Trailer shot list: from game description to timed beats

What it's for

Run it before you record anything. Most trailers for AI-made games go wrong at the planning stage, not in the edit: the author records an hour of play, opens the editor and only then finds there is no hook, no wow moment and no shot that shows the core loop clearly. A shot list fixes that up front and doubles as the capture checklist.

What comes back:

• 10–16 shots for a 30 s cut (18–28 for 60 s), with in and out points that add up exactly and sit on the beat grid of your tempo.
• The beat each shot serves: hook, what it is, loop, turn, wow, title.
• Whether each shot is gameplay (player-controlled, HUD on) or a scripted camera, and how to reach it quickly (save state, seed, spawn).
• Captions of 3–6 words, timed so they can be read.
• Music cues by bar and beat ("10.1: drop") and the sound effects that should cut through.
• A capture list grouped by level, so each area gets recorded in one sitting.
• Three alternative hooks and an SRT file of the captions.

It is only as good as the facts you give it. Real mechanics, real places, one honest best moment and a list of what isn't ready to show get you a plan you can shoot. Vague adjectives get you a generic movie trailer with narration and features your game doesn't have.

It doesn't make the video, pick the music or judge whether the game looks good. Keep camera language open for the camera column, and see AI sound design for the track.