Images are possibly more integral than the reviews themselves, because they need to provide the visualisation of the films being discussed. I will need four images for my review page, three of which I will need to find online, and the fourth (from my own film) will need to be acquired using a screenshot.
Assassin's Creed
Aesthetically, this is a beautiful shot, but the dimensions of the frame and the lack of engagement with specific characters makes the reader feel slightly detached from the image. Dimensionally, the frame is too wide and short, so I don't think it will be an appropriate fit for my magazine page in Photoshop, because photos tend to be more square than elongated as this makes them easier to mould on the page.
I really like this image because not only does it show the protagonist, but it also gives a representation of one of the film's strongest attributes: its action.
This photo frames the character close to the audience and in a central, athletic pose, making the film seem intense and exciting. I would have liked to use it if it hadn't already been used in another magazine, because I have seen this exact shot used before.
What particularly grabs my interest here is the lighting and how effectively it defines the protagonist. Unfortunately, the shot is of a sequence in the film taking place in the present day (the film is built around the concept of reliving the memories of our ancestors) which is one of the least engaging elements of the film. So although the shot is well constructed, I don't think that it particularly depicts the best parts of the film or appears enticing.
The immersive camera angle is what I like about the shot above, and also the fact that this refers to another defining attribute of the film: its parkour. In my opinion, this shot is the most contextual to the film and best reflects the game franchise it is based on. Plus it frames the characters in a central and engaging position. I am going to use this one in my magazine.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Because the characters of Rogue One are supposed to be a team, I didn't want to use a photo containing all of them because it appears too staged and detached from the characters as individuals. Therefore the shots I have picked have been selected due to their focus on specific characters. The character above, Baze Malbus, was overlooked in the film and deserved more character development to make him feel like he was an integral member of the team. With this photo it draws more attention to his character and delivers an engaging action pose. However due to his lack of importance in the film I don't think that using him as the focus image for the review would be an accurate reflection of the film, because it misleads readers into thinking he has more of a role than he actually does.
Donnie Yen's character was well promoted for this film as a wise, capable fighter with the ability to use the force. However, like with the first Assassin's Creed photo I chose, the frame is a wide shot and so structurally I don't think that it fits with the magazine layout I want to use because I need to fit two reviews on each page.
Even though it idolises the main character, I don't like this photo because it comes across as unnatural and staged. Plus I have seen it used on the front cover of a magazine and so I don't want to use an image already taken by other magazines.
This photo manages to capture the gritty/grounded approach of the film while also framing one of the main characters centrally in the shot. I think that it successfully evokes the tone of the film whilst simultaneously introducing readers to one of the core characters. However, I have noticed a problem between this and the photo of Assassin's Creed I am going to use: they both have a sandy and dirty colour to the shot, making them visually similar. Therefore on a magazine page there won't be enough graphical variety to distinguish each film, so I won't be using this image.
I love how this photo captures one of the iconic aspects of Star Wars, but shows the Stormtroopers in their new incarnation to reflect the differences being applied. Despite not being a central character, the Stormtroopers are culturally accepted as part of the Star Wars Canon and so this shot works just as effectively as the other character-centric images I picked. Plus the visual variety of black and green makes it much different to the sandy/beige tinge on the Assassin's Creed shot, so this will be what I am going to use.
La La Land
I know that the wideness of this photo can be fixed by just cropping out the right hand side, but even then I think that this photo looks clearly edited and artificial. So it definitely looks like more of a poster than a still from the film. As much as I like the vibrant colours, it doesn't provide an insight into the film, it just promotes it.
Similarly, although this is not a Photoshopped poster, this image is still the most common one to be associated with this film, and has been used on almost every poster. So whilst the shot is central, colourful and energetic, it is also far too repetitive if I were to reuse the same photo. The effect this would have on my magazine would be negative because it would look unoriginal.
I like how both of the characters share the spotlight but in a casual way, not looking imposing but maintaining a natural appearance. The elegance and suave passion of the film is captured in the clothes of the protagonists and the low light/dusk setting. I love the emotivity expressed within this shot, but again I think that apart from the salmon pink dress being worn by Emma Stone, the colours are too sandy and too visually similar to Assassin's Creed. With each film I need a photo that uniquely and solely identifies with that film but none of the others.
The blueness of the shot above solves the issue of the colour similarities. I like how the rest of the frame is relatively empty and hones in completely on the captivity of the characters. The effect is both spiritual and immersive, adding charm to the tone. This will be the shot I use because it will stand out amidst the others.
Shades of Reason
Screenshotting a still from my own film proved a difficult choice, since there are only a few moments that capture a suspenseful and conflicted tone.
This close up shows the conflicted protagonist as he holds the gun, highlighting one of the most important choices in my narrative. It successfully engages because it doesn't just forebode violence, but also emotional consequence. The problem is that I intend to include my own film as one of the smaller reviews on the page, since realistically short films don't get much attention in magazines and so dedicating most of a page to one would seem unlikely. But in order for me to fit my own film review into a marginalised position, the photo above will be too wide.
I chose this as one of my shots because it adds ambiguity to the story. It is not very forthcoming, and relies on the lighting of the character's face to symbolise the internal conflict of light and dark. But to be honest, as an image to be used in a magazine it is too concealing and doesn't really engage the viewer that effectively. I think that using a shot with the gun in is definitely essential to visually catching the attention of the reader.
I absolutely love this image because of the colour and contemplation on the face of the protagonist. On the other hand I find it too revealing, and despite the aesthetic appeal of the shot, the image is too revealing about the culmination of the narrative. Although readers probably wouldn't interpret the photo to this extent, I don't think there is any subtlety in the doubt evoked through the shot.
This is the shot I am going to use. Unlike the one above, it captures the character pointing the gun but still implies a sense of uncertainty, whereas the other shot suggests that the protagonist never fired the gun. So I like the ambiguity that this shot maintains, and even though the shot looks quite wide, I can crop the frame at the sides to get more of a portrait image, which would fit better for where I want to position my film on the magazine page.
With the images selected, it is time to get the bulk of the work done and write the reviews.
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