah
Group Brand Director: Mike Parseghian
Brand Director: Torie Gleicher
Brand Coordinator: Laura Black
Group Strategy Director: Bryan Smith
Group Strategy Director: John Graham
Production Company - Pulse Films UK
Director: Giorgio Testi
Co-Director: Jamie Jackson of Freestyle Games
Director of Production: Claire Wingate
Line Producers: John Bannister & Isabel Davis
Game Developer – Freestyle Games
Jamie Jackson – Co-Director (co-director under Production and Creative Director under FSG)
Jonathan Napier – Projects Director
Mike Rutter – Art Manager
Joel Davey – Producer
Gareth Morrison – Assistant Art Director
Andy Grier – Lead Audio Designer
Jon Newman – Senior Audio Designer
Mike McLafferty – Audio Designer / Licensed Equipment Liaisons
Neil Watts – Lead Animator
Jason Pickthall – Lead Concept Artist
Phil Bale – Lead Environment Artist
Pete Nicholson – Lead Character Artist
David Moulder – Lead Technical Artist
Neil Dodd – Lead UI Artist
Editorial - Spotwelders
Editor: Robert Duffy
Assistant Editor: Sophie Kornberg
Executive Producer: Carolina Sanborn
Producer: Lisa English
Game CG & VFX- Framestore UK
Pedro Sabrosa - VFX supervisor
Alan Woods - CG supervisor
Russell - Horth - Compositing supervisor
Kate Windibank - Compositing supervisor
Robin Reyer - Lead Technical Director
Liz Oliver - Senior Producer
Helen Kok - Line Producer
Color Grade - Framestore UK
Colorist: Edwin Metternich
VFX & Online Finishing - Framestore LA
Executive Producer: James Razzall
Senior Producer: James Alexander
Production Manager: Eric Kimelton
Flame Artist US: Bruno De la Calva
Sound Design - Human
Sound designer: Gareth Williams
Producer: Jonathan Sanford
Audio Mix - Lime Studios
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan & Jessica Locke
Engineer: Zac Fisher
Assistant engineer: Kevin McAlpine
Logo Mnemonic Animation - Blind
Tobin Kirk - Executive Producer
Amy Knerl - Head of Production
Greg Gunn - Creative Director
Scott Rothstein - Producer
Daniel Zhang - Animator
Shawn Kim - Animator
Henry Pak - Animator
Ash Wagers - Compositor
Lawrence Wyatt - Designer
Ayla Kim - Designer
Logo Mnemonic Sound Design - Barking Owl
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Head of Production: Whitney Fromholtz
Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
