Directed By: Daniel Barber
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
The trailer for the British Thriller 'Harry Brown' is fast-paced, bold and raw which is effective and intriguing for a viewer. I have chosen it as an example of a successful and exciting trailer as it draws you in and builds suspense and anticipation throughout.
It starts with a shot of city buildings and blocks of flats at night, setting the scene as a dark film based in a city area, adding to the mis-en-scene of the film. The non-diegetic music is ominous and sounds like a ticking clock, therefore adding suspense and a sense of tension from the start. There is a shot of an elder man (Michael Caine - Harry Brown) looking out of a window down on the street where a gang of youths are breaking into a car and beating someone up, with the sound of a car alarm ringing. The dresscodes of the youths are important when creating a realistic representation of real life and the way the youths dress are in tracksuits and hoodies, highlighting the use of common stereotypes and ideologies in the film - youths being antisocial, violent and disrespectful and wearing hooded tops. There is a voice over of an old man's voice saying 'I'm scared Harry, kids on the estate. I'm not gonna take it any more'. The accent of the man is a London 'cockney' accent, reinforcing the audience's understanding of the film's setting. This voice over cuts from the violent scenes to two older men speaking to each other in a dimly lit hallway. The use of lighting and lack of natural light or colour from the beginning acts as a pathetic fallacy to set the scene of a dark and bleak film.
There is a shot of a ignited object being dropped through a letterbox and onto a carpet where smoke starts to rise. The sound of coughing links into a shot of an old man sat in an armchair in a room full of smoke, and then him running outside onto a balcony into the night to escape the smoke. He then yells 'Bastards!' which cuts to a scene of a gang of youths below him jeering, yelling and throwing objects at him. This cuts to a quick shot of a hand holding a mobile phone with a video of the youths attacking the man in a subway. This implies the man's helplessness and lack of authority in his area as youths are disrespectful to the elderly and rule and control the estate. This jump cuts to a shot of a young male smirking with the light dim and unnatural. The mobile phone video is shown, jerky and abrupt, supported by loud jeers and a loud noise that sounds like a metal door slamming.
The first scenes set in the day are then shown, as Harry Brown is visited by a female officer who inform him that his elderly friend had been killed by the youths from the estate who had assaulted him. The dresscodes of the police officers are smart, highlighting their authority and their higher class. From here onwards there is a non-diegetic tick of a clock or bomb which builds tension and acts as a signal that something big is going to happen. Harry is then shown to be sobbing, which cuts to a shot of him walking past the underground pedestrian walkway at night. A quick shot of inside the subway is shown, with the white male who was smirking previously in the trailer is stood with a female who is backed against the graffiti-covered wall with his arm against her, in an aggressive and controlling pose. This quickly cuts to Harry standing in the rain looking upset and distressed and turning away and quickly walking from the subway. The use of graffiti in the pedestrian walkway adds to the theme of youth crime as it is a symbol of vandalism and the youths in the subway are both white and young, dressed in 'chavvy' clothing - hoodies and tracksuits.
The next scenes in the trailer involve the white male being arrested for suspicion of murder followed by another two young, white males sitting in a police interview room, one saying 'I don't know nothing' and the other saying 'No comment'. The accents of these males are again strong London accents, reinforcing the idea of location and class. This cuts to a scene of Harry standing alone against his friends grave which links to a scene of the white male who was arrested speaking defiantly to the police telling them that they have to let him go. This scene fades to black which then fades into a scene of Harry speaking to the female police officer in an irritable way. There is then a dimly-lit shot of the white male standing against a a metal fence with an aggressive and intimidating expression which cuts to a shot of Harry holding a photograph of his friend with Harry's voice saying 'He killed Leonard'. This effectively builds suspense and gives the audience a more developed idea of the plot of the film.
Harry is then shown to be shouting at the police woman, telling her that they have done 'nothing' about the death of his friend Leonard. This cuts to a scene of Harry stood in a dark area with a hooded figure holding a knife emerging from the darkness saying 'Give me your money, man'. This jump cuts to a scene of Harry leaning his head against the tiles of his shower with water running over him, adding mystery to the trailer as you don't know what happened after he was threatened with a knife by the youth. From here, the non-diegtic soundtrack to the trailer picks up and becomes more epic and loud, building more suspense and anticipation among the audience. There are further shots of Harry walking around the flats where he lives and to a black male saying in a South London slang accent 'When someone comes to you, you need to be taller' which implies the youth gang culture of status, violence and authority. This cuts to a scene of Harry standing in a dark doorway saying 'I'd like to do some business...I want a gun'. He is speaking to a thin, white topless male with greasy hair and scars all over his body. This gives connotations to the audience that he is an antagonist of the film, just from his physical appearance and dress code.
The next scenes are inside a dimly lit, untidy flat with a an unconscious young female laid on a sofa, with two rough and dangerous looking white males. Harry says 'Is she ok? Maybe we should take her to the hospital'. It this point the topless male fires a shot out of his gun, implying his higher position and authority in the situation, as well as the fact that he is an untrustworthy and dangerous character. He then whispers 'she's my business', pointing the gun at Harry threateningly. From this point, the ominous non-diegetic soundtrack changes to a modern drum and bass song by Chase and Status, which is the film's main theme music track. This adds to the mis-en-scene of the trailer, with this music representing the elements of youth culture, and the fast drum beat builds suspense along with the past-paced editing towards the climax of the trailer. Michael Caine is formally introduced as 'Harry Brown' at this point in the trailer.
The non-diegetic voice over is of the female police officer saying that Harry Brown is the 'chief suspect', implying that she is suspicious of the man's actions. Her accent is well spoken in contrast to the other characters, implying her higher social class, status and authority. This aligns with scenes of Harry holding a gun and dousing a room in petrol to set it alight. The female officer's voice says 'He was in the Royal Marines, he's killed before.' This links with very dark clips of Harry standing in a dimly lit area and a scene of a parked car and a loud ambient sound of a gunshot. The music stops after this gunshot and goes to a black screen which fades into a scene of Harry stood over a male who is tied to a chair with a bag on his head with Harry saying 'What happened with Leonard? He's the man you and your mates murdered'. He then strikes the young male and you hear a loud yell which signals the music to resume and the fast-paced trailer to continue. This interlude shows the audience that Harry is seeking revenge for his friend's death and is no longer being a victim under the youths and is taking control.
The next scenes lead towards the climax of the trailer, with a wall of riot police with shields fighting a fire riot. Positive reviews of the film flash up along with high action shots, adding to the anticipation and build-up of the film. There is a scene of two cars colliding and Harry looking out of his window at the youth gang, with the male police officer's voice saying 'As far as I'm concerned, Harry Brown's doing us a favour' which shows the audience that Harry's violent actions are only for the greater good and how the film will be a battle of morals and pride. Further reviews flash up with shots of a car windscreen smashing and Harry firing a gun and the gang of youths throwing objects surrounded by burning cars and other objects and Harry saying 'To them out there, it's just entertainment' in a distressed and anguished voice. The next part of the trailer builds towards the end, with very fast-paced shots including a lot of gun fire, explosions, car crashes and shouting, making the film seem very high-action, violent and chaotic. There is then a shot of a barrel of a gun firing which blends into the main credit which has 'Harry Brown' written against a black background. Harry Brown's voice is heard over this, saying 'You failed to maintain your weapon' which links to a shot of his standing over someone with a gun and then firing it.
The use of guns in the trailer imply that it is quite a violent crime thriller and the amount of action scenes make the film look very exciting a fast paced. The use of an older man as the main character challenged common ideologies about elderly people but the use of youths being shown in a negative way uses common stereotypes and ideologies of society. The use of accents and dress codes is important which representing characters effectively and creating a realistic effect. The cut from an ominous piece of music with a ticking sound which bursts into the drum and bass song is effective when building suspense and the use of this music towards the end of the trailer with the fast editing and action shots if very effective and the music also adds to the theme of modern youth culture. I think this trailer is brilliant, as the contrast between old and new generations is shown which is quite a common issue in modern society and the use of a powerful, older character is different and challenges society.
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