1)In what ways does your media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

By Alisha Hall

Front CoverFor my front cover, I have tried to follow most of the conventions that Heavy Metal music magazines tend to follow. One example would be, the colour scheme I decided to use. I chose black, red and dark yellow because I realised that it was common among other magazines of this genre because it is dark and red could have connotations of blood which would relate to the stereotype that Heavy Metal music fans are also fans of horror. Furthermore, I decided to use some dark yellow on my magazines as well because I wanted to help it stand out without having it take away from the dark, gothic look I tried to create. By doing this, it could have challenged the convention of sticking to reds and blacks and created something that I think would work just as well on this genre of magazine. Another example of the conventions I have used to represent a Heavy Metal music magazine is the cracked effect on my font and backgrounds. I took this idea from ‘Kerrang’ magazine who use the cracked effect on their masthead which gives the impression of loud music playing. Therefore, since Heavy metal music is associated with loud amps, guitars and drums, the cracked effect fit in nicely.

Contents Page For my contents page I have tried to mainly stick to the cracked, rough look of a Heavy Metal magazine as I did on my front cover. I did this by erasing the edge of the of the shape I created around my contents. This helps give it a more rugged look but done in a way that still looks professional and could pass as a real magazine contents page. Also, I did the same as I did for my front cover masthead and erased lines through the word ‘Contents’ to create a loud music effect which goes with the genre of music.

Furthermore, I decided to add some pictures I took at a festival Heavy Metal music festival ‘Bloodstock Open Air’. Luckily, through these pictures I was able to create a competition for a real famous guitar players guitar to be able to once again make my magazine look legit and real. Also, by having these images it is helping to create the music feel to my magazine since these are the first images my audience would see of an instrument.

Double Page SpreadFor my double page spread I have used a prop in my image to stick to the music magazine conventions. I have done this by getting my model to hold two drumsticks to show my audience that she is a musician within the Heavy Metal industry. Also, I have used a female model to challenge the stereotype that everyone in the Heavy Metal industry are men and that they dominate. Therefore, I decided to do an article about how an artist called ‘Ms Hyde’ made it into the industry and her views on it as a female.

Another convention I have used is a pug. By adding this pug does two things, it sells her product as an artist which shows audience interaction, but it also allows the green within the double page spread to look more suited to the genre due to the shape around the article and the pug being green.

Why? I decided to use these conventions because they went with what my audience research had advised me. For example, my audience research advised me to use a model on the front cover. This is because they had said that they thought they would be more willing to buy a magazine with an artist or band that they are familiar of and like than just a background or someone that they do not know.

2)How does your media product represent particular

social groups?

Throughout my magazine I have tried to use conventions that I know would typically attract particular social groups. The groups I was aiming for were people who were interested in the Heavy Metal genre and different artists and articles that I included in my contents page, but also it may of interested people who like female artists in the music industry and like to know tips on how to achieve that.

I targeted these groups by using a dark colour scheme with an image in the centre of my front cover that stood out for the dark colours. This was because typically, dark colours such as black and reds are associated with negatives such as death and blood. Therefore, since that Heavy Metal music has also had those connotations I decided to use those colours. Furthermore, I have used an image of a female artist on the front cover for a few reasons such as:

• More men read magazines such as ‘Metal Hammer’ so it is likely that it would be the same for my magazine since it includes similar ideas and themes.

• Females may be more willing to buy it if they are looking to get into the music industry because the interview I have wrote is all about how she made it into the industry and could give them tips no matter what genre.

• The colour of her skin and face contrast with the dark colours on the backgrounds the colour scheme which makes it stand out and people who recognised her may have been more inclined to buy it.

Furthermore, the article I wrote was targeted at the social groups I wanted to represent because it broke some of the stereotypes that go with Heavy metal. These include things such as the fact that it is a male dominated genre of music. Therefore, by making the article about a female artist it breaks that male stereotype. Furthermore, I tried to make the interview more light-hearted that people may have expected since a lot of people believe that that this genre of music is very serious when actually, that is not always that case.