1. In what ways does your
media product use,
develop or challenge
forms and conventions of
real media products?
2. GENRE AND TARGET AUDIENCE
BY CHOOSING A GENRE THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN MYSELF ENSURED THAT I WAS
ABLE TO ADAPT MYSELF AND GET INVOLVED WITHIN THE GENRE. I KNEW THAT IF I
LIKED THE GENRE THAT IT WOULD BE EASIER TO BEGIN TO GET IDEAS TOGETHER
FOR THE MAGAZINE, DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD AND CONTENTS PAGE. THIS ALSO
MEANT THAT WHEN ENGAGING WITH THE TARGET AUDIENCE AND TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND THE TARGET AUDIENCE THAT THIS WAS AN EASIER WAY TO DO SO.
I FELT THAT I BECAME A PART OF MY TARGET AUDIENCE AND THAT THEN I
COULD FOLLOW THE TYPICAL CONVENTIONS OF THAT GENRE, THINGS THAT THE
AUDIENCE WOULD RECGONZIE AND ADAPT TO.
3. FRONT COVER TITLE
THE FRONT COVER TITLE WAS ANOTHER THING IN WHICH I ASKED THE TARGET
AUDIENCE OF THEIR OPINIONS ON NAMES. I CAME UP WITH THE NAME
‘POPMANIA’. BY USING THIS MASTHEAD IT MEANT THAT STRAIGHT AWAY THE
TARGET AUDIENCE WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHAT GENRE IT IS. I PLACED THIS
MASTHEAD AT THE TOP OF THE MAGAZINE WHERE YOU WOULD EXPECT IT, IN
WHITE BOLD WRITING AND A LIGHT PINK BACKGROUND AND CURLY FONT WHICH
WOULD ATTRACT THE TARGET AUDIENCE AS ITS GIRLY AND BUBBLY AND PRETTY
LOOKING, ALL THIS ALSO FITS THE GENRE OF POP. I THINK THIS TITLE FIT MY
MAGAZINE PERFECTLY AND WAS STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, NOT TOO OVER THE
TOP AND STILL WOULD ATTRACT THE TARGET AUDIENCE.
4. COLOUR SCHEME
THROUGHOUT DUE TO MY TARGET AUDIENCE I DECIDED TO STICK WITH A LIGHT
PINK AND WHITE THEME COLOUR TO ATTRACT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. THESE
COLOURS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TARGET AUDIENCE, GIRLY, PRETTY, CUTE
COLOURS AND THEREFORE MAKES THE TARGET AUDIENCE AUTOMATICALLY
INTERESTED. I MADE SURE THE COLOUR WAS THROUGHOUT MY MAGAZINE
CONTENTS PAGE AND DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD. I USED DIFFERENT SHADES OF PINKS
AND PURPLES AND LITTLE SHAPE BOXES BRIGHT BLUE COLOURS TO MAKE THEM
STAND OUT.
5. CONVENTIONAL?
OVERALL MY MAGAZINE USES MANY MEDIA CONVENTIONS THAT WOULD BE
FOUND IN MUSIC MAGAZINE PUBLICATIONS. THE MAIN MAGAZINE THAT I BASED
MY PRODUCT ON WAS “TOP OF THE POPS” MAGAZINE. THIS MAGAZINE IS A POP
MAGAZINE, WHICH AIMS AT THE SAME KIND OF TARGET AUDIENCE, BUT ALSO HAS
A CLEAR LAYOUT IN WHICH I WAS ABLE TO GET IDEAS FROM AND APPLY TO MY
OWN WORK. I DIDN’T COPY AND PASTE THINGS FROM MAGAZINES SUCH AS TOP
OF THE POPS BUT USED PARTS FROM IT TO GIVE IT AN INDIVIDUAL STYLE, STILL
PORTAYING THE GENRE CLEARLY.
6. FRONT COVER
As you can see I took inspiration from this top of the
pops front cover. I used a title containing the word
‘pop’ to make it clearly obvious it is about pop music,
the musical notes on either side connote this too. I used
the main story line about glamour girls, similar to the
other front cover with a girl group band. I also used
what it said as I thought this would draw in the
audience as it’s a ‘secret’ by them being able to know
the secret gives a personal approach to inviting the
readers in. I used tag lines like ‘festival looks inside’
which is still music related however cooperates fashion
as well, which I found in research is what a lot of the
magazines done. I also included a puff in which music
awards tickets can be won, the target audience seeing
the fact they can get something free will draw them in
even more. I have a slogan which is a play on word,
making it exciting, and also using slang ‘goss’ which is
portrayed in more of a chatty tone. I have the date and
a bar code making it look more professional. The main
image being the main thing standing out I took
inspiration from and done the same on mine, the girls
look happy, pretty and girly. They are all dressed in
pretty outfits, and they all look like role models for my
target audience that they would be inspired by and be
familiar with. It is still obvious it is a music magazine
due to my heading of the magazine, this has the word
‘pop’ in and although my front cover has a lot of
7. As you can see here I have mostly used
connotations from this top of the pops contents
page here. I copied the title as the word ‘mag’ is
abbreviated from magazine, this is showing I’m
using slang, something the target audience
would do too. I then noticed on the top of the
pops magazine, they had kind of like little sub
headings with the different topics that would be
in the magazine. I used this to then apply to
mine, using things like ‘fashion’ ‘music’ and
then a ‘plus’ section. This is then gives the
audience a clear idea of where things are to
locate easier in the magazine. I thought it would
be easier to keep my pictures all in one place as
if they are spread out I would have to change the
layout of everything. However the TOTP
magazine has the pictures spread out, not really
in an order, in my opinion making it look messy.
Throughout my research I found that the
magazines weren’t just about music, but there
was a big section on other things, so I didn’t just
keep my contents page music based. The colour
scheme I stayed with pink throughout as this
relates to the target audience and they would be
Contents
page
8. As you can see here is what I used to take ideas and
inspiration from for my double page spread. I noticed
on most of them they had a big quote at the beginning,
which would have been said within the interview as a
title, to make it stand out and to intrigue the audience
as to who said it. I also took inspiration from the way in
which the interview was set out, in the ones I looked at
they had a main picture covering most of the page and
then the interview around it, I did try this however it
didn’t work out for me and I found it easier and more
structured to have a picture in the corner, and text
around it. Right at the beginning I used a larger letter
that stood out more, this is something every magazine
does I looked at. I also then used an embedded quote
within the article which is standing out and this is
talking about glamour girls fans. By talking about the
fans in the interview is making it more personal and not
just about the group themselves. I changed the colour of
the questions to answers as I thought it would then
stand out the difference between the two, the questions
asked aren’t asked in a formal way, they are more like a
chat, conversation, I used slang words and nicknames
for the band members, making it more relaxed and
more about finding out gossip. I used the Instagram,
twitter and Facebook icons in the top suggesting for the
target audience to go and find out more on the social
networking sites, things the target audience would
recognize. I then also used a bright arrow leading to the
