CONVENTIONS OF FILM

REVIEWS

EMPIRE MAGAZINE I looked at the April

edition of Empire Magazine. Whilst this magazine is not known for reviewing short films it will give me the technical language and template to creating our film review.

Main ImageA screenshot from the film. This gives the reader an idea of the cinematography, genre, main characters and characterization. It creates a visual stimulus for interest.

House Style – Simplistic with neutral colours. This is because the target audience is male in their 20’s to 30’s, therefore are attracted to technical language and a level of understanding rather than visual stimuli.

Extra information This gives the reader key in depth interests of the film. In this case it is the location, actor’s preparation and the origins of the narrative.

Summary of the film and Stars.The bold writing could attract a reader’s eye to the summary leading them to read the rest of the article or give a definite opinion on the film.

Title and TaglineBold and on the lines of thirds. This gives balance to the image and is bold enough for the reader to know what the film is called straight away. The tagline gives a very brief summary of the film overall so the reader has that information immediately.

Page number, magazine logo, date of issue.Part of the magazine’s house style and gives uniformity and key information about the magazine.

Links to the website.Links to the magazine’s website gives the reader a chance to gain further information about the film, directors, actors and other reviews.

Layout

Content

Background to film and similar films

Cinematography

Characterization and impact

Plot Events

Message

Themes

THE GUARDIAN WEBSITE

Logo of the website. In the top corner of the web page is part of The Guardian’s house style.

Title – Gives the name of the film so the reader can quickly identify what the film is called. It also gives a brief amount of information about the film to entice the readers interest into the article. Star rating – Brief symbolism for inform the reader the quality of the film.

Social Media links – this allows the reader to share the article, connecting people together so they can decide whether they want to watch the film together.

Trailer link – The code is embedded to link to further content from The Guardian. It also gives a visual insight into the film with additional information to entice the reader’s information further. Introduction – Gives information about the director, any key

points of interest about the film and the main theme of the film.

QuotesIt explains any key quotes and features within the context of the film. However short film reviews tend not to have this as there tends not to be key quotes but symbolism instead.

I also looked on The Guardian website to gain further understanding of film reviews.

Key Details – Any key bits of information that might interest the reader such as actors that they have seen in previous films.

Synopsis –It gives a brief outline of the narrative without revealing important resolution events. It outlines the main characters, setting and any additional information that could give the audience an advantage before they go to see the film.

Character analysis – Analysis of the characters creates a closer connection between the characters and the reader. This can help the reader decide whether or not to watch the film because if they connect or understand the characters at this point, they might be intrigued

Cross referencing of other filmsThis gives the reader a better idea of the understanding of the film as clear parallels between films help create a build up of what the film will be like.

ConclusionSummarises the overall message of the film and the reviewer’s opinion of the film. It allows the reader to make a judgement on whether or not to actually watch the film.