EVALUATION 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products? (i.e. of music magazines)

The title of the magazine- the white masthead

of Clash magazine is featured on all issues. This makes it easy to recognise for its
audience, alongside the large type face that fills the top section of the cover.
Graphology/page layouts- page layout is very simplistic. Throughout cover,
contents and double page spread there is minimal writing and large amounts of
negative space.
Costumes, props, iconography used to reflect genre- there is very little use of
colour and if so there tends to be understated blocks of colour against pale
backgrounds which reflects the relaxed feel within the genre
Camerawork and framing of images- there is a variety of close up, mid and long
shots featured in Clash. The shots are commonly single shot of the featuring
artist or icon. Many double page spreads consist of writing on one page and a
picture on the other the add simplicity
Title, article, header etc font and style- the article is written in a simple and easy
to read font with the heading and important features in bold and a bigger type
face. Few fonts are used create the minimalistic effect. The title of the article is
written in a different typeface, at the top of negative space which captures the
audiences attention
Genre and how the magazine cover, contents and spread suggests it- the genre
of the music is obviously clear through the cover, contents and double page. The
minimal layout of text and pictures is unconventional and allows for negative
space which is not typically seen in magazines, demonstrating the unique indie
styling
How your artist(s) are represented- Matt Healy is dressed in a black formal
looking jacket with a white shirt which matches with the text on the other page.
This emphasises the clean approach to the magazine.
Colour scheme- the colour scheme is very understated with block colours against
paler backgrounds. This is soft and relaxed. The eyes are automatically drawn to
the black jacket. This colour scheme runs throughout the cover and double page
spread
The title of my magazine
The title of my magazine, VINYL, follows typical convention of existing
magazines. Mine closely follows the codes and conventions of Clash and Dazed
as it short and has a dominance on the page due to the wide, block font. The
masthead is in black which stands out and pops on the page as it is sitting on a
pale grey background. I chose the name Vinyl as it has a close musical link and
refers to listening to music on a vinyl record. As technology as become more
modernized, many no longer listen to music on a vinyl records which makes it a
less conventional way of listening to music. I felt that this was relevant to the
indie genre, as the population who listen to the indie genre is much smaller than
those who listen to pop and r&b. The positioning of masthead is to the left of
page which matches covers from Clash and Dazed, showing that I am following
conventions from these magazines as it has the same prominence on the page,
making it a memorable title for my audience and is an immediate attraction for
the consumers eyes without then consciously realizing which would have a huge
benefit for the audience that I am trying to attract. I wanted to follows these
codes as Clash and Dazed were my original influence for my own magazine.
Graphology/page layout
I wanted to keep the layout of my magazine very minimal and simplistic so I only
used three fonts for the headings and smaller features of my page decor which
were, Bolts SF, chanson heavy SF and franklin gothic demi. I chose these fonts as
they are very clean and bold, with straight edges. I wanted to steer away from
rounded and curly fonts as it would have taken away the simplicity which I was
trying to achieve. The added features on my cover, outlining plus features of the
magazine, are written in pink which has been taken from the colour of Alfies top
which makes a subtle link between them and makes their connection seamless.
The same colour pink is also taken to make the pull quotes pop for the reader.
The shade of pink is pale enough to follow the relaxed and minimal effect I was
aiming for but is vibrant enough to be easy to read. On the cover I have used the
Z pattern page layout which helps the audience see each aspect of the page.
First the mast head, then through the hands of Alfie and then across the bottom
of the page to the band name. This makes sure that the consumer has seen all
areas of the cover. The barcode was positioned at the top of the page, alongside
the mast head to fill negative space that would have been there. The
measurements of my cover is 22 x 28.5 which follows the measurements of Q
magazine. For my contents page I follows the conventions of clash magazine and
had a black background with a white border to make the text on the contents
pop. I wanted very little text on my context to achieve the clean look. When
planning and researching, I noticed that Clash didnt feature many or any
pictures on the contents page, however I preferred the mid/ close up shot of the
artist to break up the text and bring subtle colour to the page. This also meant
the page didnt look empty and filled some negative space. The majority of the
headings and page dcor are written in black to follow conventions of double
pages in Clash which I followed when doing my research and planning. Specific
words from the title such as silver lining on my double page are written in a
grey colour to subconsciously attract the consumer to the title of the double
page. The title is the most important part of the double page and I wanted this to
stand out and allow variety for the consumer. Also the title of the double page is
situated on the right hand side of the double page, with the pictures on the left.
This is not so commonly seen and goes against most magazine codes and
conventions, however during research and planning, Clash had many pages
where this pattern occurred which I thought was unique and made my artists the
main feature. The uniqueness of this set up shows the individuality of the indie
genre.
Costumes, props, iconography used to reflect genre
My artists, The Reign, were styled in a couple of different outfit as the images
were taken over a few days to create diversity and a different side to each of the
artists. I wanted the artists to be wearing clothing that had very little colour,
mostly black, white and navy to alliterate the minimal and clean approach,
however I did want to have a single accent colour throughout my magazine. I
chose pink to emphasis the fact that my magazine was aimed at both a male and
female audience and to add that feminine aspect. I took the shade of pink from
the colour of the top my lead singer was wearing to further connote that he was
an important member of the band and to link the two so that my colour scheme
was fluent and seamless throughout. The boys are all wearing black jeans to
keep it consistent. Two of the band members are wearing dark, oversized items
of clothing which in some pictures are layered to create the relaxed and indie
vibe
Camerawork and framing of images
The camera that I used to take the images throughout my magazine was the
Nikon D32100. When using the camera, I changed the settings on the camera to
get the desired look that I thought gave the appropriate styling. Some images
were taken with the flash and others were not. I used other settings such as
portrait to achieve the images. Throughout my magazine I follow current
conventions of leading magazines by using mostly mid and mid/long shots with a
few close up shots where I tried to focus on the artists facial expressions and
their posture. When working on the cover, I made sure that they were central
and were positioned symmetrically. I made sure that the lead singer was directly
in the middle of the page meaning that his hands were the main focus of the
magazine to draw in the consumers attention.
Title, article, header etc. font and style
On my double page spread I combined an article and interview style to create a
friendly and personal atmosphere so when the consumer is reading the interview
so they could relate and feel as though they were part of the conversation. I
wanted to introduce my artists with an article type style before beginning the
article as I wanted to allow my audience to get know the band members so they
would be intrigued and want to read further into my interview. The interview
continues with a very chatty and friendly vibe which makes reading easier for the
consumer as it can become more relatable. The font that I used for my article
was Arial at size ten. Tis followed conventions of magazines as many do not go
above a size 11. This font is very easy to read which would encourage them to
read it. The title for my double spread was gradually layered which made it more
prominent on the page and broke up the text would subconsciously make the
reader pause whilst reading it giving it more emphasis. I used the font Franklin
gothic demi to keep it consistent with other fonts and stick to minimal clean look.
Genre and how the magazine cover, contents and spread suggests it
My indie/ indie rock alternative genre is represented through the minimal and
simplistic layout and the block colour scheme with calm and relaxing accent
colours, in my case pastel pink. Through my cover contents and double page I
am consistent with my layout and colour scheme and also represent my genre
through the artists clothing. They are all wearing dark block colour pieces of
clothing such as oversized box t-shirts, worn jeans and shoes with oversized
jackets.
How the artist is represented?
On the cover of my magazine, one of my artists from the band has his hands
striking a pose that comes forward from the other boys. He is wearing pink,
which in constrast to the other boys who are in very dark colours. This
immediately attracts the audiences attentions and connotes that he is the lead
singer in the band. It is commonly known that the lead singer in bands is often
the centre of photos and is doing something more unique compared to the other
members in the band like bands such as The 1975 where the lead singer, Matt
Healy is always then centre attraction. This stance gives the impression that the
boys are outgoing and want to to encourage their fan base to be confident with
aspriations. At the same time the boys look as though they are comfortable in
front of the camera with very relaxed posture to follow the relaxed feel that I
wanted to achieve to represent the indie rock genre. The artists clothing follows
conventions of the indie genre as they each show uniquness and wear the
baggier relaxed clothing that doesnt look over done or perfect. They dont follow
the typical brands and want to stand out from the mainstream pop audience. On
my contents page, each of the boys are looking into the camera which allows the
audience to make a personal connection with band. The dark shadow behind
them demonstrates that they are strong and confident and want to progress into
a serious musical carer. This would make the audience think highly of the band
aspire te be like them. Through-out my double page spread the boys have there
individual close up shots which take up the whole of the right page. This gives a
sense that the boys have their own individuality as well as being part of a band
and can also allow for the audience to connect with one of the band members as
an individual. As well as the shots throughout my double page, the interview
presents the artists as being bright, adventurours boys who want to make
something for themselves. This connotes their ability to turn dreams into
something real which most younger members of the targeted audience would
possisbly struggle with.
Colour scheme
Throughout my magazine I used a very simple colour scheme. Mostly black,
white and grey was used with an accent colour to provide variation and interest
for my audience. I used the pink from my lead singers top as the accent colour
so show consistency throughout and to make my magazine look seamless. I used
these colours as they are very understated and calming to look at which creates
the relaxed feel that I wanted to achieve for my audience.