Various tips for review writing

1) Don't waste the lead. It should make an assertion about the film. It may sum up in a sentence WHY, specifically,  you recommend/don't recommend this video/movie.

2) There should be a nutgraph that gives the reader a clear idea of where you are going in the review. It is the road map to the rest of the review.

3) In the body of the paper, describe some scenes and include a couple of pithy quotes.

4) Sum up the most important points in the movie/video. Write as if for readers who have NOT seen it.

5) A review is NOT a chronological plot summary, although you may briefly sum it up in a sentence or two.

6) As with any article, it should flow well, have well organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences/transitions and a clear, resonant ending.

Tips for writing movie reviews, for online publication, video game reviews and a few sample leads from movie reviews I wrote  a few years ago.

How to Write a Movie Review: Tips from the University of Chicago

Five Parts (Paragraphs) of a Movie Review

Opening: Catch the Reader's Attention
Think about how advertisements sell movies: "trailers" show you a few seconds of the movie to get you interested.

When you begin your movie review, make your own "trailer." If you liked the movie, then your trailer should make people want to see it; but if you didn't like it, the trailer should be something that shows why you didn't like it. Don't explain why you liked it or didn't like it; make the reader like or not like the movie by what you describe. Begin your review by retelling an incident or moment from the movie which you think captures the spirit of the movie as you understood it.

Alternative: Begin your review with another kind of story or interesting fact--about one of the star actors, or about the making of the movie, or about the director.

Second Paragraph: Take Care of Business
Near the beginning of the review, you have to tell the reader all the obligatory stuff--the title of the movie, the director, the studio, the main actors, the year it was made (if you watched it on video), the rating. This paragraph tells the reader the things they have to know about the movie. Also, in one sentence or two, you should explain very simply what the movie is all about--not necessarily what happens, but that might work, too, if you can say it in one two sentences.

Third Paragraph: Character and plot summary
What happens in the movie? You shouldn't tell everything that happens--and especially not the ending. But you want to summarize the basic plot of the movie, in more detail than you do in the paragraph above.

One way to do this might be to write a sentence about each main character.

Fourth Paragraph: A Key Moment or Idea
In this paragraph, go into detail about something important that interested you about the movie. If it was a musical, you should say something about the songs. Or if the soundtrack was good, talk about that. Or write more about one character who was really intriguing. Or retell another big moment from the movie and explain why it is important. If you think the "idea" behind a movie was really interesting, explain that idea and talk about it a little bit. In this paragraph, you must go into depth about the movie.

Fifth Paragraph: Evaluate the Movie
Do you recommend it or not? Who will like it (kids or adults)? The most important thing here is that you must also explain why you are making your recommendation.

You must justify your opinion--and that opinion should grow out of what you write in the rest of the review. Give at least two reasons why you liked or didn't like the movie.

From the BBC

The internet is a very different publishing medium from standard print. Less time is spent reading on the web and people have no patience to pause and re-read your work. This means that you must make reviews short, simple and clear.

Web design gurus reckon you should write 50% less for the web and we think that means a normal review should be about 300 words.

Some key points

Use simple sentences (One subject and one verb).
Make it concise.
Try to make each paragraph one short chunk of information.
Avoid drop intros and complex writing structures (keep it linear).
Use strong verbs like "decide" as apposed to "make a decision".
Don't use clever words that might make people pause.

Also think about the layout. Can you break up the text with bullets, quote boxes or subheadings?

Use active sentences

Passive: Thirty three pigs were tested for foot and mouth by vets from the ministry of agriculture. (This is passive because the subject comes first)

Active: Ministry of Agriculture vets tested 33 pigs for food and mouth.

The trick to good writing on the web is to be clever in the text without being clever with the style.

From eopinions.com

How To Write A Video Game Review

Jan 04 '06

The Bottom Line Write like the reader has never heard of the game before.

I’ve been an Advisor in the Games section for nearly a year, and since earning that title I have tried to rate just about ever new video game review. After all this time rating and leaving comments, I thought it would be a good idea to publish my criteria for a Very Helpful review. Consider this my public service announcement to the Gaming community.

Video games are unique in that they provide an interactive experience that differentiates them from watching movies or listening to music. Games require the active participation of the user and you can’t do much else while playing. That creates a level of intimacy between the game and the player. Once you’ve spent enough time playing a particular game, you should have enough experience to write a compelling review of it.

Regardless of the game genre, there are several key elements that you must touch on in the review in order for it to be considered complete. Without the right amount of detail to cover these key things, you most likely will not earn a Very Helpful overall rating.

The key elements of any video game review must cover genre, story, gameplay, graphics, sound, and controls. Often the gameplay and controls go hand in hand. Not all games have a story. Some games incorporate several different genres. The amount of detail you put into your review will differ depending on the type of game. Here’s a breakdown:

Genre

Simply ask yourself, “What kind of game is this?” Is it a sports or racing game? Is it a role playing game? If so, is it turn-based or real time? Is it a first person shooter? Is it a strategy game? There are many different types of games out there, and you should categorize the one you are reviewing. This will help serve as an introduction to the review. Many people browsing reviews may stumble across a game on Ebay and not know anything about it other than a title. If you don’t properly introduce the game, the reader won’t be informed.

Story

Most video games, with the exception of sports of racing titles, have some kind of story. Role playing games often rely on a good story to keep the player interested. Knights of the Old Republic is a good example of this. Often the plot description is enough to tell the reader whether or not the game is serious or childish enough for them. Video games aren’t just for kids.

Gameplay and Controls

How is the game played? This is where you describe the basic way in which you play and whether or not it is any fun. Many games within the same genre have unique playing styles that differentiate them from the competition. For example, both Half-Life and Unreal Tournament are first person shooters, but their gameplay is completely different. Should the player use a mouse and keyboard or the joystick? Did the game have a learning curve? This section is, in my opinion, the most important part of the review.

Graphics and Sound

Your review should address the audio/visual quality of the game. It helps to provide a couple of examples or comparisons to other games, so long as you don’t rely entirely on those comparisons. Is the animation smooth and the colors bright? Did you notice any graphical bugs? A big thing with PC games is to mention how well it runs and briefly describe your computer hardware. Sound effects and music are a big deal in games now, especially with some titles using digital surround sound. I can tell you from personal experience that the Call of Duty games have some of the best sound around. If the game features voice acting, you should tell if it is convincing or cheesy. Many well known actors are lending their voices to games, and you should mention them, if possible.

Conclusion

The best way to write a good review is to consider yourself a prospective gamer who has never seen or heard of the title before. If you were going to buy this game, what would you want to know about it before making the purchase? If you keep that in mind while you write, your review should contain enough detail to properly inform the potential buyer or player if they should invest their money or not bother.

Also remember that it is very important for you to mention whether or not the game is any fun. You can go on and on with technical details of the game and never admit to enjoying it. Sometimes even the dumbest story, lamest graphics, or poor sound can still lead to a very fun game. If you think a game is great or not, tell why. After all, it is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.

Keep playing and writing! 

Here are some leads from movie reviews I have written:

**How much you like "Happy-Go-Lucky," a British comedy directed by Mike Leigh, depends on how taken you are with Sally Hawkins, the star. As Poppy, she's a kind-hearted single girl living i... more

**So this is how some people live in very big shabby-chic houses in suburban Connecticut. That was what I was thinking as I watched the utterly absorbing and moving "Rachel Getting Married."... more...

** "Pride and Glory" is a fairly predictable entry in the cops-gone-bad genre. While the violence is over the top, the acting is first-rate and it's got enough goo... more... 

**"Appaloosa" is a stylish, old fashioned western with a little contemporary humor and an interesting female character. That would be Renée Zellweger's Allie French, a shrewd, not-so-delicate miss w... more...

**With Spike Lee movies, you always know you are in for ambitious, sometimes provocative and yet old-fashioned productions, with sophisticated musical scores, lush cinematography, archetypal characte...

**An "Odyssey" for this age with an unusual heroine, "Trouble the Water" has some of the most dramatic footage of Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans ever recorded. Kimberly... more...

**"American Teen" is packed with so many touching, awkward moments and it's so deftly edited, viewers could be excused for thinking it's a work of fiction - not a documentary. In fact, revi... more...

**Slow-going at first, "Man on Wire" all comes together at the end, when the French adventurer Philippe Petit realizes his dream of walking on a high-wire 1,350 feet above the ground betwee... more... <

**"X-Files: I Want to Believe," a blast-from-the-past of a film based on the long-running, drama-sci fi hybrid TV series, doesn't live up to either the TV show or its earlier big screen inc... more...

**"The Edge of Heaven" gets under the skin like an anxiety nightmare in which the dreamer is trying to make contact with someone but is never quite able to for reasons that seem surmountabl... more...

**A Pixar production, "WALL-E" has all the special computer-generated effects that fans of the animation studio's "Toy Story," "The Incredibles," "Cars" and &q... more... 

**Who would have thought that anabolic steroids aren't the Frankensteinish, rage-inducing poison they are usually represented to be? I, for one, assumed that "Bigger, Stronger, Faster," a d... more...

**The audience at Cinemark in Hadley, Friday night, started clapping as soon as the opening notes of the "Sex and the City" theme song sounded. But the song, so beloved by many, quickly cha... more...

**"The Visitor" is nothing like the feel-good movie suggested by the previews, although it's understandable that you might expect a light-hearted film: It tells the story of an aging white ... more...

**"Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" is like a vintage merry-go-round - a whirl of pastel, pretty images and upbeat music, sweet as cotton candy and just as insubstantial. Set in 1939 London,... more...

**Heartbreaking and beautiful, director Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" ("Le Scaphandre et le Papillon") is the ultimate life-affirming movie, and it's a tru... more...

It could be that the enigmatic and quirky "Romance & Cigarettes" - a musical for goodness sake - is best described as director John Turturro's intensely personal vision. So raunchy in... more...

**In medieval morality plays, the bad guy is none other than the devil himself. This also seems to be the case in the jarring, atmospheric "No Country for Old Men." It's far from the most s... more...

Pictures from Ana Reyes and Mark Stencel