Sight & Sound
This page contains the article analysis that I have carried out on a double page spread of the film 'Side Effects' in the film magazine Sight & Sound. I will focus on the media language, institutions, genre, representation, audience, ideology and narrative presented visually and written in this article. I have included scanned in photographs of the double page spread as a reference point.
media language
The media language in this article is interesting visually in the layout, pictures and also lingustically with the title, columns and pull out quote. When analysing the article visually the way the double page spread looks if very academic. With the majority of the page taken up with text only built around two pictures. Both pictures are dark and show the main actors in the film Side Effects. The colour scheme is dull with grey, a dull blue and white. The font used is Helvetica, known for its use in independent institutions. When evaluating it linguistically the title is much smaller than it would be in most film magazines, essentially leaving the article without a heading. The quote used focuses on being 'anti corporate' once again highlighting the niche independent overall theme of this magazine.
institutions
Sight&Sound is a British art house film magazine published quarterly. It mainly focuses on independent cinema tends to lean towards an academic analysis of film. This means it attracts a certain audience of mature, free thinkers who wish to have a more conclusive idea of film as a systematic study.
genre
The pictures used point the reader towards thinking this film is a thriller/drama as the dark hues and serious facial expressions resonate with that genre. Along with the pull out quote stating that the director has 'genre morphing' in mind, it is clear that this will be some kind of hybrid genre. However the article itself focuses more on the director as an artist, therefore concentrating on his artistic flare more than the films genre specifically.
representation
The representation in this article is typical of an art house film magazine. It focuses on the director as an artist, a film is meant to be viewed as a form of expression more than just to entertain the masses. The language illustrates this, for instance it begins concentrating on the director Steven Soderbergh 'The end of a chapter or the end of the story?' . This focuses on this film Side Effects being Soderbergh's last film after an award winning career. This backstory to the director means that this double page spread has the potential to perhaps be more of a legacy making article, the essence of the article will hold Soderbergh as the main character because he is clearly the more important aspect, rather than the film itself. This kind of article can only really appear in art house film magazines as the reader is more likely to appreciate the director if s/he is respected in their field.
audience
The audience or target reader for Sight&Sound is a mature 25+ male/female academic individual. It is also used in University as a example in film and media degrees. This is where the Credits and Synopsis box on the right of the double page becomes so much more important. Because this box is so factual and gives all information, this is kept and used as a archive on many of the independent films made in that industry for future reference for university students.
ideology
The ideology that this article gives off is that film should be considered as art, one should not be distracted by big name actors or simply just the entertainment factor. Film should be seen as an objective serious study of, for this film specifically, real life. It is a left wing ideology as it focuses heavily on the 'anti corporate' ideas which is a traditional left wing concept.
narrative
It is interesting that this article does not give the reader a certain narrative, the focus is more on the director. Once again the narrative is much more capitalised on film as an artistic expression, not just stories made to comfort and delight the audience. It is helpful that this film has a serious story line with pharmaceutical drugs as its defining theme, therefore it is not a comedy or a mystical narrative which means the article can center around the seriousness of the directors intentions.