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

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

• 1.
  In what waysdoes your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? Here I will talking about how my music magazine may conform or challenge the conventions often seen in other Indie rock magazines
• 2.
  Upon looking atany magazine, one of the first things you notice is the masthead, this is essential as it makes it easy to identify for readers and stands out in a magazine stand. My masthead uses my corporate colour which is green to help establish my brand identity, I have also made it the full width of the page and taking up a fifth of the length, which is a convention of my chosen genre (Indie rock), this ensures it is very large, making it one of the first things for the reader to see. I have added a slight emboss effect to give it an interesting appeal and stop it looking flat on the page. Another magazine convention I have used is slightly overlapping my main image onto the masthead, which gives it a professional look and creates depth on the page. Underneath the masthead I have added the date on the left which is commonly seen on Indie rock magazines, this lets readers quickly identify the issue without having to look at its content.
• 3.
  Here I haveused a puff in the top right hand corner above the masthead; this says ‘Win Reading tickets’. It is a very common convention in the indie rock genre as it creates visual interest on the page; the music lovers will be into festivals and the word free instantly catches attention. I have placed it inside a white circle to stand out from the black background and to conform to other Indie rock magazine’s use of shapes. As my magazine target audience is aimed at young adults (mainly students) they will have very little money so the chance to get free tickets is something that will grab their attention.
• 4.
  The main imageon indie rock magazines is often of the featured band/artist, they are represented in a strong way, normally with no emotion to give them a bold appearance. To conform to this convention, my main image is of my featured band (Espire), it is a mid-shot of them stood facing the camera with direct eye contact which shows power but also engages the reader. I have also used lights at different angles to create interesting shadows across their faces, making the image look mysterious and in turn make the band intriguing. They are positioned in a stereotypical ‘boy band’ triangular shape facing the camera which is typical of the genre, it makes them look powerful and also helps to show the lead singer (in the centre).
• 5.
  In well knownmagazines of the Indie rock genre the name of the band featured on the front cover is situated just below centre on the left, to conform to this I have done the same, it is a relatively large size and is the font used on albums by the of band themselves. It is placed here so that is can easily be identified and linked with the main image. I have also added the words ‘Interview with’ just above it so the reader knows what the feature is about without having to read the article. It is the second largest text on the magazine cover under the masthead so that it is next in order to the viewers eye.
• 6.
  On my contentspage I have used my masthead down the top left hand Side so that the reader can easily identify my brand. The word ‘contents’ fills up the rest of the width in a large size, the same font as the masthead; this is very commonly seen in not only Indie rock magazines but music magazines in general as it makes you aware it is the same magazine. The large lettering also allows the reader to flick through and quickly find the contents page. I have included the date underneath so it is clear of the issue date without turning to the front cover; this is in red which is another of my corporate colours along with white and green. Much like the front cover the main image is also slightly covered to conform to conventions of magazines.
• 7.
  For my pagereferences on my contents page I used NME magazine as my inspiration; in that I made a series of sub-headings to organise the contents of the pages, each in a white box to help stand out above the other text, underneath each subheading I have two page descriptions with their page numbers, the numbers are spaced to the left of the title so they can easily been seen when scanning down the page, these are also red and larger to stand out even more. I used the typical thirds layout found in Indie rock magazines when creating my contents page. Much like NME, I used the two left thirds for my image, relating to an article, and the other right third for my sub-headings and page references.
• 8.
  Above the imageon my double page article I have used a pull quote from the interview text, this is a convention of my genre as gives you a quick insight into the content talked about in a snappy way, and is often something intriguing to draw your attention in, making you want to read more. The font used is the same as the one in the article text, however it is bigger to catch attention, I have also used a drop shadow effect to make it stand out more from the background image and give the page depth; which creates a more profession, formalised look and will therefore appeal to my target audience of young mature adults. The contents of the pull quote “it’s not as easy as it may seem” compliment the image as the band are stood in a derelict location and with little emotion on their faces; almost to back up that it is hard for them.
• 9.
  In all Indierock magazines, one side of the double page article is usually dominated by the bandartist’s name, this is to make it clear to the viewer. To conform to this convention, I have used the full width of the right hand page for my band’s name (Espire) making their name clear and easy to find when flicking through pages, this is in the same font used on my front cover to stick to their own corporate identity. As my background is quite dark, I chose to use a vibrant red to contrast it, this makes it easily stand out but also fits with my magazine’s brand intentity colour scheme. I have used gradient tools within Photoshop to darken the right side of the double page; this makes the article text and band name stand out more but also fits well with my image due to the harsh lighting, making it appear as part of the shadow. The band name has a slight drop shadow to match the pull quote and bring it off the background; this is seen in many magazines such as NME, Q and Mojo. The first letter of my article text is a lot larger and takes up two lines, I have done this as it is a convention used in almost every magazine, it gives it a sleek look and draws the reader’s attention to the main text, telling you where to start reading.
• 10.
  The image onmy double page article takes up the entire space of the two pages yet fades to black on the right hand side for the article text; this convention is seen in most all music magazines and helps the reader identify the main featured article as it is spread across a double page. The band is positioned within the left side, I have then used a gradient tool to darken the right side, making the article stand out and easier to read. The band are stood in the same formation as the front cover image (main singer at the front) however it is a long-shot rather than a mid-shot which conforms to conventions to show a less formal view of their lives and more of their surroundings. In other Indie rock magazines, Such as Mojo, the double page image of the bandartist is often more of a promotional shoot, they are normally playing a song or on a location shoot for a single or album. I have used this to inspire my image; the band are in an abandoned warehouse where they’re latest single is being recorded, the run- down look of the plocation fits well with the Indie theme and makes my image look inspiring and interesting to the eye. However unlike my competetor’s magazines where they may show them playing instruments, I have just included them holding a guitar and drum sticks as I wanted the article to be more about them than their music.