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

PRODUCTS?

WHEN I STARTED MY MAGAZINE I KNEW I WANTED TO DEVELOP AND CHALLENGE CONVENTIONS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT INDIE IS ALL ABOUT.

• MY FRONT COVER CHALLENGES CONVENTIONS AS WELL AS FOLLOWS THEM IN MANY WAYS.

• I’VE STUCK TO CONVENTIONS IN THE TYPE OF IMAGE I USED, IT BEING A MEDIUM CLOSE UP, THE IMAGE BEING VERY STAGED AND IT HAVING A VERY SMALL COLOUR PALLET.

• THE BACKGROUND TO MY IMAGE IS ALSO STICKING TO CONVENTIONS BY BEING WHITE WITH A SMALL BIT OF GREY AROUND THE EDGES CREATING A SHADOW EFFECT.

• THE AMOUNT OF TEXT I USED IS VERY MINIMAL AND NOT OVERPOWERING THE PAGE WHICH IS WHAT MOST INDIE MAGAZINES DO. THIS IS BECAUSE THE TARGET AUDIENCE ARE VERY FASHION ORIENTATED AND WANT THEIR MAGAZINE TO LOOK ALMOST LIKE AN ACCESSORY.

• THE FRONT COVER HAS ALSO DEVELOPED CONVENTIONS BY HAVING A ‘BUSY’ BACKGROUND ON IT TO GET IMPORTANT POLITICAL MESSAGES, MATERS OF THE HEART, WEIRD IDEAS AND VINTAGE SYMBOLS ARE JUST SOME. THIS INTERTEXTUALITY HELPS CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONS OF THE GENRE, FOR EXAMPLE THE SYMBOL OF DARTH VADER WITH A HEART ON HIS CHEST SUGGESTS FATHERLY LOVE. I DID THIS TO MAKE THE MAGAZINE STAND OUT AND TO CREATE A HIPSTER VIBE TO IT.

• IT ALSO CHALLENGES CONVENTIONS BY HAVING HIM SWEARING, MOST INDIE MAGAZINES WOULDN’T DO THIS AS IT MAY COME ACROSS AS TOO AGGRESSIVE BUT I THINK IT WOULD APPEAL TO MY TARGET AUDIENCE AND IT REPRESENTS THEM STICKING THEIR FINGER UP TO STEREO-TYPES AND COMMON CONVENTIONS.

• THE CONTENTS PAGE I CREATED HAS FOLLOWED CONVENTIONS MORE THAN IT HAS CHALLENGED THEM.

• IT IS A FULL PAGE WITH MORE THAN ONE IMAGE WITH QUITE A BIT OF WRITING. THIS IS TO REPRESENT LIKE ‘INDIE LIFESTYLE’ BEING FULL OF FUN, MUCH LIKE OTHER INDIE MAGAZINES.

• THE WAY IT CHALLENGES CONVENTIONS IS BY HAVING A SIMILAR BUSY BACKGROUND TO THE FRONT COVER AND THE MASTHEAD NOT SAYING CONTENTS BUT HAVING A PICTURE OF A TENT RATHER THAN THE WORD.

• IT ALSO HAS A LARGER COLOUR PALLET THAN A MOST INDIE MAGAZINES, CREATED BY THE PAINT DRIPPING EFFECT IN THE BACKGROUND.

• AS WELL AS MY CONTENTS PAGE FOLLOWING CONVENTIONS, MY DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD DOES TOO. IT FOLLOWS THE COMMON CONVENTIONS BY HAVING THE THREE COLUMN RULE. MY MAIN IMAGE TAKES UP HALF OF THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD, WHICH IS THREE COLUMNS, THEN THE WRITING IS SET OUT IN THREE COLUMNS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD. THE MAIN IMAGE IS ALSO VERY STAGED MUCH LIKE ALL THE OTHER INDIE MAGAZINES I LOOKED AT.