Analysis of film articles

1. {
Analysis of Film
Articles
By Simon Cheshire

2.  The film articles which I have chosen to analyse
for my A2 media studies coursework are all
from the popular film magazine EMPIRE. This
is published every month of the year, so as a
result are able to review a huge range of films.
The film articles which I have chosen to analyse
are Moneyball, TED and The Muppets. This are
a variety of different genres of film and provide
me with a wide range of research.
EMPIRE MAGAZINE

3. Moneyball
• The title of the film is situated
right at the top of the page in blue
which is important for many
reasons, first of all the blue
contrasts well with the white
background meaning it stands out
a lot and engages the reader,
furthermore the name of the film
is one of the most recognizable
aspects of it so to sell the film and
make people reader the article this
is displayed right at the top.
• Brad Pitt is featured
throughout the article
whether this is in the
images, the actual article or
at the top above even the
release date. This represents
how significant he is to help
sell the film and that the
film has relied on star power
for it to be sold. They have
also placed Jonah Hill,
Robin Wright and Philip
Seymour Hoffman in a cast
section and they are
included in the images
which shows star power is
being used.
• The two images which are featured within the
article are both scenes from the film. This is
because they are both key scenes within the
film, the fact Brad Pritt’s character is featured
in both features does many things, first it
symbolises how significant his character is
throughout the film further more it also uses
his face and name to help sell the film.
• The articles writers
‘Verdict’ is situated at the
bottom of the page, they
give a brief opinion about
the film and whether they
enjoyed it or not and then
they rate it out of 5. This
particular one is very
complimentary towards
the film however I feel
that it is so small and at
the bottom of the page in
case they don’t like it and
it doesn’t ruin the film
sales. The design of the
page matches the film’s
ethos and way of thinking
a lot as it is slick however
it isn’t too over the top.
• The actual article is a brief description of what happens in
the film, however it reads from the writer's perspective
which is very important because it gives the readers a
personal take on the film rather than just being told
information which the distributors want you to hear. The
language uses is very in formal which creates the idea
that the writer ‘Olly Richards’ is very much watching the
film and writing about it like a normal audience member
would which builds the trust between tem and if he
reviews a film in the future and rates it good or bad the
readers will believe what he says a lot more.

4. The Muppets Movie
• The Muppets title is situated right at the
top of the page in blue which contrast with
the background of the picture, this tells the
audience straight away what film it is and
they can recognize it. This is followed by
white writing saying ‘Mahma mahma’
which is the Muppets famous song which
fans of the original television series will be
able to instantly recognize.
• The image used is very bright
which instantly engages the
reader, however the image also
has the main muppets in the
central page with new characters
which explains that it is staying
to it’s roots however they have
added extras for the film, it’s not
just the same old thing. Also for
the younger audiences the
picture is very bright with unique
characters which will engage
them and will want to see it.
Furthermore the image also takes
up a lot of the page which
signifies how important these
characters are to the storyline and
it makes the audience aware of
this before they watch the film.
• The articles writers ‘Verdict’ is situated at the bottom of
the page, they give a brief opinion about the film and
whether they enjoyed it or not and then they rate it out
of 5. This particular one is very complimentary towards
the film however I feel that it is so small and at the
bottom of the page in case they don’t like it and it doesn’t
ruin the film sales, this is a key convention of a film
article. The design of the article matches the mood and
feeling of the film, for example it has bright blue and
yellow which are vibrant and positive colours which is
the key ethics of the film.
• The article has a brief
section before the actual
piece starts this
includes things such as:
release date, certificate,
director, cast, running
time and the plot, this is
a key convention of a
film article as it gives
the audience essential
information.
• The actual article reads very informal and
childish this is because it is a child's film, it also
compares it to previous Muppets film which
haven’t been as successful which helps the
audience understand the type of film it is.

5. TED
• The title TED is in black bold
font which contrasts againt’s the
white background, this has a
caption underneath saying ‘You,
Me and Furry’ this subtly
explains most of the films plot
without giving away hardly any
detail. This is situated just above
the information box which
includes information such as: the
release date, certificate, director,
cast and running time.
• The main image is the focal point
of the article, this had the two main
characters in both using mode of
address because they seem to be
looking at the audience which
engages them, however it is just a
scene from the film, the image ha a
bear bottle positioned right next to
the teddy which suggest that he is
drinking it. This is important
because it shows that he isn’t a
normal bear and it tells the
audience that it isn’t a children’s
film.
• The articles writers ‘Verdict’ is situated at the bottom of the page, they give a
brief opinion about the film and whether they enjoyed it or not and then they
rate it out of 5. This particular one is very complimentary towards the film
however I feel that it is so small and at the bottom of the page in case they don’t
like it and it doesn’t ruin the film sales.
• The design of the
article is styled in a
old fashioned way,
for example the ‘In
Cinemas’ is in a old
fashioned font
which can subtly
explain how it is
aimed at the older
target audience and
that the film is
based around old
American
blockbusters which
would have used
that type of font.
• The writing within the article is very informal however it is
aimed at the older target audience so phrases such as’ TED
isn’t the place to come for droll social comment or Woody
Allen-esque introspection’ highlights this because the it is a
reference to older films which the younger audience
wouldn’t understand. Furthermore it is very blunt and
straight to the point just like TED is in the actual film, this is
a key convention of a film article that the actual article must
follow the theme of the film.