Evalutaion Question One
- 1. Evaluation: Question One In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real media products? How have you stuck to the codes and conventions of front covers, contents pages, and double page spread that highlighted in your research? In what ways have you developed or challenged/changed the conventions of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads that you highlighted in your research?
- 2. Front Cover When I analysed other magazines like Q and NME, I found that all magazines have a big mast head, and it stood out from the whole page, it was the biggest text on the page and made it clear to the audiences what the magazine was called. I have included many cover lines on the front cover, this again is a convention of most music magazines and also creates a colour scheme which is red, black and blue. This gets carried throughout the whole front cover. The cover lines are all in line down the left hand side, this makes the front cover organised. I have used quotes to go with my cover line, this is what most music magazines include and lets the audience know a bit more before reading it. The main cover line is the biggest cover line on the front cover, this uses the main conventions of music magazines. Also having the main cover line over the image this uses a convention. This then lets the readers know who the image is of and, by having the main cover line much bigger, it shows that the there is going to be a big section on the person included. I have included the date, issue number and price, this is a top convention to have on a front cover for a magazine. This is clear to the audience as what issue they are buying and the cost. I have included a header and footer on my front cover, this is common for magazines to have, this just adds a bit more information to the front cover and attracts readers in with big artists. Barcode is very useful to have on the front cover. I have challenged the conventions of having the barcode in the bottom right corner which is what most magazines include. I think that the barcode still looks professional in the top right corner, and develops a new look. This is my main image, and I have challenged the conventions of having a long shot, instead of the common medium close up, however I think that the image look professional and completes the genre of magazine. The use of a flasher is a main convention of music magazines, this gives the audience more information about the magazines content. I have used a main colour scheme of white, red, blue and black, these colours are appropriate for my whole audience and stand out, making the cover look bright and eye catching. By the magazine looking professional and the colour scheme being consist his then lures people in to buying the magazine. I have also challenged the main conventions of a music magazine because I have not used rule of thirds, my cover lines spread evenly around the main image, but I do not have 3 columns, although I didn’t follow the main conventions of a music magazine I still think my magazine is successful.
- 3. Contents Page I have added my mast head again to the contents page because this makes the magazine recognisable, this is a convention of most magazines and having this makes it look professional. I have three images on my contents page, the pictures are all in the same area and this makes it organised, the images are light and are of all people that are due to feature in the magazine, the images also match the genre of the magazine. Even though the images take up a lot of the page, but this doesn't make the contents page look empty, there is no white space and conventions of magazines are included. The page numbers are next to every headline, the numbers are a lot bigger than the text and are in bold, this makes it very clear what's what and where to find the article you want to read about, the page numbers on the pictures are even bigger and there is no caption with them but the image makes it clear to the reader. The images also match my genre of rock/pop with casual clothing and poses. The headers on the contents page are a different colour to most of the other text on the page and a lot bigger, this stands out and separates the magazine into sections and organises the page, the text is in capitals and red which is a bold colour. The headings are also very suitable for what is featured. There is a subscribe section on the contents page and it lures the reader in because it is giving you an offer. There is also a scan code and this is very popular in magazines recently because of the smart phones now available, this makes the magazine seem up to date with the current target audiences and technologies. Having a black background on is also makes it stand out than the other things on the page with a white background, this is a main conventions for music magazines to have offers in them. I have used rule of thirds on my contents page which is a main convention of music magazines, the first column is what is included and then the other two columns include the two images side my side, this makes the magazine contents page look tidy but also eye catching I have used the same colour scheme throughout my contents page, this is also the same to the front cover and double page spread. I have written an editorial on my contents page, and clearly labelled this, this is just a bit about the editor and lets the readers know a bit more about what they are going to read about and get to know who produces the magazine a bit better, this is then signed with a signature of my name, this makes it personally from me as the editor of this magazine, and also is another convention of music magazines.
- 4. Double Page Spread I have included a header on my double page spread and is again says the name of the magazine, this makes it look professional. The headline is the biggest bit of text on the double page spread, and gives the reader an idea about what the interview is going to be about, it is also in capitals and takes up a third of the page, and is the first thing that you read. A stand first is the paragraph under the headline, this gives a bit of information from the writer about who we are talking to about what about this lets the reader know a bit about the article before reading the huge 3 columns following. I have used two images on my double page spread, and I have placed them opposite the text, the images together take up the whole left hand side of the page and can relate to the genre and also relate to a image on the contents page too. I have used a pull quote, this is a quote from the article and I have enlarged it and added it to the blank space on the image page, this lets the reader know a little bit about the article before reading the whole thing. A drop cap is used on the first paragraph on my article. This is to let the reader know where the article starts. I have included a by line to show who the images and who the text is by, this is a main convention of music magazines. Page numbers are used on both corners of each page, these are the same numbers to the image on my contents page. This is a main convention of music magazines. I have used three columns for my interview and this is a convention of music magazines, this makes it look clear and organised and also having the speaker in bold lets you know who says what. The colour scheme for the double page spread matches the contents page and the double page spread, this a convention of music magazines.