THE ANALYSIS OF

THE TEST DRIVE

by John Powell
from the movie "How To Train Your Dragon"
Zuzanna Bolin & Zuzanna Kocięcka
About How To Train Your Dragon
Produced by DreamWorks in 2010,
Directed by Dean Deblois and Chris Sanders,
The film music is composed by John Powell,
Main voice actors Jay Baruchel, Gerald Butler, Craig
Ferguson and America Ferrara.
About John Powell
English composer born in 1963.
Has composed the scores to over 70 films.
Best known from: The Road to El Dorado (Droga do Eldorado),
the second through fourth Ice Age films (od 2 do 4 części Epoki
Lodowcowej), the Happy Feet films (filmy z serii Tupot Małych
Stóp), Bolt (Piorun), the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy
(trylogia Jak Wytresować Smoka), the Rio films (filmy z serii Rio)
His work on Happy Feet, Ferdinand and Solo: A Star Wars Story
has earned him three Grammy nominations.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for How to Train
Your Dragon.
Music in movies helps the audience to feel the same
emotions as the characters on the screen,
"(...) [music] helps shape emotional responses,
creates a rhythm to scenes and segments, and
comments on the action." - Adam Grybowski, Film
The role of
Music Inside & Outside of Hollywood,
In the case of How To Train Your Dragon, which is
music in
an animated movie, mainly targeted towards
children, music is crucial to satisfy them and to feed
movies
their imagination.
 Composition made of short and repeating themes.
In case of movies, perfect harmany of what we hear
and what we can see,

How music Music announces things that are going to happen

what has an influence on how we react,

plays with our

Three act structure
emotions? First act - introduction, exposition of the plot,
Second act - escalation of the situation, inciting
moment,
Third act - climax
THE THREE-ACT STURCTURE

Dramatic curve. (Rabiger 2004 p. 236)

C. Sanders, D. DeBlois, How to Train Your Dragon, (0:43:30 - 0:45;58), 2010, DreamWorks, USA.
 Three act
Act 1
We can hear: contrabass clarinet,
24 bassoons, horns, contrabassoon,
trombones, tuba and timpani,
The climax of act one is when
Hiccup and Toothless fly between
the stone arch and we hear the
seagulls above them.
structure in The Test Drive
Act 2 Act 3
We can hear how the tempo
We can hear: almost the same
increases even more, and then
instruments but the focus is on
calms down in harmony with what
trumpets, horns and a tuba, the
we can see.
tempo increases in this act,
The climax of act three in the story
The midpoint in the second act is
is when Toothless’ prosthesis opens
when Hiccup and Toothless fall
up and the pair starts to zigzag
down towards the sea.
between the rocks.
The climax of the second act in
the story is when Hiccup and
Toothless do a hard break for them
not to crash with the trees.
 Test Drive is built on four themes: three of the
themes are recurring many times and one theme is
played only once.
Every act consist of 2 themes
Act 1: Theme 1, Theme 2, Theme 3
Themes in “The Act 2 : Theme 3, Theme 2, Theme 4

Test Drive” Act 3 : Theme 1, Theme 3, Theme 1

Theme 4 doesn’t merge with Theme 2, but is in sync
with recurring Theme 1
the flutes, piccolo, celesta, harps, violins violas,
clarinets, glockenspiels, contrabass clarinet,
bassoons, horns, contrabassoon, trombones, tuba
and timpani
Theme 1
The first thought and feeling that the opening

theme awakes is how the melody has a childlike

sound. The short and loud notes that the flutes play
throughout the theme, elevates in this way

Sopilka whistle plays the main melody; violoncello

also plays the main melody but doesn’t stand out as
Theme 2
much as whistle
The main melody has much calmer pace and notes
then it had in the first theme.
Theme 3 melody is more powerful
horns are the only ones to play the main melody

Theme 4 Theme 4 stands out the most

melody represent a complete chaos
Thank you :)
Bibliography
M. Silin, The score Test Drive as a narrative element in the animation film How to train your dragon, 2018.
The London Music Works, Sulva Screen Records, Test Drive - from the album "Music From The How To Train Your Dragon Trilogy", 18.07.19r.
(dostęp - 28.11.22r.).
RokujyuuyonShou, How To Train Your Dragon: Test Drive Scene 4K HD, 28.06.14r. (dostęp - 28.11.22r.).
Adam Grybowski, Film Music Inside & Outside of Hollywood, Rider University, 14.10.04,
https://www.rider.edu/about/news/2014/10/14/symposium-examines-role-music-
film#:~:text=Music%20in%20film%20serves%20several,iconic%20as%20the%20movies%20themselves. (dostęp: 21.11.22).