Double Page Deconstruction

Below is a typical double page spread in The Sun on a celebrity scandal. This is the typical layout of a two page feature and I have deconstructed the codes and conventions of this piece and also further boxed up the elements of the article to highlight the space dedication and priorities within the article.

Below is a spacial deconstruction of the same article; through the use of boxes it is evident to one what The Sun's priorities are with reference to space dedication.

1.   Small article

2.   Limited article on a local/regional level 

3.   Further images integrated and layered on top of the main, focal image 

4.   Promotional offer/voucher 

5.   Pre-headline, caption for the story

6.   Caption for the main picture 

7.   The Sun logo, page number, date and website designed into the horizontal header

8.   Main picture, three quarters space dedication

9.   Headline layered over the image

10. Article text, limited and organised into collumns 

11. Smaller images embodied in the text

Front Cover Space Dedication

After purchasing a copy of The Sun newspaper, I photocopied the front cover and below I have highlighted the generic format and smapce dedication of a similar celebrity scandal. The features boxed up below must be incorporated into my replica and the space dedication on this particular front cover highlights how image-dominated a scandal is.

1. LOGO: Positioned in the top left corner, includes newspaper price, website, date and Olympic games countdown.

2. FEATURE: Promotional offer, usually relates to a discount from a family store or some sort of wholesome, family orientated reduction that would appeal to the majority of the broad target audience.

3. COLOURED PRE-HEADING: Red font, grabs the audience's attention and claims a 'Picture Exclusive' which adds further drama and photgraphed evidence to the scandal.

4. SUB-HEADING/POINTS: Very briefly gives the reader a short outline of the event/scandal, a development from the one word headline.

5. ARTICLE: A preview of an article - usually relates to politics, war or a broader worldwide event. Heavier news, yet reduced in space priority in comparison to the celebrity scandal.

6. IMAGE: Dominates the page, text and headlines layered over the top. Figures in the image are caught off guard and tends to have a paparazzi-esque feel.

7. HEADLINE: One descriptive word to set the tone for the article. Covers the width of the image and is the largest font on the page

8. ARTICLE 2: Smaller in size but more light-hearted or real life based. Based on an unknown figure with an interesting or shocking story.

9. PREVIEW: The beginning of the article. Includes editor's name, possibly a smaller image relating to the article and the text is bold and contained in a white textbox layered onto the main image.

Front Cover Deconstruction

In order to fully understand the codes and conventions of The Sun I have fully analysed the front cover, highlighting all of the key features and details which will be neccessary to replicate:

This highlights the typical elements of the paper and front cover which I will need to replicate; although my story will be of a scandalous and celebrity nature the basic format of this front cover will be able to still be applied.

Front Cover Analysis

The front cover of any newspaper is imperative for a variety of reasons:

1. It is the first element of the newspaper that the target audience sees; therefore it has to grasp their attention, outline the main elements and components of the paper and highlight the content and style containesd.
2. It has to sell copies in order for the media outlet to be profitable, thus it must cover the world's news to a sufficient standard but also contain lighter reading for the audience - this must be evident on the front page.
3. The paper needs to be the preferred pick of the audience from other papers; hence, the design and layout of the front page is important to selling the newspaper. A neat, concise and clear layout is evident along with eye catching and entertaining images for the audience to digest and relate to.

The front cover has to instantly engage with the target audience; as the paper has such a broad audience there is a variety of topics and interests to cover. The scandal/main piece of breaking news dominates the front page - this highlights the world news; however, the picture based front cover uses a shocking or interesting image to draw attention and lead the readers to buy the paper.

Furthermore, the front page includes further features such as 'The Sun' logo, which dominates around a sixth of the page - this is then aligned with some sort of offer or feature for the audience to enage with. Features used vary from coups offers, discounts in shops, price reductions and vouchers to be redeemed. In addition to this, depending on the main article topic there is a small snippet of another headline article; possibly referring to sport or politics. 

These feature have a continuous theme of fonts, size and image use in order to maintain a constant theme. In order to recreate this style and layout formula I intend to have one large image dominating the front cover (approximately 80% of the page is image based) of a female celebrity 'caught out' in some sort of drug usage or alcohol abuse. In addition to this, I will layer a large headline over the image with a small, white textbox containing a snippet of the story. To fill the page down the left hand side of the page (similar to the paper on the right) I will have a long vertical preview of an article in the paper relating to a harder-hitting topic such as world politics or warfare. To finalise the page alongside the logo there will be some sort of redeemable voucher or coupon avaliable to the audience. This entices the audience into purchasing the paper and along with the shocking first image dominating the page this ties the paper together and adds a furtehr incentive to purchase. Ultimately, I intend to reproduce these elements of the paper in relation to a female celebrity drug/alcohol/sex scandal. This will reflect the codes and conventions of The Sun and enable muy production piece to have a relevant impact upon the target audience.

Double Page Spread

This double page spread reflects the typical codes and conventions of The Sun newspaper. The layout reflects the front cover in that once again the page is image dominated - one large image relevant to the article to grab the audience's attention. The conventions and media codes within a typical Sun feature (double page) can be dividing into several elements which can then be further analysed.

LAYOUT AND DESIGN

- As with most newspaper articles of all backgrounds the page is organised into collumns and tables with the images slotted and embedded into the text. This creates a neat, ledgible and clear layout for the readers to digest. As the target audience is aimed towards a wide spectrum of people from young males to the elderly the underlying component that connects the whole newspaper together is its 'easy/light read' lable. In order to truely reflect The Sun's conventions in my production piece I intend to maintain this simple and clear layout throughout the article.

- The double page integrates smaller features relating to the article to lighten up the weight of the text. For example in the piece above there is a thick border running across the whole bottom of the text with relative facts and details on the feature. Not only does this physically cut down the size of the text but it also adds interest for the reader and enables them to grasp the concept of the piece without having to thoroughly digest the whole article; can easily be skim read.

- The image dominates the page, covering almost two thirds. Furthermore, smaller images are embedded into the page and add further entertainment and interest for lighter readers, they also act as a catch to draw readers into the article and feature.

- The font used for the heading is varied to add a greater impact and style to the piece. Incorporating The Sun's typical logo and fonts the heading further uses colours and changes in size to enhance the statement and entice the reader.

LANGUAGE AND TEXT
The language use within The Sun is imperative in order to fully embody and recreate the whole style and presentation of the paper in my production piece. The Sun uses a satirical approach to the world's 'heavy' news and after covering these topics the paper is more based an focused on scandalas behaviour of celebrities/public figures, light politics, sports and film/television 'gossip'. Therefore, in order to cater for a wide audience the language has a formal tone in the main features (particularly on double page scandals) yet focuses on the comedy or shocking elements of the subject. Using a formal base the language used is then lightened through abreviated terms and casual language such as 'binge drinking, weed, trollyed, hungover' and so forth. Therefore, when producing my production piece the terminology must not only reflect the scandal being reported but not be too heavy as to deter the target audience from reading it.

The Sun

Codes and Conventions:
The Sun is notorious for its 'kiss-and-tell' approach to news; prioritising gossip before pure, factual documentation of current events; ex reality TV contestants, footballers and actresses are amongst the targets that are often deconstructed.

Front Page:

The Front Page of The Sun is image based; the context of a front page headline is limited with large fonts and pictures dominating the page. The A3 sheet uses colours, large header fonts and relevant images. The page as a whole follows a specific format with the layout being functional for the audience so that all of the information and articles can be seen/previewed. A small taster is shown of varying articles to entice the

audience and the second dominating factor on the page (apart from the picture(s).

- Image dominates the front page (normally a glamour model, something to appeal to maile instincts/shallow related)

- Football/sport related article or preview

- Large dominating font

- The Sun logo

- Colour font or images

- Small, snippets of text

- Overall, the images to text balance is around 75% image based to 25% text based. this reflects the target audience of males and females whom are interested in subjective elements of society such as sport, celebrity scandals and showbiz.