Dredge Trailer | Compost Creative

Compost Creative, a London-based Animation & VFX studio, has recently hand-crafted a charming and sinister new trailer for DREDGE, an Eldritch horror fishing game no less!

DREDGE is an immersive game that allows players to explore the hidden secrets of an archipelago unravelling mysteries that lie beneath the ocean.

Director, Neil Wilson, explained, ‘The brief was to show the experience of the game and hint at the storyline without showing any actual gameplay. We developed a loop where this fisherman keeps catching different creatures, which get bigger and more valuable each time. The aim of this loop was to keep it compelling, and then there’s a twist where he catches some really mutated fish and the fishmonger’s reaction is surprising… That’s where the viewer starts to realise there’s more to this game than fishing.’

‘The second trailer develops the backstory through a series of visions, giving the viewer enough without any spoilers. Stylistically, we took inspiration from the game’s fantastic illustrative style but wanted it to be different and more handcrafted. We combined hand-painted cel animation and 3D After Effects techniques which allowed us to deliver on time and budget, but maintain the look we all wanted.’

At Compost Creative, every project chosen is story-driven, and the team prides themselves in experimenting with a range of styles, from traditional animation to 3D, illustrative VFX and carefully crafted motion graphics and titles.

Credits:

Client: Team17 & Blacksalt Games
Studio: Compost Creative
Directors: Neil Wilson & Colin Thornton
Production Coordinators: Elena Escalante & Joseph Young
Animators: Hannah Privett, Heiley Chu, Beth Archibald
Compositors: Jake Cook, Hokun Tsou