about DIGITAL COMICS by ~Balak01 on deviantART
I was talking to Josh Latta last week and I was saying that I don't think anyone has figured out webcomics yet. I saw this today thanks to a Robot 6 link in my google reader. I think this is getting closer. For me personally, I think the remaining grey area as a creator is questioning where is the line between telling a story true to the creator's vision and the point where it becomes a game for the reader? How much control do you give the reader? To me, the biggest difference between comics and movies is that in comics the reader controls time. They control their transition from panel to panel and page to page. The experiment above still fits that theory but the artist can have a greater control of focal points and reveals. The other question I have as a creator is how do I make that happen? How dependent would I have to be on Flash and the viewer/browser code. Right now as a creator all I need is a pencil and paper and I have to admit I'm a bit hesitant to start thinking about how to stage things for the viewer or browser. Well, hesitant isn't the right word. I work in IT so I'm not afraid of learning something and playing around with it but what I am weary of is time spent learning tricks that could have been spent, ya know, making comics. That said, it's definitely something to start thinking about and something I hope to play with soon.
Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith
2 comments:
You know I think about this a lot. I really (in a stupid way) Kinda feel like full on cartoons are really the next logical step for cartoonists to take. Flash is pretty amazing, It's now totally feasible to draw and animate a cartoon yourself. It does take some getting used to, but it's not nearly as hard as you would think. The voice acting will always be difficult to do yourself, but It's no more frustrating than not being able to print color comics. It's just something you have to deal with when your doing it all yourself. It really is all about controlling time.
Flash is a breeze.
Great Post.
I was just thinking on the way to work that I need to get a book or something and start playing around with Flash. I have the software but I've never even looked at it yet. Animation and comic strips/books/graphic novels etc. - it's all cartooning. The questions that arise for me are 1) is doing something like the comic by Balka01 (what kind of parents name their kid 01?) good comics or bad animation, 2) would creators be driven to work with new technology the way they are driven to work with traditional comics and 3) what does the audience want.
I don't know any of the answers but I think the way you get to the answers are just by embracing every tool you can get your hands on and just throwing the stuff out there to see what sticks. Now, if only I could win the lottery so I can quit my job and have time to learn all these things. "Shannon Smith, you've just won the lottery. What will you do now?" "Oh, I think I'll just stay at home and learn Flash."
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