Salagir's Blog

French version of this article

This page is for the cartoonists who will work with me as a scenarist. I explain here my methods.

When I write a page, I do it panel per panel. Each panel is separated by an empty line, and each information is on a new line. Description, each said sentence…

Example:

Broly and Goku with the magnetic sword between them.
Goku:
??

Broly touches the sword, puzzled.

View going to the ring, with a cool 3D for the sword.

View of Vegetto holding the sword.

Vegetto holds his hair to make them look like Gokû.
Vegetto:
Hey, Broly !!
I am the real Kakarotto !

Broly gets angry.
Broly (yells):
Kakarotto!!!

When someone talks in two balloons, I write two sentence lines.
A sentence line always begin by who talks and « : », then the text.
If I want to add a narration box, I write: « Narration:« .

When I also make the page setting, I use a great system.
I stole it from René Goscinny, the best scenarist in the world.

He cuts the comic pages in 4 lines, and 3×4 basic panels. Like if the page had 12 panels.
When a panel is big, he says how many basic panels it takes (for example, all the width: panel 1-2-3).

I’m doing the same, with 3×3 panel as base (manga format instead of comics).
Of course, it does not mean that each panel is exactly a third of page, or you can’t make panels with diagonals border, etc… It’s just a very easy way to give an idea of the thing.

Here is my page with this info:

1-2
Broly and Goku with the magnetic sword between them.
Goku:
??

3
Broly touches the sword, puzzled.
Sound:
TK

4-5
View going to the ring, with a cool 3D for the sword.
Sound:
ZAM

6
View of Vegetto holding the sword.
Sound:
VVvvvv

7-8
Vegetto holds his hair to make them look like Gokû.
Vegetto:
Hey, Broly !!
I am the real Kakarotto !

9
Broly gets angry.
Broly (yells):
Kakarotto!!!

Sometimes I also tell if the panel is a little bigger, or the line is bigger (a line can take half of the page height).
Example :

1 (small)
Goku:
I'm okay.

2 (small)
Gohan:
Me too.

3 (big)
Vegeta :
Are you all mental?!?

When I have panels that take exactly half the space, I write the information inside parenthesis)

Some examples (I took off the sentences for more space) :