Sleeping Dogs: E3 Trailer

Project Details

Warning: Graphic violence and sweary words swim these waters. Don’t watch if you’re easily offended.

Square Enix threw down a gauntlet saying they needed a trailer to grab viewers by the throat at the 2012 E3 Games Conference. I’d been working on the Sleeping Dogs cut scenes for some time and knew the story inside out. I wanted a trailer that went for the jugular just like the game while showing off the crazy action and intense physicality of its world. The end product caused a stir with Square Enix head execs and gamers alike.

From the outset, I wanted the audio to be integral to the storytelling. This version uses the audio that my editor, Ryan Malone, and I crafted during production using various sources. For release, Square Enix cobbled together their own audio in-house but it failed to intensify the story and propel the action. So, with a tip of the hat to Ridley Scott, here’s a look at the director’s version instead.