Deconstruction of 'Fish Tank' Trailer : Music

I am going to deconstruct the official trailer for the social realist film 'Fish Tank', which would give us an insight to what is used in a social realist film trailer to cross examine the conventions with our own trailer, and more specifically how the music is used during the trailer.

• 0:03-0:04 shows an establishing shot of the council estate where the film is set and shows a mid shot of the character at the block of flats, again to show that the character is situated there. A beginning establishing shot is also something that is used in the 'London to Brighton' trailer, which is something that we should look into as a convention. 
• 0:05-0:19 shows a close up of the character, Mia, getting ready and doing her makeup, which represents her as a typical teenager of today. It then continues to a mid shot of her walking down the stairs but her sister is shouting while her mother is pushing her out of the kitchen, which is suggesting her mother's 'heavy-handed' approach to her children. However, the music doesn't change from its street type strings and drums, which shows that this is a regular occurrence. This is something that we can take for our trailer, to keep the music the same even when some of the shots may be disturbing, or out of the 'norm' to show that its a regular occurrence and the characters are desensitised to it. 
• 0:10-0:11 shows a title showing that it is a Cannes Film Festival winner and so validates that this is a good film, because of the awards it has won.
• 0:12-0:15 shows another title showing more awards won and nominations for awards including awards won by the director and by the actor.
• 0:18-0:25 mid shots and close up shots, using a handheld camera shows Mia's attitude towards others, that she isn't like regular teenagers her age and is trying to pick fights with other girls. The handheld camera positions the audience with the character and gives the film a documentary style like its factual and the audience are actually there with her. 
• 0:26-0:27 another title saying "All her life", the music has changed to more of a slow piano style to highlight the character's vulnerability, rather then just her antagonising attitude. 
• 0:30-0:34 the piano style music is continued, while shots are shown of her mum shouting at her and pushing the character around. The music plays an important part in this, as it makes the audience feel empathy with the character, while if the music that was there before had been playing during this part, it would desensitise the shots and the audience may not find her mum pushing her around as much of a big of a deal then with the shots showing with the slow piano music. 
•  0:57-1:06 the slow piano style, which has connotations of sadness and loneliness, changes to a more upbeat piece of music when the character of Connor is introduced which replicates Mia's feelings for him. 
• 1:07-1:54 The music then changes to mainly strings again with also drums, to show Mia's life spiralling out of control as fast paced shots continue of her mum pinching her and Connor slapping her, as these fast paced shots continue, the music starts to pick up pace as well. 

In conclusion, this shows that strings are an important part of music in a social realist film, also the lack of change in music can show that shocking images are normal for the characters. 

Music from Social Realist and Drama trailers

You're Next trailer score inspiration

The Development of Music in Horror

• The purpose of horror music is to create tension, which either mirrors what is happening on screen or can add another dimension to it, thus creating an atmosphere, which may juxtapose what is happening on screen. 
• Over the years, horror music has developed in ways which have made it possible to define certain movies by their soundtrack (for example the famous shower scene in 'Psycho')

Features of Music

• Key features of horror music include clashing, unresolved dissonances, a drone which is repetitive (usually created by a bass or synthesiser) or 'stingers' (blasts of sound which may catch us by surprise). These, as suggested by Neil Lerner, may take us back to when these types of noises would alert us to danger in the wild, such as predators or other such threats.
• Many films use instruments that could be associated to themes within the film, two examples are 'Carnival of Souls' and 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' which both use organ and are associated to religion and funerals, themes within the films.
• Taking 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' as an example, it has been noted how the use of organ adds another dimension to the film which otherwise is not seen in the book. It is a direct reference to Henry Jekyll and shows his wealth and contrast through piety and goodness from Mr Hyde'.

Development Over Time

• In 1931, films such as Dracula and Frankenstein contained limited music, however 'Bride of Frankenstein' (1935) is deemed to be the first ever actual score for a horror movie.
• The 1950's,60's and 70's saw scoring that was often pacey and frenetic with James Bernard being viewed as the primary composer for the eras.
• This was maintained and landmarked by Bernard Herrmann's score for 'Psycho' in 1960
• In 1970 the movement began to grow again and a new selection of instruments were used, with electronic being the popular choice