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Storytelling Resources for Comics Creators, Storyboard Artists & Animators

Notecards for a Comic ScriptProfessional visual storytellers draw inspiration from art, history, their own personal experience and the experiences of others to craft meaningful, emotional stories.

But the broad scope of even the shortest stories can make the craft completely overwhelming.

Here you'll find resources for comics creators, storyboard artists and animators - designed to help you find focus and clarity in the chaos...

Man Vs. Society: Your Hero Will Change The World & The World Will Change Your Hero

By Chris Oatley

indiana-jones-punching-nazi

Use caution when writing a Man vs. Society conflict into your script.

If you don’t think through what a Man vs. Society conflict will cost your hero, you will wind up with a Man vs. Nature conflict instead. …except your storm will be made up of human faces.

Last week, Chris talked about Man vs. Nature, the conflict that pits your protagonist against an unintelligent force. The world-ending earthquake does not willfully attack the hero, nor does the hero have complicated emotions toward it. “This is bad,” will usually suffice.

If you take society at a surface level, you can accidentally end up with such a force of nature instead of a complicated, multifaceted group of people, pressures and expectations. You get Indiana Jones vs. The Nazis. “Nazis are bad,” and so they act like The Borg in your script.

(Note from Chris: Lora and I both think Indy is amazing. We’re just saying that the Indy-version of the Nazis are more a force of Nature than they are a complex Society.)

You might miss this oversimplification in a script (even your own) if one or two members of the societal group are used as villains, in a Man vs. Man conflict (which we’ll address in an upcoming post.)

But if these characters are simply photocopies of the larger group with a more menacing snarl and a fancier name, you’ll never get deeper into the real magic a Man vs. Society story can conjure.

Avoid this two-dimensionality by addressing the sacrifices that your protagonist must make when he stands against a society.

[Read more…] about Man Vs. Society: Your Hero Will Change The World & The World Will Change Your Hero

Man Vs. Nature: It’s More About Dying Than Surviving

By Chris Oatley


walking-dead-zombies-amc1The Man Vs. Nature conflict is not just about surviving in the wilderness like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, James Franco in 127 Hours or one of my personal favorites: Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson.

“Nature,” for the purposes of designing conflict and plot, can mean the natural AND the supernatural. In fact, “Nature” is any kind of unstoppable force that is both primal and pervasive.

The Zombies in The Walking Dead, the Xenomorph swarms in in Aliens, the spooks & specters in Ghostbusters, the sinking Titanic and the miles of freezing ocean surrounding it, that sneaky shark in Jaws, the ‘Captain Trips’ super-flu in The Stand, the world outside of Andy’s room in the Toy Story movies, the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, Sauron in The Lord Of The Rings …all primal, pervasive, unstoppable forces.

Frame your Man Vs. Self story in a Man Vs. Nature plot and you’ve got yourself an epic.

…until you have to end it.

[Read more…] about Man Vs. Nature: It’s More About Dying Than Surviving

Man Vs. Self: How To Create Heroes With Heart

By Chris Oatley

et.0403.sneaks.117

The Dark Knight Rises will make millions this summer, but poor Wonder Woman will probably never get her film or tv pilot made.

There is a reason that Batman is the most popular superhero in the DC universe and it is the same reason that people can’t get enough of Spider-Man, Ironman or Wolverine…

Often we creators have a hard time figuring out what to do with our protagonist after we’ve told the story of their first adventure.

Maybe your readers just aren’t invested in your characters and your dwindling website stats prove it. …or maybe you’re halfway through an arc before you realize you don’t know how to end it.

Batman and Spider-Man have been around for over half a century and people still aren’t bored. They both have heart.

And if you can get your head around the “Man Vs. Self” conflict, you can create characters with just as much depth…

[Read more…] about Man Vs. Self: How To Create Heroes With Heart

Interview With Brian McDonald: Storytelling Guru, Author of ‘Invisible Ink’ & ‘The Golden Theme’ :: PWP #21

By Chris Oatley

Brian-McDonald-Disney

“Everybody’s looking for the elevator. There is no elevator. You have to climb the mountain.”

-Brian McDonald

Brian McDonald wrote the two best books on storytelling that I have ever read.  (I have read a lot of books about storytelling.)

‘Invisible Ink’ will equip you as a storyteller.  ‘The Golden Theme’ will give you a sense of purpose as a storyteller.

Brian has taught story classes at Pixar, Disney Feature Animation AND Lucasfilm.  So though I can’t be 100% certain, I think that certifies him as the coolest guy on the planet.

He’s also written a bunch of comics including ‘Abe Sapien: Drums Of The Dead.’

In our interview, Brian shares some interesting insight about working at Pixar that will cure you of any anxiety you’ll experience about your own story craft.

Read on for more about storytelling, links to Brian’s books as well as some of his own book recommendations…

[Read more…] about Interview With Brian McDonald: Storytelling Guru, Author of ‘Invisible Ink’ & ‘The Golden Theme’ :: PWP #21

How To Write Great Character Introductions

By Chris Oatley

Seven-Dwarfs-LanternI just watched Disney’s Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs for the first time in years.*

I found new appreciation for this legendary film during the scene where the Seven Dwarfs come home from work to find that their woodland cottage has been invaded by a potentially-malicious housecleaner. The suspect is, of course, the obliging 1930’s ideal-housewife-in-a-princess-dress known as Snow White.

The audience knows about Snow, but the Dwarfs don’t. Walt Disney and Company masterfully introduce us to seven characters at once – which is a challenge most storytellers would work around or cheat on.

How did they pull it off?  By creating a movie inside of the movie.

As the film continues to age, the temptation to dismiss it on account of the antiquated humor and political incorrectness grows. But despite the misogyny, the film is a fine specimen of visual storytelling.

Today, I’ll share one lesson that we can learn from this Disney Classic – How To Write GREAT Character Introductions.
[Read more…] about How To Write Great Character Introductions

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