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Question 1/ In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of a real media product?
Page numbersIn our research we looked at three different music magazines this helped give us understand the conventions of the page numbers of the contents page and on the double page spread. We found that on the contents page the numbers are usually in a different colour to the other text, in a larger text and possibly even bolded. This is to make them stand out compared to the rest of the text and helps the audience to navigate the page easier and quicker, additionally we found that regardless of how the contents page is set out (for example different pages under different headings) the page numbers go in order starting from the smallest to largest. This makes the contents page appear very organised and well set out with the audiences ease in mind. So applying all of this when creating my music magazine I made my page numbers a different colour to the text, white, and I made them in a much larger font than the title of the page. I also kept all of the numbers in number order which makes my contents page clearly set out. All of these conventions help the page numbers stand out and effectively this draws attention to the different topics/ articles that are in the magazine. The page numbers that are on the double page spreads didn’t appear to be as important as the contents page as they are usually positioned in the bottom corners of the page, without anything deliberately drawing attention to them, this meant when creating my double page spread I just put the numbers in the corners of the pages, I kept them the same colour as the other text ,black, and I didn’t make them larger than the other text. This suggests that the page numbers that are on the pages are not very important, this is because once the audience is on their desired page there isn’t any reason why they would need to look at the page number again.
My MagazineCurrent Magazines
MasterheadWhen looking at the three different music magazines we looked at the heading on the front covers, this is the name of the magazine. We looked at how they are set out, the name itself, the size and colour to get an insight on what professional music magazines look like. We came to the conclusion that they were usually in the top left hand corner, this is because when the magazines are displayed this the usually the only part of the magazine that can be seen, also because we naturally read from left to right and so makes the magazine organised and well set out. The name of the magazine is also in a very large font to make it stand out and in a different colour to the rest of the magazine, this makes it seem as though it is fixed in this position and draws your attention to it. The magazine names are usually short and catchy, this is because it helps the reader to identify the name quicker and keeps it in their mind and so easy to remember. In out questionnaire research we gave our participants various options of names and they chose ‘IND’. This fitted perfectly with our magazine research as it was short and catchy, also when read aloud it sounds like indie, which is the genre of the magazine and so we also felt that this would be relevant for our magazine name. On my magazine I put the title in the top left hand corner and included the edition and date also, this is because it is all the key information about the magazine. This makes the magazine seem professional to the audience and is following the layout conventions from my music magazine analysis. I made my masterhead a deep red, this meant that it stood out from my background clearly and I made it in a much larger font than the rest of my text, this made sure that it was noticeably the name of my magazine and meant that it stood out from the rest of the front cover. I chose deep red as the colour as from my current music magazine analysis it was apparent that red was a common colour to use. However when I conducted my focus group our participants suggested that the house style should be dark purples, blacks and greys, which means that I have diverted away from this, but, considering the other text on my page I have incorporated these, I had to change the colour of title because originally it blended in with the other text so I felt that I should change it to a contrasting colour, never the less it is still a dark colour which is what was originally suggested in the questionnaire.
Current MagazinesMy Magazine
FontsFirstly, when we conducted our current music magazine analysis we found that the fonts used were usually simple, and bolded when emphasis was needed. So when conducting our focus group we gave the participants a range of different fonts that we thought would be appropriate. The participants chose two different fonts, one would be for headings and the other for elements such as cover lines. The fonts that were chosen were Accord Heavy SF (for titles) and Adobe Gararam ond Pro Bold (for cover lines). We both felt that these were appropriate as they followed the conventions of fonts used on other magazines as they we simple and clear, this makes the magazine clear and sets out an organised layout. On my magazine front cover I used a range of bolded text and normal text to set out an organised structure for my cover lines. However on the front cover I did have to incorporate another font, this was to add extra emphasis to my main story as the other text was blending in with it, however I still stuck to the conventions and used a simple font, because this was a completely different styled font to the rest it made the text stand out, when looking at current magazines I discovered that this wasn’t uncommon on other magazines either.
Current Magazines My Magazine
Colour SchemeThe colour scheme of my music magazine is red, black and blue. All of these colours are dark which follows the conventions that we found in out questionnaire analysis as we found that dark colours were desired. I used black for the cover lines of my magazine as this is the most common colour it means that you determine what the cover lines are, also I found in my research that the cover lines are usually all the same colour and usually in the colour that doesn’t stand out as predominantly. I used red for the title of my magazine as this contrasted against the back ground and the rest of the text, I also only used this colour for the title as when I looked at current music magazines I found that the title was usually in a different colour to the rest of the magazine text, this is so that it doesn’t blend in with the rest of the magazine and sets off a clear structure and layout. I used blue for the main cover story only; this meant that this stood out from the other cover lines. In our focus group we created a chart of different colours that we found were popular in our questionnaire, here we found that our colour scheme should consist of black, purples and greys. This means that I have slight deviated away from our results however from current music magazine analysis I found that these were popular colours and so justified my reason to use them. They are used as they all contrast against each other much makes each part stand out individually, originally my colour scheme was red and black but I found that I didn’t have enough variety and all of the text was merging together which made my front cover look more like a poster than a magazine. The colour scheme of my magazine also makes it versatile for either gender which effectively widens my target audience.
Style of PhotographyWhen looking at how I should structure my photography I looked at current music magazines and presented my focus group with three different front covers to look at, this helped me determine what my front cover should look like. We found that the models on the front cover usually have a very serious and strong expression and looking directly at the camera in a medium to long shot. This meant that the models needed to look fierce and powerful we also found that the front cover usually highlights sex appeal by having the models in dark clothing/ dark make up. This meant that when I took my photographs I made sure that the one that I was going to use for the front cover followed these conventions, each one of them are looking directly at the camera and have strong eye contact with the camera, we found that this attracts the audience to the magazine as it is either makes them want to be them or be with them. For the front cover I didn’t have to be concerned about the background because I was going to put them on a plain background on Photoshop, this is because in my current music magazine analysis I found that they are usually edited onto a plain background, this means that the text can stand out. In the other photographs that I have taken for the rest of my magazine, I used different locations to make the photographs more interesting, also for the inside of the magazine the photographs didn’t have to be as stern as I found that the inside story usually try’s to portray the main story as someone/ people that you would like to meet and represents their personality. For these photographs I used a location of an alley way and had them up against brick walls and graffitied garages, this is because I found that these were locations that were usually associated with the ‘indie’ lifestyle. Also I thought that these would be appropriate as they represent them as being normal people and living average indie lives which makes them more appealing to the audience as they feel that they can relate to them. The only prop that I used when taking my photographs was a cigarette, this is because from further indie research I found that smoking was a common theme amongst the indie culture, however I didn’t end up using this photographs in my finals anyway. In my magazine analysis I found that genre of the magazine usually determines what the models wear and so the outfits that I put my models in reflected the research that I had done into the indie fashion as I found that leather, vintage clothing and oversized clothing was appropriate.
Writing Style The writing style that I used for my magazine was an interview. I have done this because in my current music magazine analysis I found that interviews of the main feature were a common feature in a magazine. Also when from the results of my questionnaire analysis and focus group I found that interviews were a popular request by my target audience as it means that the audience can get an insight in their idols lives. I found that an interview is usually set out by the questions being bolded and the answers being in normal font, this means that the reader can distinguish easily between the two. An interview sets out a conversational and friendly tone which makes it an easy read. From looking at current magazine interviews I found that the name of the person/ group is at the top of the page in big and bold lettering with a large photograph of them, underneath this is a small overview of what the interview is going to be about and who it is going to be with, this is then followed by the interview and usually ends with a small closing statement about the interview and the name of the writer of the magazine. Throughout the magazine is usually a few extra photographs of the main feature and pull quotes are usually embedded within the text. This meant that when constructing my double page spread I set it out in this layout so that I kept to the conventions of an interview. Additionally the layout of the interview of the page is usually in columns that go down the page and so this is how I set out the interview of my page.
My MagazineCurrent Magazines
Pull Quotes During my current music magazine analysis I found that there are usually quotes that are pulled out of the text/ article which are made bigger than the rest of the text. These help to attract the audience to read the text and give them an insight of what it is about. On the double page spread the quotes used are intentionally shocking or unusual so that the audience will read on. These are either positioned embedded within the interview or underneath the title of page or on a photograph. I also found that there may be more than one pull quote on one interview/ article. Sometimes there are also pull quotes on the front cover of a magazine, these are only usually for the main story of the magazine, and are used to attract the audience to buy the magazine. They are usually positioned underneath the title of the main story. This analysis gave me the basis of the conventions of a pull quotes on magazines. On my double page spread I decided to put my pull quote on the photograph; I have put it in white text so that it stands out from the photograph. It is also in a much larger font to the rest of the interview which means that it stands out from the rest of the text and it makes it clear to the audience that it is a pull quote and not part of the interview. I decided to only use one pull quote on my text as I didn’t feel it was needed for my particular interview. On the front cover of my magazine I used a pull quote to advertise my magazine to the audience. I positioned it underneath the name of the band ‘Ivy’ this tells the audience that there is an interview with them inside the magazine. This means that I have followed the codes and conventions of a pull quote.
My MagazineCurrent Magazines
Cover Lines Cover lines are used on the magazine cover and are to give the audience an insight of what is included inside of the magazine; this effectively helps to determine whether or not the potential consumer is going to buy the magazine. What I needed to include in my magazine was determined by my questionnaire research as I asked my potential audience what attracts them to a magazine. I found that they looked for upcoming bands, fashion and reviews and so these are what I decided to choose as the cover lines of my magazine as it would mean the magazine would be giving my audience what they are looking for. The layout of my cover lines was from my analysis of current music magazines. I found out that the cover lines are positioned either side of the main background photograph but predominantly on the left hand side underneath the name of the magazine. This is done because of the way we naturally read left to right and so makes the cover lines more attractive to the reader. The cover lines are usually all in the same colour and some may be bolded to distinguish between the different features of the magazine. However it may be that the main story is in a different colour to the rest of the cover lines to draw more attention to it. The cover lines are usually in a large font but not as large as the title, this is to make sure that they stand out on the page but to ensure that that the audience don’t mistake them for the title. When I conducted my focus group I displayed my candidates with three different magazine front covers to see what they liked about the layouts; we came to the conclusion that the layout of a magazine was better ordered and with little over lapping. On my front cover I have positioned the majority of cover lines on the left hand side and I have made them black, I made every other cover line bold, this is to ensure that the audience can distinguish between the different titles. I also made sure that the layout of them was ordered and clear.
Current Magazines My Magazine
