Ancillary Task 2 - Film Reviews Part 1
Film Review
Post 17 requires us to write a detailed film review which will accompany the Post cards that were designed in the previous task. As a class we were given film reviews from a full length feature film to read through and analyses which really impacted on me. It was then that I fully understood the amount of information and detail I would have to include in my film review in order to reach Level 4, industry standard.
Sight & Sound
The first review we looked at was from a widely known media magazine called “Sight & Sound” about a film called “Frozen”, from Director Juliet McKoen released in 2004.
We then got into smaller groups and proceeded to break the review down, bit by bit in order to fully understand the conventions that make an industry standard review.
This is the front cover of the media magazine Sight and Sound. The 87 marker in the top left hand corner refers to the number of films that have been reviewed so far and with every issue that number changes significantly.
This is the review, Frozen, which we broke down to work on. At a first glance, it is easy to see that although the picture is not centered on the paper, it still dominates the review. This is because this particular film review features actress Shirley Henderson - a unique selling point of the film (USP). The idea behind having her picture in the front of the review is to entice audiences who like her as an actress. Films marketing themselves from scratch who have no known actors have to use other strategies. The image below shows a Turkish film with actors unknown to the UK
When reading the article, it became instantly apparent that the level of writing in this review was of the highest standard. English writing not being my strongest point, I found it very hard and complex to actually read this article and break it down into smaller, more digestible chunks. I noticed how the review and many other reviews were constructed and they all seem to follow the same basic layout, in columns, just like a newspaper. This structure made it easier for the reader and added to this reviews formality. The other element I noticed when reading this review is that, although it was an analysis of the film, it was also a marketing strategy as it lists everyone who was involved in the making and producing of the film, just like credits at the end of a film, listing the characters, the crew and Director which also dominated two columns of the review. So to conclude this section, my opinion on certain film reviews is that it is a perfect way for marketing the product, even if the review is not completely positive.
The Independent
The Independent's review was similar to that of the Guardian, as it used clever, witty sentences to describe key scenes in the film as well as clearly illustrating the talent of the actors within the film. The main difference between the two reviews is the use of language, as the Guardian uses more comical and fun language to create a sense of relation between the writer and reader where as the Independent uses more formal language to depict the narrative and give the reader an insight into the plot.
After we had looked at magazine and newspaper reviews, I then took some time to research other forms of review, such as the use of the world wide web.
I found a website called FilmGuru.net which reviews various films and I was fascinated to notice the differences and similarities between the different review types. I focused on Zack Snyders "Superman" film. From the start, this review felt a lot more personalised and I felt connected with the reviewer. The review entitled "My Take on Snyders Superman" was casual and included statements such as
"Among my friends and family, I am considered the expert on all things Kryptonian. I have been reading Superman comics since my youth. I even wrote my master’s thesis on the dual nature of the Clark Kent / Superman persona".
This was not 'your industry standard' but more for the "geeky" superman-lover who wants a controversial synopsis to read through and talk about with his/her mates.
The conventions I picked out were:
- The reviewer introduces his own thoughts and opinions
- Description of the film, not just the messages it sends out
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Here is the link to the review page:
http://www.filmguru.net/2011/03/28/my-take-casting-in-snyders-superman/
My Film Review Choice
After undergoing all the research on film reviews and completing all of the above tasks, I have made the choice that I am going to base my review on the Empire review style, and I will research the follow forms conventions that make Empire one of the most successful media magazines.
I plan to have a catchy, intriguing short film review page that strictly follows the forms and conventions of the Empire magazine. The picture also gives away the setting for the short film which should help the reader to understand where Synchronicity is set. I have also included a small snapshot of the train in the bottom right hand corner which again, gives away the setting as well as informing the reader that this film will involve the young girl seen on the front as well as the train set, and this when combined with the review page will be very affective in getting the reader to watch my short film. I will have a large, colorful picture to entice the audience into reading my review. I will also use very picturesque and descriptive writing to give the reader an insight into the film and capture there imagination. lastly I will also include a side review down the left hand side of the page which will be revising current films. This follows the forms and conventions as I have stated above, that Empire is a public magazine and they therefore advertise many things such as new releases to the general public.
My Film Review
Empire Film Review
Empires review of The Kings Speech is very different to that of the Sight & Sound review. This is down to the difference in language used, as the Sight&Sound review uses very formal language with words and phrases which would only appeal to media persons who already have knowledge of the industry. Empire review uses more quirky and lively language and clever sentences to review the film.
" for all its pageantry, it isn’t a film of grandiose pretensions. Much better than that, it is an honest-to-goodness crowdpleaser". This makes the Empire easier to relate to and extract information more accurately. This style of review would be a perfect choice for me to base my short film review on, and i hope to be able to apply the forms and conventions seen within this review to my own.
" for all its pageantry, it isn’t a film of grandiose pretensions. Much better than that, it is an honest-to-goodness crowdpleaser". This makes the Empire easier to relate to and extract information more accurately. This style of review would be a perfect choice for me to base my short film review on, and i hope to be able to apply the forms and conventions seen within this review to my own.
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=118697
Empire
News Paper Review
The forms and conventions of this magazine are very different to that of Sight&Sound as you can see from the start, the image is the centre piece and instantly attracts the reader and entices and enforces there imagination. One of the most significant differences between the two is that Empire is made for the film fanatic, and movie lover as opposed to industry standard people such as big name directors like Danny Boyle and Shane Meadows, who would most probably choose a more precise and professional magazine review such as Sight&Sound. the difference in there approach to the written element of the review is a very easily distinguishably characteristic when reading both Empire and Sight&Sound and this is what made me choose Empire to base my review around. The unique selling point (USP) of this review is definitely the picture and it becomes very clear when reading this, that Empire has a very different strategy for advertisement then Sight&sound as their references to DVD and Blu-ray suggest that as this is more a public magazine, which is why they need to address that fact, as the public would be purchasing the DVD's and Blu-ray disks.
After we had looked at the industry standard magazine Sight & Sound, we then looked at other forms of reviews, such as that of news papers such as The Guardian and the Independent as well as online film reviews.
I instantly found the newspapers made for a much easier read, and this helped me to better understand and appreciate the film review. This was greatly due to the fact that the language use throughout the Sight & Sound magazine was designed to be read by people within the industry and therefore, there were many words and sentences which I didn’t quite understand. On the other hand, the newspapers used more informal and standardised language which made it easier for me to read through.
If I was going to choose one type of review to read through, I would choose the newspaper reviews as they suited my reading type and style.
The Kings Speech has been a recent port of call for both The Guardian and The Independent newspapers. This made it more accessible for me to review, compare and contrast both articles and their respective review types and styles.
The Guardian
The Guardians film review was very clear and understandable. I found that the image that they have used, which is of Collin Firth who is the lead actor, gives out a clearer message than that of Sight & Sounds review, which just focuses on an image of the Actress (Shirley Henderson), whose film it is, although the picture has no significance to the film, as it is just an image of her and not a snapshot out of the film itself.
For me this would be a unique selling point (USP) as I have gone to watch many films purely based upon the picture on the cover or the image they have used to advertise with. So for me the image plays a significant role in getting and audience interested and I think this is a vital part to a film review as the image entices the audience in and leaves them wanting more.
The Independent
The Independent's review was similar to that of the Guardian, as it used clever, witty sentences to describe key scenes in the film as well as clearly illustrating the talent of the actors within the film. The main difference between the two reviews is the use of language, as the Guardian uses more comical and fun language to create a sense of relation between the writer and reader where as the Independent uses more formal language to depict the narrative and give the reader an insight into the plot.
"Among my friends and family, I am considered the expert on all things Kryptonian. I have been reading Superman comics since my youth. I even wrote my master’s thesis on the dual nature of the Clark Kent / Superman persona".
This was not 'your industry standard' but more for the "geeky" superman-lover who wants a controversial synopsis to read through and talk about with his/her mates.
The conventions I picked out were:
- The reviewer introduces his own thoughts and opinions
- Description of the film, not just the messages it sends out
-
Here is the link to the review page:
http://www.filmguru.net/2011/03/28/my-take-casting-in-snyders-superman/
My Film Review Choice
After undergoing all the research on film reviews and completing all of the above tasks, I have made the choice that I am going to base my review on the Empire review style, and I will research the follow forms conventions that make Empire one of the most successful media magazines.
My Film Review
Anton Richards, the young aspiring Director from Hertfordshire, has finished his debut short film, "Synchronicity" and it is set to be a short film spectacular, honing in on the ever more realistic topic of child neglect mixed with an unusual series of synchronised events. It makes for a thrilling new entry into the short film industry as the Kings Langley School
Shot in a quiet little village cul de sac in Kings Langley, the film entwines itself into the life of a little girl, ‘Isabel’ and her desperation for attention from her lawfully dedicated parents. Young Isabel and her faithful teddy go everywhere together, but Teddy is not quite the playing companion she needs. This short film shows the effects of what it is like to have everything but love and attention. With two lawyers for parents who are hard pushed to give any of their time to their daughter due to working on a local train crash case, Isabel could be seen as a burden and in the way.
There are many scenes that evoke the strong emotion of Isabel’s character. The constant refusal and rejection from her parents is overwhelming for any young child. And as the film shows, rejection can be too much for a child to take. “Go away and play”, a phrase ringing alarms bells in this short, creates the relationship between film and audience, as I am sure every parent has been in this situation at some point in their life.
The fact that Isabel is seen with a teddy throughout all the scenes shows her vulnerability as a character, greatly due to the lack of recognition from her parents. At times, this short gives its audience a passive sense of responsibility and has the audience shouting “just say yes”.
Isabel’s frailty and breaking point shows after a third barrage of refusal and it seems that she wants to seek revenge. It is at this point you loose connection with aspects of her fragility and you start to see her violent, childlike mind-set kick in. She creates a catastrophic train crash, not dissimilar to the one her parents are dealing with. It is this synchronisation that literally leaves her parents picking up the pieces after her, as her destructive rampage leads them away from their work and into a frantic game of hide and seek.
The ending is blunt but clear - Isabel is teaching her parents an extremely valuable lesson. Refusal to engage is a serious form of neglect, leaving the audience with an immediate realisation of the damage neglect can inflict on a young person's life with extreme consequences.
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