The document discusses how the media product challenges and develops conventions of real media products through its use of forms and layouts. Specifically: - The front cover challenges conventions of regional magazines by including a niche twist while replicating an existing magazine format. Bold fonts are used for attention grabbing. - The double page spread slightly challenges conventions by using two images rather than one large image. Industry standards like folios and decks are followed. - The contents page challenges conventions through its use of regional flag colors in the layout. It replicates the style of an existing magazine. - The billboard challenges conventions by taking a format not usually seen for regional magazines, but maintains the house style for consistency.

1. In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
By Jack Booth

2. Front Covers

3. I feel as though my front cover challenges the conventions of regional magazines, as I decided to put a
niche-like twist on my own products, because I have developed the codes and conventions of regional
magazines within my magazine, but also replicated the form of an existing product that isn’t a regional
magazine but a magazine that fits in with the genre that I wanted to produce my work on. While doing my
research, I obviously used 442 as a focus point as it was something I wanted to replicate and saw that
their bold fonts were good to use for a selling line, as this is what the reader first notices and also for a
masthead and cover lines. The front cover is what a reader will first see and so if the fonts are big and
bold, it will catch attention. Within my front cover, there is my magazine name in a bold font called ‘White
Elephant’ along with my selling line also in ‘White Elephant’. I then have some cover lines along the side
of my front cover in a red font which I feel works well against the bricked background whereas 442 have
theirs in a black font on a light background. I have my screamer in a white bold font placed in the centre of
my front cover, I feel it demands attention and the reader will want to turn to the article about ‘the new
boy’. In terms of plot, I feel the readers would be interested by my article about ‘the new boy’, because
context would tell you that the player in question is from the local area and so the readership which is local
people would be interested by the success that he has had.

4. Double Page Spreads

5. Within my double page spread, I feel that I have correctly used codes and conventions of magazines. I
think that I have slightly challenged the forms of an existing magazine by having two images that are on
either page of my article rather than one image covering one side of the double page spread like 442 have
done. I have done this, because I feel both images explain the context of the copy that I have written. I
have used the codes and conventions correctly in my opinion within my double page spread. For example,
I have used a folio at the bottom of my page to make my page look realistic, neat and professional just like
all existing magazines do. I have inserted a deck at the beginning of my article to introduce the context of
the article. I feel that my headline and sub-headline that accompany my first image are good for my article.
I have used alliteration within my headline, I feel it connotes with Grimsby Town, because my article is
explaining their aims and desire to succeed and by saying ‘Hurst’s hopefuls on the up’ tells the readers
that they want to be successful. I have used a question within my sub-headline to make the reader think
about whether the people involved in the article can do what the question asks, because the readership
will understand the context of the football team’s situation. In terms of layout, I think my double page
spread uses the forms of an existing sports magazine, because I have used symbolic colours for my
layout, which relate to the football team I am talking about in my article. 442 have done this within their
article, because the player they are interviewing used to play for two teams that play in red and white and
these teams were symbolic to his career.

6. Contents Page

7. I feel that my contents page challenges the form of an existing product, because within my own contents
page I have used colours within my layout that connote to my genre of regional magazines. The colours
used connote to the colours of the Lincolnshire flag which is the region of where I have based my regional
magazine on. I think that my contents page replicates the contents page of FourFourTwo. I have used a
bold font to show the sub-titles within my contents page, I think by showing the reader which parts of the
magazine are which, they can pick and choose which parts of the magazine they want to read first. Just
like FourFourTwo have done, they have taken snapshots of selected articles, and placed them in their
contents page and I have done similarly. This should tell the reader which articles in the magazine are
most important and a must read. By placing the page number next to the snapshot, this should alert the
reader to the page number of the must read articles. I have reiterated my house style within my contents
page just like FourFourTwo, because the house style makes your product look neat.

8. Billboard
I think my billboard challenges the
form of regional magazines, because
you don’t actually see many regional
magazines in a billboard form, as
there isn’t much need to, as a
regional product is only really
relevant to local people and so the
product will be readily available in
local areas. I think my billboard uses
a form of a real media product,
because I have continued my house
style within my billboard, this keeps it
professional and standardised.