Project Work

Today we will continue working on our final projects for our Graphic Novel unit.  I will give you time in the lab to work, and will be having a meeting with each project group to see where we stand so far.

Project A: You should have completed your interview and interview notes by now.  In the lab, either finish up your Prologue about who you are interviewing, or begin working on your script.

Project B: You should have all of your sources and your notes on them by now.  In the lab, begin planning out which genres to write and begin writing them.

In our meetings, I will be checking in with each and every one of you on where you stand so far in the project and we will be setting deadline goals for where I expect you to be in the next few days.  The projects are due Monday, March 9th by the end of class.

Pixton

Toward the end of class, I will give you an opportunity to play around with the Pixton website.  Those of you who are doing Project A will need to know how to use it for your graphic novel panels, unless you will be drawing them yourself.  Those of you doing Project B also have the choice to create a comic as one of your genres.  You have the opportunity to practice using the website at the end of class.  You also may continue with other project work if you feel that it's a better way to use your time.

• Click here to get to the Pixton activation site.
• If you have already created an account with me in class, click Log In.
• If you need to create an account, enter B4ET-QY as an activation code
• Create a username and password
• Go to Assignments and follow the directions

HOMEWORK: Continue writing! You have the whole weekend to get some work done and meet your deadline goal for Tuesday.  Don't forget we only have so much time left to finish these projects.
Project A: Get a page or two of your script done over the weekend.
Project B: Get a genre or two written over the weekend.

Animal Metaphor

Today we will be focusing on the personification of mice, cats and pigs in Spiegelman's Maus.  Why did Spiegelman make this choice, and why has it become so controversial?  If you want to hear more about Spiegelman's decision, he briefly discusses it in this video.

CLASSWORK: In your assigned groups of four, read "Art for Art's Sake," an interview with Speigelman about the animal metaphors in his novel.  Using the interview and your novels, answer the questions critically as a group.  Once you have finished, work together on the clique activity, assigning animals for various school cliques.  There is an opportunity to use this activity as an EXTRA CREDIT assignment. (see below)

LAB WORK: Continue your research and project work.

• Project A: If you haven't already, finish creating your 10 interview questions.  You should have a specific person in mind by now.  If you have all your questions, start writing a prologue for your script, like Spiegelman does in Maus.  Give some background information on who you are interviewing.
• Project B: If you haven't already, finish finding your 3-4 sources for your research paper.  Make sure these sources are valid.  If you have all of your sources, begin reading them and taking thorough notes to help you with your different genres.

HOMEWORK: (Project A) You must have your interview done by Friday, with thorough notes on the conversation. (Project B) You must have all of your sources with thorough notes on what you find significant and useful for your genre writing.

Extra Credit

As an extra credit assignment, you may take one of your clique animal choices and write a short fable (~500 words).  A fable is a short story with animal characters that teaches a specific moral lesson.  (The tortoise and the hare-- slow and steady wins the race.)  You can give this story to me any time up to Monday, March 9th.

Welcome Back From Break!

I hope you all enjoyed your time off.

Maus- A Survivor’s Tale

Maus is a story of survival.  Vladek survived through the Holocaust in the past, and Art is learning how to survive with his father and their differences in the present day.  This is the essence of literature—writers tell the stories of people who have faced challenges and obstacles and have overcome those difficulties in life.  Readers are interested in a character’s growth and transformation after surviving a conflict, which is why most novels, stories, etc. focus on the characters who succeed, not those that die or crumble under pressure.  Remember this for your own writing.

What does it mean to be a survivor?

Take a moment to recall someone you know in your life who you view as a “survivor.”  What have they had to overcome?  What are some traits that they needed in order to survive?

• ·      Think emotional, mental and physical traits
• ·      Can these traits be learned? Or are they instinctual?
• ·      Does a survivor hang back and observe?  Or does he take action into his own hands? Can it be both?

CLASSWORK: How does Vladek fit our definition of a survivor?

Split into groups of three.  In Chapter 3, find 3 instances where you see Vladek as a survivor in his past life.  Then, find 3 instances anywhere in the novel where these traits have affected him in his present day life.  You will be handing in one sheet of paper for each group with these examples.

HOMEWORK: Project A- Have a list of at least 10 interview questions that will help you create a well-developed Oral History.
                          Project B- Choose a Holocaust topic and bring in at least 2 valid sources to use for your research paper.

Homework for Break

Have a wonderful break, everyone!

HOMEWORK: Finish reading Maus.  When reading, fill out the Characterization sheet as you come across new characters.  I will collect that when you come back from break.

Graphic Novel Scripts

How I Graded Your Scripts:

- Out of 4 points

- Complete script: You have transcribed each page and panel into a script.

- Accurate format: You have followed the format I gave you in class.

- Use of vocab: You have used vocab in your script when necessary (ex. close up, /OP, /BZ, etc.)

- Use of description: You have described your panels in a clear manner for the artistic team.

REMINDERS:

- Dialogue is NOT CENTERED. The character name is indented 5 inches, and the dialogue is indented 4 inches (just hit tab that many times)
- Don't forget PUNCTUATION in your panel descriptions!
- SFX is formatted just like dialogue.
_______________________________________________________

Compare/Contrast your script with another person who chose the same Graphic Novel.  Answer these questions:

• What did you do the same? (Format, descriptions, etc.)
• What looks different? 
• Did you use similar vocabulary? 
• Could a cartoonist look at both scripts and create the same Graphic Novel?

Panel Descriptions:

1. The mom is thinking about cleaning the house.

2. The mom grasps her broom with a look of determination.

Art Spiegelman

Art Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden and immigrated to the US with his parents during his early childhood.  He is one of the most well-know artists of Graphic Novels, and has greatly contributed to their acceptance as valued works of art in society today.  He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for Maus I- a Holocaust narrative of his father's survival.  

Spiegelman went against his parents' wishes for him to be a dentist and began drawing professionally at age 16.  After college, he became a part of the underground comix movement.  He took on various pseudonyms and contributed to the publishing of many underground comics.  He also taught a Comics Seminar at Colombia University in 2007.

"Spiegelman has become one of The New Yorker’s most sensational artists, in recent years drawing illustrations for covers that are meant not just to be plainly understood but also to reach up and tattoo your eyeballs with images once unimaginable in the magazine of old moneyed taste ... From his Holocaust saga in which Jewish mice are exterminated by Nazi cats, to the The New Yorker covers guaranteed to offend, to a wild party that ends in murder: Art Spiegelman’s cartoons don’t fool around."— The Los Angeles Times

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 1 of Maus for Thursday.  Focus on the father/son relationship as you read.

For those of you who have NOT given me your Graphic Novel Types or your scripts, those are due to me by Thursday.

Pixton

Please go to this link and enter in this activation code: B4ET-QY.  Then create a username and password that you will remember.  We will be using this website to create comic strips.

Graphic Novel Types

Please take out your Graphic Novel Types worksheet I gave you last class.

Let's review:

- Word Specific Panel

- Picture Specific Panel

- Duo-Specific Panel

- Additive Panel

- Parallel Panel

- Montage Panel

- Interdependent Panel

Which types of panels will we mostly be focusing on in this class?

Graphic Novel Scripts

You don't necessarily have to have artistic skills in order to create a graphic novel.  In fact, many graphic novel authors hire an artistic team to bring their words to life.  The writers create a script, and then give it to a cartoonist, a letterer, a penciller, an inker, etc. in order for it to be created.  Therefore, if you can create a script, you can become an author to a graphic novel without having to draw anything.

There is not one set format to use for a graphic novel.  Depending on the writer and/or the publishing company, certain elements will appear different from one script to the next.  The most important thing to focus on is that your script is simple and specific so that your artistic team can look at it and understand what you want them to do.

Welcome to our Graphic Novel Unit!

Graphic novels are descendants of the comic book; however, most are longer than comic books and their narratives read more like a novel.  Comic books can possibly be traced all the way back to ancient cave paintings. Throughout history, there are instances where pictures are used to convey messages, like the medieval broadsheet (strips carved into woodcuttings of caricatures of public figures).  More recently, the comic book industry was controlled by Marvel and Detective Comics (DC), who published superhero stories.  More and more, both graphic novels and comic books are becoming more accepted as complex and serious works of literature.

Read: Half of Chapter 6 of Understanding Comics.

Graphic Novel/Comic Book Vocabulary

Splash Page: Usually the first page of a manuscript, with one or two images, including the title, logo, credits, etc. for the comic. 

Full-page shot: One panel that takes up the entire page.

Panel: One box or frame.  One picture, also known as a shot.

Gutter: The negative space between each panel.  Can represent lengths of time.

Speech balloon or word balloon: The bubble containing words to let a reader know that a character is talking.

Thought balloon: Usually a scalloped balloon that indicates the character is thinking, rather than speaking out loud.

Burst: A balloon with jagged edges to indicate volume, stress, or sound effects; also broadcasting or electric transmission.

Whisper balloon: A balloon whose outline is broken into small dashes; this indicates that the character is whispering.

Pointer/Tail: The part of a balloon that points to whichever character is doing the talking, thinking, whispering, etc.

Caption: A sentence or fragment that appears in the panel, but not in a balloon.  Usually captions are enclosed in a rectangle or box.  They are used to indicate a shift in time or place or for the narrator’s commentary.

Establishing shot: A picture indicating where an action is taking place.

Long shot: Shows the entire person from feet to head in the shot.

Medium shot: Usually shows a person from the waist up.

Close-up: Shows a person’s face or about that much of their body.

Extreme close-up: Shows a single small detail that might go unobserved if not focused on.

Story Spine: The plot.  The sequence of actions that lead to a conclusion.

Story Arc: A story that takes several issues to tell.

Graphic Novel: A long story, usually in a special format (better painting, bigger pages).

CLASSWORK: Finish reading Chapter 6 individually.  Define the different types of panels in your own words and draw an example.

HOMEWORK: Finish the Graphic Novel Types worksheet by next class.