Bad Trevor

The brief

First-time game manufacturers, Fist Bump Games, were on the lookout for a studio space to shoot a series of videos promoting their card game Bad Trevor. To launch their product on Kickstarter, they needed a variety of videos shot within one jam-packed day. This included a piece-to-camera explainer video, a ‘how-to-play’ video and several games played in their entirety – two games by a group of adults and two by a group of rowdy kids!

After speaking to the SE1 Studios team, Fist Bump opted to hire our in-house multi-camera solution to capture the games being played from every possible angle – including an overhead shot from a 6k DSLR attached to our truss. This meant the viewer would be able to see each hand being dealt or card being turned over in pin sharp detail.

To give each video a different visual style, our team suggested changing the colour of the set throughout the day, by bouncing several RGB light panels off of the white cove. So, while the explainer videos were shot with light blue backdrop, the kids’ game took place in front of a soft pink background and the adults’ game on a moody purple set.

Due to the variety of videos being shot, a steady stream of people was expected to be coming and going at different times throughout the day. This is where our changing rooms and green rooms came in handy, allowing the next participants to be briefed by a member of the Fist Bump team while filming continued uninterrupted in the main studio. This was essential, as both group of players – the adults and kids – were completely new to the game and needed to be given a crash course in how to play it before cameras rolled.

The results

The Bad Trevor Kickstarter campaign launched in May 2024, with the videos shot at SE1 Studios spearheading the launch – not only on the Kickstarter website, but across social media. The results were impressive, with the game exceeding its funding goal by raising 114% of the money the Fist Bump team were aiming for – with pledges coming from as far as Canada, Finland, the USA and the UAE!

Mark Hurdle, Director of Fist Bump Games was effusive with his praise our facilities:

“What an amazing studio and production team! From the very start, the SE1 team were very collaborative and keen to understand what we were trying to achieve with our videos. Originally, we thought we would need to hire in our own camera and lighting equipment and source freelance videographers – but the fact that SE1 Studios could supply this themselves was a big weight off our shoulders. Plus, the fact that we could use their MCR and direct the videos like a live tv show was something we’d never considered, but proved essential – and fun – during the day. The changing rooms and green rooms were also a godsend. At one point we were overrunning on one of our videos by over an hour, with a bunch of kids waiting in the wings. But the fact that we could house them upstairs, away from the action, teach them the game and keep them entertained kept the whole thing running smoothly. We were extremely pleased with the final videos and already have plans to return to the studio in the future!”

You can watch the final videos and learn more about Bad Trevor here: www.badtrevor.com