Monday, 6 February 2012
The first Manlin Watch (ETA 6498) Picture 1
Sunday, 5 February 2012
The Day before the Morning after: Super Bowl XVI Preview
And so, after four months of ups and downs, the two prevailing teams stand on the doorstep of greatness, and preparing to knock for all they’re worth.
But only one call will be answered; only one team will receive the most coveted prize in football and have their names immortalised.
Despite the singularity of victory, the storylines yet to unfold are legion. As a humble chronicler of the NFL, being gifted such a multi-layered plot for Super Bowl XVI is a treat indeed, but a treat that begs a great many questions, most of which I, as a huge Tom Brady fan, am afraid to answer.
In the past I have made no secret of my allegiance to those oft-hapless desert birds, the Arizona Cardinals, but Brady is my generation’s Unitas, Marino or Montana. He is the only active QB with 3 Super Bowl victories, the only active QB with 4 AFC Championship crowns, the only QB ever to throw for 50 Touchdowns in a season and one of only three men (along with Drew Brees and Dan Marino) to eclipse the 5,000 yard passing mark in a single season. He is already a legend, but when the conversation turns to the greatest ever, the name of Joe Montana, Brady’s boyhood hero, still trumps Tom Terrific’s.
There are those who say he already stands alongside Montana on the highest pedestal in football, but many more who argue that a fourth Super Bowl victory is needed to truly align these two stars.
Personally I find that requirement a little harsh, given that Peyton Manning’s name is often mentioned in the equation despite the Colts superstar having posted a 1-1 record in the big game. Other greats like Steve Young, who only won one title as a starter, Joe Namath, whose career stats cannot hold a candle to Brady’s, and not to mention Dan Marino, who was never a World Champion, seem to have passed into the history books as Brady’s equal. Tom Terrific has a chance today to put himself right next to Montana in the only category that seems to be holding Brady’s legend back.
What worries me, the first of two concerns, is that Brady had his shot at true uniqueness four years ago, when the then undefeated Patriots fell 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII to the…Giants. That notch in the loss column must haunt Brady daily. Not only did the ’07 Pats miss out on perfection, Brady placed himself on a tightrope. 3-1 in the Super Bowl is a more than respectable record, but a loss tonight will put him at 3-2, which is dangerously close to .500, hardly what we expect from a clutch player. But even that is ridiculous. To say 3-2 is worse than 3-0 or 3-1 is like saying there is no merit in playing in a Super Bowl, only winning it all.
I would argue that if Brady were to win tonight, his 4-1 record will put him out in front on his own. That fifth Super Bowl appearance is an achievement Montana can not lay claim to. Okay, it is a loss, but it is also representative of another Conference Championship win.
Now to the second, rather bigger concern: to make it to 4-1, Brady must bury his demons and beat the New York giants and outplay his rising counterpart, Eli manning. The younger brother of Brady’s long-time nemesis Peyton, Eli is fast establishing a reputation as a great himself. If his career ended tomorrow he would have a legitimate shout at the Hall of Fame. Were he to win and go 2-0 in Super Bowls he would, remarkably, be the only multiple ring-wearing active QB undefeated in the Superbowl (Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a 2-1 record after losing to the Pack last year). Eli’s late game heroics are undeniable and, crucially, his defence does a great deal of the hard work for him. The Giants overbearing pass rush and disruptive front 7 are Tom Brady’s worst nightmare. They had his number in ’07 and they had his number in their regular season meeting this year. My gut feeling? They’ll have his number again tonight.
Brady’s high octane, fast scoring offense is a well oiled machine. The Giants D is grit in that oil. They will annoy, pester and capitalise on any disharmony their aggressive play can sew in the minds of the graceful Patriots. If Tight End Rob Gronkowski is fit, then the Patriots have a significantly better chance of carving it up over the middle through Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and slot receiver, Wes Welker, or sending it wide and deep to former Super Bowl MVP, Deion Branch and, would you believe, Chad Ochocinco, who has a chance tonight to finally win the Super Bowl many a great player in his mould has missed out on by playing for a bad team their entire career.
Either team could win this game (any given Sunday and all that) but I hope New England get the championship I feel the Gods of fate owe them after the cruelty of 2007. Sure, it won’t be as amazing; it won’t be as legendary, but it may be more impressive. The Patriots are a ragtag bunch, with few superstars in the classic positions of Running Back, Wide Receiver (Welker plays inside too often to be considered a true wide-out), or any defensive names that are commonly uttered in the same breath as greats. The Giants, on the other hand, actually have more playmakers on both sides of the ball. As they were in 2007, the Patriots are all about the team. As thy were in 2007, the Giants are all about the upset; all about peaking at the right time; all about winning it all in the most unimaginable way possible.
They stormed to the title in 2007 from 6th seed. If they do it again they will have done it from 4th seed and with the worst postseason record in the NFC. They looked dead and buried after a 4 game skid that very nearly cost Coach Coughlin his job. I bet they’re gad they’ve got him now. Coughlin knows Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick better than anyone, having served with him in the 80s when Belichick was D coordinator for the Giants and their first pair of Superbowl victories.
Last season I picked the Packers to win it all and they did. This year I picked the Patriots the second the final whistle of XLV was blown. If you’d asked me then, which team I would least like to see standing in the Pats’ way of the Lombardi Trophy, I would’ve said the Giants.
But Big Blue refused to go away, and now could very well go all the way. Whoever wins, this Super Bowl must be regarded as the jewel in either franchise’s crown, and the next chapter in what has become an absorbing and classic rivalry of recent times.
Good luck to all men. Play hard and leave it all on the field. Destiny awaits you all, and glory those lucky few.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
But only one call will be answered; only one team will receive the most coveted prize in football and have their names immortalised.
Despite the singularity of victory, the storylines yet to unfold are legion. As a humble chronicler of the NFL, being gifted such a multi-layered plot for Super Bowl XVI is a treat indeed, but a treat that begs a great many questions, most of which I, as a huge Tom Brady fan, am afraid to answer.
In the past I have made no secret of my allegiance to those oft-hapless desert birds, the Arizona Cardinals, but Brady is my generation’s Unitas, Marino or Montana. He is the only active QB with 3 Super Bowl victories, the only active QB with 4 AFC Championship crowns, the only QB ever to throw for 50 Touchdowns in a season and one of only three men (along with Drew Brees and Dan Marino) to eclipse the 5,000 yard passing mark in a single season. He is already a legend, but when the conversation turns to the greatest ever, the name of Joe Montana, Brady’s boyhood hero, still trumps Tom Terrific’s.
There are those who say he already stands alongside Montana on the highest pedestal in football, but many more who argue that a fourth Super Bowl victory is needed to truly align these two stars.
Personally I find that requirement a little harsh, given that Peyton Manning’s name is often mentioned in the equation despite the Colts superstar having posted a 1-1 record in the big game. Other greats like Steve Young, who only won one title as a starter, Joe Namath, whose career stats cannot hold a candle to Brady’s, and not to mention Dan Marino, who was never a World Champion, seem to have passed into the history books as Brady’s equal. Tom Terrific has a chance today to put himself right next to Montana in the only category that seems to be holding Brady’s legend back.
What worries me, the first of two concerns, is that Brady had his shot at true uniqueness four years ago, when the then undefeated Patriots fell 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII to the…Giants. That notch in the loss column must haunt Brady daily. Not only did the ’07 Pats miss out on perfection, Brady placed himself on a tightrope. 3-1 in the Super Bowl is a more than respectable record, but a loss tonight will put him at 3-2, which is dangerously close to .500, hardly what we expect from a clutch player. But even that is ridiculous. To say 3-2 is worse than 3-0 or 3-1 is like saying there is no merit in playing in a Super Bowl, only winning it all.
I would argue that if Brady were to win tonight, his 4-1 record will put him out in front on his own. That fifth Super Bowl appearance is an achievement Montana can not lay claim to. Okay, it is a loss, but it is also representative of another Conference Championship win.
Now to the second, rather bigger concern: to make it to 4-1, Brady must bury his demons and beat the New York giants and outplay his rising counterpart, Eli manning. The younger brother of Brady’s long-time nemesis Peyton, Eli is fast establishing a reputation as a great himself. If his career ended tomorrow he would have a legitimate shout at the Hall of Fame. Were he to win and go 2-0 in Super Bowls he would, remarkably, be the only multiple ring-wearing active QB undefeated in the Superbowl (Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a 2-1 record after losing to the Pack last year). Eli’s late game heroics are undeniable and, crucially, his defence does a great deal of the hard work for him. The Giants overbearing pass rush and disruptive front 7 are Tom Brady’s worst nightmare. They had his number in ’07 and they had his number in their regular season meeting this year. My gut feeling? They’ll have his number again tonight.
Brady’s high octane, fast scoring offense is a well oiled machine. The Giants D is grit in that oil. They will annoy, pester and capitalise on any disharmony their aggressive play can sew in the minds of the graceful Patriots. If Tight End Rob Gronkowski is fit, then the Patriots have a significantly better chance of carving it up over the middle through Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and slot receiver, Wes Welker, or sending it wide and deep to former Super Bowl MVP, Deion Branch and, would you believe, Chad Ochocinco, who has a chance tonight to finally win the Super Bowl many a great player in his mould has missed out on by playing for a bad team their entire career.
Either team could win this game (any given Sunday and all that) but I hope New England get the championship I feel the Gods of fate owe them after the cruelty of 2007. Sure, it won’t be as amazing; it won’t be as legendary, but it may be more impressive. The Patriots are a ragtag bunch, with few superstars in the classic positions of Running Back, Wide Receiver (Welker plays inside too often to be considered a true wide-out), or any defensive names that are commonly uttered in the same breath as greats. The Giants, on the other hand, actually have more playmakers on both sides of the ball. As they were in 2007, the Patriots are all about the team. As thy were in 2007, the Giants are all about the upset; all about peaking at the right time; all about winning it all in the most unimaginable way possible.
They stormed to the title in 2007 from 6th seed. If they do it again they will have done it from 4th seed and with the worst postseason record in the NFC. They looked dead and buried after a 4 game skid that very nearly cost Coach Coughlin his job. I bet they’re gad they’ve got him now. Coughlin knows Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick better than anyone, having served with him in the 80s when Belichick was D coordinator for the Giants and their first pair of Superbowl victories.
Last season I picked the Packers to win it all and they did. This year I picked the Patriots the second the final whistle of XLV was blown. If you’d asked me then, which team I would least like to see standing in the Pats’ way of the Lombardi Trophy, I would’ve said the Giants.
But Big Blue refused to go away, and now could very well go all the way. Whoever wins, this Super Bowl must be regarded as the jewel in either franchise’s crown, and the next chapter in what has become an absorbing and classic rivalry of recent times.
Good luck to all men. Play hard and leave it all on the field. Destiny awaits you all, and glory those lucky few.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
I Might as Well Carry on...
The Dialogue: The dialogue itself will obviously be taken care of in the script, which should be written in proper case with bold and italic words/sections already formatted so your letterer can work straight from the same package. Be mindful of space in a panel and don’t try and jam too much into a scene. I have always worked to a tight limit of 180-200 words per page with a maximum of 6 panels and therefore a rough word count of 30 per panel. This is, in my experience, a pretty low count, but it gives plenty of space for the action to unfold around the dialogue. If you need to flout the rule, then do so, but be harsh with yourself – if you can say it with fewer words, ensure you do.
Colour: Colour can be a valuable tool in GN production. It can signify a flashback, a mood, a particular character, season or location. It isn’t essential (many successful Graphic Novels and Comics (such as 2001 AD, The Walking Dead and, for the most part, Sin City) are produced in black & White. But flashes of vibrancy in a monochrome world can be even more impacting (such as red blood in a film noir comic printed in B&W).
Highlighted changes: If you’re using the same information for several panels to describe a static scene, any sudden changes that might be glossed-over by your artist should be highlighted somehow to draw attention to a subtle, but sudden change in surroundings.
Advice: Create a writer’s pack explaining how you work. You could even have a glossary of terms that should be clear in themselves, but reference actual examples should any confusion arise. Obviously if you know your artist personally and have a chance to sit down and talk about how you work, even better, but a professionally written cover letter and a manual on how to interpret every word of your script won’t hurt. And in all honesty, it will help you just as much to solidify your style, improve your accuracy and enable you to focus on what matters most…writing!
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Colour: Colour can be a valuable tool in GN production. It can signify a flashback, a mood, a particular character, season or location. It isn’t essential (many successful Graphic Novels and Comics (such as 2001 AD, The Walking Dead and, for the most part, Sin City) are produced in black & White. But flashes of vibrancy in a monochrome world can be even more impacting (such as red blood in a film noir comic printed in B&W).
Highlighted changes: If you’re using the same information for several panels to describe a static scene, any sudden changes that might be glossed-over by your artist should be highlighted somehow to draw attention to a subtle, but sudden change in surroundings.
Advice: Create a writer’s pack explaining how you work. You could even have a glossary of terms that should be clear in themselves, but reference actual examples should any confusion arise. Obviously if you know your artist personally and have a chance to sit down and talk about how you work, even better, but a professionally written cover letter and a manual on how to interpret every word of your script won’t hurt. And in all honesty, it will help you just as much to solidify your style, improve your accuracy and enable you to focus on what matters most…writing!
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Monday, 30 January 2012
And Some More...
Facial expressions: A difficult one, but essential to get right. Vague terms like ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ might work occasionally, but pay particular attention to the position of the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes and lips, the openness of the mouth, the tightness of the muscles in the face etc. The appearance of a character’s face is essential to the deliver of the words coming out of their mouth.
Hand position: Fingers raised, palm’s up- or down- turned, thumbs up, fists, raised, lowered, resting on an object or character in the scene? Communication specialists tell us only 7% of communication is verbal – the other 93 is body language, facial expressions, hand gestures and intonation. Grammar, punctuation and type-setting can take care of the latter, but the other 3 components must be paid particular attention to if you want to convince your reader of what’s being said.
Body position: As before, the way someone carries themselves is essential to their character. Are they hunched? Do they have any odd recurring tics, such as over-friendliness or standoffishness? I advise coming up with a set of stock descriptions for your artist – even sketching out exactly what you mean by ‘ slightly bent forwards at the back, hands by his side as if ready to spring into action’, on a separate style sheet so there is no misinterpretation. Some body positions and angles are hard to describe. Learn the filmic terms for the camera angles so you have a mutual point of reference with your artist.
Camera Angles and Panel Descriptions: As mentioned above, it essential to accurately describe the angle of the shot, and the framing of the image. Bird’s eye view (from above looking down), worm’s eye view (from below, looking up), tight shot (character or characters occupying the majority of the panel), close-up (zoomed in on a character or object), wide angle (view from middle distance, encompassing a greater area), POV (character point of view), panorama (a wider panel, often stretching the width of a page or double page), amongst others. Other terms for page descriptions, such as ‘Splash’ (a full page spread) should be learned or agreed beforehand to refer to a certain type of standardised shot.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Hand position: Fingers raised, palm’s up- or down- turned, thumbs up, fists, raised, lowered, resting on an object or character in the scene? Communication specialists tell us only 7% of communication is verbal – the other 93 is body language, facial expressions, hand gestures and intonation. Grammar, punctuation and type-setting can take care of the latter, but the other 3 components must be paid particular attention to if you want to convince your reader of what’s being said.
Body position: As before, the way someone carries themselves is essential to their character. Are they hunched? Do they have any odd recurring tics, such as over-friendliness or standoffishness? I advise coming up with a set of stock descriptions for your artist – even sketching out exactly what you mean by ‘ slightly bent forwards at the back, hands by his side as if ready to spring into action’, on a separate style sheet so there is no misinterpretation. Some body positions and angles are hard to describe. Learn the filmic terms for the camera angles so you have a mutual point of reference with your artist.
Camera Angles and Panel Descriptions: As mentioned above, it essential to accurately describe the angle of the shot, and the framing of the image. Bird’s eye view (from above looking down), worm’s eye view (from below, looking up), tight shot (character or characters occupying the majority of the panel), close-up (zoomed in on a character or object), wide angle (view from middle distance, encompassing a greater area), POV (character point of view), panorama (a wider panel, often stretching the width of a page or double page), amongst others. Other terms for page descriptions, such as ‘Splash’ (a full page spread) should be learned or agreed beforehand to refer to a certain type of standardised shot.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
A Few More Tips...
The Panel Descriptions:Okay, let me start by saying there is no right or wrong way to write a panel description, but there are good and bad ways. As long as it’s direct and easy to understand, it should do its job. How detailed you want to make it may depend on your faith in your artist to realise the vision as intended, or your personal style. If it is a jointly-created project then you need to do less. If it is your world, you need to do more. Below are a few of the things I would include in EVERY panel description. This makes the process professional, understandable and consistent. Free-wheeling descriptions are fine, but they require more interpretation on the part of the artist, which could lead to delays or miscommunication. Keep things methodical and straightforward and you will run into less problems. What I do is simply copy and paste these headings into every panel description and answer the questions posed to myself. Having these prompts in place makes my job easier and removes the need to think, so you can concentrate on delivering the very best story you can conceive.
Remember! You’re not going to win any awards for the eloquence of your panel descriptions. If you want the next thing you write to be an acceptance speech, tone it down and keep it basic.
Time of day: Is it the morning, midday, afternoon, twilight or night?
Light: How bright is the light, what is its source, from what angle is it coming?
Character position in the Panel: Left to right – list the character position and whether they are in the extreme foreground, foreground, mid-ground, background or far distance of the panel.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Remember! You’re not going to win any awards for the eloquence of your panel descriptions. If you want the next thing you write to be an acceptance speech, tone it down and keep it basic.
Time of day: Is it the morning, midday, afternoon, twilight or night?
Light: How bright is the light, what is its source, from what angle is it coming?
Character position in the Panel: Left to right – list the character position and whether they are in the extreme foreground, foreground, mid-ground, background or far distance of the panel.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Friday, 27 January 2012
A Brief Guide to Scripting Graphic Novels
A Brief guide to Scripting Graphic Novels
Welcome to the future…
The Theory:
Put quite simply, the only thing, as a writer, that you can afford to lack is the ability to draw. You must approach the project with the mind of an artist; with a feeling for colour; an awareness of the significance of mise-en-scène; an appreciation of detail; and above all the assumption of nothing. If it isn’t in your script, your artist won’t put it in the panel, and you will be solely to blame.
The main benefit of writing a graphic novel instead of a novel lies in what you don’t need to do. Every writer has strengths or weaknesses. Some writers are great describers of the appearance of things; some create multi-layered characters; some are plot wizards who can keep you guessing page after page; others are superb transcribers of dialogue.
If you fall into the latter category – as, I believe, many younger, less experienced writers do – then turning your talents to the GN format might be wise while you sharpen your skills in the other areas.
I’m not saying that writing a Graphic Novel is a cop out, or even easier than writing a novel. It simply requires a different set of skills; a set of skills more often developed early in your career due, quite simply, to the experience required to understand the structure and pacing of a novel, which is far more rigid and necessarily consistent in its execution, than that of a graphic counterpart.
One of the common errors made by young writers is the tendency to ‘ham things up’. Whether it comes from the desperation to create something artistically mind-blowing, revolutionary or wholly representative of one’s potential, or somewhere else matters not. Flowery prose; ornate descriptions; page-long sentences and manual upon manual of technical information to back-up every original artefact in your novel are not only unnecessary, but distracting.
Ernest Hemingway, one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century believed wholeheartedly in the economy of language – in saying only what needed to be said, and allowing the reader to interpret what was omitted. Hemingway’s tactic meant that one word on the page could be worth ten in the reader’s mind; by indulging your vocabulary to describe a ‘mobile’ as a ‘revolutionary, handheld, cellular communication device of previously thought impossible capabilities’, does the opposite. And makes you sound like a prick. If it’s a mobile, a car or a gun it is a mobile, a car or a gun. Your ideas will bring your words to life; it doesn’t work the other way round.
And honestly, that is where the Graphic Novel excels: it is a perfect platform for the realisation of ideas. You can synopsise a new notion in a matter of days and then, with either the help of your creative team or eight espressos, flesh it out to the point at which it works as a one-shot (a single issue comic), a full Graphic Novel, or the first installment of an either closed- or open- ended series.
The Graphic Novel is being looked to by film and TV execs to provide innovative concepts that are effectively storyboards in waiting. Just look at the success of The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. He produced that series with a small creative team and published through Image Comics (www.imagecomics.com) and now he has a hit TV show. The majority of the major blockbusters of the last decade have their roots in comics and graphic Novels.
With the bookshelf bowing under the weight of the mindless ‘poolside fiction’, that is so vapid the word pulp has too many positive connotations to be suitable anymore. Talented novelists – especially young ones with little or no experience – are going to struggle to get their work the exposure it deserves, because major publishing houses like a safe bet, and nothing sells better than a name that is well known.
The Graphic Novel and Comic industry, however, is less stuffy and, thanks to the lower investment costs, are willing to gamble on fresh talent coming through the ranks.
When I first turned to Graphic Novels, I did so solely because the opportunity was presented to me. I knew nothing about the industry; much less about the conventions of scripting (something that, retrospectively, was responsible for my slightly ‘unusually exhaustive’ style). At first I too was bound by the uppity values of my upbringing: novels are good; everything else is inferior. The feelings I had towards the medium were almost racist, such was the ignorance that had sired them. As I delved deeper, started to work on my first GN script (The Count of Monte Cristo, published by Campfire 2012), I realised that the medium not only suited my flair for dialogue and allowed me to side-step the problems I’d experienced with toning down my prose by eliminating its presence almost completely, but was far more expansive than I’d realised.
It seems obvious now, and if you’re reading this you are probably further along in your exploration of the medium than I was then, but I had never given Graphic Novels, or, should I say, the art of storytelling through sequential art, the credit it deserved. Being brought up on Hollywood movies, when I wrote, I was effectively novelising a film that already existed in my head. Never before had I appreciated quite how much my mind worked in sync with the production of a GN. I imagine this is true of a lot of guys in their twenties now; children of the 80s, who remember Star Wars, Flight of the Navigator and Indiana Jones as the action epics that first whet your appetite for the creation of a new world.
I began to think that the medium offered me the education I had long desired as a novelist: working to strict word limits per panel, I was encouraged to prune away the inessential, and focus on directness (something my work, through inexperience and arrogance, had always lacked). A picture tells a thousand words, they say, and boy, they are right. Panel descriptions don’t need to be pretty or even grammatically perfect, as long as they are clear and exact. Throwing the form book out of the window is a good start. Short, sharp, unambiguous sentences are required. Do this for 6 panels a page for 100 pages and then write something prosaic. Notice the difference? Gone is the bullshit, and in its place? Clarity.
But is an education all the medium offers young writers? I no longer think so. Now I believe it is not a road to the future, but the future itself.
Art is of the times. It has to be if it is to have relevance. There’s a reason why the medium struck such a chord with me: it’s because it’s the medium of my generation. We want, perhaps more than ever, to be transported to another world by the things we choose to read. Maybe we’re lazy, or maybe we just don’t have the time to labour through 900 pages of a 19th century French epic, but we certainly have time to ‘experience’ a Graphic Novel or comic. They can be read and understood in a matter of minutes, and rather than leaving you cold, the imagery can enrich your mind in a way words never can.
Writers have, since the dawn of the craft, been restricted by the limitations of words. Graphic Novels are not so chained. Dive in, and let yourself be transported to the future.
I’ll see you there.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Welcome to the future…
The Theory:
Put quite simply, the only thing, as a writer, that you can afford to lack is the ability to draw. You must approach the project with the mind of an artist; with a feeling for colour; an awareness of the significance of mise-en-scène; an appreciation of detail; and above all the assumption of nothing. If it isn’t in your script, your artist won’t put it in the panel, and you will be solely to blame.
The main benefit of writing a graphic novel instead of a novel lies in what you don’t need to do. Every writer has strengths or weaknesses. Some writers are great describers of the appearance of things; some create multi-layered characters; some are plot wizards who can keep you guessing page after page; others are superb transcribers of dialogue.
If you fall into the latter category – as, I believe, many younger, less experienced writers do – then turning your talents to the GN format might be wise while you sharpen your skills in the other areas.
I’m not saying that writing a Graphic Novel is a cop out, or even easier than writing a novel. It simply requires a different set of skills; a set of skills more often developed early in your career due, quite simply, to the experience required to understand the structure and pacing of a novel, which is far more rigid and necessarily consistent in its execution, than that of a graphic counterpart.
One of the common errors made by young writers is the tendency to ‘ham things up’. Whether it comes from the desperation to create something artistically mind-blowing, revolutionary or wholly representative of one’s potential, or somewhere else matters not. Flowery prose; ornate descriptions; page-long sentences and manual upon manual of technical information to back-up every original artefact in your novel are not only unnecessary, but distracting.
Ernest Hemingway, one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century believed wholeheartedly in the economy of language – in saying only what needed to be said, and allowing the reader to interpret what was omitted. Hemingway’s tactic meant that one word on the page could be worth ten in the reader’s mind; by indulging your vocabulary to describe a ‘mobile’ as a ‘revolutionary, handheld, cellular communication device of previously thought impossible capabilities’, does the opposite. And makes you sound like a prick. If it’s a mobile, a car or a gun it is a mobile, a car or a gun. Your ideas will bring your words to life; it doesn’t work the other way round.
And honestly, that is where the Graphic Novel excels: it is a perfect platform for the realisation of ideas. You can synopsise a new notion in a matter of days and then, with either the help of your creative team or eight espressos, flesh it out to the point at which it works as a one-shot (a single issue comic), a full Graphic Novel, or the first installment of an either closed- or open- ended series.
The Graphic Novel is being looked to by film and TV execs to provide innovative concepts that are effectively storyboards in waiting. Just look at the success of The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. He produced that series with a small creative team and published through Image Comics (www.imagecomics.com) and now he has a hit TV show. The majority of the major blockbusters of the last decade have their roots in comics and graphic Novels.
With the bookshelf bowing under the weight of the mindless ‘poolside fiction’, that is so vapid the word pulp has too many positive connotations to be suitable anymore. Talented novelists – especially young ones with little or no experience – are going to struggle to get their work the exposure it deserves, because major publishing houses like a safe bet, and nothing sells better than a name that is well known.
The Graphic Novel and Comic industry, however, is less stuffy and, thanks to the lower investment costs, are willing to gamble on fresh talent coming through the ranks.
When I first turned to Graphic Novels, I did so solely because the opportunity was presented to me. I knew nothing about the industry; much less about the conventions of scripting (something that, retrospectively, was responsible for my slightly ‘unusually exhaustive’ style). At first I too was bound by the uppity values of my upbringing: novels are good; everything else is inferior. The feelings I had towards the medium were almost racist, such was the ignorance that had sired them. As I delved deeper, started to work on my first GN script (The Count of Monte Cristo, published by Campfire 2012), I realised that the medium not only suited my flair for dialogue and allowed me to side-step the problems I’d experienced with toning down my prose by eliminating its presence almost completely, but was far more expansive than I’d realised.
It seems obvious now, and if you’re reading this you are probably further along in your exploration of the medium than I was then, but I had never given Graphic Novels, or, should I say, the art of storytelling through sequential art, the credit it deserved. Being brought up on Hollywood movies, when I wrote, I was effectively novelising a film that already existed in my head. Never before had I appreciated quite how much my mind worked in sync with the production of a GN. I imagine this is true of a lot of guys in their twenties now; children of the 80s, who remember Star Wars, Flight of the Navigator and Indiana Jones as the action epics that first whet your appetite for the creation of a new world.
I began to think that the medium offered me the education I had long desired as a novelist: working to strict word limits per panel, I was encouraged to prune away the inessential, and focus on directness (something my work, through inexperience and arrogance, had always lacked). A picture tells a thousand words, they say, and boy, they are right. Panel descriptions don’t need to be pretty or even grammatically perfect, as long as they are clear and exact. Throwing the form book out of the window is a good start. Short, sharp, unambiguous sentences are required. Do this for 6 panels a page for 100 pages and then write something prosaic. Notice the difference? Gone is the bullshit, and in its place? Clarity.
But is an education all the medium offers young writers? I no longer think so. Now I believe it is not a road to the future, but the future itself.
Art is of the times. It has to be if it is to have relevance. There’s a reason why the medium struck such a chord with me: it’s because it’s the medium of my generation. We want, perhaps more than ever, to be transported to another world by the things we choose to read. Maybe we’re lazy, or maybe we just don’t have the time to labour through 900 pages of a 19th century French epic, but we certainly have time to ‘experience’ a Graphic Novel or comic. They can be read and understood in a matter of minutes, and rather than leaving you cold, the imagery can enrich your mind in a way words never can.
Writers have, since the dawn of the craft, been restricted by the limitations of words. Graphic Novels are not so chained. Dive in, and let yourself be transported to the future.
I’ll see you there.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
NFL Week 13 Power Rankings: The Whole List
NFL Season: Week 13 Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers (12-0)
The debate: should the Packers go for perfection? The answer: YES! That’s why we love football: the records, the anomalies, the history. Winning the Superbowl is ‘everything’, except it isn’t. 45 teams over the years have won the Superbowl. The Packers franchise has won it 4 times already. You know what has only happened once? A team going all the way without so much as a dot in the T or L columns. And you know how many teams have managed that since the realignment of the league?
None.
Maybe not for long…
2. New Orleans Saints (9-3)
A Saints win and falcons loss keeps the Saints locked in the Number 2 spot – looking good now.
3. San Francisco 49ers (10-2)
San Fran clinched the division this week. A just reward for a franchise long overdue some good news.
4. Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
They are still the team to beat in the AFC North. Pittsburgh may be getting hot at the right time, but Baltimore have a terrifyingly easy run-in, which should lead to a 13-3 record. That could be good enough for the Number 1 seed and a first round BYE.
Even if the Steelers match them game-for-game it won’t be enough to earn anything higher than the fifth seed. Harsh, but true.
5 (6). Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
When was the last time a team finished 13-3 and wound up fifth seed? It matters not, because it could so happen this year, and I for one would love to see it!
I backed the Patriots for this season on the day after the Packers hoisted the Lombardi trophy in February. A fifth-seed Steelers would be great news for the Patriots, who are looking to secure the number 1 seed, because given the winner of the AFC West will take 4th seed and play either the Bengals/Jets/Titans and LOSE, the Steelers will have to play the Ravens (the Patriots’ booby team) setting-up a classic Steelers/Pats AFC championship game and we all know Tom Terrific loves those.
6 (7). New England Patriots (9-3)
7 (5). Houston Texans (9-3)
I have to say, that no team impressed me more than the Texans this week. Beating a streaking Atlanta with your rookie third string QB and without your best defensive player, another massively important linebacker and losing your star receiver (again) is nothing less than sensational. But here’s the rub: the teams around Houston in the AFC race (the Pats, Steelers and Ravens) are getting better as the year goes on and the Texans look ready to implode with this latest flurry of bad luck. What they need is time to gel and the likelihood they will end up with the third seed might see them play a ‘softer’ opponent in the Wild Card Round. That BYE is looking mighty attractive, though, so if I were them, I’d play hard then rest-up.
8. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)
Losing to a Cardinals team that’s won 4 of 5 isn’t awful, but it was damned stupid. Giants next and they’ve got to win, but control their destiny so stay locked in at 8.
9 (15). New York Jets (7-5)
They won where other teams with a currently identical record lost. That sees them take-off into ninth.
10 (9). Atlanta Falcons (7-5)
Really? You can’t go losing to a team that’s just suffered a failed bypass. The Falcons did, however, and see their stock fall as punishment. They should still make the cut, though.
11 (16). Denver Broncos (7-5)
Hallelujah, I’m a believer! Tebowmania has swept the nation and the Broncos are riding the wave of this particularly old skool orange crush. Keep it up Tim, you’re too nice not to love!
12 (11). Detroit Lions (7-5)
13 (12). Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
14 (17). Tennessee Titans (7-5)
Call me crazy, but the Titans look good to me. I think they are the number one outsiders to nick a playoff spot. Possibly at the expense of the Bengals and jets. All three are on 7-5, but the titans have made it that far without their 2 best players. Can CJ2K have an effect? Don’t rule him out…
15 (13). Chicago Bears (7-5)
Losing to the Chiefs? Bin Hanie and pay Favre. Joke! But wouldn’t it be cool…
16 (10). Oakland Raiders (7-5)
17 (14). New York Giants (6-6)
18 (23). Miami Dolphins (4-8)
The first of 3 big climbers, the ‘fins are getting good, fast. Teams who are out of the race, but can still wreck big teams’ dreams. The Dolphins sudden aptitude for the game of football, might save their coach’s job. It might…
19 (24). Seattle Seahawks (5-7)
20 (25). Arizona Cardinals (5-7)
21 (18). Buffalo Bills (5-7)
22 (19). Kansas City Chiefs (5-7)
23 (29). Carolina Panthers (4-8)
Why not? At least they are fun to watch.
24 (20). San Diego Chargers (4-8)
25 (21). Philadelphia Eagles (4-8)
26 (31). Minnesota Vikings (2-10)
I like Ponder, a lot. I think the Vikings are a threat right now. No team should feel good about playing them away. The Draft and next season will be kind to this deserving franchise.
27 (22). Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8)
28 (26). Washington Redskin (4-8)
29 (27). Cleveland Browns (4-8)
30 (28). St Louis Rams (2-10)
31 (30). Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9)
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-12)
Andrew Luck to Indy? What will the Peyton say?
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
1. Green Bay Packers (12-0)
The debate: should the Packers go for perfection? The answer: YES! That’s why we love football: the records, the anomalies, the history. Winning the Superbowl is ‘everything’, except it isn’t. 45 teams over the years have won the Superbowl. The Packers franchise has won it 4 times already. You know what has only happened once? A team going all the way without so much as a dot in the T or L columns. And you know how many teams have managed that since the realignment of the league?
None.
Maybe not for long…
2. New Orleans Saints (9-3)
A Saints win and falcons loss keeps the Saints locked in the Number 2 spot – looking good now.
3. San Francisco 49ers (10-2)
San Fran clinched the division this week. A just reward for a franchise long overdue some good news.
4. Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
They are still the team to beat in the AFC North. Pittsburgh may be getting hot at the right time, but Baltimore have a terrifyingly easy run-in, which should lead to a 13-3 record. That could be good enough for the Number 1 seed and a first round BYE.
Even if the Steelers match them game-for-game it won’t be enough to earn anything higher than the fifth seed. Harsh, but true.
5 (6). Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3)
When was the last time a team finished 13-3 and wound up fifth seed? It matters not, because it could so happen this year, and I for one would love to see it!
I backed the Patriots for this season on the day after the Packers hoisted the Lombardi trophy in February. A fifth-seed Steelers would be great news for the Patriots, who are looking to secure the number 1 seed, because given the winner of the AFC West will take 4th seed and play either the Bengals/Jets/Titans and LOSE, the Steelers will have to play the Ravens (the Patriots’ booby team) setting-up a classic Steelers/Pats AFC championship game and we all know Tom Terrific loves those.
6 (7). New England Patriots (9-3)
7 (5). Houston Texans (9-3)
I have to say, that no team impressed me more than the Texans this week. Beating a streaking Atlanta with your rookie third string QB and without your best defensive player, another massively important linebacker and losing your star receiver (again) is nothing less than sensational. But here’s the rub: the teams around Houston in the AFC race (the Pats, Steelers and Ravens) are getting better as the year goes on and the Texans look ready to implode with this latest flurry of bad luck. What they need is time to gel and the likelihood they will end up with the third seed might see them play a ‘softer’ opponent in the Wild Card Round. That BYE is looking mighty attractive, though, so if I were them, I’d play hard then rest-up.
8. Dallas Cowboys (7-5)
Losing to a Cardinals team that’s won 4 of 5 isn’t awful, but it was damned stupid. Giants next and they’ve got to win, but control their destiny so stay locked in at 8.
9 (15). New York Jets (7-5)
They won where other teams with a currently identical record lost. That sees them take-off into ninth.
10 (9). Atlanta Falcons (7-5)
Really? You can’t go losing to a team that’s just suffered a failed bypass. The Falcons did, however, and see their stock fall as punishment. They should still make the cut, though.
11 (16). Denver Broncos (7-5)
Hallelujah, I’m a believer! Tebowmania has swept the nation and the Broncos are riding the wave of this particularly old skool orange crush. Keep it up Tim, you’re too nice not to love!
12 (11). Detroit Lions (7-5)
13 (12). Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)
14 (17). Tennessee Titans (7-5)
Call me crazy, but the Titans look good to me. I think they are the number one outsiders to nick a playoff spot. Possibly at the expense of the Bengals and jets. All three are on 7-5, but the titans have made it that far without their 2 best players. Can CJ2K have an effect? Don’t rule him out…
15 (13). Chicago Bears (7-5)
Losing to the Chiefs? Bin Hanie and pay Favre. Joke! But wouldn’t it be cool…
16 (10). Oakland Raiders (7-5)
17 (14). New York Giants (6-6)
18 (23). Miami Dolphins (4-8)
The first of 3 big climbers, the ‘fins are getting good, fast. Teams who are out of the race, but can still wreck big teams’ dreams. The Dolphins sudden aptitude for the game of football, might save their coach’s job. It might…
19 (24). Seattle Seahawks (5-7)
20 (25). Arizona Cardinals (5-7)
21 (18). Buffalo Bills (5-7)
22 (19). Kansas City Chiefs (5-7)
23 (29). Carolina Panthers (4-8)
Why not? At least they are fun to watch.
24 (20). San Diego Chargers (4-8)
25 (21). Philadelphia Eagles (4-8)
26 (31). Minnesota Vikings (2-10)
I like Ponder, a lot. I think the Vikings are a threat right now. No team should feel good about playing them away. The Draft and next season will be kind to this deserving franchise.
27 (22). Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-8)
28 (26). Washington Redskin (4-8)
29 (27). Cleveland Browns (4-8)
30 (28). St Louis Rams (2-10)
31 (30). Jacksonville Jaguars (3-9)
32. Indianapolis Colts (0-12)
Andrew Luck to Indy? What will the Peyton say?
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
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