Little White Lies - Michael McGroarty

Little White Lies is an independant film magazine. They review the latest releases in film and DVD. Online, they also have exclusive interviews with stars such as Vincent Cassel of La Haine and Mesrine fame, JJ Abrams who did Cloverfield and Star Trek. However, they also interview lesser known people such as first time directors. They sell 6 issues every year, much. The good thing about LWL is that they aren't influenced by hype or public opinion. No fanboys etc. As oppose to the larger magazines, LWL uses a cartoon image of a current film every front cover. There first issue had Bill Murray from The Life Aquatic on it's cover. It's current issue, number 27, has Viggo Mortensen from The Road on it. This helps create a distinct, visually arresting theme with each issue.

The thing that sets apart LWL is it's charismatic, self-indulgent artistic front covers and pages. An interesting thing about this is that whatever film appears on the front cover creates a running theme for the rest of the issue. For example, one edition had Spike Jonze's 'Where The Wild Things Are' as it's cover film. In keeping with the childish subject matter of the film, there are numerous child scrawlings on reviews and other pages. Also there are relevant typographical symbols by the page numbers; in this case a little crown, as the boy in the film is crowned King of the beats. While this vanity project may be needlessly expensive, it does add a different flavour and aesthetic to the magazine, setting it apart from the likes of Empire and Total Film.

LWL has a tricky target audience, tricky in the fact it's hard to pin down specifics. LWL isn't just a film magazine, it transcends all aspects of modern culture and utilises them to create a different kind of film reaction. LWL say themselves:-

'Because movies don't exist in a vacuum, we venture beyond the boundaries of the big screen, exploring the worlds of music, art, politics and pop culture to inform and illuminate the medium we love. Bold, beautiful and unique, LWL is a magazine on a mission - to reshape the debate across the movie landscape.'

While a normal review will delve deep into the dynamics of the film, it won't stray outside of it. This is where LWL is different once again. By utilising the numerous aspects of culture, they shape a more profound, complex review. The most interesting part about the LWL movie reviewing process is it's evaluation system, which occurs at the end of every review. It is a 3 way system. They split it into anticipation, enjoyment and in retrospect. Anticipation is an oft-overlooked aspect of film. The hype of a film, whether it be through the media or your own mind, can seriously influence the enjoyment of a film. For example James Cameron's Avatar was stuck in production hell for 12 years before getting a release. The media sensation it caused; whether it'd be the biggest film of all time or the highest grossing film of all time; was astronomical before it's release. A film can reach the dizzy heights of 'fever pitch', but anticipation can be a double edged sword. Enjoyment is the viewing experience. If it was a thriller, did it have you on the edge of your seat? Did it grip you and not let go? Or did it allow a quiet time to nap in the darkness of the cinema? This ties in with anticipation. If you see a film you've been dying to see for months, maybe even years, and it falls flat, the height of the anticipation to the dark pit of the lack of enjoyment is often more devastating than a rudimentary dislike of a film. Therefore anticipation affects enjoyment, and the combination of these two affect the retrospective part. This is the most notable part of the film experience. People can often recount their most vivid memories with ease; whether it be a concert, holiday, or a once in a lifetime experience like the Northern Lights or skydiving. Films work in the same way. Sometimes the best film is not the most technically proficient or the film that walked away with all the Oscars, it's the one that resonated most in your soul. It stirs up forgotten memories or uncovers lost loves, buried burdens or drowned passions. A film can change lives, and having a retrospective opinion allows you to grasp how good the film actually was. It's the most important part. We can tell from this type of 3 tiered review system, that LWL revels in the pleasure of film, as oppose to a robotically formulated opinion, all correct in it's parts, but lacking a certain intimacy.

LWL language in it's reviews is complex; not exactly the type of vocabulary you'd find in The Sun or the Daily Star. A review I read for Martin Scorcese's Shutter Island uses complex language and references that is only for the film-literate. Phrases such as 'dripping with Hitchcockian nuance' and 'chiaroscuro lighting that intensifies the feeling of claustrophobia resonating from the prison' all highlight the fact that LWL is aimed at 'movie buffs'. Hitchcock being a famous director of numerous suspense film and chiaroscuro lighting meaning bold contrasts in light points us to the fact that an average movie goer would not know the references or understand the film terminology.

The website has a section entitled 'Friends of LWLies', in which it's sponsors or company acquaintances are listed. There are several film festivals; Leeds, Edinburgh and Raindance all show that LWL's target audience is again geared at more film accustomed individuals; it is not sponsored by large, big name companies, because this would contrast with the copy in the numerous editions of the magazine. Looking through one edition, there are sponsors from Fenchurch, Swatch, Land Rover, Canon, 20th Century Fox, Optimum Releases, Rockstar Games, Playstation and Electronic Arts. Without generalising too much, these are more male orientated products. Fenchurch is predominantly a male brand, Land Rovers are male enforced cars, macho in their size and engine brawn, Rockstar and Playstation are obviously appealing to male gamers who like deeply plotted violent games; these brands could be considered art in their own right, much like LWL itself.

Posted by Michael McGroarty