In What ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Double Page Spread
On the left is my final double page spread product and on the right is an example of a double page spread published by the magazine The Crack. During the production of my double page spread, my main inspiration was The Crack magazine which influenced many of my design ideas but most importantly the generally layout of my page. It also inspired my content ideas due to it having a similar audience, genre and region therefore I decided to adapt and use similar language and register techniques. Although I used some similar conventions of The Crack in order to appeal to my own audience, I also manipulated features in order to make a unique and successful article of my own. The layout, diverse use of imagery and graphics offer a more personalised style to my magazine which is refreshing. I also took design ideas from other magazine double page spreads that I found on Pinterest. These mainly influenced the images and graphical aspects of my page which are more conventional to contemporary styles. Although I used some similar conventions, I also manipulated features in order to make a unique and successful magazine of my own. In this evaluation, I will be making comparisons of all the conventions of my double page spread to analysis how I was inspired by The Crack but also why I have subverted certain features.
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RESEARCH AND PLANNING
My research and planning stages really helped me to analyse real media products and find both the strengths and weaknesses to which conventions should be developed or challenged. This included deconstructing existing double page spreads, finding out generic conventions and analysing what makes a double page spread successful. I came to these conclusions throughout my research. Firstly, I believed my double page spread needed to be visually attractive with a balance between being image led and text led. This was inspired by my deconstructions of The Crack which proved visual attraction is equally as important as content. I was further inspired to use web links and colloquial language to offer a relatable and regional atmosphere. This would help to complete my brief but also make the magazine more relevant to the specific audience that I chose which was most significant. I also planned to continue my house style throughout the page even though the conventions differed from the likes of the front cover and contents page. I feel I have achieved this by planning to use social media links, a reoccurring colour scheme and a constant simplistic but contemporary style. I feel that by matching the findings I gathered during research and planning, I have been able to follow real media techniques that are most popular and those that I have found to be most memorable, in order to make my double page spread successful. After deconstructing double page spreads, I found that The Crack was the biggest real media product that I took most inspiration from and therefore influenced many of my creative ideas throughout the production of this final product. However, I also challenged The Crack double page spread in terms by adding my own conventions such as headlines and headings but also making a unique layout. I also challenged the amount of detail and article length as I found this more appropriate for my magazine. A lot of my design inspiration came from researching double page spreads on Pinterest. During my planning, I kept adding to my pinterest moodboard and gathered different conventions from different ideas to generate my final product. Evidence of the inspirations and challenges from my initial real media explorations are evident throughout all the conventions of my double page spread.
LAYOUT
My layout ideas for my double page spread changed dramatically throughout my production process and I ended up making numerous amendments until I settled on my final piece. Originally, I was inspired by INDIE magazine in which I based my initial flatplan design on. This layout consisted of a left side text led and right side image led page. It is very conventional of real media products to have one page of the double page spread dedicated to the image and the other dedicated to text and this is the normal layout that most follow. I feel this is because it allows the text to be easily supported but also allows each page to successfully stand alone if need be.
I did however then decide I wanted to challenge this and create a more unique design. My magazine aims to be modern and contemporary and therefore I wanted a layout that reflected its uniqueness. I was then inspired by The Crack magazine to use more than one dominant image on my page which led to my article idea of creating posters. I feel the layout of my page was therefore built around my images to ensure that the text complimented the visuals. This is The Crack page that inspired me most and gave me the most conventions to use. I took inspiration from having 4 images in total and then layering them on both sides of the page. This allows both pages to work well together but also create more diversity which breaks up the text a lot more. I haven't overlapped the centre of the page as this would be unconventional and make the content hard to read due to the bend in the page. Like most real media products, my masthead and text begin on the left side page as this is the first place the audience is likely to look. This is because we read from left to right and therefore it is most conventional to begin the article on the left page with the masthead to introduce. I was further inspired to create a strapline underneath this to introduce the article further. I challenged the layout of both of these real media products, INDIE and CRACK, by having my article on both sides of the page. This is quite unconventional for most magazines however I did notice it in the likes of Q. I feel that this way, my text is more broken down which provides for an easier read. It also allows the two pages to work together better and therefore become a double page spread rather than singular pages. The borders help to frame the page and direct the audiences eye-line to the centre of the content and therefore are a good layout feature. I was inspired to include this border style by INDIE magazine. Overall, I feel the conventional layout features that I have challenged or developed make my magazine unique and those that I have taken inspiration from, help to aid its professionally. All of the conventions that I have used, masthead, strapline, columns, images, bylines, borders, gutter lines and subheads are all present on the majority of existing real media products and therefore I feel my final double page spread is successful in reflecting such. My main development in my layout design is the way I have manipulated the page to work around my images and therefore I feel the set up is very unique. Although I have used similar conventions to other products, they have been organised in a way that no other magazine uses which is a major challenge.
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ARTICLE/CONTENT
The main feature and purpose of a double page spread is to provide an article that will interest the reader, is up to date and gives factual information that is important to the audience and genre. During my research, I noticed that double page spreads are focused on a sub-genre of the main magazine genre. For instance, this example of The Crack is about a an art exhibition event in the local area. Art and Events are sub-genres of The Crack and therefore the content of the double page spread is extremely relevant to the magazine and audience. My main genre is culture which therefore has the branches of events, films, music, fashion, art and tech. I therefore decided to base my double page spread on a story about events and film. My article advertises a film festival in the local area whilst giving brief summaries of each of the films that will be featured. This implies that the magazine has exclusive information which is being pre released and therefore will appeal to the audience. It is also meant to promote the region which it does so by making the films seem as interesting as possible to encourage people to attend the event. It also has a lot of factual information which answers any questions the audience may have about the event also. I decided to do a different article for pages 3 and 4 than the feature article I was advertising on the front cover. This is because my double page spread is going to be near the front of the magazine and it is not conventional to have your main feature at the beginning. By writing about a different topic than what was on my front cover, I am following real media conventions within the structure of my magazines content.
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The actual article is set out in 3 columns with 8 different paragraphs and stretches across the centre of the two pages to show it is the main feature. I decided to use this paragraph system to break up the text into different categories which will help the reader to approach the article better. It also makes the text look less heavy and therefore more of an easy read. It is conventional of most magazines to have columns on their double page spread which range from around 1 - 4 depending on the layout and style of the page. The Crack magazine I looked at only had 2 columns on the left side of the page. I feel that although this makes the layout look very neat, the page and information look a bit sparse and therefore not as rich in content as my text layout displays. This is why I decided to challenge the article layout to be longer and more detailed. My article has a structured narrative which offers an easy read for the audience. It begins with an interesting hypothesis to engage the reader, then offers a more factual introduction to the topic. It then has a paragraph based on each film I have chosen to give an exclusive on and then concludes with a brief summary. The final paragraph is then the factual information which will answer any last remaining questions. I was inspired by The Crack to follow this beginning middle and end structure as I feel it ensures all loose ends of the topic are tied together and the audience is given all the information that they need.
The length of my article has been broken down even further using subheads. Subheads are only featured on a few double page spreads that I found therefore I feel they are quite a unique convention to my page. They are normally used in real media products that have articles based on Question and Answer topics for instance in this example from Q magazine. Q magazine have presented the subheads which are questions in a bold typography to allow them to break up each paragraph and stand out from the rest of the text. I feel this change in font is effective as it shows a clear contrast between the subhead and main body of text. I decided to use this style in my own magazine. My subheads are present in the teal font as well as being a bolder typography. I feel this allows them to stand out and appear a lot more dominant. I have used a total of 4 subheads which introduce the name of the film. I feel this nicely supports the images so that if someone takes a certain interest in a particular film poster they can immediately find where to read about it.
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The Language and Register of my double page spread article was mainly inspired by The Crack. I chose to use this real media product due to them having a similar target audience in terms of age range, interests and region. I liked how the double page spreads in The Crack are quite witty and humorous and therefore I tried to adapt this in my own double page. For instance I have made puns about "film snoozing, sweet and salted (link to popcorn) and in short; don't miss out" (link to it being a shorts festival). I feel this type of wit is appreciated by older audiences and therefore will be appealing to my specific readers. I have made my article relatable by creating common scenarios that my audience can imagine themselves in. An example of this is in the first paragraph which reads a hypothetical situation that most of my readers will have been in. I have also used direct mode of address throughout which is very conventional of a magazine. It is important that the audience feel included and therefore my constant use of "we" emphasises the community vibe. I have included some mature language such as "badass" and also included modern terms such as "spoiler alert"which are commonly linked with the way my audience speak and therefore reflects their interests even further. I have also used colloquial language such as "nattering on..lads and lasses and raging night out." These are common phrases linked to my region and therefore create a sense of familiarity for the reader. I have also tried to incorporate my region into the film descriptions for instance I make links to locations in Sunderland and Durham which are part of the north east. I also use humour towards to region such as "we even saw Becky McClure taking full advantage of the traditional North East delicacies such as Nandos, 2 quid shots at Tiger and even a quick dip in Roker sea." I feel this shows the magazine is lighthearted and doesn't take things too seriously which is the impression that I wanted to give.
I also learnt from real media products that the language used on a double page spread needs to be factual and informative. I was inspired by The Crack magazine to include and End-stop summary which ends the article and answers any remaining questions the reader may have. This includes when the event is, how long it runs for, where it is held, what time and any other information that is needed. I have then included the events website as well as my own magazines website as a means for the audience to find out further information. This convention was inspired by The Crack magazine who also ends their article in the same way on every page. I feel this is successful especially for something about an event to give the final bits of information the audience may need. I liked how The Crack presented this paragraph in a different typography which was much bolder and therefore allowed it to stand out as its own convention. I used this technique by putting the end stop in the same font as my subheads. I also used the idea of changing the end stop colour as this helps it to stand out even more. One development that I did make however was signing the bottom of the article with the editors initials. I feel this is a very unique and personalized touch which is important for a regional magazine to give the editor credit.
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MASTHEAD/ARTICLE TITLE
My double page masthead uses real media conventions due to its location, size and font. Almost every double page spread uses a masthead to draw the reader in and headline the article. It gives an immediate introduction to the page and therefore needs to be positioned at the top in order to lead the information that is to follow. I used this convention by positioning my masthead in the top left corner just like The Crack magazine. As we read from left to right, I feel this is one of the first places the audience will look and therefore the masthead is successful in introducing the page. I have used real media sizes by making the masthead by biggest font on the page. Like on all my products, the masthead is the most dominant and bold font as this is the structure all products follow. The typography of my masthead is unique to the page and unlike any other information that is present. I was inspired by The Crack magazine to have a bordered masthead as I feel it makes the layout look a lot more neat and therefore professional. I did develop this however by contrasting my masthead against it's own background to help make it appear more dominant. The typography is white however against the teal shaped background I have created, the white is extremely dominant in standing out. Even though the font is unique to the page, I have ensured that it finds with my house image and brand identity in terms of choosing a style that was modern and contemporary. The colour schemes used in my masthead link to my primary colours and the sub-genre of events and therefore is very relevant to my magazine. During my research into existing products, I noticed that mastheads need to be quite mysterious or ambiguous in order to entice the reader in. I feel that I have achieved this as my masthead doesn't give away too much information but gives away enough to get the reader interested. I developed this convention further by making a title that is both regional but witty. The normal phrase used in media is ready, set action and is a common phrase widely associated with film. I changed this pun to ready, set, Sunderland due to my article being based around a regional film festival in my area. I feel this immediately shows that the article will be about film and about the North East and therefore anyone with those interests will want to read more. It is also quite witty which is an interest of my audience. I know that wit and humor is appreciated in magazines due to my research into the real media product that is The Crack.
STAND FIRST
Another real media convention I used was a stand first. This is the introductory paragraph at the beginning of my article. I was inspired to use this by The Crack magazine who also have the introduction. I feel this helps to put the article into context and therefore is effective at creating an approachable narrative. Like The Crack, my stand first consists of 4 lines and is positioned directly below my Masthead as a form on anchorage. I have used the convention of changing the typography in order to make it stand out more and contrast the main body of text. The font I chose is the same as that of my end line and subheads therefore is relevant to the page. I also changed the colour yet it is still matching my scheme just like that which The Crack magazine has done. I developed my stand first in terms of language and register however. The Crack stand first was mainly a factual introduction however I decided it would be much more appropriate to use the convention as a means to entice and drag the audience into the article. I therefore used a lot of direct address, puns and alliteration. I included phrases that would appeal to all of my audience such as "from horror to comedy to action" and "40 films" so that I do not alienate any potential readers. It also has humorous puns which is an added feature to attract the audience more.
IMAGES
One of the most important conventions of a double page spread, after the article, is the images. Images are used on all double page spreads of real media products in order to support the content that is being featured. They also act as a form of visual attraction which is important for appealing to the audience and enticing them onto the page. Through my research, I noticed it is most conventional for a double page spread to only have a single image on one side of the page and then text on the other. I then however found that some magazines had challenged this such as The Crack which in this example uses 4 large dominant images. Although this is more dominant images than stereotypically used, I really liked the effect that it created therefore decided to use this example as my main means of inspiration. I liked how the images were on both sides of the page instead of just one as it helped to link the pages together a lot better in my opinion. I then decided that I would have the right side of my magazine image led and the left side mainly text led however also include an image on the left to break the pages up a bit more. This means that both sides of my double page spread contain images and text to support one another and therefore give a more symmetrical visual appeal. Most conventional is that the image must support the main article and be as relevant as possible. For instance, in The Crack, the article is about an art exhibition based on childhood pictures and therefore the images used on the page are of childhood pictures. I ensured I used relevant images during my production stages and therefore created 4 of my own film posters for each of the films that I summarise in the article. I haven't seen this style article before and therefore I feel I have not only stayed relevant with my use of imagery, but also developed it in a much more creative manner.
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I also noticed through real media products that the image needs to be appealing to the audience. This can either be through the graphics, clothing , mis-en-scene or gender of the models used. I decided to use a range of different graphical features, models and editing skills in order to try and appeal to as wide a target audience as possible. My first image displayed on the left side of the page is for a film I have created called Gunpoint. To create this image I used a double exposure silhouette technique on Photoshop. I started with an image of a male model and then blacked it out, adding a paint stroke blood overlay. I then smudged the edges, added a gun shot graphic image and then a masthead and title sequence for the film. I feel this image confines to real media products due to the professional conventions I have used within the poster such as a masthead, image and credits. I feel this image will appeal to my audience because it is for an action film which my audience said they take interest in. It also has a strict colour scheme and uses action film imagery. The second image is for a film called The Wallflower. I went for a very contemporary style when creating this image and inserted my model onto a blank canvas, adding only black and white graphical features such as grass, wallflower plants and text. This is to show that the main character is a wallflower and therefore the world around her is black and white which I feel I have portrayed well in my use of imagery. I feel my audience may find this type of image relatable as the model is young and a student therefore it creates a sense of familiarity. My next image is for the film I have created called Tomorrow. This is a horror film and therefore I have used the stereotypical colours of red and black to created the poster. Here, I used an image of myself which I then put a tree overlay into and edited using the liquify tool on Photoshop. Again I added the media conventions of typical film posters to make it look professional. The genre of Horror was chosen to be one of the most popular by my target audience and therefore I included it as a film poster genre. I also think the image looks mature and quite scary which is appropriate for my audience. I took inspiration from real horror film products to create this film poster image. The final image on my page is for the film poster that is called identity crisis. To present this image I created a colour exposure piece with duplicates of the same image overlapping one another. This is supposed to show the style of an identity crisis which I was inspired by Fight Club poster to create. I have used different poses in this image as well as typical film poster conventions such as credits and masthead.
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I feel overall my film poster style images have been very successful in working alone as individual real media products but also as dominant images on my double page spread. Although I was inspired by real media film posters for this and not necessarily a magazine, my initial idea for using more than one image stemmed from that of The Crack magazine. I think I have shown creativity in the way that I have presented my images for instance I have created picture frame borders for each. I feel this is a development of real media products as my images have become more 3D and therefore the page looks more like a gallery than a 2D image. I enhanced this effect further by including a drop shadow to make the images stand out and look more dominant. My images work alone as individual real media products, work together as a gallery but also work successfully as dominant images on a double page spread.
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GUTTER LINE
Another real media convention that I followed during my production was the use of a gutter line. most double page spreads include gutter lines on all pages of their magazines in order to allow the audience to keep track of the page numbers. I decided to develop my gutter line by not only including the page numbers but also my magazine website and the sub-genre that the page is featured on. I feel this essential information helps the audience to keep up to date with the page but also promotes my brand by having the magazine website. The sub-genre also makes it easier for the reader whilst flicking to find a specific topic they like therefore I feel these developments were successful.
BYLINES
A byline is a conventional feature that is used to give credit to a contributor of a magazine. Bylines are most often attached to the image and article of the double page spread and read the name of the Photographer or Writer. For instance, in The Crack magazine the byline reads "Photography by..." I decided to use this convention for the 4 film poster images present on my double page. I followed real media products by making the byline the smallest font on the page and having it attached to the image along side. I did however develop the amount of information present on my bylines due to the context of my images. I decided to include the name of the Photographer, the name of the artist who created the poster as well as the award that the poster/film is nominated for. I feel by including this extra information I have made the byline more diverse and therefore more of a successful feature.