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The Edge

The University of Southampton's entertainment magazine.

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– Article length:

  • Cinema reviews: 250-750 words
  • Blu-ray and DVD review: 250-500 words
  • Film comment: 400-600 words

– Ratings (NB: No half stars allowed):

  • ★☆☆☆☆: Dire. The very worst example of the genre.
  • ★★☆☆☆: Not great, but perhaps not entirely dreadful. A few redeeming features.
  • ★★★☆☆: More strengths than weaknesses, but don’t expect a masterpiece.
  • ★★★★☆: A very good example of the genre. Deserves to be remembered.
  • ★★★★★: Outstanding. A truly special film of rare brilliance.

– Featured image: This should be a high quality still from the film featuring the main character/characters. The film section prefers the use of the 4:3 framing, rather than a widescreen 16:9 frame, so crop the photo to this size. Photos featuring the faces of the characters are best, so avoid images of large landscapes and tiny people.

– All actors are actors. Do not use the word ‘actress’ unless referring to an award with the term in the title.

Cinema reviews:

  • Cinema reviews should be analytical and opinionated, backed up with examples and contextualisation. Refer to the plot, performances of specific actors, plot, and quotations if necessary.
  • Title format: Review: Brokeback Mountain ★★★★☆
  • NB: Reviews should end with additional information about the film in bold. This should include the title of the film italicised (e.g. Avengers Assemble), its official release year (e.g. 2012) (check on IMDB or the BFI film database for this – it is not always the same year it is released in the UK), the credited director, the film’s UK theatrical distributor (e.g. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures), and the film’s BBFC rating (e.g. Certificate 12A). For the BBFC rating, the word ‘Certificate’ should have a capital C for continuity purposes. Please do not put the production company as the distributor. For example, Avengers Assemble was released under the Paramount Pictures header, but was distributed theatrically in the UK by Walt Disney Studios. For this reason, Walt Disney Studios gets the distribution credit. e.g. Avengers Assemble (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, is distributed in the UK by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Certificate 12A.

Blu-ray & DVD reviews:

  • Blu-ray & DVD reviews should be submitted within 5 weeks of the film being released on the format. These reviews are likely to be shorter so do not go into analysis of positives or faults as deeply as a cinema review.
  • Title format: Blu-ray review: Avengers Assemble is a delectable superhero delicacy
  • Disc quality review: Some reviewers may decide they want to evaluate the disc’s performance on a technical level (e.g. picture quality, transfer, sound, amount of extras etc). This should appear after the main review, and be preceded by the words ‘A note on the disc’ in bold before the evaluation.
  • HD focus: All sections should, where possible, put information on the high definition release of the film before information relating to standard definition. For example, the title should contain the word ‘Blu-ray’ before the term ‘DVD’. In the release information, one should write ‘is distributed in the UK on Blu-ray disc and DVD’.
  • The review should carry a smaller image of the Blu-ray release of the film. If the film is not released on blu-ray, the DVD cover will suffice.
  • NB: Reviews should end with star ratings for the film and disc (Film: ★★☆☆☆  Disc: ★★★★☆), followed by additional information about the Blu-ray or DVD in bold on the line below. e.g. Avengers Assemble (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, is released on Blu-ray disc and DVD in the UK by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Certificate 12.

Film comment:

  • Film comment articles may be written if too much time has passed since the cinema or Blu-ray/DVD release. This is an opinionated article which argues a particular point about a film, actor, or type of filmmaking. The title should be as concise as possible but define the main point of the article.
  • Title format: Comment: A gay Spider-Man would be the best thing Hollywood could do to help fight homophobia
  • Archive articles are film comment articles written about older films. They follow the same format as these articles.
  • Title format: Archive: Why Batman Begins is a blockbuster with heart and brains
  • NB: Film comments should end with additional information about the film in bold. e.g. Avengers Assemble (2012), directed by Joss Whedon, is released on Blu-ray disc and DVD in the UK by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Certificate 12.