I lied. We're not doing those kinds of shots. Do you know how early it is? Who are you with your shot glasses already poised? Gracious! The morning is not meant for
We're here for art. Or something. I think. Right? Okay.
So I've read a lot of comic scripts over the years. Professional ones, amateur ones, ones professionals have sent me to help me improve, ones aspiring professionals have sent me to critique them. And there's many different ways to write a comic script, there is no one way. However there are some basics, and one of the basics I see in a lot of scripts that usually needs some practice is the correct terminology for panel shots/layout.
A lot of the times people hand out Wally Wood's 22 Panel's That Always Work. Which, is okay. It's really better for artists trying to lay out a panel moreso than writers trying to communicate how they are roughly envisioning a page. Using the Wally Wood format in a script can come off as a bit too verbose and controlling sometimes. You want to be able to give information to your artist, but at the same give them some freedom. So what's below is a rundown of some essential panel/shot layout jargon for scripts as well as examples.
As always, your mileage may very, this is how I teach the basics. If you have some weird second language you talk to you artist in and that works for you, that's great! But if you're working with someone for the first time, this in my experience this works.
ESTABLISHING SHOT
Where are we? Why are we just in some windowless crack den? Is this a windowless crack den? I dunno, because you haven't given us any visual information of the exterior location. All your script says for the first panel of a new scene in a new location is PANEL 1: We're inside a gross room with a bunch of junkies. We could be in a crack den on the moon for all I care.
Establishing shots (PANEL 1: Establishing shot, a rundown crack den in the Tenderloin during late afternoon. This place is so dilapidated it's amazing it's still standing) are important because they help set up your scene's location. I use this one from Invincible as an example because it's my favorite example of getting mileage out of one image. They reuse this establishing shot ALL THE TIME in the comic and just color it differently for various times of day and weather situations. One image used a million ways, and the audience always knows where they're headed.
WIDE SHOT
The full body, plenty of background is usually how you rock a wide shot. Generally lots of visual information.
MEDIUM SHOT
Torso up, punching clowns optional.
CLOSE UP
Usually the top of the shoulders/collarbone up, here it's cropped a little tighter.
EXTREME CLOSE UP
I think the extreme part kind of explains it.
TWO SHOT
Two people, one panel.
OVER THE SHOULDER
This is another one of those self-explanatory ones.
LOW ANGLE
HIGH ANGLE
Looking down on characters flips the power and makes them more submissive most of the time. Bats here is showing an exception. You never look down on Batman, Batman looks down on you. He places himself above others to intimidate and establish authority which is what we are seeing here. Now if Batman were facing us and looking upwards in this panel and we were looking down at him like the other guy, they would both appear equally vulnerable.
BIRD'S EYE
Looking down at a scene gives your reader a good view of things. Here, it's used in a way with the skylight panes framing the action to feel as if we're eavesdropping on the Serenity crew doing crime.
WORM'S EYE
The angle where your character may need to reevaluate some life choices. Or, there's a big ass monster on top of them... though that may require some reflection towards past decisions as well.
DUTCH ANGLE
Can be used in several different ways. The dutch angle is a mainstay of horror as it makes the scene/panel off balance and tense. It makes a good "hero walk" shot here because of the added action it gives the panel.
SPLASH PAGE
Full page. It's gloriou kick to your eyeballs. It's Battle Beast.
BONUS ROUND (please don't use these in your script)
I cannot tell you how excited I was to see your emphasis on the ESTABLISHING shot. I think this is one of the key elements that may so many comics confusing and hard to follow…just WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?
ReplyDeleteNice post!