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Ratha Graphic Novel Bounding Ahead
13 years ago
General
The Ratha's Creature graphic novel adaptation is gathering momentum like Thakur starting a three-horn chase. Imaginator Press and I signed contracts this week for me to do the storyboards and scripting. This is a major milestone.
First Pass Storyboards Nearly Done
Because I enjoy drawing, and like to work back and forth between words and images, I launched out on the storyboards a few months ago, and have already got the first pass nearly done. As of last Saturday, I completed 96 pages, corresponding to page 258 in the Imaginator Press trade edition of Creature. (Update: Since I wrote this post, I'm up to page 100, corresponding to page 261 in Creature.)
I've done this for several reasons. A complete first pass, even though rough, gets the clay out on the wheel so to speak.There it can be modified and shaped. Also, this first pass gives a good estimate for page count. We projected about 100-120 pages. I've been working to this target, and it appears we'll make it without having to cut any major scenes or sequences. I did do some degree of compression, but I spread it throughout, so that the story is essentially the same as in the book.
This Time, Bonechewer is In
Bonechewer fans will be glad to know that he has a major role in the graphic novel, unlike the Storybreak cartoon adaptation which had to cut out the middle of the book.This is not a criticism of the animated adaptation. Considering the limitations in production and run times, CBS
Storybreak and Southern Star Productions did an excellent job with a challenging book. Ratha's Creature is much longer than most YA books they adapted, and I understand why Southern Star had to do what they did.
However the graphic novel adaptation is an opportunity to do it differently and give my favorite Un-Named rogue back his part in the tale. Any re-telling of Creature isn't the same without Bonechewer, and the fans have been telling me this for years. If the graphic novel spurs a film adaptation (are you listening, DreamWorks, Pixar, Blue Sky, or others?) they can follow the same trail Sheila and I are cutting, and not give poor Boney the boot. If there is a movie, I'd love to see him strut his stuff on the screen.
Call for Fan Artist Submissions
Sheila and I both have been blown off our collective paws by the sheer talent in the Ratha fan community, so we we'd love to see a fan artist do the final illustrations for the graphic novel. Sheila has already announced the opening of artist submissions on her website, with a closing date of
Sept 7, 2012. ( http://www.imaginatorpress.com/node/68 )
I am asking that artists base their submissions on my storyboard page, so that everyone is working from the same template. Style and technique, of course, can vary, since they are unique to every artist. With responsibility for storyboards, I feel as though I am in the equivalent position of an art director in a film, and am trying to guide the art without constraining creativity, which is admittedly tricky. All of us are/will be learning as we go, which is exciting for me.
As Sheila says in her announcement, the go/no-go decision to publish the physical book will depend on the response to our Kickstarter campaign. We will need a good response in order to fund the quality printing and production that this book deserves, as well as compensating the chosen artist for their effort.
I am hoping that my first-pass completed storyboard will help convince Kickstarter contributors that we are committed to this project and that we have already blazed an initial trail that further work will widen and improve. I may have been a bit obsessed with this, to the exclusion of other things such as Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook, but, a) obsession is useful when controlled and directed, b) it is nearly done, and c) I've had (and am still having) fun doing it.
That is all for now, and I will try to give updates as frequently as I can.
#fbr #fbp #twr #Ratha #fans #video #kickstarter #promo #graphic #novel #YAlit #kidlit #cats #lions #cheetahs #Namedseries #books #artists
Collapse this post
First Pass Storyboards Nearly Done
Because I enjoy drawing, and like to work back and forth between words and images, I launched out on the storyboards a few months ago, and have already got the first pass nearly done. As of last Saturday, I completed 96 pages, corresponding to page 258 in the Imaginator Press trade edition of Creature. (Update: Since I wrote this post, I'm up to page 100, corresponding to page 261 in Creature.)
I've done this for several reasons. A complete first pass, even though rough, gets the clay out on the wheel so to speak.There it can be modified and shaped. Also, this first pass gives a good estimate for page count. We projected about 100-120 pages. I've been working to this target, and it appears we'll make it without having to cut any major scenes or sequences. I did do some degree of compression, but I spread it throughout, so that the story is essentially the same as in the book.
This Time, Bonechewer is In
Bonechewer fans will be glad to know that he has a major role in the graphic novel, unlike the Storybreak cartoon adaptation which had to cut out the middle of the book.This is not a criticism of the animated adaptation. Considering the limitations in production and run times, CBS
Storybreak and Southern Star Productions did an excellent job with a challenging book. Ratha's Creature is much longer than most YA books they adapted, and I understand why Southern Star had to do what they did.
However the graphic novel adaptation is an opportunity to do it differently and give my favorite Un-Named rogue back his part in the tale. Any re-telling of Creature isn't the same without Bonechewer, and the fans have been telling me this for years. If the graphic novel spurs a film adaptation (are you listening, DreamWorks, Pixar, Blue Sky, or others?) they can follow the same trail Sheila and I are cutting, and not give poor Boney the boot. If there is a movie, I'd love to see him strut his stuff on the screen.
Call for Fan Artist Submissions
Sheila and I both have been blown off our collective paws by the sheer talent in the Ratha fan community, so we we'd love to see a fan artist do the final illustrations for the graphic novel. Sheila has already announced the opening of artist submissions on her website, with a closing date of
Sept 7, 2012. ( http://www.imaginatorpress.com/node/68 )
I am asking that artists base their submissions on my storyboard page, so that everyone is working from the same template. Style and technique, of course, can vary, since they are unique to every artist. With responsibility for storyboards, I feel as though I am in the equivalent position of an art director in a film, and am trying to guide the art without constraining creativity, which is admittedly tricky. All of us are/will be learning as we go, which is exciting for me.
As Sheila says in her announcement, the go/no-go decision to publish the physical book will depend on the response to our Kickstarter campaign. We will need a good response in order to fund the quality printing and production that this book deserves, as well as compensating the chosen artist for their effort.
I am hoping that my first-pass completed storyboard will help convince Kickstarter contributors that we are committed to this project and that we have already blazed an initial trail that further work will widen and improve. I may have been a bit obsessed with this, to the exclusion of other things such as Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook, but, a) obsession is useful when controlled and directed, b) it is nearly done, and c) I've had (and am still having) fun doing it.
That is all for now, and I will try to give updates as frequently as I can.
#fbr #fbp #twr #Ratha #fans #video #kickstarter #promo #graphic #novel #YAlit #kidlit #cats #lions #cheetahs #Namedseries #books #artists
Collapse this post
