1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and
conventions of real media products?
Front cover
My magazine’s front cover conforms to many of the conventions of a front cover to a rock magazine.
•I have put the magazine name in the top left corner. I have had the image overlapping the logo. There is
also much overlapping of images and texts, which is a typical convention of a rock magazine’s front cover.
• I have included footers.
• Like with nearly all music magazine’s, particularly rock, there are certain colour schemes that are used to
identify the magazine; I have therefore used three principle colours as part of my magazine’s identity:
red, white and black. Where I have wrote ‘Reading Fest’ on the front cover, it may seem as though i have
gone against this convention, and used a different colour and style to the rest of the magazine, this is not so
as it is supposed to portray the identity or association of the festival, not the magazine.
•I have followed the rock front cover convention of having a single band on the front cover as the main
feature of the page, and this being the feature inside also. Including all the smaller features, photos etc
around the magazine, with less of a focus.
I have also challenged and subverted some of the conventions of the front cover of a music magazine.
•All genre’s of music magazine have a specific style which relates to the genre of music represented in the
magazine. I have tried to challenge this convention. As I am simply doing a ‘Rock’ magazine, I tried to
incorporate different styles and aspects of the rock style. Including; the ‘handsome, clean cut look’,(blond
boy on left) the ‘alternative rock girl look’ (girl on middle left), ‘stylish indie kid’ (ginger boy on middle right)
and the ‘rough, rebellious, heavy rocker’ (far right). In that order, they represent, the classic
look, alternative, indie, and heavy rock looks
•I have also defied conventions in the style in which i have wrote the magazine name, whilst others are
plain/2 dimensional.
•I have also used a variety of different fonts and writing styles- to give the magazine a different style or
convention to the average music magazine front cover.

2. Contents
I have tried to follow many of the conventions in the making of my contents page.
•I put the features and regulars into two separate columns.
•The numbers were in different colours to the actual information of the topic.
•There is a headline given to each feature, including only a very brief description of the feature.
•I have included pictures relevant to the features shown in the page’s description
•It could be said that I have challenged the traditional contents page, in that I have used natural
images, in order to create a sense of realism and relate to the audience. I have done this in the
double page spread, too.
Double Page Spread
•I have certainly followed with a very common theme in music magazine, of including a double
page spread as the same as the feature shown on the front page, where an insight is given to
the feature.
•I have included a photo of the band, along with an interview with two band members.
•There is swearing in my double page spread. I found this to be more of a convention in heavy
rock magazine’s, with a more hardcore edge (as seen in my double page spread analysis of
‘Gallows’ interview. This intertwines with my theme of representing a variety of rock music
themes, including the rebellious aspect.

3. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I have two targets, in terms of representation of different social groups. As the target
audience is teenagers, I have tried to represent teenagers in my product. I also wanted
to represent the social group of ‘rock and alternative.’ As I said in the previous slide, I
tried to portray different aspects of the social scene, relating to the rock genre. The
relevance of on of the band members holding a cigarette on the front cover is to show
the rebellious aspect of rock, or indeed ‘Rock n’ Roll.’ Rock can often be associated
with rebellion, particularly when relating to teens, so I have tried to portray this aspect
in this. It is also important that style is a big factor in rock music, and the people I
selected had unique styles, all relating to a sub genre of rock.
On the rock scene, festivals and gigs is always a big theme and often a big part of being
a rock fan. For this reason, I have included festival information as a feature in my
contents page. In the contents, I have shown a teen band, and represented them as
having fun and being silly. It also shows that they are having fun, and this relates to
these aspects of rock, and possibly to the lifestyles of the target audience, as it
represents rock fans as party people, if somewhat reckless. Apart from that, they are
represented as alternative, stylish and even down to earth.

4. What kind of media institute might distribute your media product and why?
My media product would probably be distributed at music stores, such as HMV. This is
because the kind of people who go to these shops would clearly already have a keen
interest in music, and thus be more attracted to buying a music magazine. It would
also perhaps be distributed in local shops/corner shops, as this is convenient for
people who buy these magazines as they are monthly magazines.
It is also possible for my music magazine to be distributed via internet, as so many of
the youth generation use the computer/internet as their main means of music
consumption.
As this is a monthly magazine, if it were to be distributed, I believe it would be possible
to subscribe to this magazine, and have it delivered every month. I would charge extra
for this, and include extra free gifts and incentives to sign up to receiving this magazine
on a monthly basis.

5. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The audience for my media product would certainly be teenagers/young adults as the
main audience, but would also appeal to all ages with a great interest in rock music
including news relating to it etc.
I have tried to appeal to a wider range of rock fans rather than just one specific sub
genre, such as indie, or punk. So I think it would appeal to all who have an interest in
rock and alternative music.
I think it would appeal to both male and female audiences as I have included both
males and females within the magazine, and handsome males to attract females, as
well as being cool and having a stylish appearance, to attract male audiences.

6. How did you attract/address your audience?
I tried to attract my audience by including an teen band on the front cover, contents
page and double page spread as this would relate to the mainly teen audience. Rock
generally tends to be somewhat more male orientated, in terms of rock bands, but
there are most certainly many good female rock artists/bands. So in order to address
both male and female audiences I had a band with three males and one females, and
two females in the contents page band. I also had people in the bands wearing stylish
clothing, so as to attract a wider range of audience.
I advertised a free CD on the front cover as this was seen to be the most wanted
feature of a music magazine and would have attracted many people.
I also used slang in my product, to further relate to the young audience, an example of
this is, on the front cover, saying ‘the baddest band’, in this context meaning good, and
also words like ‘hottest.’ the purpose of this was to address my audience on the same
level.

7. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this
product?
I have become fairly proficient in using Photoshop. Before doing this coursework I was
unable even to edit and change even basic photos and texts, but now I can
complete such tasks with ease and know which tools to use and where they would
be appropriate.
Also, before this coursework, I was not even able to use power point presentation very
well, and I can now do this.
I have also had to consider cameras and camera angles and what effect they
make, and what effect certain lighting, backgrounds, both artificial and
natural, may create.
Another useful thing I have learnt in terms of technology was how to use slideshare
and upload photos. Overall I have learnt some very key things about basic
ICT, which will be of future benefit.

8. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the
progression from it to the full product?
I have had to consider and learnt many more things in this task, in comparison to when
I did my preliminary task.
I have had to consider analyses of many magazines in order to draw conventions of
these products, and see how this would influence my work. This has also made me
consider conventions I have to include and indeed challenge within my own
product.
I have also had to consider target audience and how I have to portray the people in my
magazine in order to relate to my target audience.
I have had to consider what fonts and writing styles to use in order to create effect.
One thing I did not do to a great extent was construct my layout to create an effect. I
have done this far more carefully in my final product