1. Writing Film Reviews
2.4 Task

2. What is the purpose of a film review?
To inform people about the film.
To give an opinion/comment on the film.
To help people decide whether or not to watch a film.

3. Some things to think about…
How do you usually decide which films or dvds you want to see?
Whose opinion would you trust if they recommended a film or dvd? Why?
Whose opinion would you not trust at all? Why not?
What would convince you to trust the judgement of someone you didn’t know who recommended a film?

4. Things that are usually discussed in a film review
Acting
Plot/Pace
Atmosphere
Visual aspects- costume, lighting, cinematography.
Dialogue
You will be able to add to this list when you are analysing reviews.

5. General Structure Points
Introduction: Background information- genre, director, writers
Plot Overview: Summarises the film for the readers. But don’t ruin it by giving away any surprises!
The body of the review comments on aspects of the film.
Conclusion: Restates the reviewers opinion and ends with a strong statement.

6. Judging a film on its own merits…
It is important to judge or evaluate a film according to its genre and the intentions of its director- otherwise the comments you make may be unfair.
Task: What genre is Iron Jawed Angels? What aspects of the genre might you comment on in a review?

7. Some Initial Planning Points.
Record important details about the film your class has viewed such as: the title, director, genre, date of production, country of origin, and names of main actors.
Record notes on these questions:
What is the director’s main aim?
What type of film is it supposed to be?
Who is the target audience?
How is the film intended to make them feel or think?

8. So…
We are looking at examples of reviews, and analysing them.