Post 17: Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1

For this project we have been asked to write a film review for our short film. To get a good idea of how to write and layout my film review, I decided to look into other existing ones in the media. The idea of  film reviews are so that they can be used to assess or criticise new releases which helps the public decide on whether they want to go and see the film. 

Sight & Sound Film Review:

The first film review that we had to study was a film magazine named Sight & Sound. Sight & Sound is a monthly magazine that is a good example for helping me get a insight into film reviews. 


We have recently looked at an article from this magazine that we have discussed on a film named "Frozen" which was released in the United Kingdom in 2004, and directed by Juliet Mckeon.

Whilst reading through the article & discussing with others about it, I noted down some interesting ideas that these film reviews have.

Below are the following Ideas:

. A straightforward image that relates to the film is included as a unique selling point for the film.

. A view of Comparisons to other films.

. Cast List.

. Words & Phrases such as "Prize Winning" are used to appeal to the viewers making them think that it is a high rated film meaning that it will be a good film to watch.

From this 'Frozen' review article, we can see that the text is small and formal due to the fact that this article has come from a film industry magazine making the layout formal & set out in columns. This makes it easier for people to read.

The name of the film, release date and the director’s name is shown in bold, making it easier for us to get first impressions of the film. Also the language is extremely formal & again this is due to the fact of it being an industry magazine.

As well as looking at Sight & Sound, We also looked at articles from newspapers such as 'The Guardian' & 'The Independent', as well as Internet web pages of which we also analysed. 


Below is the Internet Web Page for Sight & Sound:


. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/

The Independent Film Review:

As well as Sight & Sound, I also looked at The Independent, which is  a newspaper in the United Kingdom that is published by Independent Print Limited (I.P.L). From looking at The Independent, I found it to be overall very different compared to the other article as it was easier to read and understand as well as it having less technical language.

The reason I Iooked at this newspaper was because we as a class looked at a film review of "The Kings Speech". 


I found it to be a positive film review, which gave the impression of it to be a traditional film by the style of written communication and images that we see on the page. The Independent focuses on using formal language aiming it at 
middle class people who would be interested in involving themselves with the paper.

The Image on the left is of Colin Firth, who is the the main Actor throughout the film. It is also a unique selling point for audiences as they are aware of a well known actor who is starring in the film. 

Within this review, it also attracts the audiences attention due to the fact that it mentions the fact that Colin Firth and 'The Kings Speech' are both nominated for BAFTA awards. 


The idea of this is to hope that audiences notice this and are appealed and interested in watching the film.


The Guardian


I felt that The Guardian Review viewed differed viewpoints throughout The Kings Speech and used a different style to analyze because it gives a different effect that can be viewed more by the audience opposed to other reviews.

I felt that it brought together different elements of which I have picked up on, and the are the following: 

• The fact that a picture/screen grab image has been taken and displayed from the film.
• Expresses in detail the plot of the film and it is well focused on.
• A description of film in the title
• Conclusion

I found that this newspaper is similar to The Independent in relation to the Film Review as it compares similar conventions. However I Found it to be is entirely different to the Sight & Sound review.

Empire Magazine

Empire magazine has a completely different layout to all film reviews that I have mentioned above as it focuses on independent things that is used to catch the audiences eye, for example they include a large variety of images of which they use to make the audience interested.

I compared my Film Review to this magazine as it was the most appealing to me, and below is a video that shows an example of an Empire free addition booklet that I have explained about what the company focuses on and what it looks like.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1uOZBrbXto&feature=youtu.be