This document discusses how the author's media product uses and challenges conventions of real newspapers. The author researched conventions from newspapers like The Daily Mirror and The Sun to inform their product design. Their product uses conventions like a red and black color scheme and basic title font. However, it also challenges conventions by focusing headlines on society rather than individuals, including both positive and negative local stories, and manipulating images in a natural way rather than very bright. The author aimed to balance conventions with some unconventional elements to attract audiences.

1. Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Looking at my overall product I think it meets the conventions of real media products as I
have done variety of researches of how these real newspapers use conventions to make this
understandable and appropriate for audiences who would want to buy my newspaper. From
analyzing each convention I was able to fully understand them and contributed this into my
final media product. Before I started creating my product, I did some various background
researches at national newspapers, billboard and radio advertising. Examples of newspapers
that I used conventions to create my newspaper are The Daily Mirror, The Sun and The
Guardian.
For the colour scheme this meets the conventions of real media products such as ‘The Sun’
and ‘The Daily Mirror ‘ by using red, white and black which are repeatedly used in tabloid
newspapers. Based on my market research, majority of the people wanted a tabloid-looking
layout but tabloid based stories. The colour scheme I have used presents all pages of my
products (including ancillary of billboard and radio advert), which have been successful in
creating this.
For the title of my newspaper, I wanted to keep the font very basic and simple similar to The
Sun and The Daily Mirror. Especially the name of my product is very similar to ‘The Daily
Mirror ‘ by using a red block background but a white font with black outline around. I
wanted to challenge this to a more local rather than national. Differentiating this, the phrase
‘Salford’ is shaded in black and highlighted in a hint of yellow to bring an equal importance
between the two words from above and below.

2. The slogan that I have created ‘A Friend to the Local’ brings a friendlier atmosphere for the
audiences to see and hear. For example, from the billboard, I made the slogan to appear big
for the audience to see. Another example would be from radio advertising by repeating the
slogan at the end.
I have also Guttenberg principle by placing the masthead at the top of the primary optical
area along with the main headline covering the primary optical area and the terminal area to
make this balanced. When researching newspapers, they only bring importance on the
primary optical area. When I analyzed the daily express’s front page, I realized that their
newspaper was very unconventional that makes this evidently creative to attract the
audiences. Although from the right side of the right headline and the advert it does meet the
convention as the headline is at the primary optical area and the advert is at the terminal
area. But the main image contradicts this for the reader to focus on that shows importance
of the newspaper.
I’ve chosen to create layout ideas from my three chosen newspapers. My chosen layout for
the front cover would be similar from my product research from The Sun. After choosing a
final layout I slightly changed this from using two images into one. I wanted the whole page
to concentrate on one image to emphasize the importance of the headline. I did this by
creating the main image to mostly takeover with side headlines at the side and adverts to
keep the conventions of newspapers in place. This also has a similar situation with the
second page, from my chosen layout I wanted to show 2 images at an equal scale. This didn’t
fit my whole story of this headline so I decided to focus on one image and making one
smaller that over lays the main image to create a meaning of the headline. As an alternative,
I used an extra image to create a contrast between the main image, I wanted to challenge
the conventions of newspapers by doing this.

3. For the front cover, I used a medium long
shot for the main image of a person
dressed in black hoodie facing its back
towards the camera, as my headline is not
focused on one character but youths I
didn’t want the characters face to be
seen. This is where I tried to challenge
the conventions of a local newspaper
where I talk about the society instead of
just focusing on one character. For the
second page my shot that I used are long
shot to extra long shot of the buildings.
Many national newspapers do this to
make their photography a high quality
effect.
The story of my newspaper is based on crime and local-related. In most of my pages, 3
headlines are focused on crime to focus on a negative representation of the local area that
brings similar headlines to broadsheet newspapers. Especially on the first page I wanted to
do this because I believe based on my market research they preferred for the newspaper to
focus on crime. Although at the second page I intended to focus on a local-story related that
hasn’t happened yet for the audiences to feel they are part of the local. I also tried to
challenge the conventions because I tried to link in crime stories and my main second story
at my second page to create a balance effect on my newspaper overall.
There are different types of characters seen in my first page; the main headline would be
focused on youth. Applying to Propps theory they would be categorized as a villain due to
the headline focuses on bad things about them. Although this reveals why they are like that,
it show’s that the headline isn’t being biased creating a fragmented and elliptical structure.
For the secondary headline is slightly different where we both see two characters; a hero

4. that are the pensioners, and a villain that are the governments. In here I tried to challenge
the conventions by referring to an economic context from a stream of consciousness
narrative structure. For the second page, my main headline uses a hero and a villain; the
hero would be the character who wants to redevelop the town Michael Mcgorton and the
villain would be those who are opposed that creates an enigmatic structure. Usually,
newspapers are biased when it comes to story headlines but in mine, you can see that I talk
about both sides of the argument creating an unbiased feeling which challenges the
conventions of newspapers.
For the first page I wanted to manipulate my image by blurring the character so the readers
are aware that the story isn’t focusing on one person but as a local. This meets the
conventions of using real newspapers to create the closeness towards the reader. For the
second page my headline has a positive representation of the local area. So I manipulated
the image into a greener atmosphere on the main image as well as the other images by
using different techniques to create different meanings. This was easy for me to balance and
making the sides symmetrical of my newspaper to create high quality pages. Real newspaper
manipulates their images a lot more such as making this brighter. Although for me I wanted
to keep the natural lighting of my images so I didn’t do much adjustments when contrasting
this.
Doing this has helped me to spot the difference between tabloid and broadsheet. Tabloids
uses louder color schemes such as The Sun, which uses red, black and white based on local
stories and celebrity gossips. Broadsheet newspapers are more formal that are aimed at
mainstream audiences