Tuesday 29 October 2013
Sunday 27 October 2013
Thursday 24 October 2013
Short Film Analysis #4: 8,336,615 (New York)
The next film I've decided to look at is the interestingly titled "8,336,615 (New York)". A visual monologue, it's a poetic piece: a lack of plot and more focused on the film's themes, this is a type of short film that I've been gravitating towards, as you've seen with the short's I've looked at previously. "8,336,615" can be watched below:
The opening shot neatly epitomises the central theme of the short. The camera's positioning behind a moving train emphasises to the viewer the sheer number of people travelling within each carriage. Yet, at the centrepiece of the frame is the man who is clearly on his own. The shot conveys the idea of loneliness, the length of the shot increasing a general sense of awkwardness and sympathy towards the shot's protagonist. Moreover, the title also cleverly alludes to the irony of loneliness within such a big city; the number (which is the amount of people living within New York) fades after a while, leaving only the digit of '1'. This subtlety adds to the notion that, in spite of all it's millions of people, New York is essentially a place of isolation, of people who live among this highly-populated environment yet have no one to talk to or turn to. At this stage in the short, there is no non-diegetic sound; the film-maker creates a quiet opening of a train rumbling past, further reinforcing the idea of loneliness.
The next shot is a close-up of a woman's hand tapping the elevator rail. Her impatience indexically connotes the idea that she has no one to engage with, she can only pass the time on herself. The camerawork in this shot is impressive; the use of soft focus draws the viewer closer to the woman, aligning our alliances with her. This idea is reinforced by her prevalence and her centralised position within the shot. Following this, we move into a medium shot of her gazing, seemingly drifting. In terms of mise-en-scene, her un-brushed hair and her gaunt facial expression denotes a sense of weariness, agitated by her apparent lack of relationships. Moreover, the shot is wide, revealing a lack of people on the elevator, furthering the idea of loneliness. After this, we move to a shot of people walking in New York- this shot is paramount to the film-maker's message about the city. The camera is positioned low, connoting the idea that the city is faceless, each person lacking an identity and sense of individuality. Also, the filmmaker wants to emphasise how busy the city is (note the bike and taxis: it is a place of movement), no time for movement, and the use of slow motion demands the viewer to reflect upon this. Added to this, the bold of use of naturalistic lighting gives the film a sun-kissed tone, which could perhaps explore the irony of loneliness amongst the colour and vibrancy of the city.
Next is the preacher, who has a prominent role within the film, cropping up on several occasions. This particular shot hints at the vacuous feel of New York. Again, it's ironic: on the one hand, the priest is dressed well and he's promoting a religion that promises answers and meaning. Yet, this contrasts wholly with the fact that he's giving these bold speeches in an empty train station, his affirmations scrawled untidily on cardboard. Therefore, the filmmaker wants to convey the idea that New York is a place of hopelessness, where even religion cannot act as a facade with which to hide the emptiness and hollowness of the city. This idea of 'emptiness' is conveyed literally via the use of camera and mise-en-scene; the wideness of the frame reveals the emptiness of the passageway, revealing the vast nature of the white-tiled walls, which adds to the vacancy of the picture. Moreover, the lighting is high-key and artificial-looking, adding to the vacuous nature of this shot.
After this, the shot moves to quick cuts of people being; playing drums, travelling on a train, surf-boarding. It creates a sense of vitality, movement and hope. Soft focus and high-key lighting is used to make New York appear a happy place. In spite of this, the director has purposely ensured that only one person is really at the centre of each shot, reinforcing the idea of isolation. The film covers all walks of life, from the old to the new, as seen with the shot of the newborn baby. Clearly, Riccio wants to display the multi-cultural, diverse nature of the city, putting a positive spin on the city. The director achieves this by the eclectic nature of the shots; slow motion is used to ask the viewer to reflect on these peoples lives and the diverse nature of the characters presented on screen. Shots of boxers training connotes the idea that New York has an underdog spirit, possibly harking back to the cities troubled past. As the film moves to its end, a series of jump cuts are used to emphasise just how many people walk past the preacher, reinforcing the notion of loneliness in order to create a lasting impact. An interesting shot of the New York skyline as the sun goes down lingers for a few seconds, asking the audience to reflect in its penultimate shot. Finally, we return to the woman at the start of the film- looking out directly at the audience, its an almost desperate look, provoking the audience to reflect upon the paradoxical nature of being lonely in such a highly-populated city.
The non-diegetic "tinkly" music creates a reflective, thoughtful tone that ultimately doesn't appear to be too intrusive. The voiceover monologue narrates the piece, the images on screen illustrating the narrator's ideas and attitudes effectively. Ultimately, I felt this film touched upon an interesting paradox, and whilst a plot could have been incorporated to pad out the films length, it got its message across effectively and efficiently.
The opening shot neatly epitomises the central theme of the short. The camera's positioning behind a moving train emphasises to the viewer the sheer number of people travelling within each carriage. Yet, at the centrepiece of the frame is the man who is clearly on his own. The shot conveys the idea of loneliness, the length of the shot increasing a general sense of awkwardness and sympathy towards the shot's protagonist. Moreover, the title also cleverly alludes to the irony of loneliness within such a big city; the number (which is the amount of people living within New York) fades after a while, leaving only the digit of '1'. This subtlety adds to the notion that, in spite of all it's millions of people, New York is essentially a place of isolation, of people who live among this highly-populated environment yet have no one to talk to or turn to. At this stage in the short, there is no non-diegetic sound; the film-maker creates a quiet opening of a train rumbling past, further reinforcing the idea of loneliness.
The next shot is a close-up of a woman's hand tapping the elevator rail. Her impatience indexically connotes the idea that she has no one to engage with, she can only pass the time on herself. The camerawork in this shot is impressive; the use of soft focus draws the viewer closer to the woman, aligning our alliances with her. This idea is reinforced by her prevalence and her centralised position within the shot. Following this, we move into a medium shot of her gazing, seemingly drifting. In terms of mise-en-scene, her un-brushed hair and her gaunt facial expression denotes a sense of weariness, agitated by her apparent lack of relationships. Moreover, the shot is wide, revealing a lack of people on the elevator, furthering the idea of loneliness. After this, we move to a shot of people walking in New York- this shot is paramount to the film-maker's message about the city. The camera is positioned low, connoting the idea that the city is faceless, each person lacking an identity and sense of individuality. Also, the filmmaker wants to emphasise how busy the city is (note the bike and taxis: it is a place of movement), no time for movement, and the use of slow motion demands the viewer to reflect upon this. Added to this, the bold of use of naturalistic lighting gives the film a sun-kissed tone, which could perhaps explore the irony of loneliness amongst the colour and vibrancy of the city.
Next is the preacher, who has a prominent role within the film, cropping up on several occasions. This particular shot hints at the vacuous feel of New York. Again, it's ironic: on the one hand, the priest is dressed well and he's promoting a religion that promises answers and meaning. Yet, this contrasts wholly with the fact that he's giving these bold speeches in an empty train station, his affirmations scrawled untidily on cardboard. Therefore, the filmmaker wants to convey the idea that New York is a place of hopelessness, where even religion cannot act as a facade with which to hide the emptiness and hollowness of the city. This idea of 'emptiness' is conveyed literally via the use of camera and mise-en-scene; the wideness of the frame reveals the emptiness of the passageway, revealing the vast nature of the white-tiled walls, which adds to the vacancy of the picture. Moreover, the lighting is high-key and artificial-looking, adding to the vacuous nature of this shot.
After this, the shot moves to quick cuts of people being; playing drums, travelling on a train, surf-boarding. It creates a sense of vitality, movement and hope. Soft focus and high-key lighting is used to make New York appear a happy place. In spite of this, the director has purposely ensured that only one person is really at the centre of each shot, reinforcing the idea of isolation. The film covers all walks of life, from the old to the new, as seen with the shot of the newborn baby. Clearly, Riccio wants to display the multi-cultural, diverse nature of the city, putting a positive spin on the city. The director achieves this by the eclectic nature of the shots; slow motion is used to ask the viewer to reflect on these peoples lives and the diverse nature of the characters presented on screen. Shots of boxers training connotes the idea that New York has an underdog spirit, possibly harking back to the cities troubled past. As the film moves to its end, a series of jump cuts are used to emphasise just how many people walk past the preacher, reinforcing the notion of loneliness in order to create a lasting impact. An interesting shot of the New York skyline as the sun goes down lingers for a few seconds, asking the audience to reflect in its penultimate shot. Finally, we return to the woman at the start of the film- looking out directly at the audience, its an almost desperate look, provoking the audience to reflect upon the paradoxical nature of being lonely in such a highly-populated city.
The non-diegetic "tinkly" music creates a reflective, thoughtful tone that ultimately doesn't appear to be too intrusive. The voiceover monologue narrates the piece, the images on screen illustrating the narrator's ideas and attitudes effectively. Ultimately, I felt this film touched upon an interesting paradox, and whilst a plot could have been incorporated to pad out the films length, it got its message across effectively and efficiently.
Thursday 17 October 2013
Monday 14 October 2013
Short Film Analysis #3: Forever Brooklyn
My third film analysis, Paciocco's Forever Brooklyn is an intriguing example of a documentary collage, capturing the spirit of Brooklyn through an array of sounds and sights. I'm interested in trying documentary film-making, although I've been put off by the difficulty of including a plot within such a limited timeframe of short film. However, it was interesting to look at the way in which Paciocco has taken a rather vague subject- an area of New York- which is essentially just a montage, yet is still interesting to the viewer. Check out Forever Brooklyn below...
My initial impression from the film was that, in part, it was largely autobiographical, and that the viewer got a glimpse into the life of this man through his camera lens. This idea is introduced right from the beginning, when a series of archive footage is cut within a montage to help set the picture of what life was like in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's cultural importance as he grew up. The opening 24 seconds is heavily mediated, although not necessarily in a bad way: Paccioco selects scenes and footage that genereally speaking have positive connotations of Brooklyn- the industry, the family's, the baseball. It could be argued that Paccioco selects such positive imagery as it acts as a reflection of the nostalgia and happiness of childhood, unexposed to the negative aspects of the city. Brooklyn appears to be thriving, a place that he was happy in. Moreover, it should also be noted that one can tell that this is archive footage from the graininess of the picture; preceding his own footage, it acts almost as a prologue to his life, contextualising the rest of the film, putting the audience into that place before his own work even begins.
There's a fairly patriotic undertone to the piece; the shot at 25 seconds zooms in on the American flag on the Brooklyn bridge. The way in which the flag is centralised and dominates the frame symbolically connotes how Brooklyn is at the heart of America. Added to this, the scenes in the boxing ring has connotations of being the underdog, lending itself to the idea that perhaps the aim of Paciocco's video is to present Brooklyn in a better light, given all the bad press Brooklyn receives for its renowned criminal past. Paciocco clearly wants to give the film a vibrancy, a sense of the city being alive; he does this in part through the editing. Quick cuts as well as a dissolving transition are used to give the piece a fast flow; moreover, he doesn't stick with any of the character's for that long, giving no one a sense of prevelence, giving the city the lead role. Although I understand his intentions, if I were to do something along these lines I'd like to pause, jsut for a moment, to find out more about their lives and what it is that Brooklyn means to them.
The film almost becomes like a piece of art, a series of images strung together to make this whole. I really admire the black-and-white colour palette; the colours create a real sense of frankness, making the film appear to be a more personal venture. Added to this, black and white act as a metaphor for secrecy or mystery, which makes the short all the more interesting to the viewer. The sound in the film is mainly non-diegetic, music that isn't too intrusive yet is engaging to the viewer. Also, the film really encompasses all walks of life- capturing lives well through this arty style of film-making; the towns nightlife, its cultural and historical significance, and its street art, all of which gives the film a real sense of depth and pathos. The almost trance-like nature of the shots (as well as the use of slow-motion) capture's the audience, the film really giving off a sense of the vibe of Brooklyn. This idea is re-inforced by the clever use of splitscreen, which emphasises just how much of Brooklyn there is to explore. The film begins to end with a series of close-ups of the different characters of Brooklyn, adding colour to the city. I like the films ending, building to a dramatic crescendo by increasing the number of shots to an almost rapid rate.
I enjoyed this film, and it gave me a real understanding of the city and its unique culture. The film, which was apparently shot over 20 months, covers a large part of Brooklyn, which the film a real sense of completeneness. As I say, my only criticism is that I'd really like to explore the lives of those characters featured in the film. Howevever, the lack of diegetic dialogue gives the film a more personal style, which is understandable. Therefore, I liked the poetic and artisitic nature of this film, and would like to apply some similar styles when creating my own short...
My initial impression from the film was that, in part, it was largely autobiographical, and that the viewer got a glimpse into the life of this man through his camera lens. This idea is introduced right from the beginning, when a series of archive footage is cut within a montage to help set the picture of what life was like in Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's cultural importance as he grew up. The opening 24 seconds is heavily mediated, although not necessarily in a bad way: Paccioco selects scenes and footage that genereally speaking have positive connotations of Brooklyn- the industry, the family's, the baseball. It could be argued that Paccioco selects such positive imagery as it acts as a reflection of the nostalgia and happiness of childhood, unexposed to the negative aspects of the city. Brooklyn appears to be thriving, a place that he was happy in. Moreover, it should also be noted that one can tell that this is archive footage from the graininess of the picture; preceding his own footage, it acts almost as a prologue to his life, contextualising the rest of the film, putting the audience into that place before his own work even begins.
There's a fairly patriotic undertone to the piece; the shot at 25 seconds zooms in on the American flag on the Brooklyn bridge. The way in which the flag is centralised and dominates the frame symbolically connotes how Brooklyn is at the heart of America. Added to this, the scenes in the boxing ring has connotations of being the underdog, lending itself to the idea that perhaps the aim of Paciocco's video is to present Brooklyn in a better light, given all the bad press Brooklyn receives for its renowned criminal past. Paciocco clearly wants to give the film a vibrancy, a sense of the city being alive; he does this in part through the editing. Quick cuts as well as a dissolving transition are used to give the piece a fast flow; moreover, he doesn't stick with any of the character's for that long, giving no one a sense of prevelence, giving the city the lead role. Although I understand his intentions, if I were to do something along these lines I'd like to pause, jsut for a moment, to find out more about their lives and what it is that Brooklyn means to them.
The film almost becomes like a piece of art, a series of images strung together to make this whole. I really admire the black-and-white colour palette; the colours create a real sense of frankness, making the film appear to be a more personal venture. Added to this, black and white act as a metaphor for secrecy or mystery, which makes the short all the more interesting to the viewer. The sound in the film is mainly non-diegetic, music that isn't too intrusive yet is engaging to the viewer. Also, the film really encompasses all walks of life- capturing lives well through this arty style of film-making; the towns nightlife, its cultural and historical significance, and its street art, all of which gives the film a real sense of depth and pathos. The almost trance-like nature of the shots (as well as the use of slow-motion) capture's the audience, the film really giving off a sense of the vibe of Brooklyn. This idea is re-inforced by the clever use of splitscreen, which emphasises just how much of Brooklyn there is to explore. The film begins to end with a series of close-ups of the different characters of Brooklyn, adding colour to the city. I like the films ending, building to a dramatic crescendo by increasing the number of shots to an almost rapid rate.
I enjoyed this film, and it gave me a real understanding of the city and its unique culture. The film, which was apparently shot over 20 months, covers a large part of Brooklyn, which the film a real sense of completeneness. As I say, my only criticism is that I'd really like to explore the lives of those characters featured in the film. Howevever, the lack of diegetic dialogue gives the film a more personal style, which is understandable. Therefore, I liked the poetic and artisitic nature of this film, and would like to apply some similar styles when creating my own short...
Tuesday 8 October 2013
Media Terms Glossary...
The pitch that I'm planning to deliver requires me to use media language and terms. In truth, I didn't feel entirely confident that I could use all the following words in their correct context. Consequently, I've decided to research the words meanings', making notes in my own words so that I can incorporate this language into my pitch and in my blog.
Realism: Whether it's real within the text.
Post-Modernism: What is presented is not realistic; open to criticism; "pomo"
Remix: Taking different elements to mash up different ideas.
Montage: Collection of footage, like a moving collage.
Editing: The way things are pieced together; pace, type, selection etc.
Representation: Something that has been constructed through process of mediation.
Symbolic: Something that means something else on a deeper level.
Camera: Angles, position, distance, movement.
Sound: Diegetic, non-diegetic, contrapuntal, parallel, ambient, narration.
Mise-En-Scene: Lighting, costume, make-up, props.
Verisimilitude: Measure of how realistic something is.
Iconic: Recognise something differently.
Hyper-reality: What we think is real is actually constructed, due to the media-saturated world in which we live in.
Finding out the meaning of these words has been extremely effective, ensuring that, in future, I can now confidently use more complex media terminology so that my pitch as well as my blog) can be more technically accurate in the future.
Monday 7 October 2013
Planning A Pitch!
Currently, I'm still in the process of my research although this period is beginning to come to an end. Therefore, I need to begin planning my own short film. Before I can begin shooting my film, I have to create a pitch which will be presented to my peers and my teacher. A presentation between 5-10 mins long, it's essential that I deliver a good pitch that sells my idea well in order for my work to be signed off, allowing me to go ahead with making my film. I'll need to include the following in my pitch:
-Being able to include examples of how my research has influenced my planning.
-A good level of Media language.
- Storyboards and animatics (that are of a good quality).
- A rough mock-up of my review and poster.
-Shot-list.
-A rough draft of my script.
-Location/Actors/Equipment.
-To consider genre, narrative, audience and representation.
Including these elements within my pitch, coupled with presenting my idea with an air of confidence and conviction in my idea will allow me to produce a pitch that will sell my idea effectively. Whilst I'm still at the research stage, I have to keep an eye on planning my own ideas and begin to make lengths to design my own ideas...
-Being able to include examples of how my research has influenced my planning.
-A good level of Media language.
- Storyboards and animatics (that are of a good quality).
- A rough mock-up of my review and poster.
-Shot-list.
-A rough draft of my script.
-Location/Actors/Equipment.
-To consider genre, narrative, audience and representation.
Including these elements within my pitch, coupled with presenting my idea with an air of confidence and conviction in my idea will allow me to produce a pitch that will sell my idea effectively. Whilst I'm still at the research stage, I have to keep an eye on planning my own ideas and begin to make lengths to design my own ideas...
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| Presenting Ideas |
Notes on Narrative Structure
One of the fundamental things I have to do when creating my short film is to gauge an understanding of narrative structure; in all honesty, I felt as though I needed to research this in order for me to properly understand what is being asked of me. As a result, I've decided to research Narrative Structure, using the reliable Media Magazine website as my primary source. So, what's Narrative Structure?
Narrative Structure comes down to two things: the content of a story and the form used to tell that story. Simply put, narrative strucutre is about story and plot.
Story: A sequence of dramatic events that happen in a coherent chronological order.
Plot: The form of the storytelling; how the story is told.
Typically, a traditional narrative structure within feature films conform to three acts:
- Setting up the conflict.
-The struggle.
-Resolving of said struggle.
This kind of structure gives a film a sense of depth, the beginning, middle and end that is essential for a story to work. It's a formula that can be applied to almost all types of films- take, for example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:
Setting Up Conflict: Strange goings on at Hogwarts, such as a stray troll at Halloween, setting up this sense of mystery surrounding the Philosopher's Stone.
The Struggle: Harry's climactic encounter with Voldemort.
Resolving of said struggle: Saved by Dumbledore, celebratory end-of-year feast.
There are so many examples that could be used- indeed, it really is the main type of narrative structure that is featured within all film.
The questions one must ask in order to describe a film:
Where is the story set?
What event starts the story?
Who are the main characters?
What conflict(s) do they face? What is at stake?
What happens to the characters as they face this conflict?
What is the outcome of this conflict?
What is the ultimate impact on the characters?
Moreover, the qustions one must ask in order to describe a film's plot:
How and when is the major conflict in the story set up?
How and when are the main characters introduced?
How is the story moved along so that the characters must face the central conflict?
How and when is the major conflict set up to propel the film to its conclusion?
How and when does the film resolve most of the major conflicts set up at the outset?
What's most notable about plot structure is that, whilst obviously there are certain changes to events/circumstances, nearly all films follow an identical plot structure.
I now feel as though I understand plot structure on a much deeper level, and that I can apply this knowledge in order to make a better-crafted film...
Feytag's Narrative Structure Diagram:
Narrative Structure comes down to two things: the content of a story and the form used to tell that story. Simply put, narrative strucutre is about story and plot.
Story: A sequence of dramatic events that happen in a coherent chronological order.
Plot: The form of the storytelling; how the story is told.
Typically, a traditional narrative structure within feature films conform to three acts:
- Setting up the conflict.
-The struggle.
-Resolving of said struggle.
This kind of structure gives a film a sense of depth, the beginning, middle and end that is essential for a story to work. It's a formula that can be applied to almost all types of films- take, for example, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:
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| Harry Potter Narrative Structure |
The Struggle: Harry's climactic encounter with Voldemort.
Resolving of said struggle: Saved by Dumbledore, celebratory end-of-year feast.
There are so many examples that could be used- indeed, it really is the main type of narrative structure that is featured within all film.
The questions one must ask in order to describe a film:
Where is the story set?
What event starts the story?
Who are the main characters?
What conflict(s) do they face? What is at stake?
What happens to the characters as they face this conflict?
What is the outcome of this conflict?
What is the ultimate impact on the characters?
Moreover, the qustions one must ask in order to describe a film's plot:
How and when is the major conflict in the story set up?
How and when are the main characters introduced?
How is the story moved along so that the characters must face the central conflict?
How and when is the major conflict set up to propel the film to its conclusion?
How and when does the film resolve most of the major conflicts set up at the outset?
What's most notable about plot structure is that, whilst obviously there are certain changes to events/circumstances, nearly all films follow an identical plot structure.
I now feel as though I understand plot structure on a much deeper level, and that I can apply this knowledge in order to make a better-crafted film...
Feytag's Narrative Structure Diagram:
Wednesday 2 October 2013
What Makes A Good Film Review?
Another part of my ancillary task is to produce a film review from scratch. Reviews are important both to film-making companies and the film fans themselves; whilst reviews can often act as a means of deciding between which films to see, they're also crucial to film companies as a means of promotion. People value respected journalist's opinions such as the late Roger Ebert, and attaining the all-important five stars means that people are far more likely to go see it. Indeed, for film-makers making films and short films on minimal budgets, reviews are probably the most important means of promotion, as such film-makers can't stretch to the million's Universal or Warner Bro's can. Therefore, it's crucial that I design a film review that is well written and designed, and to ensure that it conforms to what a review typically looks like. Having looked through copies of film magazines such as Empire, Total Film and SFX, I've collated a check-list of things that I need to feature in order to make a well-made, quality short film review spread...
1) Title of film: Most obviously, a title is crucial. It makes the reader recognise what film the review is to be about, and they can use the title to research the trailer at a later date. Typical conventions of a film review mean that, typically, the title should be the piece of text written in the largest and most bold font.
2) Sub-title: Moreover, it's the sub-title that really draws readers in. It's often a pun or a quick joke based around the theme of the film. For instance, a review I found of Paranormal Activity had a cleverly written sub-title of, 'Poltergeist meets You've Been Framed...' It's not always comic or pun-based but typically reviewers that use comedy draw the reader in, as well as coming across as enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the text. Sub-title's also have a prominent bold font, but not as large or dominant as the film's title.
3) An info box: What I've dubbed as an info-box, a review, at its beginning features a little section including the following bits of information (and in this order):
-Release date (eg. Released: 1st January)
-Certificate (eg. 15)
-Director (eg. Tim Burton)
-Cast (eg. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter....)
-Screenwriter (eg. Woody Allen)
-Running time (eg. 120 mins)
-Plot (a very short summary of the film's main plot and themes)
The info box gives the reader a very quick lowdown on all the bits of information you need to know, before the reviewer launches into his opinion. It also means the reviewer can be more sophisticated in his opinion, rather than having to integrate all this information into his/her work. In terms of layout, the categories such as Running Time are usually written all in capitals and are highlighted to make it clear. The info itself is all in capitals but is usually just black writing. There are often lines above and below the 'box' to separate the information from the actual review itself.
4) Quotes from the review: It's important to breakup text by including quotes from the review. These quotes serve to draw the eye towards the review, as well as acting as a 'snapshot' of the reviewer's opinion. For instance, one review I've found states 'thriller film of the year!' Typically, such quotes stand out amongst the review's main text, and perhaps are written in a different colour and font in order to make it stand out. Moreover, such quotes should only be a few words- any longer and they begin to lose their impact.
5) Picture/s: A still from the film is also another means of catching the eye, and typically encompasses the films themes and concept into one picture. Also, it can show off a film's star power. A picture often contains a caption; from my research, newspapers adopt a more serious tone in their captions, maybe perhaps stating something along the lines of: 'Angelina Jolie stars in her latest film etc.' However, magazine reviews such as Empire may opt for a slightly more comical take on things to lighten proceedings. Note that some reviews contain an inset picture (a slightly smaller pic within the larger pic) so I need to bear in mind when designing my review.
6) Verdict: A review ends with (what I call) a 'verdict box'. Like the info box, this section stands out by bold lines above it and below it, making it stand out. Fonts are bold, and the verdict section is where a reviewer sums up there opinion in a nutshell; a verdict section is also the most bold in terms of its language. For instance, this is where a reviewer would say 'best film of the year' or something along those lines. A succinct statement, a verdict section is followed by a five-star system, whereby a reviewer sums up how much they liked it. Of course, 5 stars means they loved, 1 star... well, you get the idea.
7) A few extra things: A review finally ends with the reviewers name. Moreover, the beginning of a reviews first few words are written in bold. When referring to films the star has previously been in, these films are written in italics.
Analysing film review posters has been crucial for me, in order to gauge what I need to do in my own ancillary tasks. A reader of reviews myself, it was efficient for me to re-cap what a review typically features so I can emulate this in my own review.
1) Title of film: Most obviously, a title is crucial. It makes the reader recognise what film the review is to be about, and they can use the title to research the trailer at a later date. Typical conventions of a film review mean that, typically, the title should be the piece of text written in the largest and most bold font.
2) Sub-title: Moreover, it's the sub-title that really draws readers in. It's often a pun or a quick joke based around the theme of the film. For instance, a review I found of Paranormal Activity had a cleverly written sub-title of, 'Poltergeist meets You've Been Framed...' It's not always comic or pun-based but typically reviewers that use comedy draw the reader in, as well as coming across as enthusiastic and knowledgeable of the text. Sub-title's also have a prominent bold font, but not as large or dominant as the film's title.
3) An info box: What I've dubbed as an info-box, a review, at its beginning features a little section including the following bits of information (and in this order):
-Release date (eg. Released: 1st January)
-Certificate (eg. 15)
-Director (eg. Tim Burton)
-Cast (eg. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter....)
-Screenwriter (eg. Woody Allen)
-Running time (eg. 120 mins)
-Plot (a very short summary of the film's main plot and themes)
The info box gives the reader a very quick lowdown on all the bits of information you need to know, before the reviewer launches into his opinion. It also means the reviewer can be more sophisticated in his opinion, rather than having to integrate all this information into his/her work. In terms of layout, the categories such as Running Time are usually written all in capitals and are highlighted to make it clear. The info itself is all in capitals but is usually just black writing. There are often lines above and below the 'box' to separate the information from the actual review itself.
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| Review Research No.1 |
5) Picture/s: A still from the film is also another means of catching the eye, and typically encompasses the films themes and concept into one picture. Also, it can show off a film's star power. A picture often contains a caption; from my research, newspapers adopt a more serious tone in their captions, maybe perhaps stating something along the lines of: 'Angelina Jolie stars in her latest film etc.' However, magazine reviews such as Empire may opt for a slightly more comical take on things to lighten proceedings. Note that some reviews contain an inset picture (a slightly smaller pic within the larger pic) so I need to bear in mind when designing my review.
6) Verdict: A review ends with (what I call) a 'verdict box'. Like the info box, this section stands out by bold lines above it and below it, making it stand out. Fonts are bold, and the verdict section is where a reviewer sums up there opinion in a nutshell; a verdict section is also the most bold in terms of its language. For instance, this is where a reviewer would say 'best film of the year' or something along those lines. A succinct statement, a verdict section is followed by a five-star system, whereby a reviewer sums up how much they liked it. Of course, 5 stars means they loved, 1 star... well, you get the idea.
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| Review Research No.2 |
7) A few extra things: A review finally ends with the reviewers name. Moreover, the beginning of a reviews first few words are written in bold. When referring to films the star has previously been in, these films are written in italics.
Analysing film review posters has been crucial for me, in order to gauge what I need to do in my own ancillary tasks. A reader of reviews myself, it was efficient for me to re-cap what a review typically features so I can emulate this in my own review.
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