Ancillary Research Task 1

Our media teacher introduced us to the really interesting, independent film magazine, Little White Lies (designed and distributed by a London graphic designers 'human after all' who also release their own film magazine). Rather than using photos the magazine is mainly illustrated which we think is really effective and we would like to use this idea for the ancillary task. The style of the article is so clean yet heavily stylized in reference to its subject. Emma has looked into some articles to analyse for inspiration for the ancillary task. She also looked at an article from empire magazine in order to compare and contrast the different ways of showcasing films.

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Article 1 - Little White Lies

What works well?

The use of the border and colour scheme bring the article together by being consistent and making it stand out. The use of illustration rather than an image makes it much more eye catching and intriguing. The language used in the article is exciting and engaging by relating personally to the audience; speaking about real life issues and looking at the bigger picture and concept around the film.

Do they help attract an audience?

Yes, the visually attractive elements work together to draw in the reader, followed by quality writing which continues to grab the attention of the reader.

Initial thoughts for my own ancillary task.

We would like to take a similar approach to how Little White Lies is presented, it seems it will be much more time consuming but overall will be worth it as it will make a much more effective and eye catching article.

How will this have a common theme/style along side your main and ancillary task?

The style, content and colour theme will all relate to that of the films and be consistent through out both ancillary tasks.

An example of a Little White Lies cover.

Article 2 - Empire Magazine

Emma then had a look at the magazine Empire, a much more main stream popular culture magazine. Emma analysed this article comparing and contrasting the difference between LWL and Empire. The key points are annotated and pointed out on the article. She concluded that a magazine style similar to Little White Lies is what would suit our film best as Little White Lies showcases independent, arty films, whereas a magazine like Empire is for the mass audience.

This is my mind map of the key features we intend to use in our own article that we feel are most important in a successful film review.