IMBRAT’Z MULTIMEDIA

This is a slightly expanded verson of Paul Gravett’s introduction to the first screening in the season of manga-derived anime movies launched on Saturday July 28th 2007 at 2.30pm. The season continues until September 29th. The full programme is as follows:

The British Museum Manga-To-Anime Film Season:
Jul 28: Naruto: Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow
Aug 4: Porco Rosso
Aug 11: Nausicaä
Sept 7: Phoenix 2772
Sept 13: Barefoot Gen
Sept 14: Akira
Sept 21: They Were Eleven
Sept 28: Ghost In The Shell: SAC Solid State Society
Sept 29: Ghost In The Shell II: Innocence

Hello and welcome to the BP Lecture Theatre at the British Museum and the launch of the exciting Manga-to-Anime film season. Great to see so many of you here, from cosplaying devotees to total newcomers of all ages.

My name is Paul Gravett and some of you may have come across my book Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics or seen the manga South Bank Show last year. I’d like to thank Timothy Clark, Christopher Power, Margaret O’Brien and Rosanna Kwok for coming up with the idea of screening some outstanding examples of anime or Japanese animated movies. This is quite an historic occasion, a milestone, as this marks the first time that the British Museum has hosted a whole season and I’m honoured to be asked to select this.

I must also thank Hiroaki Saiki and Reiko Asai from Medianet in Tokyo and Marc Weidebaum and Jason Bergenfeld from Viz Media in San Francisco for allowing the British Museum to hold this special free screening. Thanks too to Helen McCarthy, Gemma Cox at Neo, Nargis Ahmad at Anime UK News, Sweatdrop Studios, Self Made Hero and everyone who helped publicise this screening.

My choice was to choose a mixture of major films, some older ones, some modern ones and a couple of brand new releases. Another of my criteria was that these movies would be based on the stories, characters or concepts from manga. This way the Manga-to-Anime programme can raise awareness of and enthusiasm for not one but two of Japan’s most vibrant modern artforms: the massive diversity and quality of manga or Japanese comics, which make up nearly 40 per cent of all publishing in Japan, and of the animated film adaptations derived from them, which are a huge pop culture industry in their own right.

This season coincides with an amazing exhibition at the British Museum entitled Crafting Modern Beauty In Japan, which celebrates over fifty years of incredible craftsmanship by artists who have been offically designated ‘Living National Treasures’ by the Japanese government for their artistry in ceramics, metalworking, textiles, wood and bamboo, lacquer, glass, gold and silver foil and even dolls.

Do please visit this exhibition. I was stunned by these extraordinary objects which somehow are traditional and modern, simple and complex, rustic and refined, peaceful and powerful, all at the same time. These works of craft and art seem to me to glow with almost an aura in their glass cases. They reminded me of some of the beautiful, imaginative costumes, swords, talismans, interiors and other artifacts from the past, present and future that we can see drawn and designed in manga and anime. There is a clear continuity here running throughout Japan’s unique culture. And do please also check out the Japan Galleries upstairs here in the Museum. You’ll find several items related to manga and anime including a piece
of original artwork featuring the classic robot hero Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka - and it’s totally free.

So I’m thrilled that we have a capacity turn-out for this exclusive preview screening of Naruto: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. How many of you know about Naruto already? [Big scream from fans in the audience]. How many of you watch the animated cartoons on Jetix or on DVD from Manga Entertainment? [More cheers] How many of you read the manga books, out from Viz in the US and on sale across the UK from September from Simon & Shuster? [And more cheers].

I can see we have quite a few people here who are new to Naruto so let me give you some background. Naruto debuted in the massive-selling Japanese boys’ comic Weekly Shonen Jump from Shueisha in 1999. The man who wrties and draws Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto. He first drew Naruto for a one-shot short story about witchcraft and fox-spirits in 1997 the special seasonal edition of Akamaru Jump. At first Naruto wore goggles and boots, but Kishimoto didn’t like drawing those complicated goggles so he came up with the ninja headband instead and gave him traditional Japanese footwear or Zori. And from there he elaborated the whole story. In fact it is still running today some eight years later every week.

Naruto, or Naruto Uzumaki is a small boy who discovers a terrible secret about himself. When he was born, twelve years ago, a giant nine-tailed fox demon attacked his village, where the world’s stealthiest ninjas are trained. After the fox demon is defeated by the Hokage, the village champion, its soul is sealed inside the body of a newly born human baby: Naruto. This boy grows up to be mistrusted and feared because of the evil spirit locked inside him and he becomes a troublemaker, a bit of an outsider, but burning with one ambition: to become the next Hokage and the greatest ninja his village has ever known.

To introduce some of the charscters I thought I’d quote from Kishimoto-san himself who explained some of his ideas in the American edition of Shonen Jump back in 2003: "Naruto starts out as a bumbling good-for-nothing, but he gradually develops into something. Sasuke is a contrast to Naruto: he starts out as an elite ninja. Naruto strives to achieve Sasuke’s expertise, both as a role model and a rival. Sakura looks like the standard cute girl character, but I wanted to create a more realistic girl. That’s why she’s my type. She acts reserved, but you only see a tiny part of her true nature. I think many women have this kind of dual personality. As for the theme of Naruto, I planned it around the idea of a ‘team’ story, emphasising the importance of those people who are close to you."

Naruto: Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow is the first Naruto movie and was released in Japan on August 21, 2004. Here we are three years later, and it is finally getting shown in Britain. It is a problem not just for anime, or Japanese films, but for so many international films to get a proper cinematic release in Britain, when Hollywood’s output swamps our screens. Let’s hope that as the public’s interest grows, more anime movies can get shown in British cinemas.

Naruto, like so many successful manga before it, made the leap from the printed page onto the television screen first as part of the enormous output of animation on Japanese TV for kids, families and adults shown throughout the week. After its success on the box, it was a logical step to be adapted into a big screen movie. This is a new original adventure is set just after episode 101 of the manga, but don’t worry, you don’t have to read over a hundred episodes to enjoy it.

In this adventure, Naruto and his pals are assigned to protect a famous movie actress, who is a depressed diva, jaded with stardom. She is contracted to play the role of the Princess of the Land of Snow, and when the director and crew whisk her off to this wintry domain to shoot on location, her true past and the secret of a amulet she wears are gradually revealed. The world of Naruto is a fantasy Japan where ninja schools, spectacular feats of power and fantastical machinery sit alongside a sort of everyday modern life. The style of animation here may not strike some of you as all that animated, as in making everything move relentlessly. Partly for budgetary reasons, some anime employs simplified animation techniques. The very lack of motion, where characters or scenes barely change, or the minimal shifts as a character opens her eyes or looks over, can actually help to emphasise the graphic, drawn nature of animated film, creating moments of atmosphere or mood, bringing the experience closer in a way to how manga themselves work by encouraging us to animate panels and pages ourselves in our imagination.

Naruto cosplayers who sat in the front row
at the Naruto screening on 28 July, 2007

Before we show the film, I want to remind you that there are lots more great Manga-To-Anime movies coming up in this season, continuing with two Hayao Miyazaki classics, Porco Rosso August 4th and Nausicaa August 11th. Both of these anime started life as manga written and drawn by Miyazaki himself. Then from September 7th I’ll be introducing further anime screenings for adults. Be sure to pick up a leaflet and book your seats now. They are already going fast!

I hope you enjoy the movie. Naruto is a ninja who never gives up, an underdog and outcast who proves himseld time and again. I think compared to other boy heroes in comics, like the British bully and prankster Dennis the Menace, Naruto is a spinky, spirited, inspiring role model himself and I’m sure that part of his appeal. I believe that in the future, Naruto’s creator Masashi Kishimoto, and many other brilliant designers and storytellers working in manga and anime today, will come to be recognised as ‘Living National Treasures’ themselves. Because, for all the computer technology and skilled assistants that help make these productions, Naruto really begins with one person having an inspired idea and putting pen to paper, or clicking their computer mouse, and creating something out of nothing, something that goes on to entertain and enchant the world.

I see a lot of indie comics and indie comic websites. Being the webmaster of Blambot means that I get dozens of e-mails each day from all kinds of indie comic folks, who like to show me their stuff. And that’s great! I love seeing other people’s work. You can’t be an artist without being an art fan. But many people are making similar mistakes. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with mainstream comic artists, and I’ve learned as much as I could from each of them. We all can do better. Now, I’m only going to say this once, and then I’ll get off my soapbox and you can either benefit from my experience, or disregard it completely. but I guarantee you, if you don’t learn from your mistakes, they will come back to bite you in the behind.

I WANNA BE FAMOUS!

      Forget it. If that’s your goal, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. It’s a remote chance. Do this because you love it. Period. There are thousands of people just like you who are doing what you’re doing, and some of them are doing it better…and lots of them never get famous. But it doesn’t mean you can’t hope for that someday. Before you even have a chance you need to learn…

BORING STORY SYNDROME

      A comic without a story is NOTHING. Sergeant Six-Pack jumping around with his UZI killing everything in sight will bore the heck out of 99% of your readers after issue 2. Only little kids and the immature really stick with comics that offer nothing but action and nudity. You NEED a story. And not just any story, but a really good story. With substance. And how do you get ideas for such plots? DON’T JUST READ COMICS. Read books. Watch movies. Listen to music. Comics in general don’t get the emotional reaction that a great novel or movie do. And to make a great comic, you must engage your reader’s mind and emotions. You can be sure that almost anything you come up with has already been done. What you need to do, is spin it in a direction no one’s seen before.

HOW CAN IT SUCK? IT TOOK A WHOLE WEEKEND TO WRITE!

      So you’ve got your plot… now you need a script. Now before you do anything, just chill out. I know you’re excited. THINK about it. Take a week, take a month… Think it all through. You’re young, you have time. Don’t just sit down at the computer and type without an idea of where you’re going with this. Make notes. Make a chart. Ask yourself the questions that a novel writer asks, "What is my point?" "Does the story have a solid intro, an engaging middle, and a great ending?" Ask youself if the reader will identify with your characters and situations. Ask if anyone will even care about these characters and what they’re going through. When I created ATLAND, I created backstory for the characters and setting for three months before I even wrote the first episode.

      Yes, there is a fairly standard way to write a comic script. It varies from writer to writer, but it’s very similar to writing a movie screenplay. Here’s what one looks like:

PAGE 1

PANEL 1- Int. Blambot Mothership arena. Cont. of Eddie and Gus are being pummelled by the monster. Closeup of the monster’s hand. Eddie is in it being squeezed in front of the monster’s face. He’s struggling…his eyes are suinted down. He’s in agony! The monster grins victoriously.

      1. Eddie thinking - ANY MINUTE NOW I’M GOING TO WAKE UP…

PANEL 2- Profile of the monster putting Eddie into his mouth.

      2. Eddie thinking - ANY MINUTE NOW…ANY MINUTE!

PANEL 3- C/U on Eddie, surprised.

      3. Voice from Off Camera - PUT HIM DOWN YOU INBRED SON OF AN INFOMERCIAL HOST!

——————-

      The panels and dialogue are numbered. The Editor (and letterer!) can diagram the page (called "balloon placements") with those numbers to make sure they know who is speaking and where it all should go. "C/U" stands for "Close up". Bold words are indicated by the underline, or in all-caps depending on the script method you prefer.

      Write more than one draft! When you’re done with the script, let someone else read it. They will notice things you might not. The story is crystal clear in your head because you wrote it, but the most important thing is that someone who knows nothing about your comic, must be able to pick it up and understand it. Write and re-write and re-write again. If you get stuck, put it down and go do something else. If that still doesn’t work, ask someone for their opinion.

      Learn to write good dialogue. Write through the personalities of the characters, and don’t overuse your Thesaurus. Again, read novels and listen to how REAL people speak.

OF COURSE I’M A GOOD ARTIST, I’VE BEEN READING COMICS ALL MY LIFE!

      …And that shall be your downfall. It’s great that you read a lot of comics, and admire certain artists. But if the sum total of your art history knowledge and training comes from reading comics, you will succeed only in regurgitating other people’s comics work.

       Most of the artists in mainstream comics don’t just read comics to learn how to draw. They’ve gone to art school, or they’ve had a lifetime of professional illustrating experience. YOU MUST know the rules of art before you can break them. There’s no way around it. Study classical art, art history, graphic design, movie directing, and every other visual art you can.

BACKGROUNDS

      OK, there’s only one way to say this…DRAW THE BACKGROUNDS! I see this problem every day and it’s just a symptom of laziness. I know it’s boring. I know the reader is only going to see it for 2 seconds, but it’s important. You don’t have to draw it in EVERY panel, but an establishing shot on a page that indicates to the reader WHERE a scene is taking place, MUST have a background. If you flip through some comics, you’ll notice establishing shots. You’ll also notice most action scenes have very little backgrounds unless the background is intrinsic to some part of the action. This is to keep your focus on the excitement, and to mimic the mind’s tendency to block out extranious info during intense moments.

I had the good fortune to talk to Walt Simonson when I was first starting out, and he gave me this advice: "You have to draw every cigarette butt, every trash can and every seatbelt because they are just as important as your main characters." And he’s absolutely right. You know how creative you are at designing costumes for your superheroes? That’s how creative you should learn to be with your backgrounds. Go outside and look around. Soak it all in. Remember how things look. Remember all the things you see on a street so when you’re drawing one, you don’t forget that, "Oh crap. I didn’t draw seatbelts in that car." (That’s what Walt caught me on!) Most important start a reference file! Collect pictures from magazines, take photos and go out and see everything you can. Use the internet too. I do that all the time. Need a picture of a rat? Search online? A firetruck? Seach online…

PERSPECTIVE

      Nothing ruins a good drawing more than bad perspective. Depth gives realism to your pages! Learn about 2-point, 3-point and all other types of perspective. When you get good at it you can cheat and do cool effects like mimicking the look of a fish-eye lense.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

      Whether the artist realizes it or not, 50% of each page is grapic design and 50% is illustration. The page has to flow and has to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Grab the script and do thumbnail sketches of each page, do a dozen if you want. A thumbnail sketch is a small, very quick drawing where you make some decisions about how you want to lay out the panels and maybe even the dialogue balloons. Use some cheap 8.5"x11" copy paper and a pencil and just do 1/4 sized layouts.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

      This is the advice I repeat most to amateur comic artists. Watch movies and study directing. When I first started doing comics, I was amazed to discover how closely setting up each panel of a page is to directing a movie. Study which angles suit the mood you’re trying to convey.

MEDIA

      People will tell you that you have to use a brush to ink, or you have to use this brand of paper, or you have to draw the comic at this size… you know what? You don’t. Use whatever the you want, BUT try out everything first. Have a working knowledge of lots of different media, you never know when you’ll be asked to use it by the writer or editor. The average comic artist works on 11"x17" bristol board, that has been ruled off to an area of 10"x15" comic dimensions. You can see those dimensions HERE.

LETTERING

      It’s just the visual representation of every audible clue and every line of dialogue in your book. Letterers are the graphic designers of the comics world. Lettering is important. It must fit into the graphic design of your pages and enhance the "feel" of your comic. Choose your fonts wisely, young jedi. If you’re hand lettering, more power to you. It’s a great way to learn the basics. With the advent of computer lettering, now everyone can have decent text in their comic.

PUT ON YOUR TIE, YOUR A BUSINESS MAN NOW

      So, your comic is done. Awesome. But guess what? No one can read it can they? Whether you’re doing it hardcore indie style, a la Xerox machine, or your having it professionally printed, you MUST learn how to promote your work, and get familiar with the politics of making comics. Use every avenue at your disposal: Build a webiste, Tell people, show people, get online and find out a few hundred comic shop addresses and send out fliers to them, get a distributor like Diamond, take out ads, convince your local shop to do a small book signing for you… the list goes on and on. but remember, don’t plan the rest of your life on the success of this book. Even if you put your very heart and soul into this… you probably will not be able to make a living doing it. Always have a "Plan B". That’s just the way it is. You must do this for the fun of it first, and the profit second…. speaking of which…

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’RE POOR!

      If you’re doing a xerox produced comic, expect to spend a hundred or more dollars per 100 issues on copy costs, and who knows how much on promos. If you’re having it professionally printed, expect to spend about $1000 + per 1000 issues you have printed. Prices vary from printer to printer (and call them all!). Every penny you spend should be considered non-refundable. Go into this with the conclusion that the $3000 you just spent is GONE. Because you may not make it back in sales.

IN CONCLUSION

      With all this said, you may think I have a bleak outlook on self publishing. I don’t. I have the facts, and you just read ‘em. Remember: Do this because you love it. And if you love it, you owe it to yourself to do it the best you possibly can.

By Nate Piekos