QUESTION 1: In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

FRONT COVERMasthead

Sell line

Main image

Anchor text

Features

Cover line

Tag line

Main cover line

MASTHEAD

The masthead is large and bold and stands out. It is placed at the top of the page (common convention) . It is placed behind the image- brand awareness. It is a bold and bright colour that catches the readers attention. It is located in a typical place and is easy to detect. Other magazines use this convention as shown:

SELL LINEI used the common convention of using a sell line on my front cover. A sell line is an introductory headline to a magazine that is normally placed below the masthead. I have used this common convention as to placing my sell line underneath the masthead rather than trying something new, for example placing it above the masthead.

(Q)

FEATURESThe features give the reader an insight into what is featured in the magazine. – there for entertainment/ informative needs (uses and grat). The features are positioned on the right of the page, and different colours are used to separate them. The colours also link to the house style. – contrast against the cover background also.

(Billboard)

MAIN IMAGECommon convention of medium close up image and a singular person who features on the front- person covering the main article of the magazine. There is a direct mode of address which connects the artist and the reader, creating a personal relationship (uses and grat). Desirable look , pose and style- seen as an object of Mulvey’s male gaze. The image is in black and white, visually interesting and attractive- use of lighting to enhance facial features- stands out and catches the readers eye – lighting highlights the importance.

COVER LINES

The cover lines make the audience want to know the answers inside the magazine. - informing. The reader is powerless to resist finding out what’s inside. – common convention in most magazines- draws the reader in- attention.

(Rolling Stones & Billboard)

TAG LINE

‘THE BIGGEST’ creates engagement with the reader- BIGGEST provided- the text has an influence on the reader- draws them in (selling) – The Effects Model- use of buzz word ‘Biggest’ – this is informing the unknown to the reader(uses and grat)

(NME & Q)

ANCHOR TEXT

The anchor text- name- links with the main image. It gives the reader an insight into the main story.- the colour is bold and bright- stands out and links with the house style of the magazine. The anchor text stands out against the image and use of black and white, also the use of the bold name will encourage fans of the artist to buy the magazine because she is featured.

(Spin & Billboard)

MAIN COVER LINE

The main cover line is a common convention used in magazines. It is used to make contrast between the image and the anchor text. The colour follows the house style and stands out and is noticeable against the background (black and white image) – informing (uses and grat). The main cover line creates a hermeneutic question and entices the reader as to why she is ‘The Golden Girl’. The main cover line is also positioned above the anchor text and close to the image to connect the components together .e.g. Cover line, anchor text, image, main story- connection.

(Vibe & Clash)

HOUSE STYLEGold/Black/White- I chose these colours because they contrast well against the black and white images, meaning that text and images would be able to be distinguished from one another. I didn’t use the same colour scheme as Q magazine as I wanted to do something different. With mise en scene I dressed her in a black dress with gold sparkles to match with the house style. The red lipstick stands out and is effective for the audience against the black and white image. The two most important parts- the masthead and the anchor text are gold as the colour is effective and really stands out to catch the readers eye. My colour scheme is not a common convention in many music magazines. I found this convention most used in fashion magazines- women.

CONTENTS PAGEMasthead

Numbering

Images

Features

Date

Columns

MASTHEAD

This is a common convention in a magazine. Although I found that some music magazine include the name of their magazine on their contents page, sometimes instead of writing contents. I did not include the name of my magazine, instead I made the masthead gold to symbolise that is it is a contents page for my magazine (sound)- following house style- consistency – brand awareness

(Vibe)

IMAGES

I have used 4 different photos on my contents page, all representing different music. The black and whit image consists with the house style and so does the photo of the main star(Cara Aurellie) – gold necklace, blonde/golden hair and black dress with gold sparkles. The images are also organised (boxes) with borders to make them look professional and neat. The images are not crowded or overwhelming for the reader.

FEATURESThe titles are bold and eye catching for the reader. They are short and simple- easy/ simple. They help to break down the magazine, and help the reader find certain articles/pages in the magazine- easy navigation. There is a wide range of features and artists- shows variety and also reflects some of the image show on the contents page. The descriptions are short and this entices the reader as they want to know what’s inside (uses and grat). Colour of numbers different from colour of text/info – separating. The colours are also eye catching (gold)- looks expensive.

NUMBERINGBold and bright page numbers- easy navigation for the reader- stand out. The numbers are linked with the feature image/article inside informing the reader what’s inside (uses and grat) The number is in a co ordinate colour that links with the house style of the magazine.

COLUMNSMost magazines columns are split into 3 columns, but I have not copied this common convention. Mine is structured and not overpowering with information. It looks smart and expensive (layout, house style, images). My inspiration came from Q magazine, being the reason I decided to have my layout like this.

DATE

Shows when magazine was published and lets readers know so they can keep up to date with the releases. – informative (uses and grat) – positioned at the bottom of the page- bold, but smaller than other text on the page – fits with house style.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Pull Quote

Image

Drop Cap

Columns

Anchor Text

Layout Page Numbering

IMAGEThere is a direct mode of address, connecting the artist and the reader (audience) – personal relationships (uses and grat). The image is a close up (personal view), making the facial expressions and make up more visual. – Attractive model (artist) – attractive for the target audience- the brightness on her face shows her importance- main article/ front cover/ double page spread.

ANCHOR TEXT

The artists name is used to match with the image. – intro title- entices the fans to read the article- informative (uses and grat). Gives an insight into the main story – bold and fits with house style. – Not as bold as some other magazines anchor text. Other magazines also use this convention.

PULL QUOTE

The pull quote gives an insight into the rest of the article- creates engagement with the audience and leaves them with questions and making them want to read more- can’t resist. Creates personal relationships between artist and fans(uses and grat) – entices fans. This convention is used in other magazines also.

DROP CAPThe drop cap is the introduction the article. It is bold and bright (Gold) and stands out on the double page spread- follows house style – matches mise en scene. –grabs readers attention and entices them to read the article (uses and grat). This convention is also used in other music magazines.

COLUMNSThe article is neatly arranged and looks sophisticated and expensive ( gold, not overcrowded). The text is small- lots of information. I thought that because my target audience is 18-24 they wouldn’t mind reading and would probably read the article compared to a younger target audience. Other music magazines use this convention as well.

LAYOUTI have conformed to the convention of the artist being on the left and the text being on the right side. This is because I feel you should see the image and then read after, so having the image on the left and the text on the right makes it easier for the reader. The double page spread is effective and stands out to the reader, it is not overcrowded or messy which makes it look expensive and sophisticated. The image looks classy and expensive which will keep the reader engaged. My text has also been positioned carefully and the text written over the drop cap looks clean and professional.

PAGE NUMBERING

The page number is usually positioned at the top of the page as it is more visible for the audience as it is visible at eye level, creating easier navigation. But I have not followed this convention as I feel the page number looks neater underneath the article at the bottom of the page. – creates more space for article and image, and allows the numbers to be separate from the text in the article. The positioning of the page number at the bottom of the page is common in some music magazines though.

WEBSITE

This convention is used in some music magazines. It is usually placed under the article. If the target audience are interested in the magazine they will subscribe to the website. This will help with sales of magazines a lot.