phrases. - The Official GlobalComix Blog

We learned about Camera Angles in our last Tips and Tricks Article, today we are going to be focusing on Camera Position and the 180 Rule. These two topics go hand in hand, and it’s very important that we understand where to put the camera and when.

Camera Position refers to where the camera is placed -around- the subject. The 180 rule is an imaginary line storytellers use to help keep continuity when doing a multi character / multi subject scene. This helps with any back and forth interaction that may be occurring to help keep things clear and easy to understand. Like any rule, it has times it can be broken for great effect, so take this rule with...

Cameras aren’t usually something comic and manga creators think about when we are story boarding, doing layouts or pencils. But why is that? In my personal experience, a lot of those who seek mentorship in this way, especially writers, don’t tend to THINK in this way. We see the story in our own heads, typically as a film or animation. We tend to just replicate what and how we see it and call it a day. But how often do we sit down and critically think about what would be -BEST- for the scene we have versus how we see it in our own minds.

Being able to separate your own personal wants from the work and do what would be best for it, even if what you initially...

Visual Narrative is the term used to refer to the art of storytelling with visuals as a main communicator. It includes mediums like comics, manga, commercials, marketing and advertising, soap operas, film, documentaries, reality TV, cartoon shows, TV journalism, and more. It’s a very wide field that encompasses one main task:

Show, don't tell.

This phrase you have probably heard over and over again if you are experienced in the visual narrative fields. If you are not familiar with it, let me explain this concept:

Show the audience / reader what you wish to communicate, what you want them to know, instead of using narration or dialogue to do the heavy lifting for...