eyeflow and point of view

Discuss the future, present and past of sequential art.

Moderator: Moderators

Locked
Phlip
Frequent Poster
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:38 pm
Contact:

eyeflow and point of view

Post by Phlip »

This is number 2 in my series on eyeflow. Number A is <a href="http://www.zwol.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1836">here</a>

Consider this eyeflow:

<img src="http://flea.sourceforge.net/ZeekLand0186.png"/>

Two points of view are represented; Dierdre's and Rat's.

Dierdre, a waitress ("culinary consultant"), starts the panel by communicating with Rat (and others including one Priz Ardent) thru a holograph bubble. So the eyeflow goes like this:

<img src="http://flea.sourceforge.net/ZeekLand0186_dierdre.png"/>

Her motivation is to excuse herself from her customers (because she has been evacuated by security forces who know an evil alien robot is about to attack Rat), and collect the bill. So our eye-flow follows her motivation; giving the speech, signalling her robot to hand over the bill, and then getting the bill out of the evacuation area.

She does not notice the activity in panel C.

<img src="http://flea.sourceforge.net/ZeekLand0186_rat.png"/>

Rat's motivation is to take the bill and allow his pet PenBird to forge Priz Ardent (not shown)'s signature. So he pretends to focus on Priz droning about golf, while the bird writes his signature on the bill.

So Rat doesn't notice much of Dierdre's speech. Priz and Dierdre don't notice the forgery, and Dierdre's dialog in panel B overlaps the activity panel C. Dierdre says "big robots" while her holograph faces Rat, and "brave robots" instantly afterwards, as an aside to the audience.

As per my previous installment, eyeflow should follow points of view, and oblivious points of view can use disjoint eyeflows.

In a few days, that episode will appear <a href="http://www.greencheese.org/ZeekLandWeek ... t">here</a>
Neil Cohn
Regular Poster
Posts: 44
Joined: Tue Sep 28, 2004 1:33 am
Location: Somerville, MA
Contact:

Post by Neil Cohn »

What you're talking about is somewhat similar to a lesson Jim Valentino once gave in an Image Comics magazine "how to..." section back in the mid 1990s. He said that intuitive page design should always lead the reader along in navigation through the contents of the panels. In his opinion, figures and action should face and push towards the panel being read next.

Personally, I think this makes sense to some degree, but isn't a steadfast absolute. It may be a false "rule," like ending a sentence with a preposition (which actually sounds fine in English), and not following this type of flow might be alright. But, I'd have to see some eyetracking/reaction time data to know for sure.
www.emaki.net - Studying the Language of "comics"
Phlip
Frequent Poster
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:38 pm
Contact:

Post by Phlip »

The lesson here is two eye-flows; not just one.

To do it, follow the rules you cited for eyeflows. For example, nobody can see Dierdre from her right. Her holograph faces Rat, and everyone else is to her left. But the first panel shows her facing stage right because that leads to the next panel. It also makes her look at Rat, impossibly, in the next panel.
Locked