Trailer Analysis- This Is England

The trailer starts with the production company logos as the first shots however they only last a second as a drama films focus is on the story and British films tend not to have instantly recognisable institutions anyway so focusing on them would be a waste of screen time in the trailer.

Sombre music immediately  starts from the beginning of the trailer setting the tone for the audience into the topic that the film will be covering. The low angle wide shot of the beach is synchronous with the non diegetic guitar as it shows an overcast in dull lighting and a single person walking down the hill in the background. This all adds up to make a scene showing the conventions of British film, of being emotional, dark and with a depressing undertone. This feeling builds as we see the centre of the imagery being created. A young boy. The following scenes give us the information that he will be the main character as it gives us a background into his life, such as a hint that his dad is dead, he has no friends and is being bullied.

The mood changes as the guitar fades out to just the boy and the bully talking before a pan tracking shot of the Shaun running at the bully to hit him, demonstrating the violence in British Drama films. just as he hits him the screen flashes to a jump cut with more cheery, upbeat music typical of the 1980s to lettering in the style of a newspaper cut-out, again providing a British spin on film conventions. This is followed by iconic scenes of the period to familiarise the audience with important headlines of the time so they can identify with Shaun's struggle growing up in a country at war with high unemployment. It helps sell the realism the film is aiming for giving context to the world Shaun is growing up in.

The music changes to a more upbeat, Caribbean style, as the trailer introduces us to the other support characters that take in Shaun as part of the group. As one of the characters introduces Shaun to the gang there is a close up of each of their faces as we hear there names, so the audience will recognise them when they watch the film. Each characters outfit fits with the setting. They appear to be part of the punk scene that was popular in Britain at the time and the fact they are all wearing similar outfits gives them a sense of identity, belonging and unity.

Following this there is a montage of seeing Shaun's life improve with his new found friends as he enjoys life with slow motion shots of laughing, playing football and scenes where he gets a new haircut and clothes,making the audience happy for him because at the begging of the trailer we find out he was being bullied because of his clothes.

However, there is a change in the tempo and style of music once more as we are introduced to the character who appears to take Shaun down a darker path, seeming to be a racist nationalist. The guitar becomes electronic and tempo speeds up as we see close ups of Shaun relishing the scenes he's witnessing of a man threatening Arabian men and  boys with a machete and taking Shaun to EDL rallies. The man is adorn with small face tattoos associated with prison indicating to the audience that he will be the main antagonist in the film and take Shaun on a path that can only have a dark outcome.

This part of the trailer closes with the guitar suddenly cutting out with a bang and cut to black as the skinhead kicks directly at the camera, again highlighting the violence in British films, and the next scene is a shot reverse shot of a close up of  Shaun's mum asking if he is alright and when we see his face, he is clearly not ok, suggesting he has seen things a kid shouldn't see. Here the music once again becomes sombre as a montage of slow motion shots appear, fading away for each transition and all containing either a praising review or some sort of award.

The music continues to a final close up of Shaun as he stares sadly in front of the camera at something off screen before looking straight into the camera just as it transitions to the company credits and the trailer ends. This was used as the final shot as we see Shaun as he appears to be at an emotional low and the effect of Shaun looking at the camera is almost asking the audience to come and see his story and if he ends up in a lighter situation.