Making a Scene

Introduction

I like to approach my work as though I'm making a film and these cartoon frames are it's storyboard. You don't have to do this, it's just part of my style, but I think it makes it look more interesting this way,.. more cinematic.

I will use of the following basic camera shots to help drive the story or idea:-

Long Shot	Medium Shot	Close-up	Extreme Close-up

I'll start off by showing my latest Area 5.1 cartoon which I will use as an example..

Area 5.1 Cartoon - Drop the Anchor

It's based on a discussion over the growth of AI and whether we thought robots would gain emancipation or always be treated like objects. There are some parallels with the slave trade in the 19th century and I think the real barrier to freedom (as it was then) is breaking free from ownership.

The Establishing Shot

It's probably more correct to call it an opening scene. It's there to serve as an introduction so the reader has some context for the dialogue. This example is unusual because there are two establishing shots.

Opening Shot - Frame 1.

The first frame is a close-up shot showing a TV screen. It tells the reader this is a news report and it introduces the anchorman as the main character. The dialogue bubble supports this using a broadcast (lightning bolt style) tail.

Opening Shot - Frame 2.

The second frame still shows our main character, but we're using a long shot to introduce the two main plot elements. The rubbish bins (or garbage cans) and the robot worker. (Note, I also show a factory background to add context to the story)

Removing Background Details

In the third frame I wanted to show the main character and the robot's reaction to what he was saying. I decided to not show the background because I wanted to keep the image looking uncluttered, and to focus the reader on the two characters.

It's left a lot of negative space and I did consider moving the two closer together and reframing as a medium shot. But I wanted to show that the space between had just been bridged by the robot over-hearing the anchorman's monologue.

The Final Shot

The final frame is where it's typical to resolve your story or joke. This image is a medium shot type, focusing on the robot's act of retrobution and I've added a 'Bong!' to highlight the action. Again, no background is needed, it just doesnt add anything to the story.

In Summary

There's plenty of cartoons that don't use these techniques. Most of the newspaper cartoon strips just use a mixture of medium or long shots with simple drawing to cope with lack of colour and reduced image size. But contrast this with a superhero comic book and you'll see a huge difference.

But it's all about style, there's no wrong or right,.. but I hope I've given you something to think about.