By Georgina Dovaston

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA

PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE

THE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL

MEDIA PRODUCTS?

• How does my magazine use the forms and

conventions?

• What has my magazine done that real magazines do?

• Refer to the forms and conventions.

USES

FRONT COVER

I have used the forms and conventions in my magazine front cover because I have

done it so the artist on the front cover is looking at the camera so it looks like they

are looking directly at you so when you go to buy it in a shop you will just see the

artist on the front cover looking at you tying t get you to buy the magazine, the mast

head is also the biggest graphic on the page so it is clear to read and it is big and

bold so you don’t have to search the front cover for the name of the magazine.

Also on both of the magazines the main artist on the front of the magazine takes up

most of the page so you can also see who the magazine is about, you will also be able to see what sort of artist they are if you have never head of the name of the

artist you can normally see what sort of artist they are by the way they dress and the

way the look. On my magazine I have got the mast head at the top of my page

going from the left of the page to right, it is like this so when you go into a shop to

buy it all you will see is the mast head of the magazine so you know which magazine

your looking at. Also the headline of the magazine is big so you can see what the

main feature in the magazine is before you buy the magazine so you know if it is

going to be a magazine that you will like and actually want to read. The name in

the head line is also normally the artist on the front cover so you know what the artist

looks like if you haven’t heard of the name before. The sub headline is slightly smaller

underneath the main head line because when you pick the magazine you will see

which artist its about but then when you read the sub headline you will see why it is

about that artist so you know what sort of article it is going to be and what it is going

to be about, quite often the sub head line is a quote from the article that features

the artist on the front of the magazine. The cover lines on both magazines tell you a

little more of what is inside the magazine so you know what else is in the magazine

apart from the headline. Sometimes the cover lines are quotes from inside the

magazine so you know what things are said in the magazine. Most magazines have

also got a date line on the front cover which shows the website and the barcode

and the issue number.

FRONT COVER

Artist looking at camera Mast head at the top left

hand side of the page

Headline

Sub headline

Dateline

CONTENTS PAGE

I have used the forms and conventions in my music magazine

contents page because all the articles have got a page number by

them so you know which page they are on so you don’t have to flick

through the magazine trying to find one article. My contents page

and the one I’m comparing it too have both got more than 1

picture/photograph because on most magazines they have got

more than 1 photograph to show different artists that are in the

magazine. The title is always at the top of the page either the top left

hand side, the top middle or the top right hand side so when you are

flicking through the magazine you will see at the top of the page that

it is the contents page so you don’t have to look at every page to

find the magazine you will see it straight away because it will be at

the top of the page. The colour scheme and the house style will

follow on from the front cover so the colours and the fonts will follow

on from the front cover so it matches. On a contents page it has also

got columns on it so all the writing is neat and in columns. It is also

broken down into categories so if you are looking for a certain thing

in the magazine you will be able to look under the category it would

be in to find the page that the feature/article would be on that you

are looking for. Most magazines including mine have got a bit of

writing underneath the title of the article saying what it is about and

also what it is in so you know whether you will like the article or not so you know whether to read it or not.

CONTENTS PAGE

Page numbersMore than 1 picture Title in the centre of

the page

Categories

ARTICLE

• How does my magazine develop the forms and conventions?

• Where did you get your ideas from?

• How did decide to take my photographs the way they are?

• Show how I developed the idea by referring the original.

DEVELOP

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

ARTICLE

• How does my magazine challenge the forms and conventions?

• How has my magazine broken the conventions?

• If you haven’t broken conventions show real media products

that have.

CHALLENGE

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

ARTICLE