Question 1

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

My music magazine uses, develops, and challenges the typical and stereotypical forms and conventions of real music magazines, which have been published. My cover has a typical layout of a real media product as the majority of my coverlines are flushed left on the left third of the front cover so that they are easy to read and naturally catch the attention of my target audience.

My music magazine also displays the typical cover/ flatplan most magazines are based around in order for the magazine to be recognizable and showcase easily what the magazine is and what it is about. For example, my masthead is printed on the top third of the front cover as it is a new magazine, therefore, allowing the masthead to be seen easily from a magazine wrack and for the masthead – along with the medium shot photography used – to be one of the first things the audience sees and one of the main things that catches the attention of my target audience.

My pop genre magazine also develops forms and conventions of real media products as it experiments with the colour scheme used on the cover and throughout the contents page, double pages spread and the rest of the magazine. I have chosen a contrasting hue, analogous colour scheme of blues, greens and purples for the first issue of my magazine. This type of colour scheme develops further than the normal use of simply two main colours and the use of black and white seen on most real/ published music magazines available.

My magazine also develops the use of images within my magazine in relation to the text on the page as it works with the layout of the page so that the text never crosses over the main subject of the image by flushing the text right or left to avoid these clashes, and, therefore, making the magazine more accessible.

Along with using and developing some forms and conventions of real media products similar to my own music magazine, my media product also challenges some of these conventions. In particular my chosen front cover image. The majority of music magazines shows their featured artist showing direct address to the niche market of the magazine and, therefore, makes the reader feel more of a part of the magazine. For my front cover image, I have selected a photograph from my shoot that has the artist (Ella-Naomi) looking down and away from the camera/ audience and have given her quite a strong pose on the front cover to show and symbolize her importance through these technical codes. This has challenged the normal conventions and forms of real music magazines as it isolates the subject from the audience but at the same time creates a feeling of mystery and curiosity as to what is so special about her.