Cil
MIC AGENT
I chode for no one
Posts: 11
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Post by Cil on Jul 4, 2005 17:15:21 GMT -7
I find it's easier to write long stories than it is to write and contain short ones. Some people have a talent for short stories, most don't; so the question is, how do you write for single-issue comics? :/
Illustrated narrative I feel is a bit of a copout; you have block after block of text which later on consumes the whole page without letting the images tell the story, and I'm the kind of person who prefers to just look at the pictures to find out what's going on rather than read every bubble. But like, when a page becomes saturated with text that describes the action in the panel rather than letting the panel express itself... I mean, write a book, not a script.
(Just a personal opinion there, feel free to debate or dispute with me about it on this thread. /:D )
I'm not pretending I have an answer or anything, but I figure a discussion on how to write the bones of a comic might draw out some views on what we prefer in a script.
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Chris
Full Member
Posts: 211
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Post by Chris on Jul 4, 2005 17:42:40 GMT -7
There are 2 schools of thought for this one ... and grey areas between. even with single stories. I had one guy write a script that mentioned every detail in every panel down to the number of cigarette butts on the ground (no joke) exact proportions and size of panels ... I couldn't handle it. There was no freedom. Anyhow, there's the basic Stan Lee philosphy ... write what happens per panel or page and then fill in the words after it's drawn depending on what's needed and room to tell the story. So basically, if the artist does a poor job at conveying all that is needed, more dialogue would be needed ... same the other way around. I worked with a writer that did single stories and his scripts worked out pretty well. He would write panel per panel for a page and describe just in general what goes on. (this is an example, obviously a bit more detail is written) Panel 1 - Guy walks over to counter Panel 2 - close up of guy pulling out gun Panel 3 - guy screaming "give me all your money" that type of thing. He let the artist have freedom and even said, for the most part, his point of view angles needn't always be followed so long as the story is told well. What he would do is draw out VERY simple layouts. By that, I mean he would draw a rectangle representing the page, then draw big and little boxes (panels) with numbers in them (panel numbers) ... so that the artist could get the general idea of what he was thinking ... and artistic license would come into play ... like I'd sometimes put 2 panels into one or break up panels to help convey the story better. He was pretty open and said so long as the story is told, the artist knows ... where as that other guy I mentioned had no faith in artists being able to tell his stories. My basic formula is I just draw little thumbnails and then either draw very quickly what happens or write in a word ballon here or there and it basically works out to "I have to be at this point by page 2 panel 4, now I just fill in what happens inbetween. another way I work is that I'll just write breifly what happens per page. Page 1 - exterior of school and kids arriving Page 2 - girl walking down hallway meeting friends Page 3 - girl meets friend and they talk about after school (this is where I might throw in a touch of dialogue to keep my story on track) Page 4 - girl goes into class and so forth ... For myself, I keep things pretty open and I don't always have the dialogue in my head except for small bits. After it's drawn or while I'm drawing, inspiration comes to me and I write out dialogue or wait until a scene is over and think "hmm, what would she be saying here?" Everyone has their own method ... mine is very open and loose ... it might be a bit tighter if I were handing the story to another artist, but really, I leave the artist to do their thing ... if they need help on a page, I flesh it out some more ... I'd probably make very small thumbnails ... not for every panel, but for 'key' events on a page. anyhow, I've found that if you're really "writing out" the story, I'd say a brief written page per page of your comic is about fit. So a 12 page story usually ended up being a 10 page script ... but there are lots of spaces in those pages ... There's really no other way to explain it other than to show you samples. Here's a more detailed way of writing ... www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/SandmanEpisode24.asphere's a simplified method. members.aol.com/_ht_a/dwaynem595/site/SpiderMan1.html |
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ledsoul
Junior Member
Ars Longa, Vita Brevis
Posts: 65
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Post by ledsoul on Jul 4, 2005 18:24:04 GMT -7
AHHH, Neil Gaiman is screaming at me in his story... SO I TAKE IT YOU DONT NEED NET ETTIQUETTE TO WRITE THESE THINGS.
This is very informative, but doesnt alot of it reside on the feel of the page. Obviously a comic that uses alot of Dialogue must have some kind of great characterization... hoping the writer knows what he's doing. Mind you there have been a few 'silent' comics that have driven the story perfectly. (Thinks back to GI Joe the Snake Eyes series.)
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Chris
Full Member
Posts: 211
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Post by Chris on Jul 4, 2005 18:37:34 GMT -7
Yes, that type of writing can be dependant as well.
I guess it's how strongly the writer holds on to his exact vision. Like the writer I was mentioning, would use a fully typed page to describe on panel. His script for a comic looked like a chapter for a book.
Again, it's all writing style and totally dependant on the story you are telling. Characterization doesn't always need words ... like they say, actions speak louder than words ... and a piture is worth a thousand words ...
there's sometimes truth to those. A well drawn or characterized character with certain body language can say a lot in a panel or 2 with very few words. Maybe there are aspects the writer adds like "leaning back in chair" ... "smoking a cigarrette" ... "talking with his mouth full" ... these can characterize as much as words coming out of their mouth ... do they sip beer or guzzle wine ...
Take this description that a writer might add,
"he walks down the street always looking over his shoulder" .. so the artist can dab that into a scene every once and a while to characterize that ... the person doesn't need to always say "I'm so paranoid, I need to look over my shoulder" ... we get that impression without words, so long as the artist does his/her part just like an actor/actress/director needs to do their part.
Some artists need specifics ... some artists don't. It's quite possible Gaiman wrote for so many artists, he didn't know who would be next so he always wrote everything he wanted to specifics IN ALL CAPS TO MAKE SURE HE WAS HEARD
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Post by dutton on Jul 4, 2005 21:56:54 GMT -7
Good discussion so far. For myself, I don't write full scripts. I did at one point, but after putting that much detail into the text I didn't feel like drawing it. So I make sure to keep a carrot at every stage. Write enough to build the structure, but leave room for a bit of improvisation when I pencil. Pencil the structure, but leave the fine details for the inks. The only time someone drew from my script, I gave them thumbnails, too. But it was Atomic Fruit and you had to be there. Here's a link to a PDF of the script for UNLimited Stories. The first couple of pages were crucial to the set up, so they're there in more detail. But after that, it's a free flow to allow me to work out page dynamics without thinking of a set number of panels before hand. You can find the final comic on my site. Script. Comic. |
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Post by Temperance on Jul 8, 2005 17:22:33 GMT -7
When I'm writing, I write a movie script.
((Actions in double brackets))
Devon: Dialogue like so, sort of like writing lines for a play.
[Boxed text in square brackets]
Once the thing is completely written, I will go back and divide the script into pages. If there is a certain layout or mood I wish to convey in a page I will make a note of it next to the page number. I usually use colors as well (ie. Actions in one color, dialogue in another, boxed in another, to make it easier to read quickly).
Me, I HAVE to write a full script. When I write dialogue it has an important purpose in the story. This is probably why I spend forever before I can start drawing. Until the script is laid out completely and all plot holes filled and characters flushed out, I don't want to touch it. I've written comics without completing a full script, then found I changed my mind about something and have to re-draw pages because of it. It may seem like a longer way to go about things, but it save a helluva lot of time in the long run.
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Jason
New Member
Posts: 9
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Post by Jason on Jul 11, 2005 18:58:30 GMT -7
There's always the Alan Moore approach.
Write scripts so long, that the description of the first panel of the first page of Watchmen took up a full page, no spaces or paragraphs. The detail is baroque and intricate, full of metaphor.
Some might call this limiting, because the artist is locked into how the writer perceived things. What I've found, in my workings with artists, is that it provides the artist a horizontal freedom, to go deeper into the image, while never having to worry about miscommunication, because all of the necessary elements have been provided and thought of. In the end, there will always be something the writer didn't mention, and that creates a deeper freedom.
Also, it doesn't hurt to say at the beginning 'if you have any better ideas then what's here, go with that...' My scripts have never been straitjackets, just pages of suggestions bracketed by snippets of dialouge.
So to get back to the length question, I seem to run at least two pages of script for every page of comic, if not more. A five-pager I recently wrote took up 12 pages.
Also, this presumes a writer/artist relationship. A single creator might go more Dutton's route, planning the stuff that's important, but having quite a bit of flex when you put pencil to paper. Making most of what I just said invalid. Que sara sara...
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Post by dutton on Jul 11, 2005 19:33:50 GMT -7
What Sara Sara?
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Jason
New Member
Posts: 9
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Post by Jason on Jul 11, 2005 21:38:01 GMT -7
*sung in a melodious tune*
Que sara, sara,
whatever will be, will be,
the future's not mine, to see,
que sara, sara.
(I think it's latin.)(For whatever will be, will be.)
(Is there a saracstic simleyface emoticon?)
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Post by dutton on Jul 11, 2005 22:20:25 GMT -7
Que sera sera. No sarcasm required.  |
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