1. 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 shouldn’t be much in the way of costs for my project due to the resources I have been readily
supplied with. One element I’ll 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. I’ll use fairly high quality paper, but this
won’t cost more than a few pounds. Printing on the college libraries costs 20p per print, so with each
page printed, I’ll be looking at around £2.50 for printing costs. Other than this, there isn’t much I need
to consider.
Available resources:
The main resource, which I will be utilizing, is my college computer. Within this I’ll 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 I’ve 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 don’t have the resources I need, I won’t be able to
make the product I need.
2. Quantity:
Quantity should always be a key consideration when making a book. I should aim to have enough
content in my book, so that it’s not lacking. At the same time, I don’t 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 book’s one thing,
but if the quantity is poorly balanced, the book simply won’t work.
Audience and Target Market:
Considering my audience and target market has been a key consideration throughout my project,
especially throughout the planning stages. I’ve 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 I’ve 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 isn’t good enough, no one will want to buy it, and I won’t 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, I’d 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.
3. Codes of Practice:
There are codes of practice specifically put in place by The Publisher’s 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 shouldn’t 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 isn’t really much I’ll
have to worry about in terms of defamation, and I aim to make the content of my book child-friendly
and won’t address real life situations or people in any way.
Regulation:
There isn’t much in the way of regulation for my book, due to the fact that it doesn’t 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 government’s 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 shouldn’t 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 wouldn’t be an issue. In the case that some of the content I use within my book is copyright
protected, I’d have to contact the owner and seek their approval, in which case we could agree on a
percentage of shares from the book’s profit. This hopefully won’t 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
don’t allow commercial use without paying, so I’ll have to find out which fonts I could use without
paying and which fonts I can’t, in order to avoid copyright issues.
4. 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 I’ve chosen to base my book around, this shouldn’t 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 it’s 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 don’t 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 computer Yes Available at college at all times.
Adobe Photoshop Yes Available at college at all times.
5. Microsoft Office Yes Available at college at all times.
Internet connection Yes Available at college at all times (well, not really).
Good quality Printing Paper No Will purchase at a store in town in the near future.
Printer Yes
Available 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:
6. Familiarize myself with my production and experiment with techniques on Photoshop until I’ve
established my own style that I’m 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 it’s 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:
7. 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:
8. 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:
9. 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 Photoshop’s 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 I’ve 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 Photoshop’s 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.
10. 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 I’ve 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.
11. 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 don’t 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 Issue How can you prevent it?
12. Tripping on loose wires in classroom
I 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 classroom
Again, 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 screen
This 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.
13. 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).
