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

Prior to the construction of my front cover, contents and double page spread it was essential to analyse popular existing music magazines in order to recognize typical conventions and use them ideas for my own magazine.In my front cover, contents and double page spread i have interpreted conventions of magazines from my research and used or added my own print on them.

Front Cover

The first obvious way in which my front cover follows typical conventions of existing

music magazines is the masthead position. Like several magazines such as Q and NME the masthead is situated in the top left hand corner in order for the masthead to appear pronounced and professional, it also makes it clearly visible so the buyer/reader can identify immediately with the magazine. I used a black, red, white, and grey colour scheme for my magazine not only because it

was the most popular voted colour scheme from my questionn

aire but also because it follows the convention of typical music magazines. For example Q use this colour scheme and it is effective

as typical rock colours are used and

therefore it was important to used it on my magazine to portray the rock element and also make it look more realistic. In addition to this also decided to use a pug on my front cover, this is a clear convention as it was used on

both Q magazine and NME magazine. Pugs are an effective selling point as they attract several buyers through the usual advertisement on them. In my pug i decided to advertise the countdown of top 100 rock anthems voted by the public,

this would appeal to an indie/rock audience as its about rock songs over time as well as the present day. I

chose to use a grey colour for my pug in order for it to stand out against

the other colours on the page yet also keeps in tune with the conventional

colour scheme. Fog on with conventional traits, i also positioned a strap line at the top of the page. This is a typical convention of a music magazine as nearly all of them consist of a strap-line at the top or bottom of the page, they also all advertise something about the magazine or in Q's case and what i decided to do was advertise the magazine but highlighting the successfulness of it. For example i chose to put 'The number one music magazine in the UK' this in effect highlights the success of the magazine, proving it must be good and therefore is conventional to most magazines. I followed this convention to give the impression that this is an established magazine and also to reinforce this professional look. It was essential in order for my magazine to have an reality to include the barcode, date and price on the front cover as every magazine has this on it. If i did not include this on my front cover the reality of the product would have been seriously affected.

Also i decided to follow another convention as used on NME's front cover of positioning the models name in the center of the page. This allows the importance of the model to be emphasised and when using my model i assumed Lola was a celebrity. Therefore her name printed large and in bold red writing would attract a large amount of buyers and fans.

The ways in which i challenged typical conventions of music magazines including using a long shot image of the model as the front cover image. Using a close up or medium shot of the model is conventional as eye contact is essential in attracting buyers and establishing a relationship between the readers and the model. However i used a long shot as i wanted to portray a sexy image from the model to attract a male audience so i chose to show off her elongated legs and also i wanted to clearly show her fashionable yet indie/rock style outfit in order for the model to act as a role model to women. However i feel that by the model having dark smokey eye make up allows her eyes to look captivating and powerful and therefore still getting the buyers eye contact. I also deliberately positioned text and boxes over some of her body but left her face and shoulder area clearly on show, this draws the readers attention to her face and therefore would capture the eye contact needed. Another way in which i challenged conventions on my front page is by using a very bold background. After analysing existing magazines it is clear to see that all backgrounds used are usually block colours to focus the readers attention onto the main model and text of the cover, however i felt by using a bold unique background would not only make my magazine stand out clearly if on a shelf but in unconventional and quirky and therefore reflects the stereo typical indie/rock style of being different.

Contents

The ways in which i followed conventional traits in my contents include printing the mastheadsmaller and at the top of the page again lik

e in the contents of Q and NME. This emphasised continuity within the contents. I also used the same colour scheme in the contents as i did on the front page, this is a very typical convention which was used on all of the magazines i analysed and agai

n provides continuity. Continuity within a magazine is essential as it holds the magazine together discretely so it is not notic

eable. Further more from my reasearch i discovered that Kerrang! used a

good selling technique in creating an editors

column, which is commonly used in magazines. I there

fore decided

to interpret this into my own version in my contents allowing the reader to feel more welcomed to the magazine as they peo

ple behind it are also talking and establishing a

relationship with the reader. I also ensured that i took and used secondary images on my contents page as i felt this was important to follow this convention in order for the magazine to look realistic. This also makes the page look more interesting and helps to maintain the readers interest within the magazine as oppose to a page full of writing which would bore my

target audience of 20-25 year olds. I used a plain white background so the page was not too hectic and the text remained readabl

e, this was a clear convention as all the contents pages i analyzed consisted of white background. Further more i separated the text into sections and for each story gave a bolder heading for the actually story and then a small amount of

writing to give the reader an insight about it, i also followed the convention of using number pictures so the reader can easily navigate there way

through the magazine. Finally i made the largest picture on the page consits of the model on the frotn cover, a clear convention shown from my analysis and also adding an advertisement for subscribing to order magazines weekly in order to save money. This is a good idea for my magazine as it would be quite expensive to pay £3.20 a week.

For my contents i did not challenge a lot of conventions i mostly followed the conventions recognised in my analysis, however i did make my contents page with a very neat layou

t which is slightly unconventional as the indie/rock music magazines i analysed such as NME and KERRANG! were hectic and chaotic so there young target audiences would be attracted. However i felt i should make the contents page neat as i am targeting a more maturer audience as oppose to teenagers and also i felt it allowed readers to easily see where they could find something in the magazine. I also developed a convention of NME magazine in which they used arrows to show stories that were mentioned on the cover in the contents page, i used this idea and decided to do a 'on the cover' bit in my contents which by using red stars i could show which storied were on the cover if a reader just wanted to read one of them stories.

Double Page Spread

My double page spread follows the conventions of

a music magazine through several different ways. Firstly i positioned the text into equal columns which is undoubtably always used on a double page spread interview, this forces the text to look neat and in affect more appealing to read as oppose to a big chunk of text. I also constructed an introduction to the interview which is also used in mostly every interview in magazines and this helps the reader to follow the text while provide a summation to

what the main concept of the interview is about. Further more, i used pull quotes from the text which breaks up the large amounts of text in double page spread and is used in the Q , NME, and Kerrang! double page spread , compelling me to follow this convention for my double page spread. The pull quote gives a flavour about what the interview is about from a quick glance and also entices the reader to read further for example my pull quote is 'this is not the new me this is the real me' adding an element of confusion to the page as the readers are thinking that she is a 'good girl gone bad' yet she is saying that is the real her. When constructing my magazine i used a center line to ensure no text went over this line as writing wouldn't be possible to read, this is also visible in all the magazines i analysed as you can visualise where the crease in the page would be. Again i ensured that i followed the convention of continuity within the colour scheme to portray a professional look to my double page spread. The background used was of a white colouring so the text is clear to read another convention of a double page spread and i also put the page numbers in the bottom corners of the page to again reinforce this professional realistic look. I followed the convention of having the text on an opposing side to the main images on the page which allows the page to look neat and tidy and slightly sophisticated which is what i wanted for my target audience. I took inspiration from the NME double page spread which had the text and images opposing horizontal unconventional of typical double page spread layouts.

However as i used several images on my page, i challenged the conventional style of a double page spread as they tend to just have one or two large images filling the majority of the page. I also made a slight collage of the photos and positioned a red colour over time which is very unconventional. Yet i wanted to portray a unique and arty look to the page in order to captivate the rock fans as they would stereotypically like something out of the ordinary.

Final Products

Double Page Spread Construction

Final Stage

For the final stage i noticed that if i was going to use images where the models legs are exposed in order to avoid any continuity errors i would need to also copy and paste the tattoos onto teh images at the bottom sides. I done this to provide continuity and a realistic product, i also deleted the bar that would be where the crease in the page was, as i had finished.

Stage 6

After developing my magazine i still felt like it was bland and did not have enough appeal to make an indie/rock music fan stop and taking notice to the page. As a result i added a red rectangle over the collage of the model and made the opacity very low. This really portrayed an art aspect to the magazine whilst making the page look more exciting and vibrant. I then added pictures from location one photoshoot as i felt like this needed to relate to the front cover and contents page. However i had to cut the striped background out as this would have looked out of place and took too much attention away from the main collage of images. I also thought the bar at the top looked rather pointless as it didn't have too much on it and looked boring, therefore i added a website address.

Stage 5

For this stage i took inspiration from the Q double page spread i analysed in which there was a large C in the background of the text representing Cheryl Coles name. I decided to use this technique as i thought the background looked bland and empty prior to the L being added. I made the opacity of the letter L a very low percentage using the opacity bar on photoshop so the text could easily be read on top. I felt this really enhanced the quirkyness of the page and was therfore effective.

Stage 4

For stage four i started to add the text. I used my chosen font again canard, to use a pull quote from the text as the title. I feel this stands out very well due to the way in which i have put the first line in black and the second in a larger red font. This creates the illusion that the good girl has been overruled by the bad one shown by the way the phrase 'gone bad' is overshadowing the behind text of 'I'm a good girl'. I then constructed an interview which i done using the typical questions which are usually asked in interviews. Using the text box tool i managed to create equal columns which is essential in making the text look professional. I then duplicated layers so the text columns were all of equal size. I used swear words within the interview to really emphasise that this magazine is for an audience of 20-25 year olds, and also that it is aimed at everyday people. As there is a relatively large amount of text on the page i decided to break it up by imbedding a pull quote from the text. As this says 'this is not the new me this is the real me' it compels the reader to read the interview as they will be shocked at this well known pop singer saying the real her is a bad rock girl. I also added a picture above the quote as the quote anchors it and makes it stand out. The picture presents the idea that the model is happy with herself creating a joyful aspect to the interview to break up the darkness due to the indie/rock theme.

Stage 3

For stage three i added all the images to make a sort of collage. As the images original had a green background i uploaded them up with their backgrounds first. But due to the green colour when putting it all together there was too much green on the page and i felt like it looked like it belonged to another magazine as it didn't follow my colour scheme. Therefore i cut out all the images using the magnetic lasso tool and create a somewhat collage effect. I positioned the photos so only a small part of one of the images would not be visible due to the crease in the page and therefore i felt this worked well.

Stage 2

For the second stage i added a heading at the top of the page saying world exclusive. I used red coloured font against a block background so it would stand out and effectively capture the consumers attention as they would feel special in that they are one of the first to read this exclusive interview. I then copied and pasted the masthead into the top right hand corner as i really wanted to emphasise continuity within the magazine and thought this was a good way of doing it as it doesn't steal attention away from the rest of the page. Using the indie/rock styled font i downloaded from 'da font' i wrote the main features name a nice idea to reinforce the emphasis of her to this page. At the bottom of the page i then to create a professional and realistic look added page numbers, the date and the name of the masthead.

Stage 1

.

For stage one of constructing my double page spread i sectioned it into columns using the rectangle tool on photoshop. I firstly used center line to clearly show where the crease in the page would be so i could position my text and images around this so there not seriously affected. I then constructed a bar at the top in which i could put the magazine title and name of the artist. I also constructed a bar at the bottom as this gives the page a more professional look. Then i copied and pasted a clip of the wall used from location one as a bar which would separate the images from the text. I done this to enroll the theme of that background into this double page spread to provide continuity.

Contents Page Construction

Final Stage

For the final stage i added an idea of my own, in which i added a key within the news bar saying on the cover with a star next to it. This is a good selling point as it allows buyers to pick out stories they may have seen on the front cover and navigate their way to them via this key.

Stage 5

For the fifth stage i added the editors note which consisted of a brief summation of what is included in the magazine and a friendly message to make readers feel welcomed. I also added a red box using the rectangle tool in the bottom right hand corner and added an advertisement which states 'subrcribe now for your weekly addition of M.E.T and save 33%'. This is an effective selling point as buyers will be interested and attracted in saving money.

Stage 4

For the next stage i added page numbers to each image as this was a typical convention in helping the reader to quickly navigate around the magazine. I also using another convention of a music magazine added a picture of the front cover to the top of the page to reinforce this idea of continuity. I think it also makes the page look more professional and realistic. I also made positioned this image at an angle as i felt everything at that point was to straight and need something else to make it look more interesting, yet not over the top as my target audience may want something more grown up, as oppose to a chaotic page aimed at a teenager.

Stage 3

After the text was done, i added all my images. I began by putting the main picture of my main feature in the top left hand corner so it dominates the page and emphasises its importance to the magazine. I then added the other pictures in the right column. On each photo using the burn tool i added highlights to the image to make them appear more airbrushed and professional. I also added an editors picture, i used a woman with a big smile on her face to represent friendliness to the reader. I decided to make this slightly slanted at an angle as the page needed something to make it feel slightly different and quirky. Also it allows the picture of the editor to be quickly identified as not a story within the magazine.

Stage 2

For the second stage of the construction of the contents, i added a heading using the rectangle tool again and then three more boxes to separate this text section. I then added text ensuring it was all lined up using a text box to ensure it looked neat and professional.

Stage 1

For the first stage i just added lines using the rectangle tool providing a layout for my contents page. I then cut and pasted the masthead from the front cover onto this page in order to provide continuity, then using the text tool added the heading contents in the font stencil to make it appear bold and dangerous. I then used the text tool again to print the date on the top black bar, and again at the bottom of the page where i also added the masthead and page number in the bottom right hand corner.

Construction Of Front Cover

Stage 6

I then finished the front cover off by adding essentials that make the cover look realistic. I added a pug consisting of 'top 100 rock anthems' appealing the the target audience as they would enjoy hearing about songs they like. I also added the essential barcode which is important in making the product look real, on top of this i added the date and price. However i felt that the bottom right hand corner looked bare for a front cover. As a result i decided to add headings advertising a quiz to further make the magazine look fun and appealing to the consumers.

Stage 5

For stage 5 i edited two tattoos onto the model. I done this by getting an image of off the internet and cutting out the tattoo using magnetic lasso tool and copy and pasting them onto the models body. I had too using the dodge tool brighten the tattoos up as they looked very dull against the models already brightened body. They then looked quite unrealistic so i, using the burn tool, made the outsides of the tattoos darker to give a realistic look. This in affect allows my model to look more rebellious and in tune with an indie rock look. I also was not happy with the way the blink 182 story was covering the models arm lowering her importance. I therefore cut out another version of her arm using the magnetic lasso tool again and pasted it on top of her arm matching it up. This gives the illusion the model is infront of this interview connoting that hers is more important to this edition of the magazine.

Stage 4

For the fourth stage of developing my front cover, i added several coloured boxes using the rectangle tool to add vibrancy and excitement to the page. I also did this so i could add the text needed for stories and tag lines on the coloured boxes otherwise they would not stand out if just printed onto the background as its striped. I made the name of the main artist the largest writing on the page and positioned it in the center so it is the one of the most noticeable things on the page. This therefore presuming my model was famous would attract a large audience of fans as it is clear the magazine is mainly based on her. For the good girl gone bad heading i made the boxes slightly more opaque using the opacity bar in order for them to stand out and look different against the other stories in the magazine.

Stage 3

As my image had a large amount of space around it to add the masthead i did not need the image to overlap the masthead anyway predominantly. However i wanted this to be perfect and realistic so i cut out the models hair and feather cape that was underneath the masthead using the magnetic lasso tool. I then copied this and pasted it on top of the masthead to give a 3d illusion and show that the model is very important in this edition of the magazine.

Stage 2

For the second stage in making my front cover i added the skyline using the text tool as this is a convention of a music magazine. As the adobe photoshop programme did not contain the fonts i wanted for my masthead i had to download this font canard off of a website called 'da font'. The masthead gives the cover a realistic feel as the font is so conventional of an indie/rock magazine.

Stage 1

This was the first stage of making my front cover. I firstly enhanced the brightness on the models face and body to make her really stand out using the dodge tool, this made the image appear glossy providing it with the professional look needed. I then using the rectangle tool to add a bar for the strapline and masthead. I decreased the opacity of these headings very slightly in order to again give a more realistic look as oppose to just a block colour.

Analysis Of Secondary Photos For Other Stories

Analysis of Photos 3

Location 3: For location 3 i decided to portray an arty side, very different to the other aspects of indie/rock i was trying to portray in the lsat two photoshoots. I chose to use this arty feel to the images as in my opinion, indie/rock music and stereotypical indie/rock fans are very art influenced in the way they dress, music they like and produce and make up worn. I also wanted to portray a more element of happiness within these photos as oppose to the two photo shoots before in which i wanted to portray sexy images with elements of attitude and darkness.I only took a few images with this shoot as i don't want the element of happiness to take over the story i just want it to be an additional side to the story to make it less dark, and therefore appeal to one off buyers also. With the use of the props spelling 'me' helps to anchor the message the magazine is trying to portray in that the story is about this artist revealing her inner self which stereo-typically several rock/indie music fans like to do as they feel they like to dress and look different from others and sometimes try to hide it. Therefore by having the model look happy with the props 'me' is compelling the reader to see the message that she is happy now she is being true to herself.

This image is good as the mise en scene portrays that arty feel, and the model is clearly portraying the message she is happy with herself for now being who she truly is (a follower of indie/rock music) . This is portrayed through the smile of the model. The only fault with this image is that the model looks slightly uncomfortable, and that is the wrong impression i want to give if i'm saying she is happy now she is being herself, this image is suttle suggesting she is uncomfortable being her true-self.
This is my favourtie image as the lighting is warm and portraying a kind side to the model as oppose to the other photo shoots with have a portrayed a more serious side. The fact the model is slightly smirking and looking down at the props creates the illusion she is happy with herself, which is the message i am trying to portray. Also the mise en scene looks really good through the use of newspapers, which add a quirky arty feel to the image.

This image is good as it shows the full body of the model. So it does bring some sex appeal to the image as the models legs are on show and bright red high heels, which is important to attract the male audience. However due to the positioning of the camera the models legs are the brightest things in the image making them stand out more then the models smiley face and therefore i feel this picture would not work.