Recently, I have noticed that my reviews become a little stale and uninteresting. So, that has lead me to possibly change some things about reviews to make them more visually interesting and more in depth.
My first change is that I am adding a criteria named "Characterization." In Characterization, I will be analyzing the characters and how well they are developed, realized, and the general likability of the characters in the film or series. Since characters are arguably the most important aspect of any work of fiction, it is obviously an important aspect of my reviews. In the past, "Plot" was grouped with character develop and how well the characters were handled, but that is not the case anymore. To prevent my reviews from becoming even longer, I will being dropping the "Would I Watch This Again" part of the review since it is mostly unnecessary.
Another new thing is that my reviews will incorporate more pictures and gifs (moving pictures) into the reviews to provide a more visually pleasing look, or at least that is the intent. You may have noticed that in my review reviews for Spice and Wolf and Neon Genesis Evangelion that I did have the gifs and pictures, as well as the "Characterization" part in those posts. Please let me know if the pictures are distracting. Also, I have placed some of the pictures inside blocks of text to break up the usual visual style. Please comment and let me know if that makes the text more difficult to read. Some of my older reviews might not have the updated look.
Also, my rating system is being changed slightly because 7.0/10 seems to be the mark of an average movie, whereas that should be more around a 5 or 6. Therefore, if a movie receives a 6.0/10, know that it is still a decent and watchable movie, not a bad one.
One last thing to mention is that I will be coming out with some reviews for newer movies starting with my Ender's Game review tomorrow and my reviews for The Great Gatsby and Red 2 in the following weeks. For the anime fans out there, I will continue posting at least one anime related post a week since I am finally getting enough readers to warrant a continuation of those reviews with next week being a dual review of two different series.
Please comment and let me know what you think of my new changes to my review system and blog! Do you like it, or would you prefer I go back to my old review system?
If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.
I am fine with either format of reviews, though I do like the idea of a characterization topic(since I'm really into character development). :) And cool, looking forward to the Ender's Game and The Great Gatsby reviews! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you for the input! Character development is something that I have noticed that I needed to review more when I started reviewing anime actually. :)
Delete-James
Like the changes, James! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteDont get too hung up about the scoring though. Each critic has their own unique curve with regards to movies. For example, I often don't give anything less than a 5 because for me that indicates a really bad movie. 6-7.5 is my average region. Yada yada yada...only thing you have to keep in mind with scoring is to stay consistent in your beliefs!
Thanks for the advice Jordan, and you are right, consistency is the most important thing and I need to be sure and stay consistent.
Delete-James
I'm with Jordan. I do stars with 3 being average, 4 good and 5 exceptional. Not much gets below a 3 unless it's dross. As long as you score films consistently, we'll understand what a 6, 7, etc., means in relation to your system. I've recently had a change (more for layout than content) and it feels good to shake it up once in a while. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice GK!
Delete-James
Sounds like a good change! Looking forward to your Ender's Game and Gatsby reviews!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you like the change Sarah. :)
Delete-James
Either is fine, but I'd like to see the characterization as one thing you talk about!!! :)
ReplyDeleteREVIEW THAT ONE ANIME!!! xD I'm gonna bother you til you do. (Lol, just kidding!!) Take your time.
~Misty
Lol, that's fine! Please continue to do so if you want! xD The review is definitely coming on Wednesday! :)
Delete-James
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! :D
Delete~Misty
These changes all sound great! I do really like the added pictures or gifs, especially with the anime as it does give me an idea of what it all looks like, in a sense. I also really like the characterization section, that's a great addition!
ReplyDelete~Jamie
Thanks for the input Jamie! Good, I actually added the gifs and pictures for that reason for the anime reviews, and I am glad to hear that it helps. :)
Delete-James
It' s always nice when you can change your system around. Adding pictures and/or GIFs also gives the reader a good visual image to go along with the commentary of the review. Characterization reviews are fun to do, but the negative part is that people (not all) can be very biased toward certain characters in the story and this is most often found in female movie reviewers. You're really fair with your reviewing system anyway, so I think you'll do great. I can't wait to read your Ender's Game review!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ivy. Hopefully the pictures and GIFs will work well in my review tomorrow. Excellent point about characterization! And I completely agree with what you said about the biased of certain reviews towards certain characters, and thank you for considering me a fair reviewer.
Delete-James
Yes, adding the characterization part is interesting. Me personally, enjoy keeping an eye on the characters of the show/book/whatever-I'm-reviewing because they're one of the most important elements in storytelling (well, at least for me.) Good luck! I'm glad that you decided to change things. Variety/change is always good. It keeps things fresh.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, characters are one of, if not, the most important aspect of storytelling. Thanks! I am glad you like the change and thanks for the input.
Delete-James
The Characterization section sounds awesome; characters are so important, and probably my favorite part of any story. I don't think pictures are distracting (unless there are hundreds of them :)), as 'they' say a picture's worth a thousand words. :)
ReplyDeleteThey are my favorite part of any story as well. :) Thanks for the input about the pictures; I will be sure not to have too many.
Delete-James
Nice new changes, I like the characterization point and that is how it keeps the story flowing. Good luck when I see your future reviews. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Filmgurulad! :D
Delete-James
I'm sure the new format will work wonderfully, I've always thought you should suit reviews styles to what fits you best.
ReplyDelete