This document provides details on 9 different elements from a magazine media product and how they use, develop, and challenge conventions of real magazines. The elements discussed include the masthead, cover page, cover lines, images used, costumes, models used, written content, and color scheme. Many elements follow conventions, such as the masthead design and placement of cover lines. Some elements challenge conventions, such as the grayscale color scheme used instead of genre-specific colors and an everyday look for celebrity images rather than glamorous photos. The document analyzes each design choice.

1. In what ways does your media product use,
develop and challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
I have screen-shotted nine different
elements from my magazine and I will go
into detail and description on how they use,
develop and challenge forms and
conventions of meal media products.

2. The title of the magazine, the layout, the title font and style.
My media product uses different forms and conventions of real media products. From the screenshots down below they are the 9
elements of my magazine which do use the same conventions as a real media product, but some also challenge it.
The masthead of my magazine is a bolded out, clear and easily eye catching masthead. Because of the bolded out colours and the
3D effect of the masthead, it makes the reader see the masthead more obviously, and maybe will draw them into to read the actual
magazine. I did the font and the style of the masthead quite simple but large. I named it Reminisce because I don't think their is
another well known magazine circulating the world at the moment called Reminisce, and it fits into what my magazine is actually
about, the older generations with a section on the latest generation. My cover page in general does fit in to the similar forms and
conventions of a real media product. When it comes to the main cover line, I used the same forms and conventions as a real media
product. I made it bold, I wrote it in white as it would stand out on the vaguely darker background and made it more visible to the
possible readers eye. It doesn't overlap much of the direct mode of address (the picture) and it doesn't look too big and
overwhelming on the page. The direct mode of address of my magazine cover is Kim's face, directly gazing into the readers eye.
When the model or celebrity is looking in the readers eye it can make a feeling of connection with the reader, and it makes the
reader want to read the magazine as it grabs their attention. Kim is in a relaxed but staged pose, and it grabs the readers attention
as her face is bolded out and the biggest feature on the cover. My cover lines fit in with the same forms and conventions as the
majority of real media products, by having all of the cover lines on the left hand side. By doing this, it releases the picture and
broadens the picture, making it more visible and eye catching to the reader. By having it in smaller writing, it makes the reader go
closer up to the magazine cover, and if they are interested in the particular articles inside they will read them. I stuck to my house
style and kept the colour scheme black and white, which a lot of real media products stick too as well. I put the barcode at the top
right hand side of the page as I originally had another feature in the bottom right corner. After removing the feature in the bottom
right, I kept the barcode there because it fitted in right with the masthead. The gap in-between the masthead and the edge of the
cover was a perfect size for the barcode, the price and the issue date to go in-between. I placed a strapline on the bottom of my
magazine cover as the 'Reminisce' was too in the way and too high up for it to fit in. Some real media products do have the strapline
at the bottom of the page, but in a form of traditionalist the strapline is either at the top, or the bottom. I stuck to the convention and
form of the strapline without the bottom. I made it a little too small and thin, if I were to do it again I would of made it a little bold and
thicker, so readers could visibly see it.

3. The mise-en-scene of images
The mise-en-scene of the images use the same forms and conventions as real media
products. When I took pictures of Kim, I wanted her to have three different particular
styles. All glammed up like she is on the contents page, natural and everyday wear like
she is on the double page spread photos and also a new look for 'Felicity Sparks'. I took a
photo of two of my friends and a separate one of my other friend and morphed all three
together to create a image of people who might read the magazine. I got a variety of
gender, how they are dressed and how they are posed. I put them together and created a
competition section, which I thought was quite successful. With the images of Kim, I put
all the different styles on all the different pages to create a sense of individuality and
differentiation of the pictures.
Costumes and props
As 'Felicity Sparks' is a world wide famous superstar I dressed Kim in everyday clothes.
By dressing her in everyday clothes it gives off the impression that she is a laid back,
normal, everyday teenager who is no different than anyone else but she is also very
different from anyone else. Dressing her in appropriate, everyday normal clothes makes
the reader feel they can relate to her and makes them feel like they are in sync. I
purposely made the image of my cover page be a bland, basic and relaxed picture of Kim
rather than a glammed up, stereotypical pop star. By making her look bland and plain, it
shows the different side of the celebrity that isn't portrayed as much as it could be.
With the picture of the three people, I also requested the two wearing everyday clothes to
wear them as it shows that readers are also just everyday normal people. Their styles of
clothing is both drastically different, and I purposely shot a male and a female together as
it portrays that my magazine appeals to both genders, not just girls vice versa. The other
female is dressed in school uniform, which shows that she is younger than the other two.
By having a variation of gender, age and clothes it makes my magazine seem appealing
to all kinds of people.

4. People
I have used for my models majority girls but I have also used one male model. By using
both gender models it shows to other readers that my magazine is available and
appealing to both genders. If it was just appealing to females, it may of been
stereotypically pink and talking and males and gossip. If it was just appealing to males
then it would show lots of stereotypically male interested topics and articles.
Written Content
The written content of my magazine uses and also develops forms and conventions of
real media products. My written content is mainly on my double page spread, but the
contents page also involves a lot of my whole written content. On my double page
spread, questions were asked into how life was going for Felicity Sparks and all the
questions were based on her and all about her life. Having these kinds of questions
which all revolve around the person in question makes the reader interested in reading
and finding out about the person's life. The example I used was my question on how
Felicity Sparks' life was going at that moment in time. Similar magazines such as Uncut
and other popular magazines selling these days do interviews on the celebrities and
interviews on how their current life is going through a set of questions. These set of
questions can vary from love life to their childhood to their home to their fans.
Music genre and how your magazine suggests it
My magazine does challenge forms and conventions of real media products by its
portrayal of what music genre it is. Common and popoular magazines which are in the
best sellers these days have multi-coloured or a exact set colour for the genre. For
example, rock, grunge and screamo genre of music would be portrayed as black, red,
extremely dark colours. So the magazine based around the particular genre's housestyle
would be dark colours. My magazine is grey, white and black. These are not only uni-sex
colours they are also vintage colours, which makes my magazine look 'ol'timey' and
different. The bland colours with the vibrant images can attract the readers attention and
make the reader want to read the magazine because of its house style.