The media product uses the form and layout conventions of real local newspapers to appear realistic. This includes using a similar page layout, simple fonts, and number/style of advertisements similar to real newspapers. However, one way it challenges conventions is using fewer articles per page to avoid clutter. The articles focus on local issues in formal language with quotations, as in real newspapers. Images were taken with a similar camera to those used by local papers and depict article topics to match real newspaper standards. Overall, following conventions helps the realism but some, like cluttered pages, were challenged for usability.

1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms of real media
products?
The layout of my final piece uses the form of real media products, using similar page
layouts to real local newspapers, which I decided to use as if I had not followed the
typical conventions of newspapers in terms of the layout, the realism of my final piece
would not be as high as possible. I have also decided to use a simple typeface for my
articles, which was calibri, which although may not be the exact typeface used by other
newspapers, I feel that the typeface does follow the forms of real local newspapers. Had
i have decided not to follow the basic layout structure used by the majority of local
newspapers, the quality of the finish of the final product may have been compromised.
However, One thing I did challenge in terms of the layout of the newspaper layout was
the amount of articles on the double page spread, which I decided to keep the number
of smaller articles to a minimum, as some local newspapers which have upwards of
seven articles on one page can make there product look cluttered with imagery and text,
and therefore distracting the reader from the main articles. Instead of doing this, I have
used a main article and a few smaller articles to accompany it, along with some
advertisements which led to the pages looking less cluttered than some local
newspapers such as the example double page spread that I uploaded to my blog.
The adverts used in my final product, are for smaller businesses and localized
businesses, which again follows the general conventions of local magazines, as using
larger national and international businesses would be unrealistic, as these businesses
are unlikely to use advertisements in local newspapers as a part of there marketing
strategies. This meant that the adverts I created were made small simple adverts, which
would be more suitable for smaller local businesses such as a local building company.
Some of the adverts contain a considerable amount of text, and the logos on them only
take up a small amount of space on the adverts, as local businesses would need to
explain there product, and there customer base may not recognize the company solely
through there logo, which may be the case with larger organizations. Also the volume of
adverts on the front page and double page spread are a similar amount to which real
local newspapers use, which is due to local newspapers revenue being largely made up
of the advertising revenue the newspaper generates. Had I have decided not to follow
the typical forms of real newspapers with the volume and style of adverts in my final
product, the realism of the piece may have been compromised, as adverts make up a
large amount of real local newspapers.
I have ensured that the the articles used in the final piece are of localized issues, which
would be predominant in real local newspapers, with the articles being on issues such
as local politics, local sport and small local news issues such as roadworks. They have
been produced using formal language, but also using a lot of quotations, which is the
normal conventions of real local newspapers. I decided not to challenge this form of
local newspapers, as they ensure that the articles are easy enough for every reader to
read and understand without feeling that the newspaper would be tedious to read, but
also informs the reader of local issues and matters in there local area. The layout of the
articles is also key to the way the final product looks. In some local newspapers, the
layout is not really considered and therefore the articles are just placed in an
unorganized fashion on the page with the only purpose of the layout to fit as many
articles on a page as they can. This is a form i have tried to challenge, as although i do
include a number of articles on a page, I feel that the layout used is a lot more

2. organized than with some of the local newspapers i looked at in my research and
development of my final piece.
This is also shown with the imagery, which has been placed on the page in a more
organized fashion than some local newspapers use, ensuring that it is clear which
article the image belongs to. I feel that by making the pages look more organized, they
are more appeasing to the eye, and may entice the reader to read the articles on the
page a little more than an unorganized page.
For the images I have used, I used a Canon 550D SLR camera, which is a similar type
of camera which would be used by photographers for local newspapers, which helped to
ensure that the final images looked like photos that could be used in a real local
newspaper. The images have also been taken in locations that match the article well, for
example a photograph of roadworks being undertaken for the article about roadworks.
This follows the conventions of real local newspapers, which I decided not to challenge
as they would make the final product look less realistic.