TASK 22 //
MAGAZINE REVIEWS ANALYSIS
The image of the film is displayed at the top of the review, where the protagonist, Juno MacGuff, and the subsidiary character, Paulie Bleeker, are seen. The image itself has a background of orange pills, which can signify what Juno has to take in order to go through her pregnancy.The image of the film is huge in comparison to anything else visible on screen, as this is what the audience of this review will be enticed by. This is also the reasoning behind placing the image towards the beginning of the film, as it helps allow the audience to view the image and gives an insight on what the film may be about. Placed on top of the image towards the bottom, the title of the film is visible. The title of the film which is being reviewed is displayed at the top of the page, as it is easily recognisable and establishes the purpose of the review and what film the text is going to be talking about. The background to this text is red, as it brings out the text from the rest of the page and attracts the audience's attention. The text for the title is also the largest text on the screen to highlight it's importance.
Located directly below the image for the review, there is a brief synopsis of the film. This text allows the audience to make a judgement on whether they are interested in what the film will explore. It is an overlook on what the column of text underneath it is going to talk about, which can also give the audience a chance to decide whether they want to read the full reviewing article. Placed beside it is a star rating, which indicates how the institution reviewing the film thought it was. As four stars have been highlighted, this shows the audience that the reviewer enjoyed the film and can give incentive to the audience for this review to go and view the film for themselves.
On the left of the screen, there are three coloured boxes visible. These coloured rectangles with icons in them represent buttons on the review's website to share the review itself on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest (left to right). This is implemented into the review as it allows the audience to share any review they would like to on their social media pages. As the audience for these magazine reviews are typically teenagers, it allows the audience to be physically engaged with the text and can allow the review to be shared to a wider audience. Below this, there has been extra information added about the film. From the top, we can see the name of the person who has reviewed this film from the institution and when it was reviewed. The name is in bold as the author of this review would like to be recognised for his work. It also includes the information about when the film itself was released, the BBFC certification to allow the audience to discover if they are even eligible to view the production, the running time and the movie's name.
The large body of text presented to the left is the review of the film. This text is shown in a much smaller font than the title and the synopsis which is displayed towards the top. The text is presented in a single column which is aligned with the star rating and synopsis above. The lexical choices within the text are to have used colloquial language throughout, to keep the audience member of the review to feel as if the author of this review is personally talking to this and is not hard to understand what is being said, as this can often lose the attention of an audience. Also, there are short, to the point paragraphs used within the review, as interest would be lost through lengthy paragraphs which discuss the film in too much depth. The review begins analysing the beginning of the film and gradually moves on until it reaches the point of the film where a conclusion is made at the end. The text also compares this film to others, as it gives the audience a sense to relate to the film if they have seen these other productions. It also discusses the good, as well as bad, points within the film.
The last text which has been placed on the review is an emboldened summary sentence which rounds off the whole review. This is done as it acts as the 'final verdict' for what the institution thought of the particular film. It rounds off the entire film review and by this text being in bold and being in a larger font than the rest of the review, it highlights it's importance. The sentence almost encourages the audience for the review to go and watch the film.
The next magazine review I have chosen to analyse for the film 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. This film review is in the physical magazine of 'Empire', sold in stores worldwide. The image of the film is almost centered in the page, where it takes up the majority of the two page spread. The actual image is placed above the text of the review. Thick, black lines have been used in order to show a clear divide between the texts on the page, as some text belongs to a different image. The image of the film is of three characters, who play vital roles within the production. Charlie, the protagonist, is seen on the left. The other male figure in the image is his friend, and the female is his crush within the plot. These people almost represent the production through the image, therefore it is important to include these three essential character types to a coming of age film. Furthermore, the image represents the age group which the film would appeal to, therefore enticing readers within the age bracket of 12-25. The text on the magazine review is presented in columns, which is the conventional way in which text is shown on a magazine.
The title of the film 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is layered on top of the image shown. The title is in large, bold white letters. This is the chosen font for the title as it allows the name to stand out from the multi-coloured image. The name has been emboldened and in order to display the name clearly and show the audience of the magazine, who may be flicking through the pages, what the text they are passing is about. Underneath the title, the release date and institutional information, such as the BBFC age rating certification, is shown.This information is crucial to be displayed on the magazine, as it will allow audiences to decide whether they are interested in finding out more about the production. The age rating is particularly important, as it allows the reader to know if they are even eligible to watch the film at cinemas, theaters or any other display show. The release date displayed on the review is February 11th 2012, which allows the audiences consuming this review to find out when they are able to view the production. It allows a group of people to find out when they are able to go and view the film.
Within the text of the magazine, many conventional devices have been used in order to maintain the audience's attention throughout reading the review itself. The lexical choice of adding rhetorical questions and keeping sentences short has allowed the audience to be directly addressed and differs from other texts which are available in the market. This uniqueness helps an audience gather in order to buy the magazine. As the magazine's audience would be people aged 12-25, these reviews are kept to a minimum as it helps the text stay away from lengthening the opinions of the critics who are writing the review. The text itself starts off with discussing the well-known actors who are in the production, such as Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. These stars attract a huge audience of teenagers, therefore using this as the opening of the review will be seen as interesting to the fans of these famous Hollywood actors. The review then goes on to discuss the synopsis of the film and compares it to other films which aim to cover the issues when in school, such as Mean Girls and Easy A. It says that this film is "a more serious affair", proving itself to be unique from previous feature films shown to the public. Located on the bottom right of the text, there has been a star rating implemented into the review as it gives a quick insight on what the author thought and can help the audience decide whether they would want to go and watch this film. Placed beside this is the name of the author of the review. This is placed beside the star rating, as it shows that this rating is personal to him and is based purely off his opinion. His name is emboldened, which allows the name to stand out. This is done as the author would want recognition for his work.
The magazine review for the film 'The Kite Runner' is spread on one page within a magazine. The image of two boys is largely placed at the top of the page, before any text is even shown. This is done to connote that the film is based upon the lives of potentially two different youngsters. The image shows the boys to be wearing traditional Afghanistan items of clothing to represent the culture and global location of which the film is set. Underneath the image is the title of the film 'The Kite Runner' presented in black, bold letters. This font is the largest on the magazine page, as it allows the readers of this magazine to find out what these columns of writing is discussing. The font is in black, as it stands out from the white background present and also highlights its importance on the page. The tag line "Performances soar in Afghanistan-set epic" helps establish the setting and contents of the film to the audience almost instantly. It also makes the audience want to find out more about what these "epic" events that take place are.
Located on the left side of the page and before any analytical points have been made about the film in the review, a brief block of text discusses the important information about the film, including the institutional information and the release date. The release date is the first piece of information given, as this will allow audiences to view the production when it has been released in cinemas and theaters. The word 'Released' has also been written in red, capitalised letters in order to show importance to the audience. The red allows the audience's attention to stay focused on the release date, which could be argued as the most important piece of information, as it is telling people when they can view this production. The BBFC age rating certification has also been shown to represent what age groups are eligible to view this production. Therefore, if anyone below this rating is reading the review, they would automatically feel disconnected as the film has not been targeted towards them. With the age rating being 12, it also allows the typical audience of a coming of age film (teenagers/young adults) to relate, as they then feel that this film has been made specifically to satisfy their needs within a production. The main cast members have also been mentioned to gather the fans of these actors and make them support the film in order to help their favourite actors. Moreover, a plot summary is given at the start of the film, as the audiences can read through this brief synopsis and decide whether they are enticed into finding out more about the film.
The text within the magazine review is located below the image and is in various columns. The text is a much smaller font than the title and tagline and is also displayed on top of a conventional, white background. The review is written in a way, such that the audience is directly addressed, meanwhile the language used is not as formal and sophisticated as the language which you would typically find in a newspaper. This is done purposefully, as these magazine reviews are written with the target audience of teenagers and young adults. Teenagers would enjoy reading the text more if they feel like the author has personally written this feedback on the film directly to you, as well as using devices such as rhetorical questions to keep the audience engaged. Within the first paragraph written, the author explains the themes which the film explores, as well as what makes the film unique to existing productions about the same topic, which is of general lifestyle in Afghanistan as a child. Displayed in the bottom left corner of the review is a bold, capitalised statement presented in red. This is written this way to help allow the sentence to stand out from the ordinary black, smaller text in the review. This statement can almost be recognised as a pull quote, as the author has said this excellent statement about the film. The statement would make audiences think that the film is very good, as the author of the review has thought very highly of the film.
The review ends with the author's name, signed in yellow, in capitalised letters. The use of a bright colour has helped contrast against the of the ordinary black text within the review. The author has purposefully done this to help highlight the importance of his name, as all of the views shared within the review belong to him. The magazine review has also taken the conventional route of ending the review with a 'verdict', where the author decides whether the film is worth watching while it is still available in cinemas. In this particular review, the author begins the verdict by weighing up the positives and negatives of the film. Also implemented into the magazine review is a star rating, which is a quick and easy way for the audience to discover the reviewer's opinion.