Q1

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

Who the codes and conventions need to appeal to

My magazine is made for teenage girls interested in r&b/pop music and also that are interested in fashion and the gossip about the people associated with this genre. It had to appeal to them through the colour scheme, the types of pictures that were used and also the content that was included. My magazine challenges some of the conventions such as colour schemes but sticks to the majority of the codes and conventions such as style of photo and the costumes the artists are in and also the layout of the cover.

Conventions of a magazine• Masthead• Fonts• Writing style• Colour scheme• Cover lines• Pull quotes• Style of photography• Page numbers• Bar code, issue number

and price.

Front coverThe images on the front cover are similar as it focuses on one person who the main article inside the magazine is about. Both images have a medium long shot of the artist which is the main article but we have a different use of colours as the other magazine has a dark background and three set colours for the text which links into mine for having a theme of three set colours but my image is in black and white which is challenging normal conventions of a pop/R&B magazine although it has bright coloured text on the page.

Masthead

My magazine

Other magazines

The magazines that are in the same genre as my magazine have similarities to my masthead as they have both used the same layout with their masthead at the top of the page with the model in the picture partly covering the magazine. Blender magazine has used a bold black text upon a black background to make it stand out and Vibe have used a bold red text upon a black background which gives the same effect as blender, my magazine also fits this as its got a grey background with a black text but it differs to the other magazines to make it more noticeable as the letter ‘I’ is in a different colour.

Writing style• The writing style on the inside

of the magazine differs from the front cover as it’s very structured and has a clear layout into columns so it’s presented well to the audience and is easily understood. The layout makes it easier for the reader to find different paragraphs in the interviews and makes the double page spread more eye catching to the readers as it’s not trying to grab your attention as the cover lines on the front cover do, it’s for you to read.

My magazine

Other magazines

Colour schemeThe magazines have three main colours on the front cover, My magazine has used black, blue and pink, the other magazine has used black, yellow and white and the last magazine has used Black, gold and blue. A main colour to be used on magazines is black as it stands out more and makes the text clearer on a light background although the middle example has a black background with bright coloured text over it. Whereas mine and the last magazine have a light background with the bright coloured text over the top to make it stand out more.

Style of photography• All the photos are staged photos

with one person in a studio, the shots taken for front covers are predominantly medium long shots or a mid shot which shows mainly the face and upper body of the person on the front cover, Most front covers show the model having eye contact with the camera which makes it more eye catching to readers, the photos need to grab readers attention to make them want to buy the magazine. My magazine challenges the normal front cover as the picture is in black and white whereas most front covers are in colour.

My magazine

Other magazines

Props and costumesMy magazine was very simple, I used basic colours for the outfit which was black and white with no prints as I wanted a plain picture so the text on the cover would stand out and be more effective. I used a young girl to show the target market it was aimed at so the audience feel they can relate to the person being interviewed inside. On the inside pages I added colour to the pictures but kept the colour scheme by putting a pink top on her and she had a leopard print cardigan on as the pictures were all on one side and I wanted them to be bolder than on the front cover.

layout

The layout of my magazine follows the same trend of other magazines by having one main artist shown in the middle of the front cover and then with the masthead behind the artists head at the top of the screen and then a main heading of who the artist is on the cover and then the text of what is included is around the side of the page not covering the artists face.

The double page spread of my magazine is a little less compact than most magazines as it’s aimed at a younger audience and it has a more spread out layout in order to not lose the readers interest but there’s enough text to gain an insight into the artist.