Q1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
The software only allowed me to make a 5 minute video.
The video cut off the last way in which my front cover challenges the form of hip hop magazines which is my model's gender - she is female. You rarely see any females on the front cover of a hip hop magazine because the genre is dominated by males. To an extent it develops the form of an rnb magazine because there are more females in the genre so my front cover raises equality for women.
My contents page conforms to the conventions of a music magazine because it summarises the articles featured in the magazine. I had to spread out my contents page onto two pages because I wanted to include monthly features too. Social media is widely used nowadays so I felt it was necessary to include a way to subscribe to my magazine online which I put on the first page of the contents page. Visual stimuli also helps to attract the audience so I made sure to incorporate many pictures on my contents page. One way in which my contents page subverts music magazine conventions is that it does not have an editor's note; most hip hop magazines don't include this feature any way so I considered this a minor subversion. Overall, my contents page conforms to the conventions of a hip hop/rnb magazine.
I think my DPS conforms to the conventions because I used one page for the main image and the other page for the article as seen in most double spread pages. I also incorporated a pulled quote to anchor the image to the article and the headline to help the reader identify the subject and tone of the article. I think the use of icons (gun, peter pan silhouette) is partially a subversion because the double spread pages I looked at did not have icons, however because these icons fit with the article and the headline I included them to intrigue my target audience. In addition, the photographer for the dps is often credited in tiny writing somewhere on the page of the main image so I made sure to include my name to make my dps conform to minute details.
In conclusion, I think my magazine complies with most of the conventions of a music magazine although it does subvert occasionally. Compliance with the conventions was a key factor in my project because I need people to believe my final product is a real, professional hip hop/rnb magazine, however I also intended to challenge conventions to provide a unique touch to my final products in subtle ways.
My contents page conforms to the conventions of a music magazine because it summarises the articles featured in the magazine. I had to spread out my contents page onto two pages because I wanted to include monthly features too. Social media is widely used nowadays so I felt it was necessary to include a way to subscribe to my magazine online which I put on the first page of the contents page. Visual stimuli also helps to attract the audience so I made sure to incorporate many pictures on my contents page. One way in which my contents page subverts music magazine conventions is that it does not have an editor's note; most hip hop magazines don't include this feature any way so I considered this a minor subversion. Overall, my contents page conforms to the conventions of a hip hop/rnb magazine. I think my DPS conforms to the conventions because I used one page for the main image and the other page for the article as seen in most double spread pages. I also incorporated a pulled quote to anchor the image to the article and the headline to help the reader identify the subject and tone of the article. I think the use of icons (gun, peter pan silhouette) is partially a subversion because the double spread pages I looked at did not have icons, however because these icons fit with the article and the headline I included them to intrigue my target audience. In addition, the photographer for the dps is often credited in tiny writing somewhere on the page of the main image so I made sure to include my name to make my dps conform to minute details.
In conclusion, I think my magazine complies with most of the conventions of a music magazine although it does subvert occasionally. Compliance with the conventions was a key factor in my project because I need people to believe my final product is a real, professional hip hop/rnb magazine, however I also intended to challenge conventions to provide a unique touch to my final products in subtle ways.
Q2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
Q3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Hip Hop and RnB are very popular music genres. Vibe is among the magazines that inspired me most; it is one of the most recognised RnB magazines on the market and I believe the reason for it's popularity is all down to successful distribution methods and promotion by its media institution: InterMedia Partners, LP however, on April 25 2013 the brand was sold to Spin Media, and is now distributed, more specifically, by Spin Music - a division of Spin Media. Vibe has a circulation of 300,943.
As a blog network, SpinMedia has firmly established their institution online which in the 21st Century, is a key accomplishment because we live in a digital age where people can access a multitude of content online for free.
Another possible distributor for my magazine would be the publisher for the world's leading hip hop magazine: Infamous Ink Ltd who published Hip Hop Connection which has 223 publications after being shut down. Hip Hop Connection had a circulation of 25,000.
I think the best institution for the production of MOTION magazine would be Spin Media because it is a big company and because of the way they branch out into different media; this would help my magazine gain more attention whereas companies like Infamous Ink Ltd don't really spread out as much because they are a small company.
Q4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
Q5) How did you attract/address your audience?
