Escape rooms are art, and they inspire art. The task of marketing escape rooms is ever present for most operators. Creative people often use different media to express themselves; here is a bold new example.
I recently saw a beautiful escape room music video (yes, they are a thing) and I wanted to write about it and the concept. I love this sort of innovation, adaptation, and expansion happening around escape games.
Beyond Trailers
Producing theatrical trailers advertising escape rooms has been a growing trend. These examples for Maestro (Horror Productions, Greece) and the Chimera Corp Saga (Escape Artist Greenville, South Carolina) are top-notch. But recently something new has emerged, an escape room music video for The House on the Hill by Lockhill in Athens.
Both Lockhill and the Athens market in general are known for being at the bleeding edge of escape room industry development. It is no surprise that they would be one of the first to experiment with this new type of escape room promotion.
Lockhill released a series of teasers and a haunting final full-length trailer around the game’s opening, but it was some months later that The Lockhill House music video dropped.
The Idea
“It’s something I wanted to do for the first trailer but I didn’t have time to finish it back then. That’s why I only had the phrase ‘There is a house in Lockhill’ in all the promo shorts,” Lockhill creator Bill Dalitsikas told me during a recent conversation. “I like creating different things and using different forms because I get bored doing the same thing constantly.”
Bill hired a composer and a vocalist to deliver his musical vision, but in true Lockhill fashion he did all the final mixing and mastering of the audio track himself. Prolific Athens videographer and escape room blogger George Ant was then brought in to shoot, direct, and edit the video.
The magic of this format, and specifically this example, is the way lyrics set to a well-known tune combine with the images to pull viewers into the story, like a current we don’t even notice at first. This is different than the high-adrenaline, action-packed trailers that usually accompany escape room announcements. There are new opportunities that present themselves when one considers this type of storytelling.
Making The Video
George Ant was not new to the concept. I asked him what it was like making a music video for an escape room.
“Music videos are a format I’m very familiar with. I spent many years working in the Greek music industry, creating music videos for various artists long before the first escape rooms came along.”
But according to George, for an escape room shoot, this was a little different.
“I approached this music video the same way I approach my trailers, by telling a story without giving away any spoilers, while including plenty of subtle nods for those who have already played the room.
But compared to my previous escape room trailers, this one was significantly more challenging. Not only because it required many days of filming, both indoors and outdoors, but also because of the technical demands, including CGI for several scenes.”
If you have played The House on the Hill, this music video will make you feel things. George absolutely did his job well. I’ve watched the video dozens of times and am still finding new tidbits and references to the game.
George continued, “The lore of Lockhill offers an incredible amount of material to build a narrative around, and the story of The House on the Hill in particular is such a unique journey that I genuinely enjoy bringing it to life visually every chance I get.”
The Music Video
RECON
Join us at RECON Laval, where you can hear from Bill Dalitsikas as well as Kim and Will Rutherford from Escape Artist Greenville when they present their Speaker Sessions from the RECON main stage. George Ant will also be joining us as an attendee, so you will have a chance to speak with all of them about escape room promotional trailers and now even escape room music videos!
There are limited tickets remaining. We hope to see you in Laval!
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