Review Page Analysis - 'Daze of Wonder' - Sight And Sound

To see a larger image of the review, please click here.

Introduction

I have decided to analyse a review page, found within the 'Sight And Sound' magazine. We decided to place our review page within this particular magazine due to the genre of my short film - social realism. This appeals to a smaller audience, and deals with themes that a niche group of viewers are more likely to see. This means that it conforms with some of the more specialised films which are featured within the magazine. Because of this, I decided to analyse a review page from the magazine that I plan to use. This will allow me to see some of the conventions that a 'Sight And Sound' reader would expect to see upon reading a film review. This will then let me decide whether to conform to or break these established conventions. However, it must be taken into account that this is a review for an already released product which is being reviewed on the DVD format. Upon creating my own review page, it will be before the film is exhibited in art-house cinemas, meaning that there may be some key differences within the text of the review.

Layout

The first thing that caught my eye upon looking at the review for 'Daze of Wonder' was the large image placed at the top of the review. This immediately lets the reader see who the film will focus on, allowing them an insight into who the protagonist is and who will drive the narrative. This means that, before the reader has even seen the film, they are likely to make some form of connection with the character shown. The image does not only show the reader who the narrative will focus on, but it also looks visually appealing. This shows a general over-view for the artistic styling of the film. Upon creating my own review page for 'Flight', it is clear that I shall have to choose an artistic image that holds connotations of mise-en-scene upon arranging the layout of the product. I feel that showing this image at the top of the text means that the reader will already be able to understand some of the themes that the film will deal with. This allows the reader to connect with the review before they have even begun to read it. Because of this, I will include a large image within my own review page. The layout of this magazine review is effectively and purposely placed. I feel that the large image counter-acts the large amount of text, meaning that they are roughly in equal weighting. This means that the review is not too wordy and text driven, as there is an image there to give an insight into what the film physically looks like. The red text towards the bottom of the review page stands out and is eye-grabbing. This is because of the colour, the size of the text, and the positioning in regards to the rest of the review page. I will use a similar method of choosing one of the strongest parts of the review to stand-out in comparison to the rest of the text. This will engage readers with the most important aspects of the review page. 

Content of review

The content of the review page is important to analyse, as it holds all of the relevant analysis about the production. The review itself begins with a brief summary of all of the important information which is necessary for the reader to know. This includes details such as the length of time the film runs for (72 minutes), the certificate (15), and the features of the DVD. I feel that placing this at the beginning of the review is effective as it allows the viewer to understand certain ideas. This is shown from the '15' certificate. Before the reader has begun reading the review itself, it is likely that, from seeing the age rating of the film, that it will deal with some darker themes not appropriate for children. The review then begins by setting the date upon which the film was released - the 1970's. Although my own film will be released in this current year, I still feel that it is necessary within the review to set some contextual information to the reader. This will allow them a greater understanding about what the film deals with in regards to the time period in which is was made and set. However, I feel that the contextual information is not all entirely relevant, and that it takes up a great deal of space on the page. This wastes space that could have been used to review other aspects of the film, and has the potential to bore audiences. I will ensure that I avoid doing this upon creating my own product, and that I will focus more dominantly on the film itself. The review then goes on to discuss the imagery that lies within the film, and the mise-en-scene that the film features. I feel that this works well, as it gives the reader an insight into the physical imagery of the film and some of the connotations that that may hold. The review of the film ends with a question. This effectively engages the audience and directly invites them to think about what the writer of the review is trying to say. This, although effective at raising awareness, seems to leave no sense of finality about the review. I feel that this is not effective, and will explore making my own review more finalised, leaving a more firm impression of the film on the reader.

The content of the review, although effective at covering themes and ideas presented by the director, seems to have no features. This makes the review slightly dull, and does not engage readers effectively. However, the target audience of the magazine is aimed towards are more academic audience, meaning that the readers are more interested in content as opposed to features. It is clear that my magazine review page will have to follow the conventions set by the magazine and hold little or no features.