Post 17: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

For our second ancillary task we have to create a film review page. However this cannot be completed without looking at conventions of existing film reviews. To enhance my understanding I will be analysing a number of different reviews. I will take a closer look at the conventions used in newspapers, magazines and website reviews.

Industry Magazine - Sight & Sound

The first film review our class read was from the Sight & Sound industry magazine. The magazine doesn't normally do short films however had a special section dedicated to short films. After the class was put into groups, we had to analyse the review for the 2004 short film Frozen. We took down notes fro each paragraph and the conventions used in each. Below is a breakdown of each paragraph and what they say.

Frozen
Paragraph One

• Prize winner,
• Her first feature film,
• Where she is from,
• Where it was filmed.

Paragraph Two

• Setting up the scene,
• Character,
• "Offers an emotional.."

Paragraph Three

• Talking about character relationships,
• Kath and her feelings.

Paragraph Four

• Metaphor about the ice showing Kath could be trapped,
• Location filmed.

Paragraph Five

• Setting scene,
• Drama/Conventions.

Paragraph Six

• Summary,
• Audience,
• Location.

Paragraph one opens straight away giving us information about the director Juliet McKoen, getting straight to the point that this is a prize winning short film. This immediately grabs the attention of a reader as any short film winning an award must be worth a watch. While the first paragraph looks at the director, the next four speak about the short film. Paragraph two immediately introduces us to characters from Frozen, helping to set the scene. The next three paragraphs go on to the same however go into depth with character relationships including the genre and so forth. Paragraph six is a final summary of the short film looking at the audience and location. The synopsis at the bottom of the review is for a quick and easy understanding for a reader. This is a convention used on all of the other reviews I glimpsed at while looking through Sight & Sound.

The language used in Sight & Sound is aimed at a more educated audience. This means the wording used is at a higher quality. It is at a higher quality because the magazine is aimed at people in the business meaning the understanding as professionals has to be targeted. The niche film audience needs to be addressed correctly as it is such a minority. This is why a magazine review might be the best way to market our short films to professionals.

Newspaper - The Independent

The next source I used to read a film review was the newspaper. I looked at two different newspapers, the first being The Independent and its review of the 2010 British historical drama film The King's Speech. The Independent wrote a short review for the film which I took note from of all the conventions used. Below is a list of all the conventions I wrote down from the review.

• Image from the film,
• Title; "Firth's stammering monarch is a sh-sh-shoo-in for an Oscar nomination",
• Introduction with mention of an Oscar recognition,
• Description of films content
• Conclusion - mentioning the sucess it will have.

This is a quick film review however is sharp and quick to the point. In comparison to the Sight & Sound review this is easier to read. In my view this film review is an advertising and informative review. It shows the film in a bright light encouraging the reader to go see the film.

Newspaper - Guardian

The next newspaper I went on to read was The Guardian. I took a look at their film review for the Oscar nominated King's Speech. The article written by Peter Bradshaw looked into depth about the film unlike the Independent which was short but sharp. Once again I took note of the conventions, which are listed below.

• Image of protagonist from film,
• Description of film in title; "Colin Firth is the stuttering monarch and Helena Bonham Carter the future Queen Mother in a richly enjoyable drama. By Peter Bradshaw",
• Introduction - Setting,
• Paragraphs on the film,
• Little box - Production year, Countries, Run time, Directors, Cast,
• Conclusion - "Not every ones going to like this film"

The Guardians review is similar to The Independent in relation to the conventions. Comparing the conventions many are the same throughout. The only difference between the two is The Guardian has more content. However like The Independent is very different from the Sight & Sound review. This could be down to aiming the reviews to different audiences.

Websites - FilmGuru

After looking at newspapers i went on to look at a website called Film Guru. It was a film website writing reviews with the slogan "Millions of people see bad movies. Don't be one of them." I read their review for the short film I F*cking hate You. Below is a list of conventions the review used.

• Introduction - The writers thoughts,
• Description of film,
• Image from film,
• The writers thoughts.

This review is different to all the film reviews i have looked at before. This is because the website is a critical view of films with the writers, writing what they really think. In my view this is the most appealing because you know the review your getting is real.

The language used is dumbed down to target an audience of online users looking for a quick read review. It uses these words to appeal to a wider audience and not professionals in the business.

Layout Drafts

Layout idea One



Layout idea Two

In the two layout drafts i have decided that the picture will be the main focus point. This must grab the attention of an audience and will be the pulling factor for a reader towards the artical. I feel the writing must wrap around the films details as its must look proffessional to the eye. The writing will be in two collums both being different sizes so it isnt boring. The right hand side of the review will be other short film reviews. I will look on the internet to gain these and place them into my review page ensuring they keep to the design of the whole page.

Conclusion

After reading through all of the film reviews I feel the one which might be best to market our short film Karma in the form of a magazine. The two Internet websites, The Guardian and The Independent and the magazine review all target an educated audience. However the Sight & Sound magazine review, targets the professionals in the media world. These are the people I want to market my short film to. This is why i have chosen to follow the magazine style of writing and layout route. After taking notes from the review in Sight & Sound on Frozen I will closely follow this when writing my own review.

The reason why I have chosen not to choose the website style route is because it doesn't target my audience I need to target. The language used in the website review is not for an educated audience and most defiantly not for professionals. This would not target my niche audience and is the main reason why I have decided to follow the magazine route.