Analysis of Double Page Film Review

The first poster is from 2009 when Avatar was released, the first thing that I can notice at a first glance is that the magazine has decided to use minimal text where possible and they have focused more on using image to build up the double page spread.

 The page colours follows a black, orange and white colour palette with a black background, orange contrast text boxes and white text. This is an effective move and the use of black and white with a contrasting colour seems to be a popular convention throughout film magazine. I should take this into consideration when I am creating my own magazine review for my film (No Escape)

 The typography is very basic on this double spread however this is not surprising seeing as the majority of the page is made up of pictures and so is obviously what the magazine wants the reader to be looking at and so using a complicated or fancy typography style is quite contradictory.

The main image is the largest picture and shows the two main characters from the movie. The man is almost looking at the reader and the female seems to be looking at him, trying to get his attention, she also looks worried about something. This is an effective picture to use in a review as it shows off the characters and gives us an idea of the film is about, however it does not give the average customer an in depth spoiler ridden picture. Other pictures are used in this piece that look like screenshots from the actual film which is effective as it gives the reader an insight as to what they will actually be looking at whilst watching the film without giving too much away regarding the plot and story of the movie.

In terms of the lexis used on this double page feature are the words "film of the month" and "popular facts". The use of the phrase "film of the month" instantly gives the reader an insight into what the magazine thinks of the magazine, similar to what is the opinionated language used in my second double page film review analysis. The use of "popular facts" give the reader an insight into the film without having to read the long article which is an effective move.

This magazine's film review is in on Spiderman 2 and from a first and the first that it noticeable is that it is a lot more text heavy compared to the first magazine review. Person I see this is a negative as it makes the magazine look very cluttered however this magazine may be for readers who prefer to know a lot more about the story compared to the first magazine which was just pictures. The first magazine is more likely to be read by this who are more interested in how the film will look rather than what the story is about. The colours used in this magazine review of spiderman are very effective. Spiderman's costume is blue and red and the film review page has to some extent followed this colour scheme. Using the colours found in the feature picture is a common convention of film review pages in magazine and so I should consider using the same method when creating my own.

As for the typography on this piece there does seem to be quite a lot of text for a film review, the headings such as "VERDICT" and "SPIDERMAN 2" all seem to follow the same font which is a very effective method as it makes it very easy for the reader to look at the information they are interested in at a glance and understand where the headings start and stop. The actual article is nothing special and follows the conventions of printing text in magazine following a basic layout. The entire layout of the double page spread is very basic, using mainly rectangles and squares to construct the page. This may be seen as an effective move as it does not confuse the reader however a layout that was a bit more complex may make the article a bit more appealing to look at.

In terms of the lexis on this double page feature, the rating system that the magazine uses for its magazine is very interesting, using words such as "must-see" and "dire" is a an effective move by the magazine instead of using generic adjectives such as "Good" and "Bad". The sub heading "the amazing spidey swings to new heights in sam raimi's jaw-crushing sequal" immediately give the reader a general idea of what the magazine thinks of the film which is an effective move as it means that readers who do not wish to read the full article can still see what the magazine thinks of the film at a glance. The film does however mention some complaints regarding the film however this review does seem to be one sided and heavily opinionated.

The image used of spiderman is a high quality snap from the film and using a snap from a film compared to a piece of promotional artwork is a lot more effective in my opinion as it gives the reader a short glance into what they will actually be looking at in the movie. Often in promotional artwork that is produced for movies effects are added that make the film look a lot more impressive than it actually is.

Synopsis

Franklin, your average teenage boy who day to day struggles with schizophrenia and his imaginary friend, Toby. One night Toby becomes very persistent in demanding Franklin's attention by telling him to go into the old mental asylum. Franklin follows Toby's order, becoming trapped inside the asylum. Franklin becomes panicked and his mentality begins to break down. The asylum fills with dead bodies and blood, Franklin runs from door to door desperately scouring for an exit. There is No Escape. Franklin collapses. After regaining conciousness Franklin finds himself back in his bedroom being ushered by Toby to return to sleep. Franklin fades back into his rest, however this was only the beginning. 

Short Film Analysis

Maniac (2011) is a short horror mockumentary about a camera crew that follows two serial killers. This is not a very interesting film however the cinematography throughout the film looks very professional. 

The films starts in what looks to be a suburban neighbourhood, the camera pans alone the street and you can already notice the lack of colour, a feature that is effectively used throughout the film. I would not go as far to say that the film is shot in black and white however the colours are extremely unsaturated in order to give a very gritty feel to the content. The camera continues to pan and eventually we pass a house, similar to the others that have already passed, however this house is on fire. The camera does not stop on the house on fire or even slow down which would indicate interest. It continues to pan and eventually the pan shot become a tracking shot when two males are seen walking down the street with a gasoline can. The track lasts a number of seconds before the pace of the camera increases and eventually returns to a pan.

The location changes and as does the camera view, now set in a diner we see a birds eye view of people eating and drinking at a diner, the shot is also panning to the right. Dialogue is heard whilst the camera is panning and the pan eventually slows to the two main characters who are also enjoying a meal at the diner. A very interesting camera angle and shot is used when one of the character's is finishing their sentence. The camera angle changes to eye level and the character looks directly down the lens when he is speaking. This gives the audience a very personal connection to the character talking as if he was talking to them and also creates a very tense and dark atmosphere given the nature of his dialogue. The camera changes to face the man he is talking to, who again is looking directly down the camera, he smiles, but only for a second before his face turns back to normal and the scene changes.

The second man is now seen sitting on a bench, a wide shot is used as a men walking a dog enters the scene from the right and passes the bench behind where the man is sitting. As the man passes the exact middle of the bench the angle changes to show us the face of the man sitting on the bench who turns to follow the direction of the man walking the dog. This is an very good example of professional cinematography and continuity. The scene changes now to the first man who is seen getting on a bus, however the camera is extremely shaky and we can tell from this that the director is trying to replicate a handheld camera in order to give the audience a sense of realism. We later find out that the two men are being followed be camera crews and so the use of the "handheld" camera was a very effective move. This is also made clear as we don't follow the man onto the bus, instead we watch him get on it and then track him to the back of the bus, through the bus windows where he eventually finds his seat.

As the bus pulls away we notice the handheld camera effect used again, this time not focusing on either of the men and instead focusing on the camera crew, we hear a small piece of dialogue saying "come on we are losing them" as the camera crew continue to enter a large black van. 

The scene changes to a woman walking in the snow, the camera shot is from behind and it gives the audience the illusion that she is being followed. The camera is again very shaky, however very effective, especially when the first man comes in from the right and appears to be walking very aggressively. The man grabs the woman and attempts to strangle her before hitting her and pushing her into the snow where the scene changes. This is very effective as we are unsure as to the woman's fate.

The scene very quickly changes in this case to the second man who is now in an alleyway following the man walking his dog. The scene again is shot from behind as to add to the sense that the man is being followed. The second man continues to attack the man and drags him down into the snow. The scene changes yet again, this time back to the first man and the woman in the snow. The show is looking up at the man giving the connotation that the man is powerful, he is dominant. It also helps add to the feeling of helplessness the woman must feel in that situation. The man pulls out a knife and continues to stab the woman. The scene changes one more time to the second man who is now strangling the man with the dog. 

We return to the first man, the camera is very still and we are on level with the snow looking at the woman's corpse and the man lingering above it. He continues to kiss the woman on the lips, this really does add to the psychopathic feeling felt from both of the two men. It is also gives us a clear indication as to why the film is called "Maniac" as this is exactly what both these men are. The man finishes kissing the woman and stand up, the camera follows, following the trend of the handheld camera effect used throughout the film.

The entire film continues following the gruesome and gory killings of innocent people committed by the two men. I feel as though this is an appropriate short film to analyse because of how dark it is. We are making a phychological thriller and I feel as though our movie can learn vastly from the effective use of cinematography shown throughout this short film. 

Perfection (2004)

Perfection is a film about an Asian-American woman who from birth is pressured into living a perfect lifestyle, forced primarily by her mother. At the beginning of the film the child is presented with a game known as "PERFECTION" which involves placing differently shaped counters into their respective holes. The film starts with a black screen which moves gently over the screen revealing the name of the film, which is also the name of the game This is an effective use of cinematography and editing as it adds supsnese and mystery at the very beginning of the film. Other features are also revealed of the game including the ticking clock and also the holes in the game board.

The entire film is shot in black and white and this may indicate the feelings felt by the little girl by the film. It is an connotation of how boring her life is. No colour is used throughout the film in any shape or form. Seome very interesting shots are used thoughout the film, medium long shots and close ups are used throughout however the focus remains the same on two things in the film. The game (Perfection) and the girl. Even the shots that include the mother do not show her face and only show her from the next below. Almost as though she is not important, but her daughter is exceptionally important.

The film follows the girl throughout her life as she begins to win trophies, however the scences are almost always followed by close up, disoreintating shots of the PERFECTION game and although it becomes expected as the film progresses it still is an effective way of reminding the audience that this girl was deep effective by the concept of the game and the pressure by her parents to be perfect. 

As she gets older, the woman finds it harder and harder to achieve perfection, she tried to expand the concept of perfection to everything, Her weight, her job, the way she dresses and even attempts to fix another woman's wedding dress veil however the expression on her face clearly shows at that point that she feels she has not achieved Perfection and therefore is not happy. 

The film speeds up towards the end, particularly within the transistions between the different shots of the different parts of her life, the metronome, the working out and her job. The disorientating close up shots of the "PERFECTION" game is really effective in emphasising the importance and impact that the game had on her life and also is good at throwing off the audience, attempting to represent the busy, stressful life that the woman now has to deal with.

Initial Thoughts

I am excited to be creating a short film. I am working with two other people to produce a psychological thriller. It is something I have never attempted before so every I do during this is a new experience for me. I am especially excited for editing the film and using the different effects and sfx to produce a high quality short film.

Technology

As technology advances it is becoming easier for the average film maker to make something that is the same quality as a blockbuster film. The internet has played a huge role in the way that films are viewed, short films are constantly being uploaded to YouTube and less and less is being spent of advertising through a prodcution company as the internet is an incredible medium which can allow something made by an amateur film maker to be viewed by millions. The costs of cameras is also falling as the technology is advancing and becoming cheaper to produce. Cameras like the Canon 6D are extremely high quality and can produce films that are on par with the likes of hollywood blockbusters. Films can also be edited for less. Macs are a prime example of how editing has become a lot cheaper as they come with iMovie and Final Cut Pro.


In 2008, Plunkett said that “A new generation of UK media power players are ditching the traditional gatekeepers and going straight to their audience via the web” This quote only represents the popular growth of the Internet and the success that artists and creators of media can express their ideas to their audiences through the use of the World Wide Web.

Legal Restraints

The video recording act 1984 was introduced in order to control the classification in which films are  given an age certificate. This also restricts who can actually watch and purchase a film  commercially.

• U– Universal, suitable for all.

• PG - parental guidance general viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children.
• 12- suitable only for persons of 12 years and older. Not to be supplied to any person below that age.
• 12A - This is a cinemas only certificate. It was brought in place because when the first Spiderman film was released children were disappointed at how they couldn't watch it, so 12A was introduced so that children under 12 could watch it accompanied by an adult.
• 15 - suitable only for persons of 15 years and older. Not to be supplied to any person below that age.
• 18 - suitable only for persons of 18 years and older. Not to be supplied to any person below that age.
• Restricted 18 - to be supplied only in licensed sex shops to persons of not less than 18 years.

The copyright length of somebody’s work lasts the life of the author plus 70 years. There are different levels of copyright which have different levels of protection. Copyright can be on anything like: Fashion, Brands, Songs, and many more. Copyright is in place to prevent a person from financially gaining from exhibition and distribution from another person’s work without their formal consent. In film copyright is used when a director wishes to capture a shop or brand image in their film. To do this they must obtain permission from the relevant company. If a director does not comply with the copyright law then they could face a lawsuit.An example of a director using product placement is in ‘Back to the Future 1 and 2’ the film.There’s a scene in both back to the futures where Marty McFly orders a Pepsi.

Institution

For a film to be successful it often needs the help of a large, well established distributor. The largest distributors in the UK are Paramount pictures, 20th century Fox and Icon Film Distribution. It is important that a movie uses the correct distributor that suits its budget and suits the production. 20th Century Fox have distributed films such as Ice Age, Avatar and more recently, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 20th Century Fox mainly focuses on distributing large blockbuster films.

Paramount Pictures, similar to 20th Century Fox focus mainly on distributing on large blockbusters such as The Godfather (1972), Anchorman, Transformers Age of Extinction. It is clear that Paramount Pictures have no interest in smaller scale films such as ours (No Escape) so Paramount would be an inappropriate choice in distributor.

Icon Film are known for distributing smaller scale films, these include 4:44 Last day on Earth, On the road and Paranormal Activity which was created on a budget of $15000  The film earned nearly $108 million at the U.S. box office and a further $85 million internationally for a worldwide total of $193 million. Seeing as our short film (No Escape) is going to be a low budget production it would be wise to choose Icon Films to distribute the film due to their previous success with other low budget productions.

A2 Brief Choice

For my A2 portfolio I have decided to create a short film approximately 5 minutes in length. I have always enjoy watching films so thought that this was an appropriate brief personally as I would like to explore how exactly films are made. I created a magazine in last years AS portfolio and did not feel as though this was appealing as it was something that I had already done.