Recommendations for script-writing techniques?

Here are a few I've found worth reading:

DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics

And any book by Scott McCloud, especially Making Comics and Understanding Comics. Very accessible reading.

There's also Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

I've read pretty much all of the available books on writing for comics and video games, and honestly, they all suck compared to the great books you can get on screenwriting and playwriting. The format is so similar I've had no problem using screenwriting advice to create comic scripts.

And of course...

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/product/the-everything-guide-to-writing-graphic-novels/

sunandshadow said:

The format is so similar I've had no problem using screenwriting advice to create comic scripts.

Click to expand...

I've found this to be generally true, though comic books and graphic novels, stories with sequential art, have their own particular art form and method of storytelling.

Scott McCloud goes into a lot of detail in Understanding Comics about the white space between panels, pacing, and other techniques such as using full panels, partial panels, regimented series of panels, etc. for effective storytelling. Some similarities to screenwriting and even playwriting, but enough differences that it's worth getting a broad perspective on different techniques.

On a related note, Centarch, Dark Horse Comics's submissions page has a sample script you can download and check out.

The Scott McCloud books are great. I got great help reading Warren Ellis' scripts for various things as well as others. There's a great book about digital filmmaking. It's techniques could easily apply as you are thinking of panel layout and so on.

There's a marked contrast to how writers present things to the artists. I'm working on a project right now with an artist. He and I got the ground rules before I started writing so I didn't overstep my bounds (since I also draw a little and tend to think visually) and he didn't overstep his. So, I'd say "how complete do you want the descriptions of panel layout and angles" and so on. We found a common ground and I started writing.

I also think that's what makes the better comics and graphic novels -- this fusion of story telling (when all the actors are involved). That collaborative nexus when it hits right is very cool.

Because I draw everything I write, my scripts tend to make Alan Moore's scripts look rather timid and brief by comparison. Four pages spent describing a single panel wouldn't be unheard of. You might want to be a lot more succinct if you are working with someone else though...

One of the great things about working in the so-called graphic narrative is that you are permitted a variety methods to tell the story.

I don't particularly enjoy writing full-script and most of the artists I've worked with don't really prefer it, either.

I like the thumbnail/breakdown method the best...it's a little more work but I enjoy it and I also I have more control over the visuals.

The artist has the option to deviate from the layouts but since this way is easier than interpreting a script, they usually stick pretty close to what I've provided.

Here are examples from an upcoming story with art by Ivan Barriga.

Layout:



Finished page: