As Promised…
Here is a little glimpse into the collaborative process between my mother and me. It all starts with my script. For example (from page 2):
2. The weatherwoman sheepishly gives up trying to get it right. She shrugs and says:
Weatherwoman: It’s going to be a hot one!
Caption: I bet she can’t even spell barometer.
3. Interior of living room. Woman, still in chair, looks out window to a stormy sky.
4. Through the window, closer view of exterior. A man stands outside in the windy weather.
Caption: No, the only time the weather guys have anything to do is in Hurricane Season.
5. Woman, who now stands before the window, looking back over her shoulder, away from window and back at T.V.
Voice of the television: Breaking News!
Caption (this caption can carry over onto the adjacent panel): Then they break into regular programming and whip everyone into a battery and bottle-water buying frenzy.
My mother then takes this script and gives her interpretation of it—in a story board, she sketches out the scenes I have described and adds more details. Often she has follow-up questions like:
Has the woman had a recent fight or disagreement with Barry? Is that why she is so sad and he’s outside? I need to know because when I draw him outside I will make his body language say he is upset or depressed.
These questions are great for me because they get me to think more about the characters’ motivations or to express them more clearly. In this case, I had definitely imagined that the man and the woman had been fighting so I got to flesh out in my own mind and with my mother what was at the heart of their argument. The end result of our conversation is a more emotionally vivid story and image.