In what ways does my media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Question 1

MASTHEAD: I have used convections of typical music magazines by placing the masthead at the top of the page as this was the case with all of the rock magazines I analysed in my magazine research. I have developed it in terms of colour as most of the mastheads I looked at were black or white and I have chosen red for mine as this fits the genre, because it is an angry colour and shows the attitude of the genre , this is particularly appealing mainly to teenagers. Also, it is easily seen and eye catching, all of this helping to attract my target audience.

FONTS: I have used similar fonts to typical rock magazines for my masthead as this is the most important thing for attracting readers, alongside the photography. Almost all music magazines use bold easily read font throughout their magazine so I have done the same as this convention works well.

PHOTOGRAPHY:I have developed the style of photography slightly on my front cover. All the magazines I looked at photograph the model/character on the front cover either at eye level or a a low angle shot so they are looking down into the camera. I have photographed my model looking up into the camera as I think it captures the attitude behind the genre of music being demonstrated perfectly.

COVER LINES: The cover lines I have used use forms and conventions of real rock magazines with both the language and the layout. The cover line running at a slight angle across the model is very typical of magazines such as KERRANG!. As this is a popular magazine of the same genre as mine I used this technique. Also every magazine I researched had the bands name in a bigger font then the rest of the text to attract the reader, I thought this was another good convention to use.

PHOTOGRAPHY:I have used conventions of real music magazines as I have used a range of live and posed photography. Live photography is very common in music magazines, especially of this genre, and as I have created a ‘reviews’ section in my magazine I thought it a necessity to include it.

FONTS: Apart from the name of the magazine at the top of the page, I have used a bold, easy to read font so the audience can understand and read the contents strait away. This is a typical convention and is used in all magazines, music and otherwise.

WRITING STYLE: The writing style differs slightly in music magazines. As magazines such as ROCK SOUND are targeted at older audiences the style is more formal. Magazines like KERRANG! have a younger reading are therefore the writing style is more casual, this is the style I have gone for as I have targeted a younger audience for my magazine.

LAYOUT:The layout I have chosen also reflects the audience I have targeted. In a lot of rock music magazines the layout is similar to a scrapbook, crowded combined with an organised and strategically placed messiness. This convention worked well for my magazine as it suits the genre really well and , again, because its aimed at a younger audience.

COLOUR SCHEME: I have followed the typical codes and conventions of alternative music magazines while choosing a colour scheme for my double page spread. This colour scheme, red, black and white, is most common for this genre of music magazine, although in my research I analysed some that were more colourful. I think this is the most effective colour scheme as it connotes the attitude of the genre and in my magazine is a perfect canvas for the model I used as she has bright hair. This is very effective in attracting the right audience.

PHOTOGRAPHY: I have challenged the typical conventions of photography in my magazine, the way I have photographed my model/character is very different to the way the bands and artists are photographed in any of the magazines I have researched. I have photographed her on the ground and pose she is in is quite animalistic. In the same way as the photography on my front cover, this is quite challenging.

PULL QUOTE: The pull quote I have used is quite simple and follows the conventions of real music magazines as it matches the colour scheme and the rest of the text. Pull quotes in the magazines I researched were typically like this and they worked well.

PAGE NUMBERS:I have used the typical conventions for page numbers as I felt this was important to make features easily accessible as shown on in the contents page.

FONTS: Similarly to my contents page, for the main text on my double page spread I have used a font and colour that’s easy to read. This was also the case in every magazine I researched and it worked well so I chose not to develop or challenge this convention. For the pull quote and the main heading I have used a bold red font to catch the eye of my audience as it ties in with the colour scheme but contrasts the photograph and the black background. This was also I typical convention I often found in my magazine research.