In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1. QUESTION 1
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND
CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

2. LABELLED MAGAZINE

3. FRONT COVER
COMPARISON
From comparing my magazine to a published NME front cover, there
are some clear similarities between them. Some of these similarities
are the use of puffs in dark circles and the main cover line being
overlapped on the main image to demonstrate their connection.
There is also the similarity of highlighting the key aspects to make
them stand out.
This suggests that
my magazine follows
the main conventions
of published
magazines, however
there are some key
differences which
shows how I have
challenged some of
these conventions.

4. FRONT COVER
The main image reflects my models personal style and personality because of
mise en scene. The style of clothing she is wearing is inspired by indie rock and
as my model Kiera is a fan of the genre herself, it allowed me to create a more
accurate star image to represent the genre and the magazine. I used a mid-shot
which is a key convention of magazine front covers to give her height but not too
much to make her look intimidating. I used a white background as it allowed the
model to stand out as the main focus and also present the text in a way it can be
read easily. She is looking into the camera and uses direct address which is a
common convention to help lure in the readers. The masthead used was my
personal favourite when choosing a name for the magazine and was popular
amongst the target audience. I like that the word voltage represents music and
shows the type of the magazine which demonstrates what it is about before
reading or looking at anything else. The colour scheme of black, white and red is
similar to other magazines of the similar genres and I believe it was a good choice
to highlight certain aspects of my magazine. I used a variety of cover lines to
promote articles in the magazine; most magazines do this so I followed the
conventions in this way. I used buzz words such as ‘exclusive’ and ‘plus’ to
capture the audience’s attention and make them feel they are finding out private
information that can only be found in this issue. This method is used with real
media products which is why I thought it would be an effective way of drawing in
my audience.

5. CHALLENGING
CONVENTIONS
I followed most of the conventions of a
published magazine however there were a
few things I changed to make it more
unique and stand out against these
magazines. I didn’t add smaller photos
around the page as I wanted the focus to
be concentrated on the main image with
little distractions and I didn’t want it to
look too crowded. I didn’t think it was
necessary to add a strap line as I thought
it wouldn’t suit the look of the cover and
look unappealing which may hinder the
interest of my audience. Although I
deviated from these conventions I still
followed enough for it to be successful. I
feel as though not adding these things
doesn’t have a negative impact on my
magazine.

6. LABELLED MAGAZINE

7. CONTENTS PAGE
COMPARISON
When comparing my contents page to a published issue of Q, I could see
a few connections to connote I followed the main conventions of a real
media product. My masthead is at the top with the magazine name beside
it to demonstrate its brand identity. My main image is located in the top
right corner and is larger than any other image around the page. I added
more images to give an even mix of photos and text as my target
audience stated they prefer to see an even mix. I included subheadings
for my contents information to make it easier to find what the reader is
looking for.
It could be argued that my
contents page doesn’t come
across as completely
professional because it doesn’t
meet all of the conventions
successfully. Although I believe
this makes my product unique
and introduces new ideas to the
production of music magazines.

8. CONTENTS PAGE
The masthead for my contents page is the title of the magazine
and title showing its brand identity and that is the contents
page. I made each word different colours to make them
distinctive to represent the magazine and inform the reader that
it is the contents page. I used the same font and colours to keep
the magazine looking consistent and fluent to make the
audience feel familiar with the magazine. The main image fits in
with the colour scheme and is a long shot of model outdoors
which shows her outfit and background to conform to
conventions in this way. It isn’t that large as I wanted to make
sure the information stands out and the page doesn’t look too
cramped. The subheadings are larger and in red to catch the eye
and make the magazine easier to navigate to find specific
sections the reader wants to find. I also made the page numbers
next to the content information red to make them noticeable so
the readers can find the page they want straight away.

9. CHALLENGING
CONVENTIONS
My main image doesn’t use direct
address to lure the readers towards it
which keeps the focus spread around the
page and allows the audiences attention
to be drawn to the informative text on the
page. It isn't as large as main images
used in professional magazines which
shows it doesn’t follow the conventions
because it doesn’t stand out as much as
it would in published magazines. I didn’t
use a particular layout that is consistently
similar to a particular other magazine as I
wanted mine to be unique and set a new
standard of music magazines that isn’t
like all the others. Despite not following
some of these conventions, I don’t think
it negatively affected the overall look of
my contents page as it still looks
professional and official.

10. LABELLED MAGAZINE

11. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
COMPARISON
When putting my magazine double page
spread next to a Kerrang magazine, there
are many noticeable comparisons. Both
of these magazines have the main image
on one half of the spread with the main
article on the other to keep all the main
features separate and evenly distributed
around the page. I placed a dark block of
cover to make the word ‘April’ stand out
which was a technique used in this
published magazine. Both models are
using direct address to engage the
audiences attention towards the page
which is a key convention used in
professional magazines. I also included a
pull quote, drop capitals and a smaller
image in the corner by the main article.
This therefore suggests that I have
effectively displayed many conventions of
a music magazine in my own product,
thus denoting it would be successful if
distributed with real media products.

12. DOUBLE PAGE
SPREAD
On my double page spread, I have placed a smaller image in the corner that
has the same background as the main image on the contents page. This
links these two pages and is a technique often used in real life products to
show relevance to the rest of the magazine. It is positioned to make it seem
like she is looking at the text which encourages the audience to read it. The
main image takes up half of the double page spread as that way it doesn’t
look too crowded and there isn’t a harsh background making it easier to
decipher. The background doesn’t distract from the main article of text
which is why I separated this and the main image. Everything on this spread
fits in with my colour scheme which I did to show it was an important article
and is relevant to the overall magazine. The text is an interview with
questions and answers which I differentiated using different colours to
make them easier to read and distinguish which presents it in a pleasing
way to read and breaks up the large amount of writing. I used a pull quote in
the middle of the text to show its relevance to the article and focus the
audiences attention towards the article. I also made sure this article was
consistent with the colours and fonts used elsewhere in my magazine to
keep that fluency. I used two columns when displaying my article on the
page to resemble professional newspapers which follows the norms and
conventions of realistic media products.

13. CHALLENGING
CONVENTIONS
Some magazines use images that take up
the whole double page spread so I
deviated in this way as my main image
only took up half of the spread which I
thought looked more effective. This
would make my magazine stand out
against professional magazines as this
technique isn’t used as consistently with
professional media products. Although I
followed the main conventions I changed
some of them to suit the style and layout
of my overall magazine. One of the
conventions I changed was placing the
pull quote in the middle of the text rather
than by my the main image. Even though
professional magazines use the same
method as I did, it seems to make the
text more relevant to the image if it is
placed by it. I didn’t do this as I believed
it would not suit the overall look of the
magazine and interfere with the text
already by the model, so in my case I
placed this in the middle of my article as
I thought it looked aesthetically pleasing
and would draw the readers attention
towards that more.

14. CONCLUSION
Overall I feel I have reached the conventions of a music magazine and that
I’ve created a sense of fluency and sustainability throughout. This makes
my magazine appear professional and pleasing to read for the audience
showing it would be successful. There are some elements of my magazine
that challenges the conventions to make it seem unique and stand out in
comparison to other music magazines. I have used a consistent colour
scheme which makes my magazine aesthetically pleasing to read,
connoting it would be popular among my target audience.
However, it can be suggested that I haven’t followed all the conventions of
a music magazine as most Indie Rock magazines feature males on their
magazines. This shows I have rebelled against these regulations as I have
used a female model as the main topic of my magazine which denotes my
magazine isn’t consistent with the main themes and trends used in real
media products.