Blog 10 - Review Research

For my film review research i will be researching the codes and conventions of film reviews from well known film magazines such as the Empire and Sight & Sound.  This research will allow me to identify traits that i can incorporate into my own review to make it as much like a professional review as possible.

The first film review i researched was a film review of "American Pie 2" in the Empire magazine.

Key Points to writing a review

• Knowing the background of the directors/actors etc allows the reviewer to make comparisons with the film their reviewing and previous work that person has done
• keep in mind: What kind of reputation does the director have? Any awards or famous films cast members may have associated with them? Is the movie based on a book/play/an event and what was the influences?
• Need to consider the movies target audience in order to review it fairly

General points to put into a review to make it interesting

• Acting - how good is the acting, does the cast members acting connect with the audience or is it unbelieveable
• Plot - Is the plot of the film original, controversal,  engaging or predictable and dull
• Cinematography - is there a variety of unique camera shots/angles used or is it mediocre
• Sound - Does the music used create the desired atmosphere, how do they use sound effects and how effective/believeable are these
• Atmosphere - Does the movie create the atmosphere it aimed to
• Character Development - Do the actors connect with the audience/do you care about their out-come
• Genre - Will the audience get what they came for? (comedy/romance/horror/action etc)
• Scripting - Does the dialogue used match the Genre intended (variety of witty jokes for a comedy etc)
• Other considerations are how innovative a film is, the editing, the lighting and the costumes. However not every film intends aim to be "high-art" so the film reviewed should be judged according to what they set out to be. Cut out the points unneccesary depending on the film (would not be much point mentioning the cinematography in a childrens animated film etc)

The Title and Intro

•  A interesting film review usually starts with a catchy title that sums up the reviewers thoughts of the film. For example a positive film review about the "Black Swan" may start with a title such as "Black Swan Soars" while a negative review may start with the title "Black Swan Sinks". This allows the reader to see the reviewers  initial thoughts of the film and will be interested to see why.
• Right after the title your first sentence you should use interesting information or facts such as a quote from the film or a comparison with the lead actors/directors previous work.
• After the opening line a short synopsis  should be given so the reader has a reference for the rest of the review however dont write any spoilers.

The Body

• The body is the part of the review where you detail why you like or disliked the film.
• Remember to organise the structure of your thoughts and dont play to a dislike or like too much (praising the film constantly throughout the whole review or harshly slating it throughout the whole film) as this may come across as unprofessional. However make it clear that the review is either positive or negative.
• In order to keep it interesting, use a variety of literature techniques such as metaphors, comparisons, adjectives and humour to prevent it getting boring.
• Keep in mind your target audience and use language to suit them for example using overly long words and comparing to much older films would not be suitable in a review for a childs film.
• Be creative in terms of comparisons and language however dont go off-topic too much as the review will become uninteresting and not what the reader wants to read.
• Give your complete honest opinion about whether you liked/disliked the film just remember to explain why you liked/disliked the film.

Conclusion



• Finish the review  with a strong consise statement that clearly defines what you thought about the film using interesting language or perhaps a pun to sum it all up.