House of the Dragon

The trailer leverages two musical themes from the original show’s music, originally composed by Ramin Djawadi: the main theme and the House Targaryen theme. This is evident from the outset, with its distinctive rising semitones in its melodic arc as the most conspicuous aspect of the first forty seconds. The addition of epic percussion and a large choir to the theme reinforces the greater focus on the dragons—entirely apt, as a prequel that centers on the titular beasts and the Targaryens’ historical ties to them.

The second part of the trailer focuses even more on this melody, with an airy timbre replaced with something much more intense and fervent. Later, this is accompanied by triplets in the percussion—a commonly employed trick for the arranger tasked with delivering an increasingly epic soundtrack in short order. Note the cheering at 1:02—a rare diegetic sound puncturing the bulked-up House Targaryen theme, reminding us that for all the action, the Thrones franchise is at its core a drama about people. It’s also an interesting aural counterpoint to the darker musical theme.

Beyond that, the sounds that make it through this all-consuming sonic tapestry are startlingly few. At 1:09 there is also a rare synch point between the percussion and a man delivering a blow. The unsheathing of a blade at 1:11 is the last discernible diegetic sound. The trailer’s editors seem confident that the recognizability and associations viewers might have with the show’s themes will carry the trailer, ahead of a more dialogue-driven take—and it’s not an unreasonable bet to make.

At 1:13, an audiovisual blackout offers a clean cut before the tagline with the third part of this trailer. The tagline (“history does not remember blood”)—along with a stark aural focus on the sounds of the dragon on screen—provides a suitable climactic point for the trailer. It is followed by the trademark synthesized cello sound, that the audience should recognize from the titles of the original series. It also offers a payoff for the insistent musical buildup preceding it. House of the Dragon arrives on HBO Max August 21st.

— Curtis Perry