Analysis of thriller trailer - The Dark Knight

How does the music work along side the editing to create tension and build suspense?/How does the music indicate to us that the genre of the film is a thriller?

The music plays a crucial role in the trailer of 'The Dark Knight' as it essentially works along side the editing of the footage to build tension and continously engage the audience throughout the trailer. The first sound to be heard is non-diegetic sound of a fairly low-beat, dominant and fierce soundtrack that creates the atmosphere and sets the scene of the trailer. Throughout this part there is a sound similar to a heartbeat that can ben heard, which keeps the opening to the trailer fairly grounded and still. After around 5 seconds the main characters voice appears in a very creepy/evil approach, at this point the non-diegetic sound quietens to indicate the significance of the voice of the Joker. The sound alternates between the soundtrack and the voice of the Joker, the non-diegetic sound is low-beat and slow-paced to compliment the the voice of the Joker which is also slow and deep. This makes the trailer appear quite dominant and fierce, therefore indicating the type of movie it is. This continues until the audience hears an evil laugh - after this the trailer intensifies and and pace begins to speed up which ensures that the audience stays engage.

The audience can also every now and again hear diegetic sounds such as guns, the fast movement of cars and fire explosions. These sounds are highly exaggerated to suit the type of movie it is and to add dramatic effect and increase the intensity of the trailer. This helps the audience identify what may be included in the narrative and the types of settings, location the film is located. As the trailer persists, the footage jumpcuts very often and as it continues the jump cut becomes almost instant to give the audience hints to the footage, as this happens the the music connects to this by intensifying and becoming faster, this reveals the approaches in the movie by indicating what is going to be included, without fully giving everything away. All of a sudden, the audience sees a lorry crash, in which all other sounds have been muted and then everything pauses and to allow the dialogue to return, this gives the impression of a sense of uncertainity. At the very end, the Title appears in which the music enriches the importance of this part by the sound being loud, dominant for the audience to focus on the screen.