comics and the storytelling imperative

Comics and the Storytelling Imperative

Ryan Evans rhino@alum.mit.edu

http://www.lucaflect.com

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Tell me a story

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Ernie Bushmiller Nancy 1925-19823Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Humans want tomake stories

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Closure7Thursday, March 19, 2009

• Moment to Moment

• Action to Action

• Subject to Subject

• Scene to Scene

• Aspect to aspect

• Non-Sequitur

McCloud’s Closure Categories

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Comics talk to an audience

Storyboards talk to a crew

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Chris Ware10Thursday, March 19, 2009

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• Moment to Moment

• Action to Action

• Subject to Subject

• Scene to Scene

• Aspect to aspect

• Non-Sequitur

McCloud’s Closure Categories

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Koike & Kojima Lone Wolf and Cub 197516Thursday, March 19, 2009

Let the cut tell the story. Otherwise, you have not got dramatic action, you have narration. If you slip into narration, you are saying 'you'll never guess why what I just told you is important to the story.' It's unimportant that the audience should guess why it's important to the story. It's important simply to tell the story. Let the audience be surprised.

- David Mamet

On Directing Film 199117Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ben Shahn Myself When Young 1943 18Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Dan Clowes Caricature 199820Thursday, March 19, 2009

Dan Clowes Caricature 199820Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Scott McCloud ZOT! 1987-199122Thursday, March 19, 2009

• Tell your story with uninflected juxtapositions

• After you have a strong structure think about reinforcing your themes

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Charles Schulz Peanuts 1950-200025Thursday, March 19, 2009

When you read a sequence of pictures, something happens in your mind. If you read it closely, youʼll hear it. Chopping a scene up into more pieces can alter the pacing. Drawing a larger panel after a series of smaller panels can create a long note. Telling a story in this form is one of the most complicated things you can do on paper.

- Chris Ware

Interview on CNN.com Oct 3, 200026Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Harvey Pekar & Robert Crumb “The Harvey Pekar Name Story” 198228Thursday, March 19, 2009

Montage

•Metric

•Rythmic

Sergei Eisenstein Film Form 194929Thursday, March 19, 2009

Montage

•Metric

•Rythmic

Sergei Eisenstein Film Form 194929Thursday, March 19, 2009

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Bernard Kriegstein & Al Feldstein The Master Race 195532Thursday, March 19, 2009

Bernard Kriegstein & Al Feldstein The Master Race 195533Thursday, March 19, 2009

The world of comics may, in its generosity, lend scripts, characters, and stories to the movies, but not its inexpressible secret power of suggestion that resides in that fixity, that immobility of a butterfly on a pin.

- Federico Fellini

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Roldolphe Töpffer The History of Albert 184437Thursday, March 19, 2009

Richard McGuire The Thinkers 199038Thursday, March 19, 2009