EVALUATING MY MUSIC MAGAZINE: CHART POPPERS!By Kristi Hewitt

1) IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A FRONT COVER OF A MUSIC MAGAZINE…. The main images is usually a mid-shot which uses

direct address The person on the main image is usually shot at a

slightly low angle to convey confidence and the mise-en-scene of the shot fits in well with the genre of the magazine.

There is a large masthead, this normally at the top of the magazine and its often brightly coloured and in a colour to fit the scheme of the magazine

There is also a hook to catch the audiences eye and attention, this can be through the use of cover lines, a celebrity model and they often include lures too

There are also other details such as; barcode, date of release, issue number and price.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVERS…My front cover of Chart Poppers!

NME

MY MAGAZINE…The front cover of any magazine has a main masthead which is the title of the magazine, it is often distinctive, unique and recognisable. This can be seen in ‘Chart Poppers!’ also. A typical magazine convention is also to have a main image on the cover which tends to be the focus for that particular issue, tis helps to convince the audience to buy the magazine. There are also cover lines which are the main features seen inside the magazine and the other details which a potential buyer would look for such as date, price, issue number etc. are also included on the cover. I have included all of these on the cover of my music magazine, this helps to make it as real and authentic as possible. I kept it similar to other magazine to help this and I played with colours which are typical to a pop magazine which is therefore a convention, I also followed the codes which are typical to the genre of a pop magazine in terms of the layout and the use of bright colours and this helps to appeal to the target audience.

THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A CONTENTS PAGE OF A MUSIC MAGAZINE…

Contents title (however this is often varied depending on the type of magazine and it’s target audience)

Rule of three Page numbers linked to the corresponding

articles and features Sometimes there is a picture of the front

cover to link articles to page numbers Limited colour scheme (usually 2-3 colours

linked in with the rest of the magazine)

MAGAZINE CONTENTS PAGES…My contents page of Chart Poppers!

Another publication’s contents page

MY MAGAZINE…

A typical contents page of a music magazine will usually consist of a letter from the editor and a few small images to do with magazine possibly, the main part will consist of page numbers and the feature which match it. My magazine just has a plain background but some magazine so use images for their backgrounds on their contents pages. It may not be as affective as other contents pages with an image for the background but it does keep with the genre of the magazine and makes the writing easier to read. In my magazine I kept to the typical codes of conventions I did this by using the rule of three and included an editors letter and extra photos. I based my features and articles on topics which I thought would interest my target audience- young girls. To add an element of uniqueness to my contents page I called it ‘in this mag…’ as something a little different.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF A DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD OF A MUSIC MAGAZINE…

One page is one large photo of the artist (s) who are the focus of the feature and the other page is the interview or article.

The article is usually split in to columns of 3 or 4

There is often lures which are in larger fonts or in bubbles to help attract readers

The can also be one or two additional photos as a visual attempt to draw readers to the article.

MAGAZINE DOUBLE PAGE SPREADSMy Double Page Spread of Chart Poppers!

Another publication’s Double Page Spread

MY MAGAZINE… A double page spread is traditionally used as an exclusive interview or article with a popular celebrity of the time, in the case of my magazine, Emily Pope, winner of the X-Factor. There is often a main picture of them on side of the double page spread and they often are on the cover also. I used an outdoors setting for the picture of Emily to tie in with the idea in the article of her remaining a ‘regular’ girl. For the article I used a white background as this allowed the writing to be read easily. I have also used the colour pink throughout out the page to keep in with the girly theme and keep the consistency throughout my three pages. To keep in with the typical codes and conventions of a magazine I also used page numbers which can been seen at the bottom of the pages and in the contents page for easy navigation for my readers. Like many magazines I also used a lure which helps to attract the readers attention, I also put them on the picture of Emily as I know that the picture will capture more attention as the reader will pay more attention to the picture's when just flicking through the magazine. I used colloquial language typical to the language used by my target audience and this makes it not only like other magazines but easier for the target audience to relate to.

CONCLUSION…

Hopefully I have been successful in including all the typical codes and conventions of a magazine in my own magazine. On all of the three pages I have put quite a lot of emphasis on Emily as she is the celebrity endorsement and the main exclusive interview. It is key that I have stuck to the key codes and conventions as this is what the audience of potential buyer will be used to and be looking for in new magazines, this ultimately helps it to sell and as a result be successful. Although I have stuck to the codes and conventions I have hopefully made it unique and individual which gives it a refreshing new look on a well known and popular genre of magazine.