Conventions of a magazine film review

The headline of a film magazine is generally the title of the film being reviewed by the critic or a short sentence that may relate or sum up the film, except this is normally used in academic magazines. Normally, the headline is in big font which immediately catches the readers’ eye. Moreover, sub-headings in a film review are used to break up the article, sometimes linking to other reviews, in this case, ‘See if you liked’. Generally, film magazines are split up into more than one section, not just about film reviews, this is why they have a section title, normally shown as a
graphic or logo, for example, Screen and Lounge. The strap lines in an article are similar to taglines in a poster, they are there to give a it more information on what the film is about, so audiences can look at it quickly and see if they like the sound of the film.

Furthermore, breakout boxes and paragraphs are used to show extra information relating to the text, for example, directors cut; they are mainly used to emphasise certain aspects in an article, normally quotes, and these are also in the text, so they are just used to catch the readers’ eye hence why they are normally in different typography. The columns of an article can be seen as the most important aspect because the amount of columns will vary depending on what magazine it is, this is known as the house style. Also, in an article there is sometimes a byline, depending if the writer is well known or not, just like in film posters, the critics’ name can be in big font next to the article, small font hidden away, or not there at all.

Font and typography can be used very effectively for eye-catching ideas and is usually part of the house style of the magazine. The font is the style of lettering, for example, Arial or Times New Roman. The font can show if it is going to be a light or academic article. However, the typography is the actual appearance of the text, in terms of colour and size. An article will usually have different typography all the way through the article to make it seem more appealing. A call to action is also put in an article to make the audience visit other articles or sites for more information about other film reviews. Moreover, there is always a picture used in a magazine film review, and it is usually a screenshot from the film or an iconic image. Along with the picture, there is generally a caption explaining what is happening in the picture, sometimes the caption can be shown as a joke.