Q1) In what way does your media product, use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (draft answers)

At first I looked at a lot of rolling stone magazines for inspiration, but I changed my views throughout the process and adjusted to looking at NME and Q magazine. The main convention I have taken from rolling stone is the use of mid shots on their front cover, it is a very effective image and makes a simple cover look, which is what I want. One convention of all three of the magazines that I have looked at however is some covers have cover lines, strap lines and banners, taking up the whole page, I have strongly looked away from this convention, I want a very clean looking cover that is not cluttered with text. I want a simple cover with a mid-shot a mast head and bare minimum cover lines, just enough to entice the reader. In my mock up cover, the clothing of my models is quite a Hip-Hop or R&B like, this is where the genre of my music and magazine does have a serious influence. My genre is indie rock and I want a quite alternative look about my artists, I plan to dress them in a quite masculine way which will appeal to the male readership but won’t make them come across as too metrosexual.