Storyboarding is the process of developing a story sequence with accompanying images, video sequences (described at this stage with still images), audio and narration (provided at this stage as text). In fact, storyboards are credited to being developed by the Walt Disney studios in the 1930s. Storyboards are also used in the development of comic books and motion pictures. Mysteries are very plot heavy, so they usually begin with some sort of crime or question that someone has to answer.Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images that are displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a filmed video, animation, motion graphic, or other interactive media sequence. It's also important to make it compelling from the beginning. If you want to make your story around a mystery, tension is one of the key elements you need to add.This moment is great because it plays off the three-act structure, even as it breaks it with a second, surprising climactic moment. Don't forget that ( spoiler alert) Captain America gets assassinated shortly after peace is brokered in Civil War. You can and should always play with this structure."First act-Get your hero up a tree second act-throw rocks at him third act-get him down."-Anonymous X Research source.But knowing these three stepping stones ahead of time will save you a lot of writing headaches. These are your major plot points and you can play with them however you want. In a triumphant final push, your characters finally prevail (Batman defeats The Joker, Cap and Ironman usher in peace, Scott Pilgrim gets the girl). They decide to fix the problem and fail (The Joker escapes, Captain America and Iron Man start fighting, Scott Pilgrim has to fight 7 exes). You have your characters, and they have a problem (The Joker is on the loose, the Avengers broke up, Scott Pilgrim got dumped). Introduce a problem, fail to solve it, and then resolve the problem with a surprise to create an instant plot. Very often, we see the same types of characters all the time in particular types of roles, so try to avoid that. You can diversify your characters about gender, sexuality, and age. We live in an age now where we want more diversity than standard-it doesn't have to be about race. Whenever a character makes a choice, make sure it is the character deciding to do it-not the author forcing the character to do it because "the plot needs it." This is the quickest way to lose your audience. This makes him more relatable than a weirdo in a cape. It's no mistake that Bruce Wayne is scared of bats, just like he's scared of failing his city and parents. This adds conflict to your story and makes it more interesting.
We don't like Superman just because he saves the day, but because his awkward alter-ego Clark Kent reminds us of our own awkward, nervous days. The fun of any comic book, whether about superheroes or average Joes, is following a character's trials, tribulations, and personal flaws as they try to accomplish their goals. Almost all comics are the result of a character who wants something but is unable to get it-from villains trying to rule the world (and heroes trying to save it) to a young girl looking to figure out her complex political environment ( Persepolis). Characters drive plots in almost all great movies, comics, and books.
In short, the tone of the artwork should be the same as the tone of the writing.Ĭreate round, flawed, and exciting characters. An Artistic Style: Great comic books have art that fits seamlessly with the tone of the writing, like the dirty, watercolor artwork in V for Vendetta.The best comic books tell their stories quickly and efficiently, using both dialogue and visual cues to keep things moving. Streamlining the story: More characters, locations, and action are great, but it significantly increases the workload on the illustrator.A character musing to themselves might work, especially if the background reflects their changing thoughts.
Keeping the story visual: A conversation taking place in one room wouldn't work well since you won't have many new scene changes.While there are no wrong ideas, some things to keep in mind include: Remember this when considering stories-you want something with big, fun images and visuals as well as a fair amount of conversation and dialogue. Comic books are a blast because they merge written words with cinematic images, blending the best of both novels and movies. Think of a short, visual story to translate from your head to the page.