Double page spread analysis video

Codes and Conventions of a Music Magazine Double Pages Spread

They all, like NME have a main image which takes up to one whole page of the article, this is usually of one person and is mainly on the left hand side.

The magazines description of the story is also included in order to give a brief introduction and intrigue the audience.

Drop capital at the beginning of the article to start off the story, this makes it look more formal.

Bylines of the writer and photographer

A colour scheme, mainly linking to the main image in order for it to look organised and well written, this would also appeal to the target audience and music genre.

Magazine name next to the page number or sometimes the issue date in order to make a point to remind the reader of which magazine they are reading.

The website address to get the reader to visit the website for more information of what's to come in following issues.

An informal mode of address is used in the article in order to relate to the target audience which the magazine has been published for.

Short and snappy headlines are used making it more eye catching and easier for the audience to read.

The name of interviewee is usually in a different colour making it stand out from the rest of the text and get attention.

A border is used around the double page spread which makes it look more appealing to the audience.

Around 3/4 main columns are used in order to organise the article making it look more presentable and well laid out.

There is also sometimes a quote from the subject which is often over the main image itself.

A headline is used at the top of the page to immediately either draw in the readers attention or make them turn the page.

The stand first is always either near or under the headline itself and it is also before the start of the article, this introduces the article and explains what it's going to be about meaning it engages the reader.

Codes and Conventions of a Music Magazine Contents Page

Most have an issue date and number which is there for convenience and to inform the reader.

There are usually 3/4 columns. An example of this is "NME".

A main image of the band or solo artist which the article is about, this article is to do with this artists music.

A letter from the editor is also included as sometimes the editor speaks to the audience, this is done in order to welcome new readers, appropriate to the mode of address.

A colour scheme is used, similar to the front cover, this is so that it relates to the front cover making a connection with the target audience.

One main image, which is the main story, of the artist or band which is to do with the music genre.

Several subsidiary images are also used to relate to articles inside the magazine which interests the audience. This can then be separated into subheadings in order to make it more clear and audience which comes in useful especially if the mode of address is formal.

The website address is included so that the reader can go onto the website for more information on the magazine. This is usually at the bottom of the page as it is not the most useful piece of information for the reader.

The masthead from the front cover is repeated in order for the audience to familiarise themselves with the rest of the magazine and to advertise their publishing.

Codes and Conventions of Music Magazine Front Covers

Most music magazines have a colour theme of 3/4 main colours, these colours are usually from a limited range as this makes the magazine stand out more to its audience.

The masthead is at the top of the page and it's main job is to draw in the audiences attention as it suggests the genre and target audience, for example a younger audience's pop magazine like "Teen" has bubbly font which appeals to young teenagers.

Buzz words are used in order to attract attention for example "plus" and "free", these words both get the reader to want to buy that magazine.

Around 5 cover lines are used which also link/relate to the genre of music.
There is always a main image used which is of the main band or artist, when it is a band it's usually a long shot however when it is a solo artist it is usually a mid shot unless it is a solo artist who is looking at the camera in order to connect to the audience where their body language reflects this audience and the genre of music.

Subsidiary images are used which may also get you to look at the magazine, especially when well known images are used. These images may be used as a back up if some of the others do not appeal to the audience.

A tag line is used which also is there to attract attention and give the magazine an edge for it's audience. However, NME breaks this code and convention.

There is also normally a plain background used as this makes the other features of the front cover stand out more and make it look more formal.
Basic information is also featured on the front cover; which is needed for most magazines in general like a bar code, price and issue date. If the magazine is more expensive then this price tends to be smaller so that it isn't the first thing the audience see and get put off by. On the other hand if the magazine is cheap then the price is usually bigger and bolder in order to quickly draw in the audiences attention.

Initial Plans For My Magazine

Price: £3.00

Frequency of publication: Monthly (12 per year)

Average issue size: 225 pages

Regular content: Gig Dates, Reviews, Interviews & a Rock Chart,

Feature Articles:  The 10 Greatest UK Bands Ever! Exclusive Behind The Scenes on Tour and How It All Started..

Researching The Market Place

Initial Ideas

The music magazine I am going to produce will be a pop-rock music magazine.
My target audience will be people aged between 17-25.

Evaluation of my Preliminary Task - School Magazine.

I will be evaluating my school magazine and contents page. In this evaluation I will be talking about how i could improve my magazine and how it follows and deviates from the codes and conventions of a school magazine.

My magazine follows the conventions of real media products in many ways, firstly it has a masthead, like any other magazine. Other conventions which my school magazine and media products share are cover lines, barcode, issue number, price, central image and inserts. On the other hand, my school magazine deviates from the codes and conventions used by real media products in ways such as the position of the barcode, the masthead having 2 lines, which i thought would be catchy and the way my images has not been cropped it has been kept and been used with its background.

New media technologies such as Photoshop and Quark, i began my front cover on photoshop, as i was new to this program I found it hard initially to create a front cover. I created my masthead using the text tool in photoshop. When it came to creating a contents page, I used Quark, I managed to import the same font as my front cover masthead.

Images I Used For My School Magazine

Below are a number of images i had taken in order to create my school magazine front cover and contents page.

This is a picture of Amy Griffiths who is set to play 'Lumiere' in an up coming school production, this will be my main image in a medium close-up shot.

This is a student working on Ice Radio, the school's radio station.

This is the same image, but in a low angle shot.

In a high angle shot...

Add caption

An image showing the new food range for lunchtimes.

An image showing the National School Sport Week

Final Images of my Front Cover and Contents Page of my School Magazine

 During the past few lessons, i have been using Adobe Photoshop and Quark Xpress to create a front cover and contents page for a school magazine respectively. I have been doing this as my Preliminary Task.



My School Magazine Front Cover.



My School Magazine Contents Page.

Sketch of my school magazine front cover and contents page.