Thursday 16 June 2011

DemonHanzo's Make Your Own Comic Book: A self Journey To Making A Comic Pt.7

Make Your Own Comic Book: Writing The Script.

By now you have most of your ideas about what your comic book is about and what our characters motivations are. You should have a general outline for your story. If you're writing a huge epic then you have to decide where the first issue takes place. Will it be the middle of the story arch? Will it be at the beginning? Will it be somewhere near the end? Are you unsure as to where it should start? I can't give you these answers as they are personal and should reflect the type of story you want to tell. What story do you want to tell? That's what you need to write about.

Also there is other questions to consider. Are you going to illustrate the story yourself. If so you only need to write as much of the story that is relevant for you to illustrate it. Some just write names( in Japanese manga names are a rough layout of pictures and words. You might think of it as a rough draft of what a comic will look like and read like.) If you're teaming up with an artist you have to consider if you want him to have control over panels or if you want to tell the story panel by panel describing each shot. In other words how much lee way are you willing to give your artist in terms of creativity? One thing is certain though, your artist is not a mind reader so if you leave out important things from your script and he comes back with something you don't like, for instance wrong location, wrong costume, wrong facial expression, it is the failing of you the writer for not including it in your script.

Here's a couple examples. Let's use an example of Bernhold walking up to some one and punching him.

A script that offers a lot of freedom to the artist might have this type of a format.

Bernhold walks in the castle corridor.(caption: Empryean rots from within. ) He surveys the the corridor and spots Cobus.( Caption: Cobus, The new captain) Cobus unaware of Bernhold Wyld, is standing in a door way.( Caption: The new Justice). Bernhold walks unnoticed towards Cobus.
Cobus is spun around Berhnhold and Bernhold Punches Cobus in the face. Crack. Uuuff!(caption:He's Corruption incarnate).

If the writer wants some thing more specific the same story should be told with as many panels as the writer sees fit. I feel the above is about a pages worth of action but it could be only half a page worth of action to someone else.

A more specific type of Script.

Panel one (medium shot)
Bernhold walks in hugging close to a stone wall to avoid detection.

Pannel two etablishing shot

Castle corridor. Both Bernhold and Cobus are seen at opposite ends of the castles corridor.

Panel three(meduim shot of Cobus)

Cobus is standing in a doorway we see his face in a weird type of sneer.
Caption reads  Cobus, The new Captain

Panel four (meduim long)
Berhold walks towards Cobus from behind unnoticed
caption reads  The New justice.

Panel five (medium shot)

Bernhold grabs Cobus shoulder and spins him around
Caption reads Corruption incarnate

Panel six

Bernhold punches Cobus in the face shattering Cobus's jaw. Sound effect: Crack!
Cobus says: Uuuff!

It doesn't matter so much the format of the writing, the only rule is that the writing should be clear and should contain all the detail that  you want your artist to include. If your ideas are vague and the artist gives you something you as the writer don't like, you have yourself to blame. If you're drawing it yourself you only need to include whatever information relevant to help you draw the story. If you are collaboration with some one I suggest you talk with them frequently so that both of you understand what is going on and how the project is progressing. Keep in mind a collaboration is a give and take relationship. It's both of your ideas being combined to produce a comic. If you as a writer don't like this idea learn to draw. If you as the artist don't like this learn to write. If you can't do that, learn how to work together, or find someone who best matches your vision and work with them.

If at all possible I'd suggest leaving out sloths as collaborative partners.

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