Film name and release date:A typical convention found in practically all film reviews is the Film’s name and release date. This will often be placed in bold font either at the top or the centre of the film review. This convention appears most eye-catching to the audience – it immediately tells the audience the film’s title thus engaging them to read on and discover more about it. It also allows the audience to follow on from the title and discover more about the actors, director(s), screenwriter, soundtracks etc. that are associated with the film. As ‘Harry Potter’ is such a large franchise, this blockbuster film would be well-known by most audience members, especially those who are interested in film and read magazines like ‘EMPIRE’. The title especially would draw in people who are already fans of ‘Harry Potter’ who wouldn’t need to be informed of the backstory to the film. The release date is especially important as if informs fans and people who may have been encouraged by the review to see the film, to go to the cinema and watch it. If the film has been released prior to the review, the review may entice people to buy the DVD or use an app such as ‘Netflix’ or ‘Amazon Prime’ to view it. Not including these two conventions would gradually reduce the impact of the review as the readers would be tasked to have to read a part of the article with no judgement to what it is called or is about.

Conventions of film reviews:-

Quotes/tagline:Often film reviews include quotes from the actual film, this can include the ‘tagline’. A tagline is a short piece of text that serves to clarify a thought or is used for dramatic effect. In the context of film reviews, the ‘tagline’ would be a reiterated phrase from the film. This is often a well-known quote from the film or a quote typically associated with a character. The quote acts as a reference to the film and it’s content. It is often used at the start of the review and acts as a good introduction to a piece – typically followed by a description of the quote’s context. These quotes are more than often in a bold, bright font to grab the reader’s attention. If a funny, witty quote has been selected, the reader is more likely to be drawn to the article, and as a result the film that’s being reviewed. Despite this, short films are more likely to not include quotations in their review as there aren’t necessarily as many ‘key moments’ in the film that can be drawn from them. In this circumstance, the ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ review by ‘EMPIRE’ has selected a quote from the person critiquing the film. The term “It’s bogged down by a curse: Excrusius Overplottio” is both comical and cynical, highlighting the overall tone of the review. The word “bogged” has negative connotations and suggests the overcomplicating of the script, that wouldn’t necessarily be understood by an audience who hasn’t also read the books. ‘The end is getting nigher’ is also a play on words, seemingly a mixture of the word ‘closer’ and ‘nigh’ creating a comical effect – contrasting to the dark undertones of the film.

Images:The use of images is a common convention for a film review. Images are used to draw the readers’ attention to the review and give clues about the contents of the film. They also tell the audience the actors and characters that are starring in the production. This attracts people who are already fans of these actors to feel more inclined to reading the review. Based on these images and the review, the readers will construct an opinion about the film before they watch it which will determine the likelihood of them viewing the film. Often these images will be captioned to give the readers the context behind the, otherwise, obscure images. In this circumstance the ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ review by ‘EMPIRE’ contains two bold, eye-catching pictures. The largest, most prominent picture is of the protagonist: ‘Harry’. His face covers the majority of the frame showing his significance within the film; his symbolic scar above his right eyebrow can also be deciphered – a feature associated with this character. The expression on his face and high camera angle indicates him grasping onto something as a form of transportation perhaps. His facial expression connotes someone in pain or anguish, in this circumstance Harry is on a life-altering journey to discover the horcruxes to eliminate his nemesis: ‘Lord Voldermort’. The image below this shows the other two main characters. The picture shows the male character looking angrily towards an (unknown) recipient suggesting a fracture in the three protagonist’s friendship

Introduction/ Plot Summary:Typically the first paragraph of a review will briefly outline the plot of the film. This includes, quotes from the film, locations, timelines and a brief summary of the character development of the protagonist(s). The introduction/plot summary will also include the writer’s personal views on the film, reflected through the tone and the discussion of the film’s successions and flaws. Often, before the readers decide whether to read the full review/ watch the film they will want a brief summary of the film highlighting the type of genre of the film and cast performance. Thus, this is an important convention as it dictates whether the reader will continue to read and endorse the film. In this example, ‘Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1’ review by ‘EMPIRE’ magazine, they include both an introduction and a plot summary. The plot summary occurs in a small box above the review, alongside the release date, certificate, director, cast and running time. Despite this, the ‘PLOT’ section in the box is in a different colour, differentiating it from the rest of the information. The plot summary sums up in a few sentences the journey of the protagonist (and other main characters). This provides a short, concise amount of information before the film is analysed in more depth to give the audience a good idea of the film reviewed and the film itself.

Verdict/ Rating:Either at the top or the bottom of the film review, a rating and/or verdict will be given by the reviewer to sum up their overall thoughts on the film. The most typical convention of a film review would be the number of stars the film has been given (normally out of 5) and to what extent the reviewer thinks the film is good and worth watching. The verdict, if there is one, would normally be summed up in a few short sentences in the reviewer’s own words. Often if an average number of stars have been given the reviewer will briefly state the positive and negative reasons for giving the review such a moderate score. For ‘EMPIRE’S review of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ there is both a verdict and rating. The verdict is placed at the bottom right-hand corner of the review, so the readers see their overall opinion after reading the review. The rating appears directly underneath the verdict, which reinforces the positive and negative aspects of the film which are summed up in the verdict. The ‘star ratings’ are a universal code used in reviews (frequently in film reviews) to tell it’s readers/audience whether the piece of media/ product is worthwhile endorsing. The use of the stars are more eye-catching than simply stating how enjoyable the film is. The readers are immediately drawn to it and some may simply glance at the rating rather than reading the actual review

Positive & Negative Aspects:Often in most film reviews, the reviewer will weigh up the positive and negative aspects of the film. Conventionally this will be separated into two distinct paragraphs each explaining how the film succeeded and where it did not. Typically the reviewer would discuss the positive and negative aspects in relation to film techniques such as mise-en-scene, SFX and cinematography. They also may note the quality of acting, plot-line, character development and settings. These elements are often indicative of the quality of film and the audience’s reception to it. A thrilling and gripping plot-line, alongside the characters (and how well they have been portrayed) are often seen as the key aspects the audience looks for in a film, thus these will often be at the forefront of the review. I found a replica of the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ review on the ‘EMPIRE’ website and picked out the positive and negative aspects it mentions. Whilst this review is mostly negative, referring to the plot as being “bogged down for long stretches by a curse excrusius overplottio” the reviewer does manage to mention the parts they enjoyed. The reviewer credits the set-pieces and notes the acting as being “fine”. Whilst they don’t discuss many positive aspects, the review successfully discusses both positive and negative aspects of the film. Despite this, reviews are biased and often, depending on the audience’s reception, reviews will differ due to different opinions amongst film reviewers.

Characters and Actors:A typical convention of a film is to focus on the protagonist(s) of the film, as they will be the characters focused on the most in the film. The review will often explore their personal journey in the film and may explain the traits, behaviours and qualities in the character. This will typecast the characters as playing a certain role in the film e.g a villainous character, a hero(ine) or sidekick. In this circumstance for the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ review, the protagonist ‘Harry’ is seen as the hero of the film, on a journey to defeat the evil ‘Voldermort’. His companions in his journey ‘Hermione’ and ‘Ron’ are typecast as his sidekicks to his mission, aiding Harry to fulfil his destiny. The review describes this trio as “fugitives” narrowly escaping death on several occasions. Despite this, Harry and Ron are mere sidekicks, with the main focus of attention being on ‘Harry Potter’. This is further emphasised by his name being included in the film’s title in bold lettering. This, alongside with the picture draws the attention to Harry, the main character. The characters ‘Ron’ and ‘Hermione’ are only discussed in relation to Harry, with the reviewer focusing primarily on the protagonist. The three main actors in this film (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint) are mentioned at the start of the review. Due to the popularity of these actors, fans and people who have seen them in other films will be looking out for names they recognise. Thus, including the names of the actors and reviewing a film with popular stars will draw a larger audience to the review and the actual film.