Feature Writing Reviews November 14 2013 Feature

Feature Writing Reviews November 14, 2013

Feature Writing Reviewing A wide variety of areas are covered by reviews - these include the arts, such as books, films, plays, dance, music, art, exhibitions, cinema, etc. Reviewing can also cover hotels, restaurants, even shops. Many reviewers are freelance journalists who are experts in the areas they are writing about. For example, books are often reviewed by other authors.

Feature Writing Reviewing Basically, reviewing is: Explaining Interpreting evaluating As well as giving your opinion when review writing you also need to think about what is fair and unfair comment.

Feature Writing So, one rule of thumb to follow is that reviewers should not directly threaten the ability of practitioners to earn their living. Additionally, reviews must always be written without malice. Reviewers need to ensure that they are not merely using the piece as a launch pad for their views of the world. Neither should they fall into the trap of being sycophantic towards an artist/band/actor etc.

Feature Writing The Reviewer’s Task Firstly, the reviewer need to assess the readers’ knowledge of the piece being reviewed – they need to ascertain if the work has been read or heard or seen before. The following tasks need to be modified accordingly: 1. To say what kind of work is being reviewed and what it is about. Sometimes this will be self-evident, depending on where in the newspaper the review is – books will be in the literature section!

Feature Writing 2, To give an informed judgement as to whether or not it is worth the readers’ time and money. People tend to ‘trust’ what journalists have to say on these sorts of matters, for example, think about the number of times you have gone to see a film because it got a good review in a newspaper? 3. To back up the review with evidence and persuasive language based on knowledge and experience.

Feature Writing 4. To act as a bridge between the practitioners and the audience. This is where the reviewer’s understanding of the needs of the audience are important. A good reviewer will know how much background information has to be given to readers. However, the review needs to be sensitive and perceptive enough to recognize the merits of a new or difficult work – and put this across to the audience.

Feature Writing 5. To help, while trying to be readable and entertaining, to set standards, moral aesthetic, in the arts. If a reviewer is going to be forthright and outspoken in their views, then they need to have the courage of his convictions and really know what he is talking about. As a review you cannot just criticize for the sake of it – you must has a solid foundation for why you say what you say.

Feature Writing Reviewing is still reporting. Reporting is at the heart of all reviewing and all the disciplines of reporting are reflected in the kinds of questions you ask as reviewer and you have to answer as a reporter. For example, • What is it called? is it about? • What is it like?

Feature Writing • Who wrote/directed/painted it? • When does the action take place? • Where is it showing? • Where can you buy/see/eat it? • Why was it written? • How much is it? To the above questions you need to ask a whole list of supplementary questions:

Feature Writing • What are it merits/defect? • Is it worth time and money? • Did I like it? • What sort of people will like it? • Is it interesting/moving/entertaining? • How does it compare with other works by the same person? • How does it compare with contemporaries? • How far does it succeed in attempting to do what it set out to do?

Feature Writing As always these questions will be answered with a specific audience in mind. In all kinds of reviewing, skill at compressing information is essential: to summarise what a work is about and to weave the complex tapestry of fact and assessment that is required. A good way to get some grounding in reviewing is to simply start writing responses to reviews - this will illustrate your knowledge and ability.

Feature Writing Books Basically you should: - • say what the book is about • provide extracts • say whether or not you liked it and why Anymore and it can become too in-depth for the layperson.

Feature Writing It is a good idea to know something about the author’s work or the genre you are reviewing - this will enable you to place the novel in the context of a body of work. • Is it her 1 st/2 nd/20 th and if so, does it show a great deal of promise (1 st)? • Is it promise being fulfilled? (2 nd) • Or, is it a complete change of direction? (20 th)

Feature Writing Fiction You should make reference to the following: story/plot, theme, setting, period, narrative technique, characters etc. But assessed in a very analytical, rigid way can lead to a boring piece of writing. You must answer the questions the reader is posing: - • what is it about? • would I like it? • is it worth buying?

Feature Writing Theatre Because a whole team of professionals is involved in producing a play, a review may need to take this into consideration. Plays, like books, have themes, plots, settings, characters, language etc. You need to consider these. You also need to consider set design, clothes, lighting, music, special effects, acting, direction etc.

Feature Writing A good theatre review will look at how these things work together to make up the performance. If a play is amateur, it would not have the same professional expectations attached to it. When looking at actors’ performances, you need to be able to relate to their ability to be true to the intention of the playwright. Similarly, your comments need to be backed up by evidence as to why you thought it was brilliant or not.

Feature Writing Film Again you need some knowledge of the how films are made. You should become familiar with the works of different actors/director etc. Perhaps specialising on one type of genre. Your review should look at all the elements that make the film work well, or badly.

Feature Writing Television Remember that you are reviewing for your readers and not for yourself! If you heavily criticise a programme, are you backed up in your view by poor viewing figures?

Feature Writing Music Reviewing a musical performance can be difficult - how many of us could write a competent review on a piece of classical music? Could you translate what is essentially a non-verbal piece of work into a largely verbal one? And do this without losing what the composer wanted to convey? With rock and pop it demands prior knowledge and a vocabulary as specialised as any other art form.

Feature Writing Reviewing In conclusion, reviewing is about compressing information into readable, enjoyable nuggets. It is about knowledgeable, clever interpretation of a piece of work. It is about good writing that is closely focused on the needs and intellectual, or economical, demands of your reader. It is about having an informed view and sharing it.

Feature Writing Reviewing You need to remember, it is not about you and your prejudices, it is about knowing what makes something good or bad. Finally, you must never underestimate the knowledge required to be a good reviewer of anything.

Feature Writing REVIEW TASK Choose a movie, music release, book, play, art exhibition etc and write a 500 -word review. DEADLINE: THURSDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2013