Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge form and conventions of real media products?

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

Comparisons of Magazines

Front Cover -

Masthead - 

On my magazine's front cover I decided to follow and develop the main codes and conventions. From my research and analysis of R&B magazines, I realised that they all follow a pattern of bold, simple mastheads that stand out and are clearly noticeable, therefore I also did this to follow the codes and conventions. Magazines do this to show off the title of the magazine and use it as a form of advertising and a sort of logo for the magazine, so if you see it somewhere you will know it is that specific magazine. This is why it has to be bold and stand out so it is easily recognasiable to the reader.  I also used codes and conventions of R&B themed magazines by having part of the masthead covered by the image and the masthead being the largest text on the front cover so readers can instantly tell what the magazine is and who it is targeted at. However, I challenged the codes and conventions by my choice of using the colour purple as the majority of mastheads I had seen were red. I chose the colour purple as I thought it would be suitable as it isn't a gender specific colour as my magazines is targeted at both genderes between the ages of 16-24. I also chose the colour purple as it has connotations with wealth and power which would reflect the R&B industry and the artists my magazines features. I then decided on using the colour grey instead of white

Colour Scheme -

The colour scheme I decided to use for my magazine uses, develops and challenges the codes and conventions of R&B magazines as the majority of R&B magazines I have seen have been red, white and black. However, I did not want to follow this colour scheme as I felt it was too predictable and is used too much. Therefore I developed this code and convention by sticking with the colour black due to it being a dominant colour that stands out and can be used to outline or emphasis text. I decided to challenge code and conventions by using the colour grey for the background instead of black or white which are the conventional colours to use for a background. I also chose to use the colour purple instead of red as it has connotations with wealth and power which would reflect the R&B industry and the artists my magazines features.

Main Image -

The main image I decided to use for my magazine takes up most of the whole front cover and is a mid-shot of the artist. The image is large so it stands out and readers can instantly identify what genre the magazine is by the artist. By doing this I am following and developing the codes and conventions of a magazine by putting a popular person from the industry on the front cover as the image will catch readers eye's and make them want to pick up and read the magazine. The image is clear and the aritst is making direct eye contact with the reader so it feels like they are directly looking at eachother. I also added a slight shadow to the image to emphasise it.

Font Sizes -

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by having a variety of font sizes on the front cover of my magazine - with the largest being the masthead, then cover line and then the pugs. The masthead and cover line are the largest and boldest as they are the main focus of the magazine and what I want the reader to look like. However, I have challenged  the codes and conventions by not having loads of pugs/stories and the majority not in bold on my front cover as I wanted my magazine to have a more simplistic look and wanted the main focus to be the image, masthead and cover story.

Barcode, Price & Website -

I followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a barcode. However, I developed the code and convention by adding a price and website. The barcode is important as it has to be scanned to be sold to a customer and by labelling the price on it, it makes it easily identifable and accesible for reader. I also added the website as a form of advertising as the majority of people who pick up the magazine will look at the barcode to see the price of how much it is and then they will instantly see the website aswell. 

Cover Line - 

My magazine follows and develops the codes and conventions of magazines as it includes a coverline. I used a coverline as it tells the reader what the main story of the magazine is - this means readers can identify what genre of music the magazine is and whether they are interested in it or not. However, my coverline challenges the codes and conventions of magazines as coverlines usually go horizontally across the magazine, whereas I decided to have mine going vertically down the page. I also added a star and used a different colour on the word "My" to emphasise what the coverline is saying and how the artist is making music "his" way. 

Contents Page - 

Main Image -

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by the main and largest image on the page being the cover story and artist from the front cover. I developed it by having a large, bold page number next to it so readers that are buying the magazine due to the artist on the front won't have to flick through the magazine for ages trying to find the cover story.



Editor's Note - 

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by including an editor's note. However, the R&B magazines I have analysed and looked at have not included editor's notes, therefore I am challenging the codes and conventions of this particular genre. I wanted to include a note from the editor in my magazine as I feel this gives the magazine a personal touch and makes the reader feel as if they have more of a connection with the magazine's editor, feeling more valued as a customer.



Colour Scheme - 

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by following the same colour scheme from the front cover to show continuity through my magazine. However my magazine challenges the codes and conventions of R&B magazines as my house style is purple, grey and black which is an unusual colour scheme for an R&B magazine. I chose these colours as I didn't think they were gender specific and would appeal to both genders which my magazine is targeted at.



Contents - 

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a section in my magazine with a list of contents. I felt this was important as it enables the reader to easily identify what page the main stories are on. I have also layed out the contents in a coventional way with the page numbers on the left then a title of the story and a sentence underneath further describing the story. However, I have challenged the codes and conventions of magazines by heading my contents page with "features" rather than "contents". I decided to do this as I thought it fits my genre of R&B music better and would be more appealing to myyoung target audience of 16-24 year olds.


Picture of Front Cover - 

I have followed and develped the codes and conventions of magazines by including a picture of the front cover on the contents page. I decided to follow this code and convention as I think it gives a sense of continuity and as a form of advertising as when the reader goes to the contents page, they are reminded of the front cover and the magazine's bold masthead.

Double Page Spread - 

Main Image - 

I have followed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a large picture of the artist the story is about. I chose the mid shot of Ano directly looking at the reader with his arms by his side and his chin slightly tilted in the air as I think it shows his dominance and success within the industry and that he doesn't have to do anything extravagant to get noticed. I have challenged the codes and conventions of R&B magazines as usually the image takes up one whole page as you can see in the example above. However, I deicded I wanted my image to be featured with the text which is why I placed the image underneath the text. This way it does not take away from the story but connects the artist and the story together. 

Pull Quotes - 

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazine by including a large pull quote. However, I have challenged the codes and conventions of magazines as pull quotes are usually put in the middle of the article. Whereas, I decided I wanted my pull quote to be more significant so I put it at the top of the story next to the title of the article. The pull quote that I chose is very intriguing and will make the reader want to find out what the article is about, which is why I decided to challenge the codes and conventions in this way. 

Text -

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a double page spread made up of text in my magazine. I have also followed codes and conventions of magazines by using size 12 font for my text which is a common size to use - it is not too small that the reader struggles to read it, but not too large that it takes up too much space. I have also sectioned my text in to 4, equal width columns so the text looks organised and appealing to the eye to read. However, I have challenged the codes and conventions of magazine by highlighting the key/interesting points Ano says in his interview in bold so they stand out to the reader. 

Stand First -

I have followed and developed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a standfirst. I decided to include this as I feel it gives an introduction to the double page spread and gives a bried overview of what the story is going to be about. This is effective for people who don't know who the artist is and gives them and idea of what they are going to be reading about. 

Cover Line - 

I have followed the codes and conventions of magazines by including a title to my double page spread. I have showed continuity by using the same font and style from my front cover so it is easily recognisable as the cover story when readers see this page of the magazine.