Trends and conventions of magazine reviews

After looking at a fair amount of film reviews for magazines from Empire  and Total film I have noticed a trend in the layouts and the things the reviews include.

Some things usually included are :

A huge picture taking up most of the page. The picture is usually from a iconic moment during the film to attract a reader to look at the article.


There quite often may be a second picture as well as the huge main one. This second one will often advertise a character or actor in the film.


The title of the film will usually be very clear and obvious. It will also stand out usually to grab the readers attention.


Often there will be a tag line for the film near the title. This is usually to give the reader an idea of what the film is about.


The genre will usually be implied by the pictures shown.


There will usually be a rating of the film from the magazine. This is normally out of 5 stars.


The review tends include details about the certification the actors, directors and the release date of the film.


The main body of text in the article will usually give a brief overview of the film while showing a critical perspective of the plot and other aspects of it.


There will often be a quote from the main part of the article which is highlighted and made far larger to stand out. 




After looking at all these trends I have began to plan what would should probably be included in my article. I will need a large picture of a fairly iconic part of the film or one that shows what the film is about and gives a hint to the genre. I could also use a second picture to possibly introduce a character but it is not quite as important or necessary as many other aspects of the review. I will need the title of my film to stand out fairly clearly and attract a reader. The review should include a rating of it and the certification. I would like to include a nice eye grabbing tag line but I don't feel it will be one hundred percent necessary. The article itself will have to include a overview of the film and its plot. It may be a challenge to be very critical of the film since I will also have made it and be biased in my opinions.

This is just a general overview of what i currently plan to include in the magazine review based off of some initial research from reviews in some film magazines.