Gordon R / Scripts

[esoteric ed]

Gordon and/or any other writers out there, could I just ask a question?

When you're writing tales for the comic book format, do you visualise how your dialogue and pacing will work on the final illustrated page as you write, like a kind of storyboarding?
Or do you submit the written work and liaise with the artist who will turn out the final strip?

I was simply curious after catching up with a few back Progs recently.
I produce my own cartoon strips for fun every now and again and was interested in how other people approach the media.

Cheers
Ed

[Capt.Zeep]

Just though I'd reply to put this thread back to the top, since it's about to fall off with no replies...

Well?  Can anyone help Ed?

[rc]

Well, once I've capped a story off in my bonce, I then like to visualise the action in frames - the "highlights" on each page forming base-frames around which the other stuff is linked to.

If I write a comic strip, I always draw every single frame in my mind and roughly on paper - the storyboarding you mentioned - leading sometimes to overkill on frame descriptions within my scripts, and possibly putting off potential artists by trying to do part of their job for them.

I can't help doing it though - I try and come up with style and substance together as I think when they are both present is when a comic-strip is at its best.

[Jim_Campbell]

Right ...

There are basically two schools of comic scripting: the Marvel Way and the way everyone else does it. I'm not sure whether even Marvel uses the Marvel Way any more, but maybe Gordon or someone can shed some light on that ...

The Marvel Way involves the writer producing a page-by-page synopsis of the story, which then goes off to the penciller, who lays out the pages from the synopsis. The pencils then go back to the writer, who dialogues the pages from the pencils. I'm of the opinion that This Method Sucks, but then I'm from the other school ...

... The Full Script Way. Assuming the link at the bottom works, you should be transported to a page of full script for mine and PJ's Violent! strip Live Bait. At the bottom of the page, you'll find a link to the finished page for comparison.

It should be noted that I have a tendency to over-script - John Wagner's scripts have been famously described as being like a "really exciting telegram".

Frame descriptions really only need to contain who does what to whom and where they are when it happens - helpful little descriptions of camera angles and lighting instructions are largely superfluous and will probably be ignored by the artist anyway!

Personally, if I know in advance who'll be drawing the strip, I'll try to visualize each image in their style. If not, I'll try to visualize how _I_ would draw the image (were I not hampered by a severe lack of talent) and describe that.

I don't personally think there's any harm in providing descriptive prose in the script, as long as you're trying to be evocative and inspire the artist, rather than trying to do their job for them ...

Does any of that help?

Cheers

Jim

Link: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jw.campbell/Livebait/LiveBait.html" target="_blank">A page of script

[Jim_Campbell]

... Oh, and I should also point out that 8 frames per page is a bit heavy but was a result of Violent's three-page-per-strip rule, meaning that you had to try and cram as much stuff into each page as possible!

Better to aim for 5 or 6 per page unless you want to start pissing your artist off ...

Cheers

Jim

[esoteric ed]

WOW, thanks for that insight Jim.

>> helpful little descriptions of camera angles and lighting instructions are largely superfluous and will probably be ignored by the artist anyway !

[esoteric ed]

Damn!!! only a quarter or so of what I posted has actually appeared above!!!!

To sum up, I thought it was interesting that a writer can be inspired by an artists style when writing or developing.

I was also curious if a writer has any further say about the script once the Artist begins the finished pages, or is this down to the individuals involved?


Thanks again for the insight Jim, it's an area of comic book production I was curious about.

Cheers
Ed


btw, loved the final page "Holy Shark" :-)

[Jim_Campbell]

>To sum up, I thought it was interesting that a
> writer can be inspired by an artists style
> when writing or developing.

I'm a terrible geek when it comes to dissecting artists' styles - I can recognize pretty much any artist whose work I'm familiar with under just about anyone's inks, just from composition and the like, so I find it quite easy to visualize what I _think_ the finished page will look like.

It never _does_ look that way, of course ... but there y'go!

> I was also curious if a writer has any further
> say about the script once the Artist begins
> the finished pages, or is this down to the
> individuals involved?

As a general rule, once the script has gone, via the editor, to the artist, that's the end of it (barring the writer suddenly realizing that he's let some screaming howler of an error through and asking the editor if it's too late to change it). To do otherwise circumvents editorial control and is a very quick way to piss off your editor.

With something like Daemonifuge, where Kev Walker was co-writer as well as artist, things were a little more fluid, but only because we always tried to keep the editorial team in the loop.

> loved the final page "Holy Shark" :-)

With dark rumblings of more Violent! gathering on the horizon like storm clouds, I may actually get to wrap up the Live Bait storyline in the not-too-distant future ...

Cheers

Jim

[esoteric ed]

Thank you Jim, I hope you'll post a link about the Live Bait tale if and when you do finish it, anything "sharkin'" is always of interest to me :-)


Edhttp://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-1/83440/BruceOnTheLoose2MASTER.jpg">

[Devons Daddy]

that was a really interesting link
i was watching this thread with interest.

its very good to see how it was done.
lots of issues answered for me personally on such things.

learnt something new here today.