The median of my media product is a print product, in the form f a magazine. The ideologies of the magazine are that it looks fun and happy. The magazine also portrays a very girly image and looks exciting. The genre of our media product is a music magazine. The representation of our magazine is very friendly and the viewer can immediately tell it is for the younger generation because of the codes and conventions that can be recognised from just looking at the front cover of the magazine.
After extensive research into audiences and conducting questionnaires to various age groups and genders, we decided that our product would be best aimed at 11-14 year old females. We have used specific targeting when choosing our audience and adapting our product to suit them. We created our magazine, but we decided that the best institution to distribute our product if it was to be marketed would be a company like EMAP. This is because from our research we found out that EMAP used to distribute the magazine Smash Hits which is a similar product to our own. The narrative of our magazine is informal, chatty and friendly language that our chosen audience could relate to. We haven’t used overly complicated words or phrases in case they were not understood by our audience. Some words we have used are slang words, so that they can relate to the audience further.
When looking at the front cover of this issue of Burst, the first thing that catches your eye is the masthead. It is in a big, bold, interesting font and coloured pink. This means that if the magazine were on the shelf in a shop it would be easily recognised. The masthead is pink to show that it is a product for females because the colour pink portrays a girly image. The tagline is underneath the masthead on the right hand side, as it is on every issue of the magazine. The tagline reads, ‘Keep in tune with Burst!’ This gives the viewer a general idea about what the magazine is about because they have used the word ‘tune’ which would suggest that the product is a music magazine. The issue number, dateline and price are also written in a small font on the left hand side underneath the masthead. This is also the same on the other issues of Burst.
The main image is a medium close up of two female models. The models are looking directly into the camera and the camera is at eye level which makes the viewer more drawn to the magazine when it is on the shelf and helps them to relate to the magazine. The colours in the photograph have been over exaggerated through editing so the image looks brighter and more defined. The models are also a little bit older than the target audience so that they can be role models to the readers. The models themselves are still quite young and this is so that the audience can relate to them. The costumes that the models are wearing are trendy and include bright colours.
The main cover story is advertised at near the bottom of the page in the centre. ‘The BabyDolls’ is written in bright purple, in a swirly, bold, interesting font that stands out. The viewer can immediately tell that the two models on the front are ‘The BabyDolls’ because the title is written just underneath them. Like other magazines, underneath the main cover story there is a brief introduction to give the reader a basic idea of what the story is about. The text reads, ‘Meet the Girlband of the Year!’ The viewer can tell that there will be more information about the band inside the magazine.
The other cover stories are written along the sides of the cover in brightly coloured fonts. There is a bright pink banner along the top of the front cover which grabs the viewer’s attention. It says ‘Free CD with all the hottest Summer tunes!’ By using promotions like free gifts it attracts the viewer to the magazine more because they are getting more for their money. By reading this the viewer can also tell that this is a summer issue without having to read the dateline. The free gift is a CD which would suggest to the viewer more that the genre of the magazine is music.
A colour scheme has been used on the front cover of the magazine. The main colours used are pinks and purples. This makes the magazine look more professional and easier to recognise. Other issues of Burst magazine have also used colour schemes on their front cover. In the bottom left hand corner there is a barcode, it is situated in the same place on every issue of Burst magazine.
In the top left hand corner of the contents page there is the Burst masthead but much smaller and it has been rotated. This is a key code and convention of Burst magazine to use there masthead throughout their magazine. A big, pink block arrow is also at the top of the page. Inside the arrow it says, ‘Look Over Here!’ and points towards the cover stories and the rest of the magazine. The two ‘O’s’ in the ‘look’ have been replaced by two big cartoon eyes. This is to give a friendly and fun image to the magazine. The big arrow can be found on the contents page on every issue to ensure that they all portray the same image.
The contents page includes an editor’s letter like most magazines. It is placed on the top left hand side like in every issue. The letter is started with ‘Hey Sweetie’ in a bold font. This is done to grab the reader’s attention and it makes it more interesting, friendly and personal. The editor’s letter is in a font that looks handwritten which also makes it more personal and interests the viewer because it stands out from the rest of the text. The editor has signed their letter with ‘Abbie X’ so that the viewer can tell that it was written by them and not someone else. There is a photo if the Editor at the bottom of the letter and it shows them in an office scene with different props around them. The editor is smiling to make her look friendly and appealing.
Next to the editor’s letter there is another box ‘On the Cover.’ It shows the stories that were advertised on the cover and where they are situated in the magazine. Like other magazines there is a smaller image of the front cover on the page and there is a diagram pointing to each story and showing the page where it can be found. This has been done because it is a key code and convention of other magazines.
The other stories in the magazine are shown underneath in a list. The stories are divided into sections, ‘Celeb Central,’ ‘Music Meltdown,’ ‘ADD HERE’ and ‘The Regulars.’ This is done so that the readers can navigate their way around the magazine much easier and find what they want to read quicker. There is also another section to the magazine which is ‘The Pop Factor.’ This shows more stories but there is a brief explanation of what the story is about. The page numbers go up to about 80; this would suggest that the magazine is a national product because it has quite a lot of pages.
At the very bottom of the page there is an aqua coloured banner where it shows how readers can subscribe to the magazine. This makes the magazine look more professional. Other images of different issues of Burst can be seen on the subscription banner to interest the viewer.
Bright colours have been used in the contents page to attract readers but a colour scheme hasn’t really been used. Not many images have been included in the contents page. This is a key code and convention of Burst magazine because they do not want the contents page to look over crowded and confusing because it is for a younger audience. Although they still want the reader to think that the magazine is interesting.
The double page spread is about the girlband on the front cover ‘The BabyDolls.’ When you first look at the double page spread the first thing that you notice is the main image. It is a long shot of the two girls in the girlband posing together. Written across them in a big, eye catching, brightly coloured font is ‘The BabyDolls.’ In the top left hand corner of the page there is the Burst logo and ‘exclusive’ written next to it in capital letters. This is to add interest and hook the reader.
Underneath the title there is an introduction that explains what the interview is about and what it involves. The introduction has been started with a large letter like most magazines include on their double page spreads. The background colour of the double page spread is pink going from light to dark form the left. The opposite page is filled with text. It is a Q&A interview with the girlband. The questions asked are in bold. In the article, other popular, well known artists are mentioned which the readers can also relate to.
The language used is chatty and informal and the interview portrays the girls as down to earth and friendly. The text is moulded around a big quote in the same font as the title. It says, ‘it all feels like a dream!’ Many magazines use this code and convention in their own double page spreads to make it look more interesting. At the bottom of the interview there is another image of the two girls smiling with a bright pink border around it. A colour scheme has also been used on the double page spread, it is pink and white. This is to make everything blend together and look professional.
In conclusion, from analysing my own music magazine I can recognise the codes and conventions we have used and developed from other real media products to make our own product look more realistic and professional. I think we have successfully portrayed the image that we were aiming for and after making adjustments to our magazine after questioning our audience; we have successfully made a media product that appeals to the audience that we were aiming for.
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