A2 Media Studies | Codes and Conventions of a Newspaper Advert

In this I will be looking at the codes and conventions of a magazine advert regarding a documentary which has been aired by Channel 4. I will also be explaining on why I have summed up the comments I have made on the elements (must I think that they require any further comments) that I have identified within the advert. The magazine advert I looked at was for a documentary titled 'A Very British Storm Junkie' and I have summed up what I have thought about from the use of elements and why the elements have been used, pictured below:

Codes and conventions highlighted in a documentary magazine advert.

Headline

I explained that the headline provides USP to the audience and that it fits with the image because I believe that the caption 'high on the blow' is suitable for the central image which depicts someone witnessing what seems to be a breathtaking event in the change of weather in a foreign area and it also contributes to establishing to the audience on what the documentary is about and somewhere along the lines on what they will be expecting in the documentary.

Documentary title

I mentioned that the documentary title provides information about the documentary and that it's also a fitting element to the central image because it will help establish towards the audience member what the documentary is about and it also helps to provide information about the documentary towards the audience member.

Central image

The central image is vital for providing USP to the audience and also for allowing the audience member to establish what is going on in the picture, and also has a link to what the documentary is about. This is because if the central image was not there, the audience member could become quite confused on what the other elements in the picture are there for and it could also damage the reputation of Channel 4 if the central image wasn't evident. Viewers of the documentary would complain that there is no picture for the advert and it would also make viewers think of Channel 4 as a company which lacks professionalism.

Use of font

The use of font on the advertisement can be further commented on as the use of white text boxes or highlighters on the text is not only attractive to the viewer though however makes the most important information within the advertisement stand out to the viewer when they are looking at the image.

Headline/Title

The headline can be further commented on as the headline is a play of words which could show how the person in the image is feeling whilst witnessing the storms, the word "high" for instance could suggest excitement and exhilaration and could act as a drug as the person in the picture gets excisted and becomes addicted to storms, which could also contribute to the title being "A Very British Storm Junkie" - The words "storm junkie" suggest that the person witnessing the storm in the picture has not witnessed these events for the very first time prior to the shooting of the picture and that likewise with the headline's play on words, the person in the picture is addicted to spotting storms whenever the opportunity is given to him.

Company branding

The company branding allows for further comments as the company which is distributing the documentary always uses a specific font, the use of font can vary depending on what documentary is or what the picture of the documentary is like. For example, here are a few advertisements by Channel 4 where the font has been modified, likely in terms of its colour and positioning, they cleverly achieve the aim of making the logo fit with the documentary image/layout with these adverts including the advertisement I have been looking at.

Channel 4 advertisement on the documentary Britain's Forgotten Children

Channel 4's advertisement on the documentary The Mind Detectives

You can see that Channel 4 have cleverly manipulated their logo on the advertisements/posters as the logo in both of the advertisements shown above clearly fit to the topic the title brings up and mentions as well as the setting in the advertisement. In the Britain's Forgotten Children advertisement, it could be that the use of white text boxes and the white Channel 4 logo could have been used to make the title stand out as a big issue in Britain's society, that children are being forgotten about and that the topic needs more awareness to the public. Whilst with the Mind Detectives advertisement, the use of the colour green rather more fits to the setting of the poster instead of what the title is trying to bring up to the viewer of the advertisement.