Genre Research Activity

For this activity I researched my Genre here are the things I learned.

a. My genre is Food 

Genre Conventions

a. The content includes recipes, interviews with chefs, travel articles, food cultures. 

b. The genre may include recommendations to certain food cultures of restaurants and may tip in giving recipes. 

c. The genre may include interviews with chefs and food professionals. 

d. In no genre do all magazines collectively include the same information but rather different information which depends on the focus of the magazine. In the food genre different cultures and chefs are selected making the information diverse and unique. 

e. The cover of a food magazine almost always features some type of food, the articles and pictures vary in size and length however, the dominant picture is typically food as well. The articles are sometimes written in present tense during the telling of an anecdotal but other than that it can vary on what tense it is written in. 

f. Typically, the products, being food, are presented in a multitude of individual different dishes allowing for the reader to view a large variety of the culture's cuisine. 

g. Phrases like what makes it special or what makes it unique are used a lot likely to make the dish sound distinguishing. Word choice is typically centered around cooking and tasting terminology to inform and describe the dish to the reader. 

h. The content would be influenced by the time of year as food is very dependent on the calendar. Factors like what season the vegetables and fruits grow affect the content. The climate affects what people are in the mood to eat and thus affects the content. The holidays can theme magazines entirely to make food centered around it. 

i. Literary devices may be used for some headlines, but they are normally not used often. 

j. The products advertised include food, ingredients for Food, tools for making food. 

Genre Conventions-Production Techniques

a. The main cover shots are very simplistic. They likely use a shallow depth of field to bring out the focus of the picture being food. The lighting in the other pictures seems to be provided by whatever light is in the room due to the shadows being cast which means that the shutter speed and Iso are likely standard and not configured extremely. The cropping of the picture further highlights the focus by removing unnecessary items. The techniques used are either Bird’s eye view or just a standard medium shot. 

b. The most common lightings used in the photos are indoor or outdoor lighting. The lighting configurations within the camera are rarely tampered with, likely to give the food a natural look. 

c. The mastheads are colored differently and have a different font in order to distinguish the brand. 

d. Some main cover lines are included to give further exposition on the specific focus of the food and to inform the reader what it is about the food they are reading. 

e. The cover includes a picture of the food (main image) on the front with some other cover lines which gives information on the focus of the magazine such as the fact that it contains 65 recipes. 

f. The genre sometimes includes a selling line to explain the title further as well as convince the reader to read it further. This is done through telling the reader about health benefits in one of the magazines. 

g. The fonts stay at high readability with relatively the same font with exceptions of headlines and the cover page due to the added flare that is needed to grab reader’s attention. 

h. Headlines and food names are presented in all capital letters in a fancy font to draw reader’s attention. 

i. Most modern-day magazines include a byline to credit the author for writing the article and food follows this trend. However, the byline isn’t a distinct feature. 

j. Seasons and holidays affect what food gets displayed on the magazine cover and thus the rest of the magazine which follows the holiday trend. This in turn influences the color by making it match the season or holiday.  

Institutional Conventions- How the Genre is Marketed 

a. The primary audience include culinary enthusiasts and cooking lovers. 

b. The consumer the genre is aimed towards is likely a middle-aged mother who cooks for her family and needs new recipes and food choices. 

c. Social media and email marketing are the biggest online resources used in marketing food magazines. Social media accounts associated with the magazine post pictures of food and videos of people either cooking or eating the food. Emails are also sent to those subscribed to the magazine which further markets itself. 

Magazine Sample Analysis

a. The Bon Appetit article encompasses the food genre through many aspects. One of which includes the anecdotal section. Many food magazines I have observed include a personal story about the author’s or editor’s life to relate to the audience. The magazine includes an article on food in a specific restaurant commenting on the best Gumbo in New Orleans, which shows how it talks about food in a societal and public standard. Finally, the magazine utilizes the showing of different recipes of foods to familiarize the reader with the foods presented as well as inform the reader on how to make it. Overall, this magazine conveys the food genre through talking about food and commenting on certain foods and their status. 

 

b. The Forks over Knives article conveys the food genre mainly through health benefits and plant-based ideas. The article shows many different recipes and writing of different food that is claimed to be healthy. This is also included with other people either asking and wishing food was healthy or people supporting that the food was healthy and that it cured their issues. The magazine also focuses on the health benefits of a plant-based diets with many different testimonies. Some include from a scientist while others are stories on how their lab results came back clean. Overall, this magazine encompasses the food genre through explaining and convincing the reader of healthier food alternatives.