Digital Graphic Narrative Planning

Use this booklet to help structure your planning and collate your planning documents.

Considerations:

There are lots of things to consider in this project. Fill out each section in detail to show you have thought about each one. You should imagine that this is a live project, so considerations like cost, quantity and codes of practice must be thought about in that context rather than just as a college project.

Costs:There shouldnt be much in the way of costs for my project due to the resources I have been readily supplied with. One element Ill have to consider will be the cost of paper when printing out the pages of my book, which I plan to do so that I have a physical copy. Ill use fairly high quality paper, but this wont cost more than a few pounds. Printing on the college libraries costs 20p per print, so with each page printed, Ill be looking at around 2.50 for printing costs. Other than this, there isnt much I need to consider.

Available resources:The main resource, which I will be utilizing, is my college computer. Within this Ill be utilizing various software, including Photoshop and Microsoft Office. Sketching using college peripherals and paper has allowed me to brainstorms ideas for my book, so in this way Ive utilized these resources. Internet connection within the college has been key for the research of my product, and without this resource I would not be able to progress in the way that I have. Resources will be important, as they will allow me to ensure a high quality of work throughout. If I dont have the resources I need, I wont be able to make the product I need.

Quantity:Quantity should always be a key consideration when making a book. I should aim to have enough content in my book, so that its not lacking. At the same time, I dont want to have an excessive amount of content due to my young target audience. For this reason, finding a balanced quantity is a key consideration for me in order to make a successful book. Having a good quality books one thing, but if the quantity is poorly balanced, the book simply wont work.

Audience and Target Market:Considering my audience and target market has been a key consideration throughout my project, especially throughout the planning stages. Ive needed to consider how the structure and contents of my book must relate to the intended audience in order for my audience to like the book. This includes using subjects, which my audience can relate to, such as the sci-fi theme Ive chosen, which many young boys are interested in. This is all a key consideration for me, as an interested target audience is key to success with any product, and by considering these factors I should be successful and make sales within my chosen market.

Quality Factors:Quality is an important factor in any book. This goes hand in hand with quantity. Making sure that the quality of a product is to a high enough standard is crucial in order to be successful. If my book simply isnt good enough, no one will want to buy it, and I wont be able to sell it to my publisher for the agreed price. By making sure I am organized with my work, and am not distracted by working, I can help to ensure that my book is of a good quality. To add to this, time management should be balanced appropriately, as it will allow me to finish my work to a high standard by the given deadline and allow me to complete it to a high standard without having to rush certain pages or parts of the book. Similarly, if I was to not finish my book in time, Id lose the amounts of profits, and risk not being able to sell my book at all. Quality considerations tie in closely with resources for me, and sufficient resources will allow me to ensure quality.

Codes of Practice:There are codes of practice specifically put in place by The Publishers Association, in regards to book publishing. The code that I should really consider in regards to my book is number 7, which highlights that a publisher shouldnt withdraw from publishing unless the author (me) has failed to reach the target amount of time, failed to reach a high enough standard of quality, or used defamation or illegal content. This will basically mean that I will have to take my deadline seriously in order for my book to be published, and will have to ensure the high standard of quality, which has been mentioned in the quality factors question. Due to the child target audience of my book, there isnt really much Ill have to worry about in terms of defamation, and I aim to make the content of my book child-friendly and wont address real life situations or people in any way.

Regulation:There isnt much in the way of regulation for my book, due to the fact that it doesnt contain anything that could be regarded as a toy. In the case that it did, due to using interactive features or pop up toys, I might have had to consider the governments legislation regulations in regards to the responsibility of toy manufacturing and sales. This basically covers the safety and various other potential issues around toys, but shouldnt be something I have to worry about.

Copyright:Copyright issues can be a key consideration within the publishing of anything, not just books. In my case, the content of my book is all original, and I am not using copyrighted names or images from any sources whatsoever within the contents of my book. To add to this, the narrative of my book (The Alien and The Princess) will not have to be something I have to worry about with my book. Even if I was to use the original name for the book (The Frog Princess), there is no copyright attached to it so it still wouldnt be an issue. In the case that some of the content I use within my book is copyright protected, Id have to contact the owner and seek their approval, in which case we could agree on a percentage of shares from the books profit. This hopefully wont be something I have to do due to the original content of my book. One thing I might have to consider Is the font that I use, as many fonts dont allow commercial use without paying, so Ill have to find out which fonts I could use without paying and which fonts I cant, in order to avoid copyright issues.

Ethical: In regards to the ethical issue around making my book, there are a few considerations I will have to make. Due to the young target audience of my book, I should make sure all of the content is completely age appropriate, and avoid swearing, and graphic scenes as well as adult themes. Due to the particular narrative Ive chosen to base my book around, this shouldnt be a particular problem for me. I just need to take into account what could offend people, such as derogatory terms towards minorities, or generally unethical content. As long as I am fully aware of any potential ethical issues, I should be able to avoid them. My book will have a good moral at the end of the story, and aims to encourage children to do good and kind things, so in this way its very ethically centred.

Resources:A successful project relies on good planning. Considering all the resources you will need for a project and then assessing which you already have and which you need will help ensure you are ready to start your project.

If there is a resource you dont currently have, then consider how you are going to get it before you go in to production.

Resource:Do you have it?What do you need to do to get it?

Mac computerYesAvailable at college at all times.

Adobe PhotoshopYesAvailable at college at all times.

Microsoft OfficeYesAvailable at college at all times.

Internet connectionYesAvailable at college at all times (well, not really).

Good quality Printing PaperNoWill purchase at a store in town in the near future.

PrinterYesAvailable at college at all times, small amount of money needed.

Production Schedule:Delivering your project on time is vital. In order to do this, you need a solid plan of action. This will help you divide up your work in to manageable chunks to be tackled one at a time. It will also allow you to plan which tasks need to be done in which order. It will also allow you to track your progress each day. If you are falling behind, you will need to modify the way you work. If you work faster than expected, you can clearly see what the next steps you need to take are.

Each session is a half day of college.

Session 1:

Familiarize myself with my production and experiment with techniques on Photoshop until Ive established my own style that Im happy with.

Start work on creating the princess using the rotoscope tool and warp shape tool.

Start creating frog character using similar techniques in order to insure similar style and consistency.

Do some background research on how to utilize the rotoscope style to its maximum potential.

Session 2:

Finish frog character and move onto creating King character. Again, following my jagged edge rotoscope style.

Crack on with creating my Prince character with the rotoscope tool and shape warping tool.

When all characters have been created, skim over them adding details such as shadows and textures.

Session 3:

Do a final check of characters in order to ensure consistency.

Start page one, first creating an environment with the polygonic lasso tool.

Add details to page one, including crater and cyber palace.

Session 4:

Create a star texture which can then be used in all pages when appropriate, using the pen tool. Guassian blur stars to blend into the background of my images.

Start work on page 2 and create environment.

Re-model Princess by adding a teardrop and sad expression, and import to page 2.

Start on page 3, creating environment.

Session 5:

Finish the environment for page 3, and import the king and princess. After completing page 3, move onto 4.

Create the golden ball image, and import into the page as necessary.

Use page 1 and two in order to style match, making sure similar edge sizes and colours have been used.

Session 6:

By this point, my previous experience creating the other pages should aid me in working at a more .efficient rate.

Crack on with page 5, remembering always to compare it with other pages. Complete page 6 and 7, using the previous character models and textures in order to speed up the process. ( the copy layer style tool will be useful in order to do so).

Re model princess.

Start work on text pages of work, making sure the pages dimensions are identical to those used in the illustrative pages. Check spelling at all times.

Session 7:

Add in shadow details to previous illustrations by using the guassian blur and layer opacity tools to manipulate shapes.

Finish off text based pages, using the same size text at all times. Also use Photoshops ruler tool in order to maintain centrally aligned text layers on each page of the book. Use Times New Roman font on each page for consistency.

Again by utilizing the previous models, layer styles and skills Ive picked up by this point, work efficiently to finish illustration pages for 8, 9 and 10.

Session 8:

Create some gradient overlays on some layers using Photoshop, in order to add a shading effect to my illustrations and bring them to life.

Finish page 11. Make sure pages 11 and 10 have consistent environments and objects (important since they are both in the bedroom).

Re-model, Prince and Princess for usage in page 12. Make sure these models are kept proportionately accurate when compared the Prince and Princess models used on previous pages.

Session 9:

Create environment for page 12, and create love hearts with Photoshops custom shape tool. Duplicate each love heart, and make them a slightly darker shade than the previous copies in order to create 3D looking hearts.

Start work on an additional front cover page, utilizing graphic design skills in order to create a logo etc. Use the magic wand tool to cut out a barcode image from the internet and place it onto front cover.

Double check consistency between all pages, making any necessary small changes to both text and illustrative pages. (Tweaking rather than completely changing).

Session 10:

By this session, I aim to have completed all of my work.

This session will act as my contingency session. If Ive encountered any major problems that require lots of time to fix, this will be my chance to go back and fix them.

Export images as JPEG files and upload to blog, then relax.

Health and safety:Your health and safety and that of those around you is very important. Just like in industry, an accident could prevent you from working. Whilst we dont work in a highly dangerous environment, there are still risks. Some are short term, such as trips and spillages whilst others, such as long term damage to eyesight or back problems, may affect you much later in life.

Consider the risks based on the activities you will be undertaking during the project. Explain how you could prevent them from happening.

Ensure you reference appropriate pieces of legislation, design to protect people at work.

Health and Safety IssueHow can you prevent it?

Tripping on loose wires in classroomI personally make sure that all my wires are safely placed, but in order to ensure the safety of me, as well as those around me, I should ensure that EVERY person in the class makes sure wires (such as headphones) are kept neat and safe. This will prevent short term problems from occurring, but could also prevent long term injuries in the form of back injuries etc.

Tripping on chairs in classroomAgain, although I am always alert when it comes to chair tucking in, other members of the class might not be. To ensure safety, making sure every person in the class tucks in their chairs will prevent potentially dangerous trips, with short term consequences.

Spillaiges in the classroom.Spillages in the classroom could not only damage equipment, but also potentially cause great damage to people within the proximity of the computer by means of electric shock or explosion damage. To prevent this, we should have boundaries on which drinks we can take in, and should ensure that lids are kept securely on any drinks at ALL times. This will protect us from the short term and potentially even fatal risks involved with computer spillages.

Eye damage from spending too long on a screenThis problem can simply be prevented by taking appropriate breaks between sessions, in order to give your eyes a break from looking at the screen. The college break system should help us to get round any potential problems, and spending break time without looking at screens should help further to prevent problems. There is some potential for long term damage with this, in the form of permanent eye damage or even blindness. For this reason it is particularly important to make sure we avoid the problem. The health and Safety at Work act 1974 also applies to this.

Repetitive strain injury caused by excessive typing and sitting in the same position for a while.This one goes hand in hand with the eye damage risk, in that it can be prevented through taking breaks every couple of hours between working. The effects could be both long term and short term, ranging from a temporary wrist pain, to a long term back problem. This also applies to the Healh and Safety at work act 1974.

ALL of these potential risks can be applied to the health and safety at work act (1974).