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:When it comes to costs there are many things that need to be considered. Cost of materials is something to be considered, materials such as paper, card and ink etc. are all very important when it comes to the production of a book. The cost of software is another important and potentially expensive aspect. In my personal project I am graphically illustrating and creating each page, which results in needing high quality software to create a more successful outcome.

On top of these costs there is the over all printing costs, printing will not only be needed for the overall product but will be needed for prototype pages to see how the colour comes out or how big the font is on the page when fully sized off the computer screen etc. Printing will be a very expensive aspect to the costs of the production of the book.If 1000 copies of my book were to be made, it would cost £1.57 per copy to be made. Overall it would cost £1570 for 1000 copies.

Quantity:Because my book has a great message to children and can be easily read by children who are learning to read, there will be 1000’s of my book produced and sold. It will be sold in the children's fiction section of bookstores and will also be sold in large amounts in supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

Audience and Target Market:When considering audience and target market you need to consider the child. The chosen font of your book is important to consider, as it needs to be easy to read for when the children are starting to learn how to read. This means having a spaced out, bold font written in both upper and lower case letters. The pictures are very important as the younger children of the audience who cannot read are relying on the pictures to tell the story for them. This means the pictures need to be easily interpretable and all illustrated in the same style to avoid confusion.

Quality Factors:There are several quality factors that create a successful children's book. One of these is that the illustrations need to be colourful and full of movement. Like I said previously the children who cannot read rely on the pictures so therefore they have to engage the child. The book also needs loveable and relatable characters; my book protagonist “The Grey Caterpillar” is relatable to many children who might not see themselves as beautiful.

Codes of Practice:“The publisher must not cancel a contract without good and proper reason”. A proper reason would be if you did not present your work and the work that was said to be done at a certain time, or if the work you presented was not to a standard that was expected by publishing. This is also relevant for my personal project, as I need my work handed in on time.

Regulation:I have decided not to add in any aspects to my book that would consider it to be a toy. This includes things like textured surfaces; pop up pages and sound effect buttons etc. My book is not to be interactive.

Copyright:When going through publishing copyright and ownership is very important, as it is how you can earn or loose money from your own work. Giving another company the ownership to your work can result in them doing countless things with your work without your consent and it also results in the company earning masses of money from the work you created. If working with a story that you didn’t write the copyright laws are to be thought about. If the story you are using or basing your story on is old then it might be out of copyright, however if the story is new it will most probably still are in copyright which means you cannot use it without permission.Ethical Issues:When publishing and sending your book out into the world for people to buy, you do not want to put negative views on other cultures as it is a children's book. It would result in your book being unsuccessful if you were to teach children of negative opinions on other cultures.

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?

Graphic Tablet NO See technician for guidance and approval to use certain equipment.

Computer YES

Script YES

Microsoft Word YES

Storyboards/ Flat Plan YES

 PowerPoint YES

Photoshop YES

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:

In session 1 I am going to get my flat plan and my script and create the first page of my book on Photoshop.

 For this I am going to collect certain patterns and textures for my backgrounds and I will need to create several different caterpillars in different positions. These can be used further on in the book.Session 2:

 In session 2 I am going to create the second page of my book. This includes the picture and the writing, which will be on the other side.

This page includes a close up of the grey caterpillar so more detail on the caterpillars face would make the page look more effective.

Session 3:

 In session 3 I am going to create the third page to my book using the techniques I used on the previous pages.

To save time I can copy the shapes I used to create the caterpillars on the previous pages and just move them around to create the same character in different positions.Session 4:

 In session 4 I am going to create the fourth page to my book. For this page I am going to have to create a whole new face/ expression for the grey caterpillar and also add in shapes to create the effect of rain.

 To create the rain I am going to use the custom shape tool and use the raindrop shape with a paintbrush and a suitable colour.

Session 5:

 In this session I am going to create the fifth page of my book. This page involves a completely different layout than the others because it is set inside the tree where the grey caterpillar lives.

 For this setting there are two options, I can choose the same pattern as the tree/ branch or choose a different paisley patternSession 6:

 In session 6 I am going to create the sixth page of my book using the same tools and techniques as I have in the previous pages.

Session 7:

 In session 7 I am going to create the seventh page of my book. This page is very different because the caterpillars have turned into butterflies.

To create my butterflies I am either going to duplicate my butterfly characters from my practice pages or I am going to use the shape and pen tool to recreate them.Session 8:

 In session 8 I am going to create the eighth page to my book. This page is entirely the grey caterpillar in butterfly form.

 I am going to use a gradient overlay for the entire background of this page to give the effect that the butterfly is high in the sky. This will also make the butterfly the focus on this page. Once I am close to the end of my production I am going to add details to the book to make it more interesting and more unique. For example I am going to create some details such as flowers for the background to give the book depth and more colour.

Session 9:

In this session I am going to create my ninth and final page. For this page I need the blue butterflies and the colourful butterfly.

To save time in the production of this page I am going to duplicate the colourful butterfly from the previous page and decrease the size of it.

 If I finish with extra time for production I am going to create a series of small characters to hide around my pages for the children to find. This gives the children something else to engage with and to keep them interested.Session 10:

 If all work is completed by session 10, I am going to create a front cover for my book for an extension task.

Health and safety:

Your health and safety and that of those around you are 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?

Creating/ production of the book itself. Use of craft knife and other sharp objects. Can result in cutting people.

 Make sure you are away from others when using such tools and make sure you are in an area where nobody is working around you where they can distract and knock you. This will fall under the “Health and Safety at Work Act 1974”.

 Using fumes such as spray glue can be damageable to the lungs if inhaled by you or another person.

 I prevent this risk you can use a spray mount making sure the excess fumes from the glue are being taken away by the fan. Also making sure you are around no other people when using this glue can prevent the risk.

When using the computers and perhaps other technology you must be careful of wires and many wires on the floor can cause yourself or other people to trip and get injured.

 To reduce this risk make sure all wires and cables are tucked away neatly behind the computer itself or if on the floor tucked down into the side of the wall away from open floor space.http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/advice/Legislation-and-policy/Workplace-Health-and-Safety/health-safety-legislation