MY USE OF MAGAZINE CONVENTIONS

1. I have featured a website for my magazine adjacent to my masthead. This form of cross-media convergence is currently popular within the print media industry since the habits of consumers have changed, resulting in a desire for convenience and immediacy when accessing a media text. Moreover, I feel that a website is especially required for a film magazine since the print product itself cannot exploit technical convergence by linking in upcoming trailers. Overall, my decision for including a website was primarily based upon the online age that we currently live in and how the landscape of media accessibility has become so much broader allowing consumers to incorporate diversity into their media consumption.

2. I have utilised cover lines that immediately demonstrate the film domain that my magazine resides in. For example, I have featured articles on Martin Scorsese and also Vittorio de Sica as I feel they would entice my target demographic. Furthermore, I have evidently advertised my film 'Jigsaw' as the dominant cover line by increasing the size of the font and making it the centre of the composition. This an element commonly used on 'Empire' and also 'Sight & Sound' to emphasise the importance of the film as well as to attract readers since the subject is most likely going to be a film that is current and perhaps major and has thus created some conversation beforehand. Moreover, I have conformed to this convention further by emphasising the genre of my film through adding texture to the coverline. For example, in the image below 'Empire' has added a metallic texture to the coverline to demonstrate 'Man of Steel'. This led me to decreasing the opacity of my coverline to highlight conventions of Neo-Noir, such as the use of reflections.

3. I have chosen my magazine to be distributed just before my film is released so that consumers of my magazine can read the article on my film and then hopefully frequent to the cinema to watch it. Moreover, I feel that my autumnal mise-en-scene, as well as a warm colour palette help to demonstrate this time of the year, which helps to provide my magazine with a house-style

4. I have conformed to the stereotypical colour palette of a film magazine by utilising the colour red for my masthead. I have also incorporated more lighter colours, such as whites and greys for my coverlines, to ensure that my masthead lures and engages consumers. I think that many film magazines, such as 'Empire' use red as their primary colour because it is non-gender specific and it can thus entice a vast, mainstream audience, which is also the aim of the film industry itself.

5. I have also conformed to the conventions of a magazine by featuring a small rectangular box with the word 'plus' in. This is also very prevalent on 'Sight & Sound' magazines and therefore I decided to feature to ensure that I was constructing a product that can be immediately recognised as a magazine. Moreover, this element instantly illustrates to consumers that my magazine includes varied and extensive content and therefore they will be receiving value for money.

6. I have also somewhat complied to the composition of a magazine front cover by utilising the rule of thirds. For example, my model is the centre of the dominant image and therefore, her direct gaze has the maximum potential to engage and lure in potential readers. However, I have also developed the stereotypical composition of a magazine front cover by creating one that is similar to 'Sight & Sound'. However, I made this decision because I wanted to create a composition that aided in the construction of a sophisticated house style in order to entice a more mature demographic.