1) The document discusses how the media product uses and develops conventions from real music magazines. It examines conventions used in the title, images, mise-en-scene, layout, colour, and other design elements. 2) It represents its target audience - a mainly young, male audience interested in indie rock music - through the imagery, language, and design choices used that portray attitudes of that social group. 3) The best media institution to distribute the magazine would be IPC Media due to its lack of music magazines and opportunity for a product focused on indie rock. Larger publishers also provide more resources for advertising.

1. 1) In what ways does your media product use,
develop or challenge forms and conventions of
real media products?
Title
• My title ‘Rock It Out’ distinguishes a clear relation to the genre, which
is Rock; many other magazines use the title as a symbol of their
content such as Drum Media, Top of the Pops and Metal Hammer –
however this convention is not the most popular.
• The title itself as is a compilation of black, silver and white colours
which stands out in front of a darker background which will attract the
reader to the genre of the magazine – many other magazines use
colours to attract their readers, for example –
• In comparison, my title is slightly more unique
then ‘NME’ or ‘Kerrang’ which I believe will
be more eye-catching to a potential reader.

2. Images
• In terms of images, I used many conventions for my double page spread from
previous magazines such as NME’s double page spread. using a mid-shot to show
the band/artist, however I also included a long shot of a stage to incorporate the
reader’s perspective.
• On the front cover, I used the same convention as
‘FutureMusic’ for my image with the featured artist
looking away from the camera and not into it - which I
believe is useful for creating a sense of importance
with the content.
• Although I include a variety of camera shots such as
establishing, long and mid with as well as different
angles, my preference was the mid shot to really
include the character and the appearance of the artist.

3. Mise-en-scene
• The image is in the forefront of a dark background, this
works well I feel to create a sense of importance, such as a
‘light’ in the darkness, linked together with the text ‘Saviour’.
Also the darkness could resemble mystery, as though the
artist appeared from the shadows.
• The image also has a masculine element with the style of
‘Rock’ which I feel the jacket gives, the glasses also do this.
• In general, clothing in imagery plays a small role on the front
covers, but on double page spreads the clothing and
appearance of a band/ artist displays the character and genre
of them – for example, ‘The Teenagers’ are dressed as such
and most likely play Music fit for that age group.

4. Layout
• In terms of layout, I opted to follow the contentions within existing
professional magazines as these have been modified to maximise the
attention and interest of the reader.
• Although I wanted to follow these conventions, I also wanted to make
my own layout unique within reason.
• The Front Cover has the main image in the centre of the page,
masthead above this and also uses a plug / banner at the very top. As
standard it also has cover lines as well as a Main Headline and a W.O.B
starburst above this.
• The Contents Page is also particularly similar using borrowed
conventions; a main image in the centre with splash text below, main
title logo at the top and advertisements on the bottom.
• Perhaps the most conforming to typical conventions is the double
page spread, as the proportion of text to images are firmly balanced
while typical additions such as the main headline on the right hand
side, a pull-quote and multiple images make it similar to other
magazines.
• Overall, my magazine follows many of the typical conventions, as
shown in the next few slides.

5. Layout – Front Cover Comparison
The title / logo is Both magazines utilise a plug / banner at the top of
positioned at the the page to display content and useful information.
top of the
magazine in both.
Both magazines
also use cover
lines and sub-
headings on the
left hand side.
A starburst is also used in Both main images show the artist looking
both magazines to show away from the camera and are mid-shots
additional content. at the centre of the page.

6. Layout – Contents Page Comparison
The straplines are also highlighted in Both magazines have the title at
boxes to make them stand out in the very top of the page with the
both magazines. heading ‘THIS WEEK’.
A main image with
splash text below is
on both magazines
focused on the
centre to attract the
reader.
The magazines content is also presented
Advertisements are also both in horizontal boxes going down the right
used at the bottom of the page side, but on my own the information also
with pricing and an image. is on the left side.

7. Layout – Double Page Spread Comparison
Both magazines use main headlines to
The interview and images are
convey the artist / band name on the
both presented on opposite
right side of the page.
sides.
Both
magazines
also use a
pull-quote
from the
interview.
Images are used differently Colour is also used differently here,
however, the artist is not the main with NME using black text on a white
image on my magazine whereas background while I use a combination
NME’s is clearly the main image. of white and blue on a red background
to make it eye-catching and attractive.

8. Colour
• Much of my research concluded that in general magazines use the rule
of 3, in colour schemes, this is very much the case. As such, I also
abided by the convention of only 3 colours, using Green, Red and
Grey/White but disregarding my previous plans for a scheme.
• The rule of 3 colour scheme is shown below by ‘FutureMusic’
magazine, using Pink, Black and White. Although this not the typical
colour scheme, it worked well and I believe my own colour scheme
suited the magazine. However, my background is actually a Blue /
Black combination but not included within my colour scheme.

9. General Conventions
In general, music magazines follow basic conventions such as a
Date, Barcode, Price and Web Address / Radio / Television
listings. As such, my own magazines conforms to these
conventions as well.

10. Coverlines / Sub-Headings
• In my magazine, I have used 5
Coverlines and 3 sub-headings.
• All of my coverlines and sub-headlines
were written in the Haettenschweiler
font with an alternating colour scheme
of Red and Green to create a sense of
continuity, although the font in Green is
in a smaller font to display the content of
the coverline while the coverline is used
to attract the reader.
• In addition to this, the last coverline
uses a darker Red to be more eye-
catching and stand out to the audience.
• In comparison to the music magazine FutureMusic there are many differences and
few similarities. For example, I use the same font in bold for all of my text while theirs
alternates between bold and regular. They also use the same colour of white all
throughout, while I interchange between Red and Green.

11. Mode of Address
• Although my magazine is meant to be aimed at a younger adult
audience with an average age of 17, I’ve used more sophisticated
language in a mature sense rather than casual.
• In addition to this, mostly I use a 3rd person narrative perspective
instead of using casual referencing such as ‘we’ or ‘I’ to really create a
sense of professionalism.
• However, in the Interview on the Double Page Spread I do use the 2nd
person which does also create a sense of togetherness and
involvement with the reader.
• I also use a number of commanding words to the audience – ‘Access
the very latest news and songs‟ and ‘Subscribe Online Today’ – these are
useful for drawing the attention of the reader and convincing them to
buy the magazine.

12. Genre
• The Genre of my magazine is very much ‘Indie Rock’, typically this
would involve a dominantly male audience with a minority female
audience. As such I used mostly dark and masculine colours on my
designs, while also using a formal and mature Mode of Address. many
other magazines do this such as FutureMusic , NME and Kerrang!.
• In this way, my magazine conforms to the conventions of other
magazines as I use the same language and colour scheme as other
‘Rock’ based magazines.

13. 2) How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• The image on my own magazine is similar of that of many other music magazines,
for example, Kerrang! also uses a mid-shot of their artist / band while both are wearing
clothing which represents a young and „Rock‟ impression – with the glasses, jacket
and the hat.
• In addition to this, the clothing also represents the attitude of the generation; mystery,
intenseness and drama.
•As my general audience will be at an average age of 17, and dominantly male – the
idea of a young, male front-man on the magazine is perfectly suited.

14. 2) How does your media product represent
particular social groups?
• In particular to the average reader, my target audience as a young, mainly male
and with a „Rock‟ based music interest my magazine is typical of that.
• I believe that my images do well to recreate the attitude of the social group which I
attempting to connect to; self-importance, attitude and self-image.
• Due to my choices about the colour, imagery and cover star I wanted to represent
a young, strong and attitude-full male.

15. 3) What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
As a result of previous research I have done into
media institutions, I have a clearer perspective on
which one would be more beneficial to me.
Publishes many magazines, these
magazines have websites, tv
channels and radio stations. Music
magazines: NME, Uncut.
http://www.ipcmedia.com/
Publishes a large variety of
magazines, as well as TV
channels, websites and radio
stations. Music magazines: Q,
Kerrang and Mojo.
http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/

16. 3) What kind of media institution might distribute
your media product and why?
• After deliberation and much research, I believe that the best media institution for my
magazine would be IPC Media. Although Bauer Media have a larger publication of
magazines, I feel that the overwhelming number of „Rock‟ magazines within the
institution would heavily restrict my own ability to publish what content I wanted to and
with my own focus on „Indie Rock‟ it would be much more attractive to IPC Media as
they do not currently have a magazine which has this focus.
• Undoubtedly IPC Media is a huge publisher but it‟s lack of Music Magazines leaves a
large opportunity for a media product such as the one I have produced to get into.
• Smaller publishers are an interesting proposition however their inability to provide a
larger budget and national coverage outweighs their openness to creativity. In addition
to this a larger publisher would allow a larger advertising opportunity, while smaller do
not have this.

17. 4) Who would be the audience for your media
product?
• My audience is hugely determined by other factors and influences of my magazine
research and genre. As my magazine is based on „Indie Rock‟ this will appeal mainly to
Young Adults or Teenagers,
• Average Age: 17
• Social Groups: B, C1 and C2.
• Gender: Predominantly Male (68%)
• As a result of my research I produced a reader
profile, which displays the typical audience reader of
my magazine.
Key Stats:
• Male : 68%
• Female: 42%
• Student : 75%
• Internet Users: 92%

18. 5) How did you attract/address your audience?
• My title „ROCK IT OUT‟ is attractive to the
audience as it relates well not only to the „Rock‟
genre which my magazine is based on, but the term
„Rock it out‟ also relates to a festival-like
atmosphere. The font also depicts the style of
„Rock‟ and the colour of Silver / Black has
connotations of creativity and a metallic sense,
such as a guitar etc.
• The other colours of Red and Green also
suggests a masculine sense, while the brightness
of the Green may even relate to „Toxic‟ which also
relates to „Rock‟. The brightness also makes it eye-
catching and attractive to the reader.
• The coverlines on the magazine also display
many big names within the „Rock‟ genre, such as
30 Seconds To Mars, Tre Cool (Green Day) and
Bloc Party which will be attractive to audiences and
encourage people to buy the magazine.

19. 5) How did you attract/address your audience?
• In addition, the price of the magazine is distinctly cheap in comparison to other
magazines while the addition of other media platforms such as; Website, Radio
Station and Television Channel make the magazine more interactive and more
accessible to audiences.
• Freebies are also included within the magazine, such as a Free CD. This is
advertised on the top of the Front Page, which provides a clear incentive to the
audience to buy the magazine as they receive free content as well as information
they are already willing to pay for.
Address
• Although my target audience has an average age of 17, I used a mature but casual
style of language, for example, “The Art of Drumming”, “Calling all to board the band
wagon”, etc to address my audience.
• This sort of language is used fit with the young adult audience to make them feel
comfortable but also the language is useful to attracting mature audiences.
• In addition to this, instead of a convention report-style interview I used a Question
& Answer which is easier for my audience to read and understand.

20. 6) What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
• I have learnt HUGE amounts about technology through the construction of my
magazine product, in particular to the usefulness and capabilities of Adobe
Photoshop.
• As well as Adobe Photoshop, I have used many other aspects of software and
hardware.
• In order to gain perspective on my improvement, it‟s useful to look back on my
original School Magazine and compare to my finished Music Magazine product.
The difference between them is incredible, every aspect seems improved.

21. 6) What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
• I have also learned how to maximise the potential use of many websites;
www.facebook.com , www.wordpress.com and www.dafont.com.
• In terms of hardware, I also fully understand the usage of the Fujifilm E900 9.0
Megapixel Camera which I used to take all my sample photos. I understand now
that the quality of the camera is determined by the number of Megapixel‟s it
produces – for example, „9.0 Megapixels‟.
• In order to manipulate my photos, I used Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended. This
was incredibly useful and the possibilities to edit and enhance an image was
astounding, I learnt a lot of useful techniques about the tools available.
• Other programs I used such as Microsoft Word Office 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint
2010 and Microsoft Picture Manager 2010 were also very helpful to managing the
aspects of my magazine and editing the images slightly.

22. 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression from it
to your full product?
What I‟ve learnt :
1. Throughout my research I‟ve realised the sheer importance of how the magazine is
layered out. In my preliminary task, many of my coverlines were oddly positioned
while the title was not large enough or bold enough to attract a reader.

23. 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression from it
to your full product?
2. I have also learnt the importance of fonts and how this impacts everyone on the
magazine, although on my School Magazine I used a different font for the title
everyone was very bland and didn‟t stand out at all. As I developed my final piece the
font became a very strong part of connecting the magazine together, this I realised
was vitally important.
3. In terms of colour schemes, this has been something else I have developed my
understand of. In my preliminary task I had almost no colour scheme at all other than
my text and this really hindered the magazine I felt, but as I have developed my final
piece the colour scheme has become important in distinguishing my own magazine
from others.
4. Also I have made huge progress in terms of image manipulation. On my
preliminary task none of the images were edited at all, just thrown onto the page in a
basic layout. I have learned many techniques and tools such as „feathering‟, changing
the hue / saturation of an image and many more which was useful to the manipulation
of my image to make it stand out and be attractive to the reader.

24. 7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do
you feel you have learnt in the progression from it
to your full product?
5. In addition to this, I feel my abilities on many aspects of software has developed as a
result of my full product. This has enabled me to create a slight professional feel to
my magazines which the preliminary task really lacked.
6. Branding has also been as aspect which I have learned to develop through my
magazine, without which my magazine could not give the appearance of
professionalism or believability. I have recognised the need to developing your logo
and making it stand out and attractive to a reader, it needs to be remembered so they
buy your product in the future.
7. I also learned that although consistency is a good aspect which a number of big-
name brands employ, using a different colour scheme in each of your magazine
products can be useful to engaging the reader in different genres and aspects, as
long as the branding is clear and attractive the different colour scheme can be a
positive outlet.
8. Lastly, I now fully understand the typical conventions of a magazine, such as a
barcode, a date, a website, a price, page numbers and a recognisable logo.