Evaluation Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real-life media products?

My magazine's front cover, contents pages, double page interview intro and the interview page itself implements but also challenges typical forms and conventions seen in existing music magazines.

In terms of my front cover, I have implemented a convention that is clearly visible straight away; the fact that I have used a close-up shot of the 'cover model's face. This is commonly used because it draws attention as that cover model is likely to have a substantial fanbase, either in the mainstream or online. The main colour palette of my magazine is black, white, red and yellow. The use of red in particular has connotations of violence, a feature commonly associated in songs within my selected genre, and it helps give the magazine an attitude and personality.

For my first contents page, I decided to use a medium long shot of the cover model in a different pose. The pose used conveys an image of power and aggression, which relates closely to the journey of the cover model throughout his life. However, I have decided to use this image on its own for this page with no separate images. This, in a similar way to the front cover, gives the model more exposure in the mainstream.

The second contents page heavily incorporates images in its layout. This is a convention as magazines such as XXL are known for using this layout in the past. On it, I have used 3 separate images of different models with a paragraph explaining the article the model is featured in. I have used different colour backgrounds for each feature to make the page stand out more. Another convention I have used is adding a separate section entitled, 'The Regulars' which as you may guess displays all features that will become a staple in every issue for the magazine. It's useful to promote these features because if the readers like them, they will become hooked and will want to buy every issue to look at them.

The left page of my double page introduction for my interview page shows another image of the cover model in another powerful pose, a common feature in music magazines in general. The image is also in black and white which creates an image of negativity and struggle but at the same time entices the reader to read on. The right page contains only text and is a brief introduction to the cover model's story, this use of a short paragraph to set the scene can be considered a typical convention in music magazines.



The interview page is set out in a rather conventional picture-at-the-top, text-at-the-bottom format. This style is commonly used as the reader's normal idea is to read a page from top to bottom. Therefore, putting a good image at the top of the page will make the reader want to engross themselves in the interview. At the very top of the page, there is an advertisement for both the magazine's and the cover model's Snapchat pages. Advertisements like these are very common in magazines and also good for their image as it suggests the overall quality of it attracts a swarm of companies.