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Conventions are typical things that people expect to see. For example, the conventions of a music magazine would be that the title is found in the top left corner of the page and the main image is a medium close up of the feature band/artist.
My media product challenges and uses some specific conventions. The conventions that I used on my music magazine product are; the title is in the top left corner of the cover, contents and double page spread. The image used on the cover is a medium close up of the feature band. Indie music magazines tend to tie in a fashion element along with the music aspect. Therefore my music magazine uses this “norm” because I used a fashion element to go with the music side of the magazine.
The main conventions that I challenged were on a typical indie music contents page. This is because indie magazine contents pages tend to be very disjointed, as this is what indies prefer. I chose to keep my contents page very simple and to the point. This is so that my contents page is easy to read and understand. I didn't want to risk people not being able to understand the contents and what was inside.
I feel that my front cover is very conventional as it has a title in the top left corner, a main image in the centre of the page which links to the main story and the double page spread. These are all typical characteristics expected on the front of a magazine.
My contents page is also conventional, this is because it looks exactly how people would imagine a music magazine’s contents page to be. It has the contents running down the left side of the page and images relating to the articles on the right. However, I do feel that I have challenged one convention of a typical music magazine. This is that the title for the page is “contents”. Many music magazine’s tend to leave the title of the page out because it is unnecessary and it is already obvious that the page is a contents page, so not having a title saves the page space which can be used for more images or contents. I’m happy that I challenged this convention because my contents page still looks professional and I wanted to make sure that people see the page is a contents page.
I think that my double page spread sticks to the conventions of a typical music magazine. This is due to the layout and what the page contains. A conventional music magazine’s double page spread would have a title in the left corner, a main image, the article in small columns, smaller images dotted around the page and information about the band/artists at the end of the article. I tried to stick to the conventions of a music magazine because I wanted to make sure it attracted the right target audience and looked like a music magazine should do.


Music magazine’s are often targeted at several music social groups. For example, indie music is aimed at “indies” and rap/hip-hop music is often aimed at typical chav’s.
I feel that my media product represents a particular social group; this group is indie. I think that my media product does this through its images, informal language, colour scheme and layout. Real music magazine products use these to represent several different social groups. Indie magazines have a simple 2/3 colour scheme, informal & creative language and also contains features which favourably contain fashion, festivals and new artists/bands.
I think that my media product has met all of these aspects of an “indie” music magazine, therefore my product represents a particular social group successfully
My music magazine is mainly aimed at females, this is because the band featured in the magazine; both of the people are female. Then the other features are things such as fashion. So my music magazine represents females and their tastes for music. I could have involved more aspects to suit males but I don't think that would have suited the genre of the magazine as well as it should.
I feel that my magazine is also representing the working class. This is due to the use of some slang words on the cover, the layout of the pages and the models in the pictures. All of these aspects are more suited to the working class because it is something they can relate to and feel like the magazine has been created to suit them. If my magazine was to represent to middle/upper class people then the writing, font, mise-en-scene, camera angles etc would have been softer and a lot more formal.
Project Indie focuses on typical stereotypes of indies. When researching my genre lots of images can up of bands and people that liked indie music. One thing I noticed was that they all looked similar and liked the same things. So based on my research, I decided to focus on the stereotype of an “indie” , this is so that those people would see my magazine and see it as appropriate and fitting to their lifestyle and hobbies.


I think that these media institutions would distribute my media product:
›Newsagents
›Student bars/lounges
›Gigs/festival stands
›Digital publishing
I believe that these institutions would distribute my product. This is because my product is aimed at indies; this social group tends to be an age range of about 12-25. So therefore my chosen places of distribution are best for my product because those places are where my social group tends to hang out and socialise.
I could also think about distributing my media product in supermarkets and book stores. This would enable me to gain a wider audience and higher popularity.
Digital publishing is becoming increasingly popular. With 17% of magazines being available online. Recently, the internet has become a common thing is most people’s home. So if the internet distribute my media product; it would make it easier to get hold of, easier to sell and would increase the brands profit. Through digital publishing, I feel that I can make a lot more people become interested in the music genre and my magazine. They will like the magazine because it is available in most places, it is easy to buy and just simpler to order etc.


The audience for my media product would be “indies”. This is because the magazine genre is indie/alternative, the articles in the magazine are aimed at this social group. The layout of the cover, contents and double page spread are simple and calm. I did this because indie’s prefer a laidback approach, therefore the magazine should catch their attention.
Also, my media product could attract an audience that have no particular choice as to a style of music they prefer, they could buy the magazine if they were experimenting with what music they want to listen to. Therefore my music magazine needs to be high quality so that it easily attracts these people.
When choosing my audience for the product, I did lots of research into similar magazines. I looked at many different genres and found that indie would be appropriate. This is because it appeals to lots of people, it is unique and new to the market. I am also interested in indie lifestyle and music so this would add a passion to my work. After deciding that indie would be the genre for my magazine, I looked at lots of similar styled magazine. This helped me to see what was in the magazine that attracted this audience, what the preferred style to the magazine was and what promotions are offered to attract them more so to the magazine.


I attracted my audience through the images and language in the magazine. The language style is informal and plays on the word “indie”.
For my fashion element, I played on this word. Instead of using the word individual, I used “indievidual”. I purposely did this so that captures the correct audience and makes them feel that the magazine has been created for them, making them want to read it.
The images used for the magazine are typically “indie”. This is because they are black and white, the mise-en-scene used is calm and chilled; which indie people prefer.
So overall the indie audience should feel attracted t my magazine because of the way it looks and presents itself.
I think that camera work has a lot to do with attracting a particular audience, i.e. the type of camera angle the picture has been taken at. Indie’s tend to be interested in images that are looking down on the object and that are very often in black and white or a sepia tone. So to attract my target audience; I stuck to this idea. My main front cover image is looking down on the band, I thought it was important that I did this so that the correct audience feel attracted to the magazine and think that it is appropriate for them. The other images throughout my product are of different camera angles but are all black and white. This was so that they tie in with the theme of the magazine and address the right audience.


In the process of constructing my media product, I have learnt several new things about technologies. I have discovered how to upload images, post updates and research onto blogger(www.blogger.com).
Before doing my media product I had no idea what blogger was, what I had to do and who could use it. At the end of this project, I have learnt how to use blogger to the best of my advantages and will continue to use this programme in the future.
I have also learnt how to thoroughly use macromedia fireworks. I had previously used fireworks as part of GCSE ICT when creating web buttons; I had no idea that this programme could be used to design, create and edit magazines and images.
I have to admit that I had some problems with camera work. At the beginning of the project, I didn't really have an idea of what angles to use that would fit the genre, but after lots of research and designing I figured out what I needed to make my images fit with the genre of the magazine product.
The strengths of being able to use different technologies was that I could edit images and design abstract ideas. Through the use of fireworks; I managed to change several images to make them fit the genre and mood of my magazine. I also designed a professional magazine cover, contents and double page spread. Without the use of fireworks I don't think I would have been able to do this.
The weaknesses of being able to use alternative technologies are that I wasn't sure how to use Microsoft fireworks to the best of my advantages, so therefore having to use these programmes would be difficult. But by spending my time learning the skills of fireworks I was able to adequately use and create a magazine project using this very productive programme.


In the progression from my preliminary task to my fully finished product, I feel I have learnt about what it takes to make a professional and successful magazine, the conventions of a magazine and whether it is a good idea to use or challenge these conventions, what makes a magazine a particular genre and the technologies used in the design and creation process.
My preliminary product compared to my final product is poor quality. I feel I have come along way in terms of creating a magazine. My preliminary was poor quality because I didn't know how to use several technology programs to help me edit my images and design my pages.
Now that I have learnt how to use these aspects; my final product is of higher quality and more aesthetically pleasing.
I feel that since creating my preliminary product i have become alot more confident with the way i use computer technology, my design skills, camera skills and the way i address the audience. Looking back at my preliminary product and then at my final product it is clear that over the period; i have become much more confident in my ways. This has been shown in my product, analysis and research/planning.
I also feel that i have improved dramatically since having the task of creating a preliminary product. I have improved in many aspects, which include: design, planning, thinking about how to attract my audience, the genre and the way in which i design the product has to be fitting with it, but overall the appearance shown in my work is the main thing which has shown my major improvement.
I am pleased that i have come so far since doing my preliminary product because it shows how much i have understood and enjoyed doing media studies and creating this product.