Question 1
- 1. Question 1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- 3. Conventions of my music magazine. The first convention that I followed was using a masthead so that it is along the top of the magazine cover. This is so it is eye catching as well as bold. I have used text to be able to accomplish this. Another reason why I have located it at the top of the page so that if it was on a shelf or any place in the magazine section, it would be seen very clearly, if it wasn't at the top it wouldn’t be seen very well. I have made the masthead the largest text on the page, as essentially it is the most important piece of text. It is what will be most memorable. The mast head is also significantly different from the other pieces of text, especially as it has a pink/red glow around the outside. Again making it memorable which could act as a logo for the music magazine. Masthead
- 4. Cover photo A convention that I have followed is having the artist make eye contact, this is so the reader can feel a connection, which could make them want to read the magazine. I have placed the artist in the center of the front cover, this is so the main focus will be on the artist. It also gives the front cover a bit of a structure as the masthead is in the center at the top. I have made sure that no bits of text are completely covering the artists face, as it would be very unclear to see who the main story is about. Even though there is a slight bit of text on her hair, its nothing to big to not to be able to see Amy. I have used the background from the photo shoot, this is because it looks slightly more sophisticated and its nothing bright, so it doesn’t take any attention off of the main artist. The cover photo links to the headline, as it is the artists name (Amy Townsend), so the reader can visually see the artist as well.
- 5. Cover lines The cover lines are at the side of the page, so that nothing is covering the cover photo, which is one of the main aspects. I have used margins on the side of the page, this is so there is some structure but also so that the text is all aligned properly and it doesn’t look unorganised. The artists names are clear to read, this is vital so the reader can see who is also included in the magazine.
- 6. Headline I have made sure I have followed the conventions of the headline by: I have made the headline the second biggest text on the page. This is because the headline isn’t as important as the masthead, but it is important so that the reader can see who the main story is about. I have made sure that it is the name of the artist, which is vital for the reader to know who the main story is about and so they know who the person is on the cover page. I have also used a a subheading to lead in the reader so it can give them a slight idea of what the article will be about. It is also a bit of a teaser so they will want to read on and find out about the artist.
- 7. Selling line I have placed the selling line above the masthead, this is so it will be seen and that is where is will typically be seen on a music magazine cover. I have made sure that the selling line is a slightly smaller text so it doesn’t take any attention away from the masthead or other important text on the page. Date and Price I have located the date and the time right underneath the masthead, this is so that it can be seen and people know how the date of the magazine. Also so that the price can be seen clearly and readers don’t have to search for it on the covers.
- 9. Features and Columns I have given a title to each section of the features. This is so there is some structure to the column. I have used a colour scheme using Amy’s red lip as the starting point. I’ve also used a plain background so that no focus will be taken off of the features and the images. I have located all of the feature along the left hand side of the contents page. I have decided to use a different font underneath each feature. This is so the names of the artists stand out. I decided to put the page numbers in bold, so that they can be seen clearly and there is no confusion of what the numbers are. I have used two columns on my contents page. This is so there is some structure to the page and it looks more organised. I think it looks more appealing when there is some order on the page.
- 10. Title The masthead and the contents title have both been located at the top of the page. For my page title ‘contents’ I have used the same font as my masthead. I decided to do this because as they match it doesn’t look like they have been thrown together. I decided to fade out of my masthead so that the contents title stands out, this is so the readers can clearly tell what page they are on and also it is important to still have the masthead on the page, as it almost acts as a logo. I have located the date of magazine at the top right under contents, so that people can see the date again. It is important that the reader knows they are reading up to date stories. Also the reader wont have to turn back to the cover page to see what the date of the magazine is and to see the masthead. These are all following the conventions.
- 11. Images I took all of these pictures myself. The first photo is the main story and the page number. Which is the second time that it is on the contents page, which reinforces how it is the main story. The picture was used from the first shoot that we done. The second picture is of another story in the magazine. The final picture is what I took on a trip to New York. I decided to include this so that not all of my pictures were from a photo shoot. I have bordered them using the colours from the titles of the features. It fits in with the colour scheme. I have included a web address at the bottom. This is so the reader can visit the page and usually many music magazines will include a web address. I have included the web address so the reader can look online at more information and images.
- 12. Article
- 13. Main image The main image is of the artist. This is a convention as the reader needs to know who the story is about. The image covers all of one page, the other page is text. I wanted the image to be of Amy as the main story was about her and it is important for the reader to know exactly who they are reading about, also so they know what she looks like.
- 14. Pull quote I added a pull quote so that the reader can be enticed in to reading the article. It is placed in the center of the text, placed on a red background so that it stands out. Index tab I have placed an index tab on the top left hand corner. This is so the reader can find the main story fast by searching for Amy’s. It also emphasises how important the story is.
- 15. The article The article has been spread on just the one page. I have separated the text in to three columns. This is so the reader isn’t just reading one large chunk of text, as this can be very off putting. It also makes it easier to read. Before the interview starts there is a little bit of text that the reader will read which will want them want to read on as it is like a small summary of what is going to be said.
- 16. Headlines The headline is located at the top of the first page of the double page article. It is at a slight diagonal. I decided to do this as it will stand out that it is an important thing to read. Also it is the biggest text on the page, which makes it clearer to understand that it is the headline. The subheading is a lead in so the reader will have an idea of what the article will be about. Also it is located underneath the headline. I have used black for the font as it fits in with the rest of the colour scheme.
- 17. Forms • The colour scheme of my magazine is red, grey, black and white. I felt that this was sophisticated and it fits in with the fact that it is a pop magazine. • I have used images which I took myself. I felt that it would be original to have my own photos, also this is what I based my colour scheme on. • I have used different fonts so that everything isn’t just the same and it is all pop influenced. • I used graphics to make shapes so that I could border my images and the top of my article page. This is so the colour scheme can run throughout the magazine and so it can still have the pop music feel.
- 18. Developing ideas Cover For my front cover I used ‘Q’ magazine layout as inspiration. I liked the bold name for a headline and the sub heading. I changed the font so that I felt it had a more of a pop feel. I decided to change the font underneath so that it was a little more sophisticated as this is the aim for the magazine. I also decided to have all of my cover lines on the left hand side just like the Q magazine.
- 19. Challenging conventions • I challenged the convention of having a smaller sized article on the contents page as I felt that my contents page was pretty full, and I didn’t want to overcrowd the area. Also I wanted to keep the contents page for the features and the images that are going to be in the magazine. • On the magazine article, I decided not to use a insert image in the text, this is was because I felt like I had enough on the page and again I didn’t want to overcrowd the page.