Magazine Review Page Codes and Conventions

Before creating a magazine review page it is important to look at the codes and conventions that they typically feature so that I know exactly what it is I should be including. It is essential to research this to find out what sort of things my target audience will be expecting to see in the production of my magazine review page. After carrying out this research it will be my job to decide whether I want to conform or subvert to these stereotypes.

This is what I discovered after looking online:

• Main image- typically this is a large photo that takes up around half the page. The aim is to give an understanding on the genre of the film through the use of the photograph.
• Small facts- age rating, release date, directors, actors and running time. This doe not feature in all magazine review pages but the facts used are typically shot and do not take up a lot of room on the page.
• Plot Overview- this is usually at the beginning of the review to provide an introduction to the readers for them to decide on their opinions on the film.
• Quotes- these tend to be from other sources so that readers of the magazine have an idea as to what other people think about the film too.
• Star rating- these are often featured on the page as a guideline for the readers as to whether they should watch it or not.
• Name of magazine- this is generally on the page to be consistent with the front over of the magazine. It ensures that the readers remember the name of the magazine and creating a larger, regular audience by featuring the name on every page.
• Text- this is where the details of the review lie on the page. Each magazine varies in how much text they use on the page.
• Double page spread- this is a common occurrence for magazine reviews as they are more memorable and it fits all of the information in better, rather than cutting it down.
• Social media links- this is to help the film gain a larger following through the use of the ever growing world of social media. It can get the film trending and shown to a much larger audience.
• Colour- generally have a colour scheme linking to the genre of the film or to create consistency within the magazine.