Good morning from beautiful British Columbia. Another week has passed and with it came the startling realization that I’m now two weeks post-vaccination (first dose). I finally feel like I can reasonably return to some semblance of an in-person social life. Great timing, that. Because I’m currently in the middle of moving across the country.
After a decade in Vancouver, I’m moving back to Prince Edward Island, trading my rent for a mortgage and settling down for a few years.
The last decade in Vancouver, has changed my life in innumerable ways and I believe the Pacific Northwest will be in my DNA forever. It’s hard saying goodbye to everything and everyone out here but without getting too “into it”, there is no reasonable way to imagine a long-term life in British Columbia. In the short time I’ve been here, cost of living has skyrocketed and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s just not sustainable and I’m tired of grinding away to pretend that it is.
So as you can imagine, with that cross country move, planning a wedding, writing four comic books (and a screenplay) - I’ve got a lot to juggle - things are a little hectic right now. Time is flying and I’m having fun. Which is all I can really ask for. In so many ways, this move wouldn’t be possible without the continued support and momentum behind my work. That’s in no small part to folks like you who are reading this. I won't lose sight of that. It means everything to me.
This week is going to be a short one. Here’s a handy table of contents:
Why you should think about lighting in your scripts.
Jeff VanderMeer’s excellent thriller novel Hummingbird Salamander.
Post mortem on I Breathed A Body.
Zank on Cinema: A Quiet Place: Part II, The Killing, and Nightcrawler.
Links, a playlist, and other musings.
Think About Lighting
As with everything I post in my craft sections, this is never meant to be a prescriptive take on the “only” way to write but rather offer examples of the things I think about when approaching a page of script. So please, use as much (or as little) of this as is suitable to your process. A lot of this is simply me thinking of ways to externalize conversations I’m having in my own head as I’m working through the week. Anyway…
Lighting can completely alter the tone of a scene and it can dramatically change the mood of a comic panel. By thinking about lighting in your script you can evoke more precision in your description and guide the final image in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. For me, it’s not enough to just say it’s sunny outside. I want to think about the direction of the sun, how its hitting the character on the page, the ways I could evoke heat or the presence of light with objects in the scene.
Whether I’m writing a screenplay or a comic script, each scene begins with an indication of DAY or NIGHT. This allows the artist to immediately know what kind of scene they’re drawing. There’s a huge difference between the two timeframes and controlling that aspect of your scripting is one of the easiest ways to indicate passing time but also to take care of your artist and colorist. They’ll thank you for including the time of day, trust me.
From there, you want to think about controlling the light. Figuring out if it’s behind, in front, or to the side of your subjects. Knowing this will allow your descriptions to play with that controlled lightsource to create silhouettes, or using the light as a tool for emphasis. Take this image from Sicario - now imagine what it would take to describe this type of lighting.
I know what you’re thinking, not everyone is working with Roger-fucking-Deakins and you’d be correct. But imagine if everyone wrote for Deakins - that they imagined the person realizing their script was someone who could bend and control. If you’re writing a comic book script, chances are pretty good your artist and colorist will know how to do exactly what you’re aiming for. And look below, Sicario screenwriter Taylor Sheridan included these lances of light in his script! Wowie. There is no wrong way to convey a precise image. Every rule about description you’ve heard is meant to be broken (and put in place because producers generally want a speedy read).
Thinking about lighting is thinking about the tone you want to set. Heavy shadows create lots of black within the page, a perfect opportunity for horror. A unidirectional light source could create long-haunting shadows - perfect for noir. The hot sun can cascade across our visions, piercing the horizon with golden lances channeling the heat of summer. The intent is not to be controlling but to evoke a sense of specificity to the image, so the mood, intent and tone of the image is clear.
Hummingbird Salamander
I was skeptical of Jeff VanderMeer’s new novel Hummingbird Salamander. It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of his more experimental weird horror novels and this book marks a departure from that in lieu of a more grounded approach. The novel follows Jane Smith. A software manager for a security firm that receives an envelope containing a key to a storage unit that holds a taxidermied hummingbird and salamander.
Almost instantly, VanderMeer throws you into a tangled web of eco-terrorists and the ghosts of colonialism. The book is a propulsive thriller that never lets up but doesn’t trade environmentalism for a flashy plot. In fact the book evolves throughout and eventually manages to become some of the most urgent and nuanced writing about our ongoing climate crisis I’ve ever read. It also manages to be a deeply human character piece that deftly blends emotion with the high stakes of the plot. It’s funny but I think this is now my favorite VanderMeer novel. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Bye Bye, I Breathed A Body
Last month saw the conclusion of I Breathed A Body and the reception was genuinely heartwarming. The book was written during the midst of pandemic insanity and is my honest examination of the intersection between us and the things we don’t consent to see online. It’s one big rumination on all the psychic violence we’ve undergone over the last five years and how its changing us in ways that’ll take decades to understand. I’m not a big fan of breaking down the work for people and now that it’s out in the world - it should speak for itself. But I’ll say this, there’s still plenty left to discover inside the book.
I’m sure I’ll talk more about IBAB ahead of the trade release in September but for now, I’d just like to leave you with some reading that I think exemplifies the great writing being done about the series.
Zachary Jenkins and Robert Secundus did an excellent in-depth review of each issue over at ComicsXF. I really think this reviews are great companion pieces to the book itself and should be read in tandem with the issues.
Reagan Anick over at Gatecrashers talked about the book and consenting to view online violence. It’s a great look at some of the reflexive themes in the book and the irony of using the lure of sensational horror to talk about the horrible violence happening within the real world.
I lied, this one is just me talking. Here’s an interview I did over at Comics Bookcase. I really like this piece because it gets into the deeper themes behind the work and the why of it all.
Zank On Cinema
What I’m watching right now. In case you care.
A QUIET PLACE: PART II - I recently took a trip to the drive-in to see this as I was craving seeing something on the big screen. The experience itself was fantastic but I found this sequel to be lacking in a lot of ways. It is mostly a retread of the first film with very little evolution of the formula it established a few years ago (for better or worse for some of you). Though I have to admit that the addition of Cillian Murphy adds a lot more tension and conflict into the family dynamic. Which, for me, is much more engaging this time around. Just like the first film, the kids and their familial relationship is the standout. They feel real and deeply fleshed out. All that being said, the film did very little for me.
THE KILLING - Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 noir is a goddamn masterpiece. The film follows a group of criminals as they organize a complicated heist at a horse track. The script from Kubrick and Jim Thompson is tight and services the characters at every turn. There’s so much tension within the 85 minute runtime that you’ll genuinely have no idea where you’re headed but the real treat is the incredible black and white imagery. The cinematography in this film will linger with you long after the credits roll. Also, it has one of the best final scenes I’ve ever witnessed and contains a really fantastic bare knuckle brawl that had me dying from laughter.
NIGHTCRAWLER - Every so often I rewatch Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler just to feel something. For those who don’t know it, the film follows Louis "Lou" Bloom a stringer who records violent events late at night in LA and sells the footage to a local television news stations. It’s a neo-noir in every sense of the word but finds really innovative ways to subvert well worn tropes. It’s also a masterclass in character. Every scene in this film belongs to Lou and by letting you descend into his odd world, you can’t help but watch in horror as he continually pushes the boundaries of who you thought he was. I could genuinely write an entire newsletter about this movie but I’ll leave it at this - you absolutely need to see this if you’re a writer.
Tiny Scabs
How the Pandemic Changed Antarctica. A pretty interesting longread from VICE that touches on various perspectives of folks who’ve been in Antarctica since the beginning of the COVID lockdowns. Life didn’t change for most researchers but the same can’t be said for the surrounding environment. You’ll also learn a thing or two about how Antarctica is governed. Check it.
Why Are ‘The New York Times’ and ‘The Washington Post’ Producing Ads for Big Oil? A good rundown of how some of the biggest news organizations in the world are actively publishing material to undermine the battle against climate change.
If you’re currently watching Sweet Tooth on Netflix, I can’t recommend the comic enough. The series reinvigorated my love for the medium and it’s one of the major reasons I’m writing comics today.
This week’s playlist:
Bye
Ask questions and don’t be afraid to assert yourself. No one’s going to make space for you, so you may as well make it for yourself.
Z - 06.08.21