{

Analysis of Film Articles

By Simon Cheshire

The film articles which I have chosen to analyse for my A2 media studies coursework are all from the popular film magazine EMPIRE. This is published every month of the year, so as a result are able to review a huge range of films. The film articles which I have chosen to analyse are Moneyball, TED and The Muppets. This are a variety of different genres of film and provide me with a wide range of research.

EMPIRE MAGAZINE

Moneyball

• The title of the film is situated right at the top of the page in blue which is important for many reasons, first of all the blue contrasts well with the white background meaning it stands out a lot and engages the reader, furthermore the name of the film is one of the most recognizable aspects of it so to sell the film and make people reader the article this is displayed right at the top.

• Brad Pitt is featured throughout the article whether this is in the images, the actual article or at the top above even the release date. This represents how significant he is to help sell the film and that the film has relied on star power for it to be sold. They have also placed Jonah Hill, Robin Wright and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a cast section and they are included in the images which shows star power is being used.

• The two images which are featured within the article are both scenes from the film. This is because they are both key scenes within the film, the fact Brad Pritt’s character is featured in both features does many things, first it symbolises how significant his character is throughout the film further more it also uses his face and name to help sell the film.

• The articles writers ‘Verdict’ is situated at the bottom of the page, they give a brief opinion about the film and whether they enjoyed it or not and then they rate it out of 5. This particular one is very complimentary towards the film however I feel that it is so small and at the bottom of the page in case they don’t like it and it doesn’t ruin the film sales. The design of the page matches the film’s ethos and way of thinking a lot as it is slick however it isn’t too over the top.

• The actual article is a brief description of what happens in the film, however it reads from the writer's perspective which is very important because it gives the readers a personal take on the film rather than just being told information which the distributors want you to hear. The language uses is very in formal which creates the idea that the writer ‘Olly Richards’ is very much watching the film and writing about it like a normal audience member would which builds the trust between tem and if he reviews a film in the future and rates it good or bad the readers will believe what he says a lot more.

The Muppets Movie

• The Muppets title is situated right at the top of the page in blue which contrast with the background of the picture, this tells the audience straight away what film it is and they can recognize it. This is followed by white writing saying ‘Mahma mahma’ which is the Muppets famous song which fans of the original television series will be able to instantly recognize.

• The image used is very bright which instantly engages the reader, however the image also has the main muppets in the central page with new characters which explains that it is staying to it’s roots however they have added extras for the film, it’s not just the same old thing. Also for the younger audiences the picture is very bright with unique characters which will engage them and will want to see it. Furthermore the image also takes up a lot of the page which signifies how important these characters are to the storyline and it makes the audience aware of this before they watch the film.

• The articles writers ‘Verdict’ is situated at the bottom of the page, they give a brief opinion about the film and whether they enjoyed it or not and then they rate it out of 5. This particular one is very complimentary towards the film however I feel that it is so small and at the bottom of the page in case they don’t like it and it doesn’t ruin the film sales, this is a key convention of a film article. The design of the article matches the mood and feeling of the film, for example it has bright blue and yellow which are vibrant and positive colours which is the key ethics of the film.

• The article has a brief section before the actual piece starts this includes things such as: release date, certificate, director, cast, running time and the plot, this is a key convention of a film article as it gives the audience essential information.

• The actual article reads very informal and childish this is because it is a child's film, it also compares it to previous Muppets film which haven’t been as successful which helps the audience understand the type of film it is.

TED

• The title TED is in black bold font which contrasts againt’s the white background, this has a caption underneath saying ‘You, Me and Furry’ this subtly explains most of the films plot without giving away hardly any detail. This is situated just above the information box which includes information such as: the release date, certificate, director, cast and running time.

• The main image is the focal point of the article, this had the two main characters in both using mode of address because they seem to be looking at the audience which engages them, however it is just a scene from the film, the image ha a bear bottle positioned right next to the teddy which suggest that he is drinking it. This is important because it shows that he isn’t a normal bear and it tells the audience that it isn’t a children’s film.

• The articles writers ‘Verdict’ is situated at the bottom of the page, they give a brief opinion about the film and whether they enjoyed it or not and then they rate it out of 5. This particular one is very complimentary towards the film however I feel that it is so small and at the bottom of the page in case they don’t like it and it doesn’t ruin the film sales.

• The design of the article is styled in a old fashioned way, for example the ‘In Cinemas’ is in a old fashioned font which can subtly explain how it is aimed at the older target audience and that the film is based around old American blockbusters which would have used that type of font.

• The writing within the article is very informal however it is aimed at the older target audience so phrases such as’ TED isn’t the place to come for droll social comment or Woody Allen-esque introspection’ highlights this because the it is a reference to older films which the younger audience wouldn’t understand. Furthermore it is very blunt and straight to the point just like TED is in the actual film, this is a key convention of a film article that the actual article must follow the theme of the film.