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

This is my masthead its conventional because its big and bold which will attract the readers attention. I have also placed it at the top of the page and put it in the centre so that it is easily visible to the readers point of sale. The thick black outline makes the white text stand out as it contrasts with my background instead of fading into it. I chose this font which is one I found that I liked as it seemed quite an old font with thick straight lines on it also looks as if it can be a logo instead of just a magazine title which helps it to stand out ,it is not all squished up it is big bold and can be easily read even from a distance it would still catch your eye

Dateline- This shows the issue date of my magazine and also the price of which it is to purchase my magazine, this needs to be visible so the person buying can decide weather to buy it and to see which issue this magazine is.

Main image- My main image is taken at a long shot, i have decided to keep the background to my picture as it went well with my magazine but kept the person in the image in colour while changing the brick background to black and white, this made my image stand out on top of the wall and look bold on my magazine cover. I have decided to take the photo in this pose as the person i am using in my magazine is a 'rockstar' and the hand gestures put across that he is involved in the rock/indie scene of things. It also is a bit of an offensive pose which shows rebellion and that the artist is not just all good, he does have a bit of a wild side too him.

Cover line- This cover line is used to show a piece of what else is in my magazine with the subhead of 'Rising stars!' i have also used a picture of one of the people who are involved with this article as it gives you in insight to one of the rising stars. This cover line has to stand out on my cover so that it can grab the readers attention

Cover line- This cover line is used to explain what is going on in the music world and what there is to be talked about, it also has '& much much more' to let the reader know that there is still more to be found in the magazine instead of just what is on my main cover. The colour of the text is almost the same as what it is for my masthead which keeps it simple with not lots of random colours about the place and also links well to keep the same theme going.

This is my main cover line it is big and bold and straight too the point with 'MAX ANDERTON' immediately telling you who this interview is about, again this is the same as my masthead in the colour scheme of things but not the same font or one wouldn't stand out above the other. Underneath i have used a little sub head telling you what it is about Max that their too be read in this case an interview also i have added a little quote onto my front cover to give a taste of what there is and for mine i have added quite a humorous quote.

 

Bar code-  a bare code has to be on every magazine to be able to sell as it shows its official and can be brought, I have put a bar code on mine and decided to place it in the bottom right hand corner of my magazine as it is not taking up too much space and is out of the way.

 

The main conventions for a double page spread are body text, title, gutters, drop caps, main image, pull quotes, I have followed many of these main conventions, i have used quite a few pull quotes throughout my double page spread as it intrigues the reader in what's to come and it makes them want too read on. I have kept to a house style of mainly black and white, with there also being some red and yellow in which is also visible on my front cover this makes the reader feel comfortable in what they are reading as there is not all different colours everywhere about the page the photo i have used for my double page spread was taken before I wrote the interview but it's taken as if its a photo shoot either before or after the interview with the artist looking into the camera which helps to draw the reader into the interview as they can put themselves into the artist when he is speaking. i took inspiration in my double page spread and contents from ones that can be found in actual magazines, i looked around in real magazines and online to find styles that I liked and thought would work while designing my magazine this is an example of a contents i followed for mine:

For my contents I have used the image above to influence me but I have changed things such as the colours on the page and changed the pose of my artist also I haven't kept the text all straight I have twisted some of it.
On mine I have continued to use black and white text with my 'Main Features' section that is written in bed which is also a colour for my house style. I have only decided to put the main features on my contents as what people are most interested in are the big stories in the magazine, they are not always bothered about the regular features and frequent readers already know what the common features are in a magazine.
The imagine I have used gives the person a bit of a rebel look to them , with standing there smoking a fag, also the facial expression could show that something is on their mind or something is getting to them at that moment in time as there is no smile and eyebrows are raised.

The genre of my magazine was a music magazine, a rock/indie music magazine almost a Kerrang style magazine so there had to be a fashionable side to my magazine as well as fashion is quite a big part to a magazine for advertisements. My magazine is mainly aimed at teenagers to early adults so from the ages of 15-24 as I feel there is a gap in the market for this age group.
The most important conventions of my magazine are:
Firstly the title of my magazine 'Bass' it is music jargon and comes from music which works well as my magazine is a music mag. The model I used in my magazine and the different type of shot's I used , for my cover I used a long shot so you can see all of the model and get an impression from the sign he is doing and what clothes are being worn. The contents was a medium shot as it was from head to waist and the double page spread shot was a close up as it lets you get into the model and put yourself as them.

The language I have used is quite formal throughout although in the double page spread interview there are some swear words, but that just shows the natural aspects of the interview and what the person is like. The genre of my magazine is music, obviously as it advertises bands, up and coming stars and a one on one interview with Max Anderton

Here I have started my Double paged spread with a drop cap to grab the readers attention too the article also it looks better than just having a capital of the same font and size. I have also used pull quotes throughout my double paged spread which give the piece a better feel too it and also it helps the reader know what there is to come next and get a feel for the person, these have to be selected quite well as they interpret the reader as what is too come next and if they think the next thing will be boring this may put them off reading the rest of the interview