Post 20: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews

I was set the task of creating a film article so I decided to research into current film reviews and analyse the conventions they use and how they vary due to the placement of the review.

The first article I analysed was from Sight and Sound magazine and although they usually don't review short films my review could be placed there as part of a short film special edition. I discovered the magazine has made sure to tell the reader everything possible about the film with details from who the director is to the synopsis of the film. They also included a small image taken from the film involving the main character, the little colour from the image stands out against the otherwise bland grey and white from the page. However the article does feature a large red boarder with the title of "Films" explaining the nature of the review. Overall I believe this is a rather bland review for a larger audience however it is aimed at people who appreciate the more technical aspects of films and not just the genre and what actors are featured.

The second film article I analysed was from The independent newspaper. It again features an image taken from the film featuring the main character which entices audiences because of the popular actor, the image is larger here then sight and sound. Like sight and sound it also features the title of the film however it also features comical subtitles alerting to news about the film being nominated for an award. This article is very short in comparrison to sight and sound and the structure is different also as it does not begin by telling the audience details about the director, release date or certificate, instead it discusses the films plot line and the main characters. There is not a lot of colour featured in this article like Sight and Sound which could appear dull to the audience.This article is for an audience who unlike sight and sound are not interested in the technical aspects but instead care more for the plot and characters. This is because a newspaper like the independent provides to a larger audience and must incorporte the information their readers are likely to care about, not so much the director or visual effects used.

The third film article I analysed was from Empire magazine. Like both The independent and Sight and Sound, Empire feature an image taken from the film, however it takes up almost one third of the page making sure to grab the audiences attention. Again like the independent it has made sure to incorporate a comical subtitle to appeal to the audience, as well as include details like Sight and Sound about its release date, certificate, cast, running time and plot, it also features a verdict given by the critic unlike either of the above articles. More colour has been used in this article then The independent and Sight and Sound especially the colours red, orange and black which all stand out and grab the audiences attention, the review also looks more interesting with a boarder round it which gives Empire a chance to advertise their website also. This magazine is aimed at people who care about films and wish to know certain details about the film however they also like the comical aspect of the review and benefit from a large image. Empires demographic is different compared to the likes of The independent who focus on more then just films, and Sight and Sound which is aimed at people who are more interested in the technical side of things.

For my own review I have decided to go with a similar style to Empire magazine. I have decided Empire magazine as I feel the review has a better style then the others as well as entices the reader more due to the colour and large photographs. The writing in Empire includes details about the film a mass audience would want to read, however it does include more details about the cast and crew in contrast to The independent who focus mainly on the main character of The King's Speech. I found Sight and Sound was focused on a niche audience and included more details about the technical aspects of the film, I would want my film review to be read by a larger audience and because of this I would chose Empire because it targets a greater audience. In my film review I shall include the information about the film including; the cast, director, running time certificate and release date as well as the plot line. I will also try to include a verdict and "LookCloser" in the style of Empire magazine as well as keep the style as similar as possible with boarders, colours and structure.

Above is the design for my layout of Behind Blue Eyes review, I have tried to base it as much on Empire magazine as possible keeping the title of the film bold, four columns of writing, a large image taken from the film and similar boarders. I shall keep the title bold so it grabs the attention of the reader, keep the verdict as this can often affect a readers opinion especially the star rating. I have made my image the focus of the review as I believe this often interests the reader and entices them to read the review,  I however have included a lot of writing as I believe this will entice the reader to go and watch the film.