Lettering Droids: it's that time again!

[Colin YNWA]

On the other hand, I can think of occasions where Annie (and Ellie) routinely places balloons over the connector between two linked balloons…

Call back from down thread - only just found time to read Jim's excellent blog post. Yeah that's actually what I meant, not crossing connectors but overlying a ballon over a connector. In my head I only see Annie (and yes come to think of it maybe Ellie used to do this as well) so assumed it was a similar 'no no' as cross connectors.

This thread is throwing up some fascinating insights.

[milstar]

Ah...I was wondering is there generally an optimal number of words you can use per a balloon? Like, 5, 15, 25? Ofcourse, without considering all longest words from the dictionary.

[Jim_Campbell]

Ah...I was wondering is there generally an optimal number of words you can use per a balloon? Like, 5, 15, 25? Ofcourse, without considering all longest words from the dictionary.

The rule of thumb is: maximum three balloons per panel, thirty words per balloon. Obviously, almost no one actually follows this rule… but it's a good starting point, at least from the POV of calling out a panel with more dialogue than that in the script, and noting for the artist that it needs to be a bigger panel, with plenty of dead space.

[The Legendary Shark]

I find writing dialogue to be quite challenging. One has to make it sound real, convey pertinent information and be brief. The ideal (for me) is a panel with no dialogue at all, where the picture conveys everything that needs to be said. For example, does a character who's about to be shot really have to say "No! Please!"?

I generally try to write the dialogue last - see how much the art can convey before putting words into characters' mouths - and it's also the first layer I edit in the final drafts, trying to cut as much of it out as possible. It can be heartbreaking to realise that a sublime quip or phrase has to go because it's not really pertinent but is in there because it just sounds cool. Kill your darlings, as they say.

I'm still not very good at it - but luckily the better letterers can make even my hamfisted babblings look good.

[milstar]

Appreciated lads.

Yes, dialogues can be a hiccup thing, regardless the medium you are doing. Shark is right about sparsity of the words - "show, don't tell" is a rule most adept in the comics. At least when it doesn't break the flow of action and sounds unnatural.
That's why I find Future Shocks useful in resorting to economical ways to tell a story. As a matter of fact, I was generally interested in the matter, but another reason I asked is that I currently am working a few FC submission, so when the lockdown is over (hopefully soon)... I 'll keep in mind 30 words whatever I write from now on.

[Jim_Campbell]

I 'll keep in mind 30 words whatever I write from now on.

Although his name is (rightly) mud these days, Warren Ellis had an interesting/useful alternative take: at an average 6 panels per page, and a maximum 90 words per panel (3x balloons at 30 words each), you could assume a maximum of 500-600 words of dialogue/captions per page, so you can have a wordy panel (again with the proviso that you should call it out in the script so the artist leaves an appropriate amount of space) but if you've got 200 words in one panel, you've only got 300-400 to play with on the rest of the page.

[Jim_Campbell]

Yup! It is that time again!

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