In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms and

conventions of real media products?

Real magazine have a certain forms and conventions which they mostly keep to, some develop these forms and conventions, and others challenge these forms and conventions. An example of a magazine which sticks to the forms and conventions is the NME , the NME sticks to the conventions, a banner at the top and bottom to display different information, the title at the top of the page in bold, in this case slightly to the left as it is so short, large picture in the middle of the front cover the men addressing the camera, with a title across their bodies, with a sub- heading under it. Bar code in the bottom corner, with the issue number and price just above it. Other code which the NME sticks to is having is the other features are under the big heading, with their own headings and sub headings. These codes are right on the conventions of magazines.I will examine how I have used developed or challenges the form and conventions in my media

Front Cover

On my media product I have stuck with having the title of the magazine at the top of the page, this is stick with code, I have kept this as the way the magazine will be stacked on the shelves if the title is put sideways on the page it will not be seen, therefore I have left it on the top of the page. There is a central image, however, instead of having the men in the photo addressing the camera, they are walking across the, camera gives a different mise en scene and connotations. This is challenging the code that the people in the font cover photo are addressing the camera. I have the main heading across the front cover photo, with a sub –heading, this covers the main photo and what it is representing. This is in check with the traditional codes which magazine’s front covers follow. I have also followed the code that with the other features are around the main image, having a heading and a sub heading underneath. This is following the traditional code, therefore informing the reader what else there is in the magazine, like the traditional code of these other headings is that they are in different typography, therefore splitting the stories up into their individual features. Another code I have followed is the place of the barcode, I have put it in the bottom right corner with the price of the magazine just above it. Lastly I have the in the bottom banner I have put extra information, this give the reader even more information of what is the magazine. To conclude the front cover of my magazine Resonator follow the conventions of real media products, expect it challenges the front cover picture, the picture I have put on the front cover is reminiscent of The Beatles album cover of abbey road, giving the magazine a different look which I think is more attractive.

Contents

On the right is the contents page of my media product, I have kept to the general idea of magazines with the different sections of the magazine on the content with some pictures complementing the stories in the different sections. After this I have mostly challenged the codes and conventions of front pages. Firstly instead of having the different sections of the magazine in on column, I have set the page out into four sections, within each section are the stories, here I have stuck with the code that with the story name there is a sub-heading which has a little description of what the story is about. In the middle of the page is the editors letter, in some magazines there is a whole different page for the editors’ letter, others put it at the top of the page, here I have challenged the code as I wanted it to a significant part of the contents as I want to relate to the readers through the editors letter. Under the editors letter in between the two sections is the where I have placed a little collage of pictures which, is unusual, as the picture which relates to an article are place under or with that article. Instead of that I have made a collage of pictures, with an anchor which would say which page number the picture relates to. So to conclude I have challenged the whole convention of the contents page by rearranging the codes of the contents page.

Double page Spread

The double page spread on the right which is in my media product is very unconventional, Normal double page spreads have a picture on one page, with the title going across the two pages and the article on the other page. However, the double page spread which I have designed completely challenges the form and conventions of the traditional double page spread. My double page spread incorporates a two page picture, with a anchor at the bottom which explains the picture, with a information box on the right bottom of the double page spread, to give some factual information about the feature. Then across the top of the page and in a column on the far left of the double page spread is the main body of the article. Above this is the title of the double page spread. On the top right corner is an extra incentive. The double page spread which I have designed is definitely challenging the form and conventions of traditional double page spreads. Everything about it challenges double page spreads, below is a traditional double page spread against my double page spread. As you can see they are not even reminiscent of each other. I think that the traditional double page spread is still effective, but the double page spread in my media product puts a different spin of what it the double page spread could be.

To conclude the media product I have created somewhat tries to re-write some of the conventions of magazine as they try to challenge the codes and conventions so much. I think that they are a effective way of challenging the forms and conventions as they still

include all the information that a conventional magazine would.