December, 2010 | Luis' Illustrated Blog

Sick on Christmas. MAIN vs. IMPACT Character throughline breakdown.

December 30, 2010 in ART, THE SIMPSONS NEWS, WRITING

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Well, we got Friday of last week off and the rest of the week. I managed to finish what I needed to revise before I went home. I’m proud of that since I managed to finish in spite of the four day week. I have yet to see what the rest of the board fixes look like for the rest of the show. Since my old board revision partner left on to do better things out of his own free will, my new partner isn’t quite up to speed yet. It seems I MIGHT have to revise the whole show, which is something I’ve never done, nor do I think it can be done unless the rest of the show has very few revisions. There’s a reason that there’s two of us. I hope he gets up to speed soon.

MY WEEK

Merry Christmas to me. I spent Christmas alone in bed, sick with a horrible cold that made it almost impossible for me to get up and do anything. My wife and kids went off to Christmas gatherings while I lay in bed watching Battlestar Gallactica on Netflix, playing Gameboy DS games, sleeping and reading comics. Which normally would have been my idea of a party, but except IT WAS CHRISTMAS and I just ended up feeling lonely. The next two days where any better, but at some point during the third day, the “off switch” was pressed and I suddenly felt better.

It’s one thing to be sick in bed. It’s another when you know that BECAUSE you’re sick in bed, your spouse (whom you got the cold from and who is recovering herself from the cold) is having to take care of all three kids by herself PLUS you. I felt like such a heel for getting as sick as I got. At least on day four I got her, her Christmas present.

“On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a replacement for the wedding ring I lost”.

My wife now looks married to me again.

WRITING

(For those of you coming in late to these posts, if you want to read what my project is about, CLICK HERE to learn about the general world the story takes place in, and CLICK HERE if you want to know the story itself.)

Below is an excerpt of what I wrote the last two weeks, as set up for what I’m writing about THIS week, in case you’re interested in following along with more depth:

Right now, the theory of story that I like to use to flesh out my plot is the DRAMATICA theory. Unfortunately the DRAMATICA theory is so complicated and convoluted, that I can’t really sum it up in a nut shell. If you want to get an idea of what DRAMATICA is all about, click the link below:

What is DRAMATICA?

In order for you to be able to understand it fully, you would need to download and read the FREE book on pdf. Click the link below:

Free DRAMATICA pdf book

or listen to the FREE audio book podcasts by clicking the link below:

Free DRAMATICA audio book

or read the FREE text of the book directly from their site by clicking the link below:

The DRAMATICA book readable on the net for free.

As I did the last two weeks, I’ll put up the DRAMATICA Table of Story Elements in order for you to understand what I’m talking about and so you can follow along. For a clearer pdf version of the chart (download chart now):

Alright, so last week I broke down the MAIN Character story throughline and the IMPACT Character story throughline. There is now only one throughline left, MAIN vs. IMPACT Story throughline. This throughline’s point of view is meant to be as if you were sitting in the sidelines watching what’s going on. This is how it’s been broken down. I think it’s far more meaningful:

MAIN vs. IMPACT Story throughline:

Act 1 – Past
Act 2 – How things are Changing
Act 3 – Future
Act 4 – Present

ACT 1

Signpost #1

Type 1. The Past

(The Past Definition: The Past is not unchanging. Often we learn new things that change our understanding of what past events truly meant and create new appreciations of how things really fit together. A Story that focuses on The Past, may be much more than a documentation of what happened. Frequently, it is a reevaluation of the meaning of what has occurred that can lead to changing one’s understanding of what is happening in the present or will eventually happen in the future)

The Main Character and the Lead Sorcerer share a collective conflicting past. Many of Sorcerers the Lead Sorcerer knew, have been beaten by the Main Character. The main Character knows who the Lead Sorcerer is (or at least his type) based on his passed dealings with other Sorcerers. While the Lead Sorcerers knows the main by the reputation of those who have fought him in the past. This instills tension between the two parties. Especially since there is an incomplete understanding of what REALLY happened in the past that the Main Character attempts to clarify without success.

Journey #1

Type 1. The Past ======> Type 2. How things are Changing

Their collective negative past immediately lead to distrust, hatred and aggression. Especially since their past is so misunderstood, which leads the Lead Sorcerer into attacking the Main Character.

ACT 2

Signpost #2

Type 2. How things are Changing

(How things are Changing Definition: How Things are Changing concerns itself with change: what direction and how fast? It is not so important where things were, are, or will be, but rather how the struggle between inertia and change seesaws over the course of the story.)

The Main Character tries desperately to convince the Lead Sorcerer to listen and understand that things aren’t as they seem. The Lead Sorcerer insists that just because he isn’t completely evil yet, it doesn’t mean that it will stay that way. Things are always changing.

Journey #2

Type 2. How things are Changing ======> Type 3. Future

The Main Character understands that things change but it doesn’t automatically mean that the future the prophesy holds, is the true one. The Main Character says that the future is also changing.

ACT 3

Signpost #3

Type 3. Future

(Future Definition: A story focusing on The Future concerns itself with what will be. This does not require the story to be “set” in the Future – only that the Future state of external and/or internal issues is the subject that is addressed by the story. A character centered on The Future may be trying to discover what will be, or may be trying to achieve a particular state of affairs down the line. In both the Story and Character sense, the end is more important than the present, although it still may not justify the means. )

The Lead Sorcerer insists that the Main Character will enslave the world whether the Main Character says he will or not. The future is set, according to the prophesy. The main character insists it’s wrong, it’s false, it can’t happen.

Journey #3

Type 3. Future ======> Type 4. Present

In order to prove to the Lead Sorcerer that he’s not what the prophesy of his future says he is, he forces the Lead Sorcerer to notice how he acts here and now, by NOT treating him the same way the Lead Sorcerer treated, him. He doesn’t kill or hurt him once he’s down and powerless.

CONCLUSION

Signpost #4

Type 4. Present

(Present Definition: “The Present” does not refer to the way things are going, but to the way things are. It is a here and now judgment of the arrangement of a situation and the circumstances surrounding it. A story that focuses on the Present is not concerned with how events led to the current situation nor where the current situation will lead, but defines the scenario that exists at the moment.)

Because of the way the Main Character treated the Lead Sorcerer, for now, the two characters end up, not as friends but not exactly enemies. There’s a type of mutual respect for each other that exist for the moment, that wasn’t there before.

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

Comments Off on Sick on Christmas. MAIN vs. IMPACT Character throughline breakdown.

Simpsons Christmas present. The Mimers. Main and Impact Character throughline breakdown. Some war hammer skethes.

December 23, 2010 in ART, THE SIMPSONS NEWS, VIDEOS, WRITING

First, I just thought I’d say, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY JESUS!

Okay…

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Started up on show 17 this week. I was put on Act 3 since it had the most changes. The changes weren’t as crazy as they were in show 16 but, we’ve only got a four day work week, so the pressure is still on. I’m planning on finishing it this week if I can.

In other news, we got a Christmas present from Matt Groening this week. It was a copy of SIMPSONS WORLD: THE ULTIMATE EPISODE GUIDE.

It’s cool because I wanted a copy. I don’t own any version of the Episode guides. The sad part is, that it’s already outdated since it only covers seasons 1 -20. Still, it’s awesome. Thank you Matt Groening.

I flipped through it and it’s sad that I don’t remember all the shows I’ve worked on. I look at some and think, “Did I work on that one? Looks familiar.” On the other hand, some of the screen captures in the book are from scenes I drew, which is fun to see.

VIDEO

Director and co-writer of the Mocumentary STORY OF THE MIMERS sent me a link to his movie. I thought it was great so I’m posting the link here so you can see it too. It’s a pretty darn funny “Mocumentary” of the best Mime artists of all time:

WRITING

Below is an excerpt of what I wrote the last two weeks, as set up for what I’m writing about THIS week, in case you’re interested in following along with more depth:

Right now, the theory of story that I like to use to flesh out my plot is the DRAMATICA theory. Unfortunately the DRAMATICA theory is so complicated and convoluted, that I can’t really sum it up in a nut shell. If you want to get an idea of what DRAMATICA is all about, click the link below:

What is DRAMATICA?

In order for you to be able to understand it fully, you would need to download and read the FREE book on pdf. Click the link below:

Free DRAMATICA pdf book

or listen to the FREE audio book podcasts by clicking the link below:

Free DRAMATICA audio book

or read the FREE text of the book directly from their site by clicking the link below:

The DRAMATICA book readable on the net for free.

Last week I posted up my breakdown of the OVERALL story throughline. This time, I’ll put up my breakdowns for the MAIN Character story throughline and the IMPACT Character story throughline. Pay really close attention to how the story tends to change, depending on the perspective we are seeing it through. The OVERALL story throughline is a “birds eye view” of the entire story, while the MAIN Character story throughline is what we would see if we WERE the main character. The IMPACT Character story throughline is the view we would get if we were following the Impact character around.

Below is the breakdown of the types followed by how I fleshed them out:

MAIN Character story throughline:

Act 1 – Obtaining
Act 2 –Gathering information
Act 3 – Doing
Act 4 – Understanding

ACT 1

Signpost #1

Type 1. Obtaining

(Obtaining Definition: Obtaining includes not only that which is possessed but also that which is achieved or lost. For example, one might obtain a law degree or lose an election. One can also obtain a condition, such as obtaining a smoothly operating political system or loosing the love of a parent. Whether it refers to a mental or physical state or process, obtaining describes the concept of attaining.)

Rob has happily obtained the Hot Dog he’s been wanting for a day and a half. He looks forward to eating in peace and quiet.

Journey #1

Type 1. Obtaining ======> Type 2. Gathering Information

As he sits down to eat and is confronted by the three Sorcerers. He tries to find out from them, what he could do, in order to have them give him a few minutes to eat his lunch in peace and quite. When they tell him, he gladly does it.

ACT 2

Signpost #2

Type 2. Gathering Information

(Gathering Information Definition: Gathering Information describes the process of acquiring knowledge. It is not the knowledge itself. When a portion of a story focuses on learning, it is the gathering of an education that is of concern, not the education that ultimately has been gathered. Gathering Information need not be an academic endeavor. One might learn to express one’s feelings, or learn about love. Gathering Information does not even require new information, as sometimes one learns simply by looking through old information from a different perspective or with a new approach. It is not important if one is learning to arrive at a particular understanding or just to gather data. As long as the focus in on the process of gaining information, Gathering Information is the operative idea.)

The Sorcerers betray him and attack. The Rob defends himself and his lunch while desperately looking around for a way to escape.

Journey #2

Type 2. Gathering Information ======> Type 3. Doing

Discovering there’s no way out. He decides the best thing to do is to eat the Hot Dog, right there and then.

ACT 3

Signpost #3

Type 3. Doing

(Doing Definition: Doing is the process of being physically active. In and of itself, Doing does not require any purpose, but simply describes engaging in a process, task, or endeavor, whether for pleasure or by necessity or compulsion. )

Unfortunately the Lead Sorcerer destroys his Hot Dog, which forces him to pick up his weapon and fight them off or die.

Journey #3

Type 3. Doing ======> Type 4. Understanding

After dispatching all the monster and the other Sorcerers, he has the Lead Sorcerer in a weakend and vulnerable state. Understanding that the only way to show the Sorcerer that he’s mistaken about who he thinks he is. He chooses to let him go free.

CONCLUSION

Signpost #4

Type 4. Understanding

(Understanding Definition: Understanding is different from knowledge. From knowledge one gets awareness, from Understanding, one gets meaning. To obtain meaning requires not only knowing the substance of its nature, but the context of its essence. In other words, one must not only define what something is, but how it fits into the larger picture as well. To this end, Reason describes the function and Emotion defines the purpose. So Understanding is not just an intellectual pursuit, but requires an empathy with the meaning as well. It is useful to note that many Eastern and ancient philosophies define Understanding as “becoming one with” that which is being considered. Until one joins a subject in unity, one cannot understand it.)

Rob realizes that it’s possible to change the minds of the Sorcerers and that gives him hope, that the attacks might stop and he’ll get the peace he wants. He also knows that every time he uses the warhammer, it gets more and more difficult to control himself and it.

Alright, now it’s time to do the same with the Impact character:
IMPACT Character story throughline:

Act 1 – Conceiving an Idea
Act 2 – Developing a Plan
Act 3 – Playing a Role
Act 4 – Changing one’s Nature

ACT 1

Signpost #1

Type 1. Conceiving an Idea

(Conceiving an Idea Definition: Conceiving an Idea is the process of arriving at an idea. If there were no artificial light in the world, one might conceive the need for some form of electric torch. That would be conceiving. But the design of an actual incandescent bulb versus a fluorescent one would require conceptualizing a specific implementation of the idea one has conceived. Conceiving an Idea need not come before conceptualizing. For example, a common dramatic technique is to give a character a very clear mental image of an object or arrangement that holds the solution to the story’s problem. But the character does not know the solution lies in the conceptualization. It is only when she finally conceives of the need for a particular kind of solution does she realize she had the answer all along. Simply put, Conceiving an Idea defines the question, Developing a Plan clarifies the answer.)

The Lead Sorcerers tries to convince Rob that Rob is evil. That the Sorcerers are truly the just and justified between the two of them.

Journey #1

Type 1. Conceiving an Idea ======> Type 2. Developing a Plan

Rob dismisses the idea so the Lead Sorcerer then puts forth that he should let himself be imprisions by the Sorcerers, so that he could be watched and not become what the prophesy says he will.

ACT 2

Signpost #2

Type 2. Developing a Plan

(Developing a Plan Definition: Developing a Plan means coming up with a practical implementation of an idea. It is not enough to simply have the idea. To conceptualize, one must develop an actual mental model of how such an idea might be made manifest. In other words, one might have an idea to build a spacious house. But to conceptualize the house, one must imagine everything that makes up the house — the design, the layout, the colors & textures, everything that is essential to understanding what that specific house is. Developing a Plan requires being able to visualize something as a whole.)

When Rob refuses this plan, the Lead Sorcerer say’s that refusing requires them to kill him, because it’s the only way to be truly safe.

Journey #2

Type 2. Developing a Plan ======> Type 3. Playing a Role

The Lead Sorcerer then shows that, by not complying with the reasonableness of the plans he proposed that he’s only showing that he’s guilty of treacherous intentions. He is showing his true colors as the world enslaving overlord he will become.

ACT 3

Signpost #3

Type 3. Playing a Role

(Playing a Role Definition: “Playing a Role” is an elusive concept, subject to inconsistent common usage. For purposes of story, Playing a Role is meant to describe the condition of existing in a certain manner. Whomever or whatever is “Playing a Role” a particular way is not truly of that nature; to do so would require Changing One’s Nature. In fact, playing a role may be put on as a deception or because it is necessary to adopt a role in order to achieve one’s purpose. However, as long as there is nothing more or less to the functioning of a person or thing, it can be said to “be” what it appears to be. Stories often focus on someone who wants to “be” something, without actually “Changing One’s Nature”. The important difference is that “Playing a Role” requires that all the elements of what one wants to be are present in oneself. “Changing One’s Nature” requires that there are no elements in oneself that are not in what one wants to become. )

Rob begins striking down the Lead Sorcerer’s monsters and friends, making it easy to prove his point. He drives it home by showing Rob how easily he would strike down a helpless person, by NOT fighting him. Playing the role of victim to Rob’s predator.

Journey #3

Type 3. Playing a Role ======> Type 4. Changing One’s Nature

Rob shows the Lead Sorcerer that he HADN’T been as consumed and rage as he let on. Rob surprises the Lead Sorcerer by not attacking him when he has a chance.

CONCLUSION

Signpost #4

Type 4. Changing One’s Nature

(Changing One’s Nature Definition:Changing One’s Nature means achieving an identity with something. This is different from “Playing a Role” which merely requires posing as something. To Changing One’s Nature, one must do more than just pretend to be by mimicking all the traits of what one wants to become. Rather, one must also lose all those parts of oneself that are inconsistent with what one wants to become. “Giving up” a part of oneself is always the hardest part of becoming and the reason so many characters spend a lot of time “Playing a Role” without ever Changing One’s Nature.)

The Sorcerer is deeply moved by this example and becomes very impressed. The Lead Sorcerer, makes a gift of two Hot Dogs for Rob out of respect, leaving Rob with a new perspective about the Sorcerers as a whole.

ART

This week I sketched out more of the warhammer design. This time, I focused more on the hilt.

I was looking through a book of weapons and there was a page in it that had combination weapons. I wondered if perhaps I should make the warhammer a combination weapon also. Below is an idea I had to have a blade come out of the hammer by pulling it out by the hilt. Still not sure if I’m gonna go with this idea yet.

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

Comments Off on Simpsons Christmas present. The Mimers. Main and Impact Character throughline breakdown. Some war hammer skethes.

Simpsons Christmas card. Nobody liked my last blog post. Breaking down throughlines into Acts.

December 16, 2010 in MY WEEK, THE SIMPSONS NEWS, WRITING

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Stayed late this week working on getting LAST week’s assignment done. Stressful week so far. I’m hoping that by Friday, things will be under control and everything gets done on time. That’s my goal.

In other news, Director, Lance Kramer came by and gave a me a Christmas card for this year. He draws one every year. I got quite a few of them now and they’re always nice to get. Here’s his card for this year:

MY WEEK

Besides staying late in order to get my work done, I’ve also been working hard at structuring my story out for my personal project. I’ve been using any extra time I have to try to work the story out using the DRAMATICA system. It’s such a pain in the neck attempting wrap my head around all the definitions and theories, but I think that my story will be better off for it.

Last week, I attempted to semi explain what I’m doing but I’m so limited in the amount of time I have to explain it all. I must have really bored people. Either that or the very idea or presentation of the information must have been something almost no one was interested in. Why do I say that? My hit count really went down last week. Usually I stay at an average to above average consistent hit count, but last week, WOW, nobody seemed to really care. It also didn’t help that I made a mistake, explaining part of the theory (more on the in below under WRITING).

The worst part is that it’s such a necessary part of my process I kinda need to show it. I need to show the good and bad parts. To me, this isn’t really a bad part. I like doing it. I like thinking about structure.

Unfortunately, since it’s all about structure, there isn’t any colorful writing involved. It also takes up all the time I usually use to draw. This means I haven’t got anything visual to show. Just story structure.

Well, in spite of the fact that I failed to write my process in a more entertaining way, I’ve got to continue writing it, for the sake of completion. Below is some of what I did this week. I’m sorry if this isn’t very entertaining. I’ll try to find more entertaining things to do on the blog as I get the writing process finished. I’m trying hard to be clear about my process at this point, but there’s only so much I can do without writing a book on the theory I’m using, which I don’t need to do, since there’s a free book online already.

WRITING

Below is an excerpt of what I wrote last week, as set up for what I’m writing about THIS week, in case you’re interested in following along with more depth:

Right now, the theory of story that I like to use to flesh out my plot is the DRAMATICA theory. Unfortunately the DRAMATICA theory is so complicated and convoluted, that I can’t really sum it up in a nut shell. If you want to get an idea of what DRAMATICA is all about, click the link below:

What is DRAMATICA?

In order for you to be able to understand it fully, you would need to download and read the FREE book on pdf. Click the link below:

Free DRAMATICA pdf book

or listen to the FREE audio book podcasts by clicking the link below:

Free DRAMATICA audio book

or read the FREE text of the book directly from their site by clicking the link below:

The DRAMATICA book readable on the net for free.

As I did last week, I’ll put up the DRAMATICA Table of Story Elements in order for you to understand what I’m talking about and so you can follow along. For a clearer pdf version of the chart (download chart now):

Last week I made a bit of a mistake about the way I added the “Areas of Conflict” to the four “Viewpoints”. (If you’re having trouble following the terminology, you can download the DRAMATICA dictionary on this page HERE. Sorry for all the extra work). According to DRAMATICA the MAIN Character and the IMPACT Character are treated like a “couple”, while the OVERALL Story and the MAIN vs. IMPACT Story, are also treated like a “couple”. What this means, is that if I choose an “Area of Conflict” for one, it’s couple automatically gets assigned it’s “Dynamic Pair”. A Dynamic Pair is the quad found diagonally to the conflict I picked (as is explain in the lower right hand side of the table above). So in my case when I chose, FIXED ATTITUDE as my “OVERALL Story throughline”, it’s pair, “MAIN vs. IMPACT Story” should have automatically been assigned SITUATION as it’s conflict.

Below is the updated version of the way my story is broken down into it’s four “Viewpoints”:

MAIN Character (Rob) – ACTIVITY: This basically means Rob’s personal point of view will be about dealing with all the crazy things that are going on around him.

IMPACT Character (Lead Sorcerer) – MANIPULATION: This basically means that the lead Sorcerer’s point of the view will be his attempt to manipulate the MAIN Character (Rob) in some way.

OVERALL Story (Sorcerer’s attempt to kill Rob) – FIXED ATTITUDE: This basically means that the plot of the story, the structure of the story itself, is dealing with the effects of bias and prejudice and whether things can change in regards to it.

MAIN vs. IMPACT Story (Rob’s attempt to convince the Sorcerers they’ve got the wrong idea about him) – SITUATION: This basically means that the relationship in this story between The MAIN Character (Rob) and The IMPACT Character (lead Sorcerer) will be explored from the history of the situation they find themselves in.

Last week, I broke up the Acts a certain way when I finished the step above. Because I didn’t change the OVERALL Story throughline from last week, I broke up the Acts like this:

Act 1 – Memories
Act 2 – Impulsive Responses
Act 3 – Contemplation
Act 4 – Innermost Desires

The thing is, recently I rediscovered that, my wife Alesha, had bought the DRAMATICA software years ago. I thought it would make things easier, so I installed it and plugged my decisions into it, only to discover it didn’t let me. Instead it forced me to pick this configuration.

Act 1 – Memories
Act 2 – Impulsive Responses
Act 3 – Innermost Desires
Act 4 – Contemplation

Switching the Act 3 and 4 “Types”. At first I was angry, until I realized that it worked better with what I had in mind, so I let it go.

The next step, is to break up ALL the other throughlines into four Act. This means that, not only the OVERALL Story needs to be broken down, but also the MAIN Character story, the IMPACT Character story, and the MAIN vs. IMPACT character story. We do this by doing the same thing we did with the OVERALL Story throughline. We look at the “Types” (the dark gray quads) under each “throughline” and assign it an Act.

Okay so this is what I did:

MAIN Character story throughline:

Act 1 – Doing
Act 2 –Gathering information
Act 3 – Understanding
Act 4 – Obtaining

Once again I plugged this into the DRAMATICA software and it changed it to this:

Act 1 – Obtaining
Act 2 –Gathering information
Act 3 – Doing
Act 4 – Understanding

Which turns out, that it works better than I thought it would. Since the program kept changing my decision because of whatever algorithm it had in it’s programing, I just gave in and let the program tell me what to put where. So this is how the rest of the “throughlines” ended up, according to the what the software decided:

IMPACT Character story throughline:

Act 1 – Conceiving an Idea
Act 2 – Developing a Plan
Act 3 – Playing a Role
Act 4 – Changing one’s Nature

MAIN vs. IMPACT Story throughline:

Act 1 – Past
Act 2 – How things are Changing
Act 3 – Future
Act 4 – Present

I had other ideas but the more I thought about it, the more I thought this might work better.

Now that I got done with that part, I moved onto writing out the Act throughlines, using the “Types” as a “signpost” to what happens in each Act and the bridge between each “signpost”, called the “Journey”, will flesh out the content of each Act. Here’s what I mean, using the OVERALL Story throughline. I decided to add the definition of each “Type” I was working with, so that you could understand where I was coming from, when thinking about each Act:

ACT 1

Signpost #1

Type 1. Memories

(Memories Definition: The Past is an objective look at what has happened. In contrast, Memories is a subjective look at what has happened. Therefore, Memories of the same events varies among individuals creating many different and possibly conflicting recollections. Often one’s current feelings come from memories, both pleasant and unpleasant. Many a taut story revolves around a character’s effort to resolve open issues from her memories by recalling or forgetting them.)

The main character, remembering how good the hot dogs at a certain hot dog vendor are, uses the money he struggled to get, to buy one. While always being cautious of the memories of all the times he’s been attacked by the Sorcerers that are after him.

Journey #1

Type 1. Memories ======> Type 2. Impulsive Responses

Not realizing that those very Sorcerers have spotted him and remember what he has done to their fellow Sorcerers. The Sorcerers confront the main character who knows what’s coming from the memory of his past experience. They’re hatred of him cause such anger inside them that they impulsively attack him.

ACT 2

Signpost #2

Type 2. Impulsive Responses

(Impulsive Responses Definition: Built into the mind is an instinctual base of reactions and attitudes that cannot be altered but merely compensated for. When a story’s problem revolves around the unsuitability of someone’s essential nature to a given situation or environment, the central issue is Impulsive Responses. The solution lies in the character conditioning herself to either hold her tendencies in check or develop methods of enhancing areas in which she is naturally weak in reason, ability, emotion, or intellect.)

The Sorcerers continue their attack. The main characters defends himself and his lunch with all the instincts and training at his disposal.

Journey #2

Type 2. Impulsive Responses ======> Type 3. Innermost Desires

All the fighting leads to the main character being trapped and vulnerable. The very thing that the Sorcerers desire. Meanwhile the main character’s hot dog (which is a symbol of the peace he so desires) manages to end up a few feet away from him, still safely on it’s plate.

ACT 3

Signpost #3

Type 3. Innermost Desires

(Innermost Desires Definition: Innermost Desires describes the essential feelings that form the foundation of character. These feelings are so basic that a character is often not aware of what they truly are. When Innermost Desires is involved, a character is moved right to the fiber of her personality. Contrast with Impulsive Responses, Innermost Desires deals with the sum total of a character’s experiences that determine what attracts and repels her, where Impulsive Responses describes the innate responses which are not dependent on experience. )

The Lead Sorcerer stomps on the Hot Dog the main character so desired thereby demoralizing him. The Main Character sees his hot dog as a representation of the peace he longs for. Seeing this, the Sorcerers rejoice in the fact that they have can potentially attained the one thing no other Sorcerer so far have been able to do. Namely, kill the Main Character. They relish in the anticipation of the glory they so desire.

Journey #3

Type 3. Innermost Desires ======> Type 4. Contemplation

Having lost his Hot Dog and having nothing left to lose, the Main Character truly fights back. Giving into his desire to get revenge for the peace that was taken from him. He beats the Sorcerers senseless. This causes the Sorcerers to realize their mistaken impression of themselves.

CONCLUSION

Signpost #4

Type 4. Contemplation

(Contemplation Definition: When one has all the facts, knows all the impact – both positive and negative; when one is fully aware of detrimental consequences and still decides on the poor course of action, there is something wrong with the way one arrives at conclusions. This is the subject of stories focusing on Contemplation. The key here is not to redefine who a character is, but to lead her to relearn how to weigh an issue so that her conclusions are less destructive to herself and/or others.)

A moment at the end there where the Main Character could have taken the Lead Sorcerer’s life but didn’t, makes the Sorcerer rethink who he is, what he does, and what all the other Sorcerer’s say about the Main Character. This leads to a generous act on the part of the Lead Sorcerer, who buys the Main Character two Hot Dogs to replace the one he destroyed. This makes the Main Character thinks that there still might be some hope for peace left.

Does that make any sense at all so far? I hope so.

My next step is to do the same with all three throughlines I have left. I’ll save that for next week. I hope this clarifies things. If it’s confusing, please let me know (which you won’t, since I don’t believe you’ve read this at all).

VIDEO

…and now for something totally different:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWjh6wM3iH4

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

Comments Off on Simpsons Christmas card. Nobody liked my last blog post. Breaking down throughlines into Acts.

Plotting out my story using DRAMATICA theory. Drawing fight scenes. More HBO GAME OF THRONES.

December 9, 2010 in THE SIMPSONS NEWS, VIDEOS, WRITING

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

Started on a new crew this week. I was put on Act 2 of this show. I found it to be VERY funny and I like it a lot, but the writers didn’t seem to share my opinion. They’ve rewritten a lot of the jokes I liked. Some of them have been replaced with jokes that aren’t even funny. It makes me sad when that happens.

The good news is that I get to add more action to an action sequence in the show. It’s sooo much fun. I get to riff on just about every martial arts movie I can think of. The hardest part is coming up with new shots that sets up the action, that I haven’t used yet. Still, it’s a blast so I’m not complaining.

WRITING

Alright, so I started to plot out my project’s story. Yes, I’ve written a rough outline of what I wanted the story to be, but now I really need to solidify everything and really add the structure to the plot. In other words, my rough outline is like a thumbnail sketch that needs structure, construction and solidity added to it.

Right now, the theory of story that I like to use to flesh out my plot is the DRAMATICA theory. Unfortunately the DRAMATICA theory is so complicated and convoluted, that I can’t really sum it up in a nut shell. If you want to get an idea of what DRAMATICA is all about, click the link below:

What is DRAMATICA?

In order for you to be able to understand it fully, you would need to download and read the FREE book on pdf. Click the link below:

Free DRAMATICA pdf book

or listen to the FREE audio book podcasts by clicking the link below:

Free DRAMATICA audio book

or read the FREE text of the book directly from their site by clicking the link below:

The DRAMATICA book readable on the net for free.

Needless to say, in spite of the fact that it’s really complicated, I like it because it break things down so much, that it gives me a lot to think about. I find it helps me hone down things I didn’t think of and it really gives me somewhere to go. Unfortunately, what I will write below is going to sound very confusing because of the oddity of the theory I’m using. I’ll attempt to explain myself a bit but really, you need to familiarize yourself with the theory to get the most out of what I’m writing below. It’s also going to look really mechanical and unintuitive. This is a method that works for me. It might not be your cup of tea. That’s okay, at least you’ll see how someone else approaches writing a story.

Okay, so first, I chose to use DRAMATICA to break down my story into four points of view or “Viewpoints”. The four “Viewpoints” DRAMATICA puts forth are: MAIN Character, IMPACT Character, OVERALL Story, MAIN vs. IMPACT Story. (These are explained in the What is DRAMATICA? link). You are to assign a characters to the first two view points (if you can). If you have an idea for an OVERALL Story, you assign it at this stage if you want. You may or may not know what the IMPACT Story will be so you might leave that blank. This is what I did:

MAIN Character – Rob

IMPACT Character – Lead Sorcerer

OVERALL Story – Sorcerer’s attempt to kill Rob

MAIN vs. IMPACT Story – ?

Next I needed to match the “Viewpoints” with an “area of conflict” thereby giving each one a “throughline”. (If you’re having trouble following the terminology, you can download the DRAMATICA dictionary on this page HERE. Sorry for all the extra work).

I’m going to be using the chart below so you could get a sense of what I’m doing. For a clearer pdf version of the chart (download chart now):

The four “areas of conflict” DRAMATICA puts forth (as seen in the chart above) are: AN ACTIVITY, A SITUATION, A FIXED ATTITUDE, MANIPULATION OF OTHERS OR YOURSELF. This is how I assigned the “view points” and the “areas of conflict” to my story:

MAIN Character (Rob) – SITUATION: This basically means Rob’s personal point of view will be about dealing with his fixed state of affairs. The situation he sees himself in.

IMPACT Character (Lead Sorcerer) – ACTIVITY: This basically means that the lead Sorcerer’s point of the view will be his dealing with how his on going endeavor is constantly changing.

OVERALL Story (Sorcerer’s attempt to kill Rob) – FIXED ATTITUDE: This basically means that the plot of the story, the structure of the story itself, is dealing with the effects of bias and prejudice and whether things can change in regards to it.

MAIN vs. IMPACT Story (Rob’s attempt to convince the Sorcerers they’ve got the wrong idea about him) – MANIPULATION: This basically means that the relationship in this story between The MAIN Character (Rob) and The IMPACT Character (lead Sorcerer) is about changing the other or manipulating each other.

Everything above is ALL supposed to happen all at once as the story progresses. Notice that, because I applied an area of conflict to the MAIN vs. IMPACT Story, I was able to come up with what it was suppose to be about.

The next step in the DRAMATICA process is to breakdown the story into “Types” which essentially breaks down the story into four Acts or four “sign posts” that must be reach. In the chart above, this will be the dark gray areas. What is labeled “Concern” in the legend at the bottom of the page. Since I chose the FIXED ATTITUDE conflict for the OVERALL Story “Throughline”, the story breaks down into the four quad “Types” within FIXED ATTITUDE. They are: Memories, Impulsive Responses, Innermost Desires, and Contemplation. Since I get to choose the order of the four “Types”, I put them in this order:

Act 1 – Memories: This means that subjective concepts or ideas from the past will be influencing the forward momentum of the story in this Act. This will cause…

Act 2 – Impulsive Responses: which will influence the forward momentum of this Act. This will lead to…

Act 3 – Contemplation: on behalf of some or all the characters in the story. Something in this act makes them consider something which will leads to someone reaching their…

Act 4 – Innermost Desires: thereby ending the story.

Next, I needed to choose a “Thematic issue”. In the chart above, it’s the light gray area labeled “Issue” in the legend. I’m only suppose to pick it from the FIXED ATTITUDE quad and I only need to chose ONE of the 16 issues that are light gray. I chose “Truth”. The reason is because the problems in the quads (the white squares) under “Truth” are the problems I want to explore.

The “problem” under the “Truth” quad are: Knowledge, Actuality, Perception, and Thought.

According to the way DRAMATICA works, by choosing Truth, the underlying “elements” of the story would deal with the exploration between “Perception” and “Actuality”. Bad perception is the “problem” and actuality is the “solution”. The symptom of this problem, according to DRAMATICA, is the false “Thoughts”, and the treatment is relevant “Knowledge” (as seen on the chart under “Truth”).

Now that I have all those things from the chart picked out, it’s time to use them to put together the story. Beginning with Act 1, BUT I’ve written enough for this week. I will show you how I start roughing out Act 1 next week.

Please let me know if this is too confusing to follow. I know I didn’t explain the terminology and it can be as if I’m speaking gibberish. If you’re confused this week, perhaps next week when it starts coming together, it will all start making sense.

The drawings below are just a few quick exploration sketches for Rob’s War Hammer and a few sketches of Rob. They where specifically drawn to be put up on the blog so that I had a drawing to put up for the week. That said, I DO need to finalize the design of Rob’s hammer:

VIDEOS

More GAME OF THRONES videos. This time, it’s an inside look at the show. Looks sooo cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GViug62kgVk

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

Comments Off on Plotting out my story using DRAMATICA theory. Drawing fight scenes. More HBO GAME OF THRONES.

Simpsons “Muppets”. Trailer for my personal project. KATERPILLAR. New GAME OF THRONES trailer.

December 2, 2010 in ART, MUSIC, THE SIMPSONS NEWS, VIDEOS

THE SIMPSONS NEWS

This year’s SIMPSONS Christmas episode will have an act where there will be Simpsons “Muppets”. The show is directed by Bob Anderson and Matt Schofield. I’ve recently seen a rough cut of that act and it’s a lot of fun. Very MUPPET SHOW-ish. Guest star and all.

Also, it’s the second to last SIMPSONS episode that I did story reel work for. I’m very excited to see the finished product.

ART

Alright FINALLY got the animation test done. I thought I’d make it a trailer of sorts for the illustrated film. Here it is, (I’ll write my thought about it all below):

Before I give my personal thoughts on how it all turned out, let me explain what I did to finish the thing. First, I added a few lighter tones to some of the drawings, just to balance it out a bit. I don’t love the way all the drawings turned out but they were good enough for my purposes. Once I got the artwork done, it was just a matter of timing out the panels so the that they were presented in the way I wanted. Then I used the Storyboard Pro tools to move the Sorcerers into position so that they would slide in. I did the same with the Viper and the Winged Apes. I typed in the speed I wanted them to come in and the amount of easing out I wanted both of them to have. I made sure when timing out the Winged Apes to have them stop moving a little bit after the Viper, just for visual interest. The entire time I did all this, I kept making movies to test out my timing. I must have made about 10 versions.

Once I got the timing the way I wanted, I looked at the final version and realized that it desperately needed sound. I have a very close family friend (almost a cousin but not really) whom I grew up with. He has a band called KATERPILLAR. I just recently became aware of it (last time I saw Rod he didn’t mention it) and I thought their music was, not only awesome, but perfect for my cartoon. I didn’t think he’d mind me using it so I put one of their songs in. It worked perfectly. I didn’t even need to time the drawings to the music, it synced up all by itself. I’ll have to e-mail Rod and tell him, I’m using his music.

Okay, so what do I think about it all? Well, let me begin with the way it turned out and the process of making it itself. As far as the way it turned out goes, I think it’s “meh” at the beginning and good in the end. Next time, I’ll put some antics and overshoots in. I think it needs them in the first part in order to more clearly show the changes of expression. Not so much in the end though. The camera move hides the need for any antic and overshoots. That, and I think the timing worked out well with the sliding characters.

The process on the other hand, needs work. It takes FAR too long to do. I don’t think I’m a good enough painter to be trying to semi-paint all of it. It takes an awful lot of time and in the end, it doesn’t really look as good as I’d like. I want to be done with this project sooner than later. Finding a faster way to make the process work will need to be a priority. I’ll have to rethink what I want the end product to look like. I mean, it took me almost a month and a half just to do 13 seconds and most of the time was taken with words on the screen. Not good. I’m pretty sure this Illustrated Film I’m doing is going to be a few minutes long. I don’t want to spend all year on it. I have WAY to many other ideas I want to get to and I’m dying to work on them too.

Having said that, what’s next on my project? Well, next is me trying to get my energy for the project going again. This test really took the fun out of it and I need to get my energy back for it. My favorite part of doing a personal project is breaking down the story and coming up with story beats. It’s possible that, that will give me back the enthusiasm for the project again. So next time, I’ll be writing about story. It’s possible that story is what I like more than the drawing. It really pumps me up.

So now, that you’ve heard my take on everything, what do you think? I’d like to hear your opinions and suggestions.

MUSIC/VIDEOS

Speaking of KATERPILLAR. If you’re interested in their music, CLICK HERE to go to their site. Here’s one of their music videos as well as one of my favorite song of theirs. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCh7mba-xY

My good friend Rod is the lead singer.

VIDEOS

AWESOME! Another trailer for the HBO version of George R. R. Martin’s THE GAME OF THRONES.

If you like fantasy and haven’t read these books, you owe it to yourself to do so. They are a LOT of fun. BUT be forewarned, these books are being made into HBO shows for a reason. They are definitely rated R books. One the things I really enjoy about the books though, is the way that the story doesn’t follow the tired Noble Heroes versus The Dark Lord fantasy cliche.

For more comic and stories written by me, CLICK HERE.

If you like what you read, please consider signing up to my rss feed.

Comments are appreciated as well.

I also have a store. Click Here and check it out.

If you would like to have a text ad on my site, click on the red BUY LINKS button under the Archives list.

And while you’re at it, please Digg me too.

Writing this blog is almost a part time job for me. Tips are most welcome.

Comments Off on Simpsons “Muppets”. Trailer for my personal project. KATERPILLAR. New GAME OF THRONES trailer.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Luis' Illustrated Blog

Monthly Archives: December 2010

Sick on Christmas. MAIN vs. IMPACT Character throughline breakdown.

Like this:

Simpsons Christmas present. The Mimers. Main and Impact Character throughline breakdown. Some war hammer skethes.

Like this:

Simpsons Christmas card. Nobody liked my last blog post. Breaking down throughlines into Acts.

Like this:

Plotting out my story using DRAMATICA theory. Drawing fight scenes. More HBO GAME OF THRONES.

Like this:

Simpsons “Muppets”. Trailer for my personal project. KATERPILLAR. New GAME OF THRONES trailer.

Like this:

Hi, Welcome!

Both my books are now on Amazon. Pick up your own print copy today!

Buy My Art

Most Read Posts

Featured Post

Archives

Blogroll

Luis' Illustrated Blog

Sick on Christmas. MAIN vs. IMPACT Character throughline breakdown.

Share this:

Like this:

Simpsons Christmas present. The Mimers. Main and Impact Character throughline breakdown. Some war hammer skethes.

Share this:

Like this:

Simpsons Christmas card. Nobody liked my last blog post. Breaking down throughlines into Acts.

Share this:

Like this:

Plotting out my story using DRAMATICA theory. Drawing fight scenes. More HBO GAME OF THRONES.

Share this:

Like this:

Simpsons “Muppets”. Trailer for my personal project. KATERPILLAR. New GAME OF THRONES trailer.

Share this:

Like this:

Hi, Welcome!

Both my books are now on Amazon. Pick up your own print copy today!

Buy My Art

Most Read Posts

Featured Post

Archives

Blogroll