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

MASTHEADI decided to call my magazine ‘The Underdog’ based on the fact that the USP of my magazine revolves around discovering upcoming artists; I felt that ‘The Underdog’ was appropriate as it refers to people who have potential in a certain field, and subtly become successful. In this way, it is also quite a dramatic choice of title, which would encourage people to pick up the magazine, as they feel that they are of some sort of elite group; my magazine consists of exclusive stories and interviews of ‘The UK’s greatest unknowns’ which would make them feel highly important.

Unlike other magazines, such as ‘NME’ or ‘Q’ which have snappy or one-word titles, my magazine challenges this convention of magazines of a similar genre to mine, given that my magazine title is much longer. However, my masthead does relate most to the Kerrang logo, from its style to its colour scheme hence I feel that I have developed this convention here. I wanted to keep my colour scheme at no more than 2 colours, as this was a convention I came across when analysing mastheads of many different music magazines; the simplicity adds to the professionalism and the ability for readers to remember it. Hence, it conforms to this particular convention.

It is worth mentioning that I did experiment with other logos and names, which are inserted on the margins of the slide, however, for reasons explained in this presentation, I decided to go with THE UNDERDOG. The presentation which includes my ideas is in this link: https://prezi.com/plviok_ylfxp/house-style-for-my-magazine/

My logo has clearly used the ‘BOW’ (Black on White) effect, akin to Kerrang, and I believe this contrast works incredibly well as it makes it much easier for a reader to understand what it says. In addition, when considering the font style of my masthead, I wanted one that was unique from other mastheads, and so I went for the font ‘Living hell’. This was particularly fascinating as it has quite a scratchy demeanour which is out of the realms of NME or Q, which are more clean-cut, thus demonstrating that it has more of an off-edge, casual attitude. This reflects not only my target audience, but the genre of my music magazine, being Indie-Rock, which, when conducting research demonstrated this particular laid-back, almost rebellious attitude which is indicated by the hand prints and the ink splodges to suggest the imperfections. Moreover, I created a drop shadow effect, which was inspired by the UNCUT logo, which enables the logo to stand out even more on the front cover to make it more in the readers’ faces. Furthermore, it creates a sort of ‘stamped’ effect, as though the logo was created manually, which is reinforced by the hand prints and ink splodges, and this connotes a very authentic, unique and credible look.

In terms of the comparison between Kerrang! and my own masthead, they are both bold and noticeable. More importantly, they are both positioned across the top of the front cover. UNCUT has also positioned its logo there, as it makes it stand out and is easier to read. However, since I have planned for my magazine to not explicitly be the first issue, I ensured that the masthead would be placed behind the long shot image, which indicates that it is already fairly well known. The model slightly covers the masthead, however due to its recognisability, readers are still able to understand what it says, which is similar to what Kerrang! and UNCUT do in their front covers. This is done with the emphasised objective of making my magazine as popular as these successful publications, however, overall, I feel that I have conformed to the conventions of magazines and developed some, particularly with the style and length of my masthead.

VS.

This is the original research I conducted into these codes and conventions:

MISE-EN-SCÉNE OF MY IMAGESImages are an integral part of a magazine, as they are a visual representation of what the magazine has to offer, especially for a newly-established magazine like mine; it is one of the main elements which attract customers to look at, let alone buy the product, given that it represents the magazine’s style and ideologies.

In terms of costume, I chose the specific clothing that my artist should wear, including the black and red Ben Sherman shirt, a white t-shirt, black trousers, black converses, a necklace and beanie; these items of clothing not only reflect my general target audience, given that in my music magazine questionnaire, the majority of respondents opted for a smart-casual style, which shows that they can reflect with him and his sense of style but also is representative of the indie rock style which consists of mostly smart-casual clothing, especially with the converses and beanie which are generally staple features of an indie-rock enthusiast. The red, black and white conveniently reflect the colours of my house style as well. Whilst the costume may reflect the indie rock style, the hand in the pocket also reflects the laid-back attitude which is generally associated with the indie-rock genre. However, this may also suggest that he is humble and modest about his gradually arising fame. This is reinforced through his facial expression, as he appears rather friendly and inviting. This may relate to Jacques Lacan’s ‘Ideal I or Ideal-ego’ theory in which the audience may want to aspire to be like Joshua Hudson who clearly is young and successful. The lighting further reinforces this idea as it depicts him in high clarity with his skin looking bright. These natural colours also create the sense of realism and believability that I aimed to preserve throughout the magazine.I also took advantage of the white backdrop behind Josh when taking my images so as to make his clothes contrast and stand out from the page, but also it made it easier for my headline and other features to be placed onto it. This was quite a common convention which I believed I conformed to appropriately. I quite like the juxtaposition between the red and black colours which connote danger and darkness, in comparison to the white t shirt and backdrop which is almost symbolic of his story: his transition from an electric sound to a more acoustic, mellow indie sound, which, in parallel shows his balance between his hidden, secretive side, of which may indie-rock artists often have, to his innocent, humble attitude which is clearly evoked through the use of lighting and facial expression.

I was adamant that I wanted to depict Josh through a long shot, so as to capture his entire body from head to toe as I felt that every piece of clothing was vital to capture to represent the genre and style, however, I was aware that many music magazines tended to use medium shots, or medium-close ups on their front covers, and only rarely included long shots. However, I did come across some interesting looking front covers which included a long shot which can be seen in the previous slide and employed this convention into my own front cover. In this way, I feel that I have developed this convention into my own front cover, and especially through the use of mise-en-scene, ensured that my front cover image was as effective as possible, as seen in other existing music magazines.

MISE-EN-SCÉNE OF MY IMAGES

In terms of the images I used for the content page, I purposely didn’t manipulate them very much after capturing as I wanted to preserve the raw, natural colours to really bring the scenes to life. The props were particularly helpful, especially in the main image above as it includes the electric guitar, microphone and lighting equipment above to depict Josh performing at one of his gigs. The type of shot is also very much reminiscent of the image used in the NME contents page beside it, thus conforming to this convention. It is also helpful that I have used the same model for the front cover and contents page to add to the continuity of the magazine.

In terms of the image I used for my double page spread, I believe that I have both conformed to, and developed this convention. The black and white effect is very common in many DPSs in magazines similar to my genre of magazine, as it has a stripped back, almost retro, time-old style. What I have also conformed to is the idea of having the image across the two pages. This wide shot captures the recording studio which Joshua Hudson is working inside which is essential as it reflects the genre of magazine, as many of the magazines have done, that I have looked at (some have been shown above). This gives the reader an insight into the work that goes behind Josh’s new-found career. The black and white effect also enabled me to emphasise Josh out of the photo through photo manipulation. I ensured that only Josh and the instruments around him were not in black and white so as to emphasise that he in particular, as well as the instruments were the most interesting subjects. The reason why I kept the guitars in colour is because it reflects the headline of the DPS which is that he wanted to return to his acoustic sound, hence the acoustic instruments have also been emphasised. Josh is also wearing the same clothes as is seen on the front cover so as to express continuity within the magazine. I believe this develops the convention of DPS images overall, given that the images of existing magazines rarely manipulate their images the way I did to mine, however, I felt that this was necessary in emphasising the story within my DPS.

MODELS

My choice of models was particularly significant as I wanted to make my magazine as professional and believable as possible. I think the model I chose to be my artist, who therefore featured in all 3 elements: the front cover, contents page and DPS, was very fitting for the role of a young, upcoming artist as he himself is young and has potential to succeed. As mentioned in the mise-en-scene, the costume and lighting were definitely vital in making him look the part, and certainly look professional, thus conforming to this particular convention appropriately. The model is an 18-year old who definitely plays the role of the young, new Indie-rock artist, therefore making the whole magazine and headline believable.

I also worked with 3 other models who were around a similar age to the main model, and this was vital as they acted as part of my ‘staff’; the group of people who I worked with to create my magazine. They all had a professional, yet friendly and laid-back attitude which is similar to the staff that have been used in NME. The lanyards all worn by the models enable them to look like professional, hence making them very reliable.

When looking at other front covers, it’s easy to identify the artists with their personalities. For instance, Noel Gallagher, featured in this front cover below, is well-known for his excellent song-writing skills but also his laid-back, ruthless demeanour, hence the unambiguous face. Josh’s humble yet quietly confident attitude also reflects his personality along with the outfit to further reflect his indie-rock genre.

FONT AND HOUSE STYLEWhen choosing my font, I had to put a considerable amount of thought into my decisions when creating my magazine. My main priority was to make the text readable, so readers could easily understand what was written. I had already done a lot of research into font and typography hence I was fairly confident that I needed to pick a font that was fairly simple and readable, as this was a common feature of all the magazines I had analysed. Some magazines, such as Q and UNCUT used fonts similar to Times New Roman, which definitely gives their magazine more of an authentic taste, however, when going into further analysis, these magazines tend to have a slightly older audience than my own target audience. I wanted a simple font, but one that was less formal, and which looked almost ‘chatty’ or conversational, which is why I opted for Ebrima. I liked the simplicity of it, with the rounded letters, which appear confident and visually pleasing. As a result, this was my staple font, as I used this for some headlines with the front cover, for the contents page list, and the DPS text. This was inspired by the convention that many magazines in general tend to use similar, if not the same font throughout their magazine to add to the fluency and continuity of the product, which is what I aimed to do, which evidently resulted in my conforming to this convention.

In terms of the house style, as I have mentioned, my main colours were red, black and white as seen in other magazines such as NME, UNCUT and Q, thus I reflected this convention in my own magazine. The link to my house style decisions is below:https://prezi.com/plviok_ylfxp/house-style-for-my-magazine/

WRITTEN CONTENT

The written element of my magazine definitely conformed to the conventions of music magazines of a similar genre to my own. I used specific language to not only grab the attention of the audience, but also the type of language that was appropriate for my target audience and indie-rock enthusiasts in general. Particularly for the DPS text, I had already analysed many other texts within double page spreads in other existing music magazines, so I was aware of some of the language I needed to be using. Particularly for my genre, I needed to use some tongue-in-cheek, conversational language to really grab the attention of my audience. For example, in SELECT magazine, the headline used here was ‘WORLD SHUT YOUR MOUTH’. This is quite emphatic and ‘in your face’ and is something that I tried to play around with in my own text. In my pull quote, I decided to use a censored quote, which appeared quite ‘tongue-in-cheek’ which is a trait that indie-rock tends to portray.

Other language devices such as personal pronouns, anecdotes, superlatives are all included in my DPS text and interview so as to both entice the reader and entertainment them. This was taken from the research I did previously into the language devices used within different magazines, which are on my blog, but is also attached here.

I also used enticing language in my front cover to captivate the audience, with snappy with such as ‘EXCLUSIVE’ or the editorial comment ‘100 INDIE RECORDS YOU MUST HEAR BEFORE YOU DIE’. This is very personal to help form a bond between the magazine and the audience, as done in other magazines.

CONTENTS PAGE LAYOUTWhen constructing my contents page, I took care to keep referring back to my research and planning so as to ensure that the conventions I wanted to include were in my magazine. I believe that this is the page I experimented with the most, therefore this is a vast transition between the first stages to the complete draft. First and foremost, I didn’t want to make it too over-crowded or busy, and I wanted some white space to balance the page with. I noticed that magazines such as NME did this, and so I wanted to follow in their example. Another feature I investigated was the page references; I looked at the way in which magazines used page references, often with quirky and unique looking page numbers, and I felt that this is what my magazine needed in order to add to its sense of uniqueness and identity. I decided to create plectrum-designed page references by using shape tools on InDesign, and then manipulating the shape to look like plectrums, which I placed on the images to emphasise which page the reader would need to turn to. Moreover, an issue I had when constructing my magazine was what to call the title of the contents page. I contemplated calling it ‘The Week’, and even included ‘INSIDE’ to make it different from other contents pages. I wanted to have something unique about it, and I thought I could do this through the way I introduced the page, and perhaps make it more personal and identifiable, however, when looking back at my research, I came across the idea of keeping it more simple; the majority of magazines tended to call it ‘CONTENTS’. Not only that, but the masthead/logo was implemented into the title, and upon inserting my own masthead into my own title, I realised that this made a big difference; the simplicity upon the page looked much more professional. The coloured banner also contrasts with the title is a very common convention in contents pages. Moreover, I also placed the content lists in gradient boxes, however, I understood that this design didn’t work, and so I went back to my research and noticed that it was best to take advantage of the white background, so as for the contents in black font to contrast with the background. The highlighted sub-headings were also a very common feature, and so the magazines that are shown below (NME, Kerrang and UNCUT) were inspirations in my final design, therefore I conformed to this convention. This makes it easier for the reader to navigate around the page. More importantly, I was careful to ensure that the amount of pages I included in my magazine was appropriate for an average magazine. What is more, I included an editor’s comment because I had seen this convention in several music magazines, including magazines in general which are not music-related. This included images of staff members who helped to create the magazine, as seen in UNCUT as well as Kerrang. I really liked this element as it further indicates that my magazine is meant to seem professional.Lastly, I included a subscription in the bottom right corner. The majority of subscriptions are placed in the corner of the contents page, either in the bottom left, or the bottom right. I decided to place it on the right, as I had the editors comment on the left, and my picture boosts on the right. In this sense, I believe I have developed the convention, and especially with the design of the subscription, I made it quite individual for my own magazine.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREADIn terms of my double page spread, I followed a number of conventions when constructing it.

The first convention was the page numbers. As mentioned briefly in the previous slide, I ensured that there was a sufficient amount of pages for an average magazine. I based my magazine on NME which is also a weekly music magazine which usually consists of 70-80 pages, which is what I included in my magazine. Moreover, the main cover story was usually around 1/3 into the magazine, which is relatively where I placed my DPS.

In terms of the page reference, they are the same as what I have used on the contents page; this is vital as it shows a sense of continuity, thus indicating professionalism. In relation to continuity, I have used my house style font: Ebrima, to further indicate this continuity, which enables readers to familiarise themselves with the house style. This is similar, as I have tried to emphasise the black, white and red colours both through the text, and my artist, especially as he is wearing the same outfit as on the front cover. This is highly important for continuity, and was a feature I noticed in highly successful magazines such as NME.

Moreover, the features that I used were purely based off of the decisions I made in the planning and researching stage, which can also be seen here: http://chloehowcroft.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/criteria-to-be-used-in-my-magazine.html

This includes the pull quote, which I discussed in the ‘Written Content’, the talkie headline and the by line. What I also included whilst constructing the DPS is the advertisement about Josh’s upcoming gigs, which is what I had seen in several magazines.

The drop cap feature at the start of my text is also another convention which I had seen in many other DPS’s in music magazines as well as other magazines in general, showing that this is a staple convention throughout the magazine industry. I personally like this feature because it is very journalistic and authentic, and definitely directs the reader’s attention towards the text invitingly.

Overall, I feel that I have conformed to many conventions of a DPS within a music magazine, with some developments, particularly in the advertisement in the bottom right corner.

OTHER FEATURES

BarcodeI specifically placed my barcode in this corner of the front cover, as I had seen many other magazines and not only music magazines, but magazines in general, placing their barcode there. This is a convention I had to adhere to so as to ensure that my magazine looked as professional and as believable as possible.

Free giftGenerally, music magazines would also include their free cd on in the top left corner. Originally, I had placed it on the right side, however, I noticed that this did not explicitly adhere to any specific conventions, hence I altered this design in order to conform to the convention. My original research is on the next page.

Original research into these codes and conventions:

Original Research - Criteria to be used http://chloehowcroft.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/criteria-to-be-used-in-my-magazine.html