EMPIRE vs. Sight and Sound: Internet Edition

EMPIRE vs. Sight and Sound

Whilst drafting a poster for my final product, I am researching into different house styles that I can take inspiration for my poster.

language styles (what do they think is more important than one another?)

Opening Page- Banner and Splash

The name of the film that is being reviewed is written inside a red box, linking it into Empire’s house style. The social media buttons are easy to access, with simple details  for the social media logos of Twitter, Face Book and Pinterest. These are all visual social media sites that allow the large images to be prominent in the house style.

The top of the article has a moving image, detailing the main characters and theme of the film. This gives the reader the ability to glance over the review and decide whether to read it or not, with the article giving the reader enough information to make that judgement.

The colour naturally draws the eye to ‘Spotlight Review’ and gets the reader to start reading the black bold font below. The text is straight to the point and gives a reverting summary of what the reader can expect from the film. A splash of stars connotes the importance of being able to access visuals quickly and if the article is worth reading. By having these ratings the readers is more connected to the writer, as their venting of the disappointing performance can gain a response from the reader, and increase the popularity of the magazine.

Sight and Sound, on the other hand is a lot more humble in appearance. Dressed in a grey background, its main target is to bring in regular customers. The BFI Logo are the brightest part of the screen, which draws in the readers eye. This is a seal of quality, and the customer can be assured that the reviews in this magazine are to the best quality.

Quote and Red House Style

The thin red line divides the statement eloquently, allowing the layout to look professional and well organised. There is linking of the red colour palette again, allowing the red white and black colour palette to blend in with the various films the reviewer may cover. This allows there to be definition between the fix of font sizes

A bold comment defines the article with a certain style, giving an insight into the tone of the film. I like the idea of using this in my house and possibly using a signature colour to implement the audience my magazine is aiming for. Instead of Red, I could use another bright colour, such as a blue or green, depending on the tone I want to go for in my film.

Trailer Link 

One of the major differences between Sight and Sound and Empire is Empire's decision to use a video at the end of their review. This is a media format that is more commercial and allows the spread of a scene or trailer to be passed among social media websites, such as FaceBook or Twitter.

Sight and Sound may not have such a presence in social media formats, but its theory and analytical works make up for its social media differences. Clearly there is a difference in audience here, with Empire aiming for a more mainstream audience, whereas BFI'S Sight and Sound having a more sophisticated presentation.

Down below there are links to other reviews as well as a quick summary of other links to other films. I like the idea of this being at the bottom of my review, as I can link to other films and give the impression of a running magazine.

Sight and Sound did not have any links at the bottom of their page but did have a visuals that showed the viewer a sneak peak into the magazine edition of the review. Although the words are too small to read, Sight and Sounds main impression is to convey it's rich visuals which balance it's in depth analysis.