WEBTOON Basics Converting script into a storyboard
GCC academy
Learning Goals Learn about how to write a script for Webtoon production Learn about how to convert a script for Webtoon production into a storyboard
Learning Contents Writing a script Converting into a storyboard
Kang Ji Young Careers: Mentor at Seoul Webtoon Academy Works: KingsMaker OH, MY GOD! 2014 NAVER WEBTOON, What if? JIOK Camp Short Story Season 2 Convenience Store Demon king
Nice to meet you, I am Webtoons artist Kang Ji Young
I am the author of Kingsmaker published by Kakaopage and Lezhin Comics
In this lecture, let's explore the process of translating our script into a storyboard
Before starting the lecture, there is something I always mention before starting theory classes
I'll be discussing my experiences and providing some universal examples here
So, even if I mention something, you don't necessarily have to think it's always correct
Feel free to listen and choose what sounds plausible, but it's okay to let things pass by when things don't seem right
For creation, there's no right answer
Alright, here's what we'll be covering this time
Learning objective for today is to learn how to write a script for practical Webtoon production
Learn how to translate a script for webtoon production into a storyboard
Writing a script
The method of writing a script varies from one writer to another
So, in this lecture, I'll be explaining with a mixture of typical methods and some added tips and tricks
I mentioned that there's no right answer
You can choose the method that suits you best and apply it
Script writing, checking the volume
What is the purpose of a script
While there may be various purposes, its primary function is to facilitate
The understanding of key dialogue plot progression, and length of each episode
Before diging into drawing the actual storyboard,
think of it as taking notes on instructions
Among them, script writing plays a crucial role in checking the length
Because the entire content included in the script must fit into one episode
So, by looking at a script for one episode, you should be able to determine its total length
When writing a script, please write each line to correspond to one frame
Counting the number of lines makes it easy to determine how many frames are in one episode
It's also a good idea to mark important directions with asterisks or underlines for your own reference
That way, we can indicate and highlight that
This directing style is the most important and significant aspect of this episode
By marking it, even as time passes
You can remind yourself that you intended
To emphasize this particular aspect and that it needs to be prominently depicted
This way, we can prepare other frames to complement that great direction
Example of a script
A script typically consists of dialogue and directing instructions
Or other important elements such as notes or memos
Alright, let's take a look at this example
The example will be detailed and easy to understand
This is the version of the script written as a script
Shall we explore this frame by frame?
In the first frame, we're describing the background and the situation
I used a high angle to convey the situation
A and B are sitting in a cafe, having a conversation
Description of the situation, high angle, café landscape
And make sure the large window, which will be important later, is clearly visible
Make sure the large window is prominently visible in this scene
These notes are preparations for describing the scene where an alien enters through the window
Since the frame where the alien breaks through the window is the most important in this scene
Everything from the character's expressions to the background setup is aimed at enhancing this shot
In other words, all frames except for this one serve as supporting elements,
They can be added or removed as needed
Occasionally, if the script becomes too long or too short,
you can adjust the surrounding frames that support the key frame to balance the length
It would be one of the reasons why writing a script is beneficial
The next frame introduces the characters to facilitate the event and arranges them in a natural flow
So, the eye level is appropriate for this
It can express the characters' faces, personalities,
and even the distance between them
In the last frame, I've marked it with an asterisk
Because I deemed 'An alien has appeared' the most important part of the scene
There's a low angle suitable for the entrance scene, and detailed instructions for the large frame are also provided
The placement of characters for the foreground is specified, so even just by reading the script, it's easy to connect it with the storyboard
By marking such important scenes, it becomes easier to reflect them in the storyboard
If you write the script in a way that's easy to translate into a storyboard like this, the transition process becomes shorter
Occasionally, one might not have written a script or failed to prepare it adequately,
resulting in a storyboard without a corresponding script
That happens when there's a separate writer for the script
If you're familiar with Webtoon production, you can skip this process and go straight from the script to creating the storyboard
However, for beginners, I recommend converting it into a detailed script,
even though it may seem a bit cumbersome
Because while writing the script, you can gauge the direction in your head and also check the length
And writing is definitely faster than drawing, isn't it?
It's better to capture the ideas that come to mind in writing before they slip away
Directing instructions
Earlier, I mentioned that it's good to write one line of script equivalent to one frame of the storyboard
However, a common mistake is only counting the number of lines without considering what is included in each line
Let's look at the next examples
The protagonist enters, opening the door, and is surprised to see A standing inside, and approaches
A steps back, as the door closes behind them
Can you express this in one frame? It's difficult, isn't it
There's the door to open, the surprise reaction, and the approach
All happening within one frame, making it quite challenging
When you write it like this, the script seems appropriately sized, but when you start drawing,
you may find that the amount increases excessively
Of course, the issue isn't just about the number of events
Take a look here
It's mentioned that the character enters, opening the door
However, it's also written in the same line that the door closes
It's not easy for one object to perform multiple actions like this
While not impossible in comics, it would make the frame feel very cluttered and complicated
Let's take a look at another example
The protagonist, with a short sword and wearing light armor, has a tense expression
In the densely wooded forest where the end is not visible, the protagonist discovers a mushroom house
At first glance, this doesn't seem impossible
Since there's a background and a character, it might seem plausible, right?
However, there's still too much to express
The protagonist needs to have a sword at their waist, wear armor, show a tense expression
Depict the densely wooded forest, and also show the mushroom house
If you draw the protagonist small to emphasize the mushroom house or the forest, their facial expression won't be visible
If you do a close up to emphasize the facial expression, it'll be difficult to include the house
In such cases, you can depict the protagonist standing in the dense forest with a tense expression and wearing armor
It's better to separate the protagonist from discovering the house in the forest, plus the short sword
Especially if it's the first scene where the mushroom house in the forest or the protagonist appears
It's important to separate and sequentially present the information
When writing a script like this, it's important not to include too many scenes at once
You need to structure it so that one line corresponds to one frame
One situation at a time
Then should all actions be separated and written down?
That's not ideal either because it can make the number of frames excessively long
This part will be further addressed in the storyboard section
How should dialogue be written for Webtoons?
In many cases, when there's an original work, dialogue from the web novel is often directly used
However, novels and comics have
different reading flows and textual weights
So using dialogue exactly as it is in the novel
May lead to criticisms such as being too verbose or difficult to understand
Have you ever come across a Webtoon
where the dialogue was so verbose?
That it made it difficult to understand the meaning?
When all the narration is included in the Webtoon, it can make the content too lengthy and reduce the reader's focus
Excluding such cases, most of the text in Webtoons consists of dialogue
It's best to write this dialogue portion, which makes up
The majority of the work, in a readable and concise manner
Shall we look at the next example?
Just like in the novel I become the Queen of the Chocolate Kingdom
I will marry the ruler of this land, Java Chip Frappuccino III, in a grand wedding ceremony
At first glance, it doesn't seem too long
However, if you put this in a speech bubble
This will happen
The amount of text might feel excessive
So, eventually, you'll need to cut down the dialogue
Then
Just like in the novel I become the Queen of the Chocolate Kingdom
The Queen of the Chocolate Kingdom'
I will marry Java Chip Frappuccino III, the ruler of this land, in a grand wedding ceremony
It can be divided into two parts like this
It also seems to take a long time to reach the point of the wedding
And there are too many main concepts,
giving a little scattered feeling
So, when there's dialogue like this, you might want to change it slightly to fit the Webtoon style
It's a good idea to consider the direction and rearrange the dialogue order accordingly
Let's look at the next example
I will get married today
With this person, King Java Chip Frappuccino III
Just like in the novel I become the Queen of the Chocolate Kingdom
Now, it's easier to concentrate
However, the dialogue still feels a bit long
Moreover, with line breaks, it requires even more drawings
In that case, considering the context, you can boldly cut down the dialogue
Just like so
I will marry today, the king of this country
Just like in the novel
At this point, you could illustrate scenes from 'From Novel to Chocolate'
By writing it this way, the key information about the wedding comes first
Then, you can supplement it with visuals of the king in the wedding scene
Additionally, by incorporating the title of the novel into the illustration, you can prevent the dialogue from becoming too lengthy
Once finalized and summarized with instructions, it would look
Like this
We remove any information that can be conveyed through visuals and combine dialogues where possible
Even lengthy novel dialogues can be easily converted into Webtoon style script
Does it seem too complex?
You can start with this method when learning, but once you get used to it, you can adapt it to your own style
It seems like I would write it in my own style like this
Like this
When writing dialogue, it's important to proofread for typos
In many cases, when creating the storyboard, dialogue from the script is copied and pasted directly
So, it's convenient to check for spelling and typos in the script before using it in the storyboard
And I recommend writing dialogue while actually reading it aloud whenever possible
Surprisingly, reading dialogue aloud often reveals unnatural phrasing
When expressions like 'to', 'for', 'being' are included
You can also prevent dialogue from being overly long or short
While typing, repetitive sounds may seem pleasing
But when read aloud, they can be a bit annoying
'Do not try to tailor the importance of our mission to your standards'
Like this kind of dialogue
Who would write such kind of dialogues?
When people are in a hurry or busy, it can happen
Now that we've finished writing the script, it's time to transfer it into a storyboard
Then how should we make a storyboard?
Converting a script into storyboard
Comics are a medium that translates text into pictures
What is comics about?
I think comics are a medium that conveys text through pictures
Comics with beautiful artwork? That's great
Comics with simple and basic artwork? That's fine too
But in the end, those beautiful and simple drawings
exist to convey the words in comics more effectively and emotionally
By blending directing aspect with visual delight
Here, the text can be a message,
information, opinion, or explanation
So when transferring script into storyboard,
it is advisable to visually translate the concepts being explained in the text into a more intuitive form in the drawings
Time to look at examples
Let's express the subject matter indicated by the text in an intuitive manner
Taking it a step further
If there's a speaker expressing emotions
Their or the listener's reactions could be depicted in the drawings
When aiming to capture remarkable or pivotal moments
It's important to highlight the essence of that moment
If you want to convey where it's happening
Then
Draw the background
Like so, you can express it appropriately according to its purpose and intent
Writing speech bubbles should be centered to make it easier for the reader to follow
So, to achieve intuitive direction, you simply represent the text of the picture as it is
Surely, you can intentionally create direction that contradicts or is unrelated
It's often used to express dilemmas or irony and to create chilling direction
However, in general frames, it's important to adhere to the instructions as they are to establish a clear narrative flow
Some artists draw what they want to show in the frame first
If it's a hand, they draw a hand; if it's an object, they draw the object
Let's take another example
A: Please take this. Handing a chocolate. A bashful face
Chocolate A handing over/ B, Embarrassed expression/ In the background, a university campus
B: I'm sorry. A: Why not? You are not with someone right now.
B: That's... / Eye level
Important frame. B: I have... / C Reminisces
B: someone I like / Bashful face
Such a classic content right?
Shall we turn this script into a storyboard?
It's done
In the first frame
This, chocolate is receiving it
The character speaking also shows their face
In the second frame, suffixes are expressed
By placing the background in the background, it also provides context for the situation
Can we express this solely with a high angle shot?
That can be done like that
However, in this case, since the receiving character is more important, I depicted it with a eye level shot
The next frame serves as a preparatory shot to support the important indication in the following frame
I depicted as many situations as possible in one natural eye level shot
The next frame, that's the one with the important indication, right?
Someone I like, this frame expresses it
Expressing it like this would be enough do you think?
Doesn't it feel like a bit lacking?
We can add decoration
Or express it frontally to add a beautiful touch to the expression
Without explicitly explaining, this character C can imply that they are the person B likes
And simultaneously, it also provides an answer to the dialogue 'Why?' that was mentioned in the previous frame
By showing the expression of B, who uttered this line, in the last frame
It expresses the character's emotions and conveys the truthfulness of the dialogue
What do you think? Making a storyboard wasn't as difficult as you thought, was it?
Combining the situation into one frame
I previously mentioned not to cram too many situations into one frame when writing the script
But what do you think about this list's name?
Sometimes, the script might end up being a bit longer than expected
Or sometimes, while writing the script feels fine, when it comes to illustrating it,
I realize that the pacing of the frames is too long and there are too many scenes that aren't crucial
This often happens in dialogue scenes
Knowing how to compress frames in these situations can be helpful
Let's assume we have the following dialogue
A: Do you like him?
A and B talking in front of a vending machine
B: No, he's just a guy I know
B: She ignores him and gets a drink
A: You hang out with some guy you just know in Hongdae on a Friday night?
B: Gets surprised
B: Hey, how did you know that?
B turns her head towards A
A: I just assumed but you confesses right away
The conversation flows well but isn't it too long?
If we were to express all of this in frames
It would result in multiple frames like this
Things aren't even that important but takes up too much volume
So, in such cases, it's best to gather as much as possible into one frame
Shall we take a look at the compressed example
We can compress it like this
Let's convert this into a storyboard?
Like so
With fewer frames than before, it remains clean without significantly affecting the flow, doesn't it?
If necessary, we can further reduce it from here
We can also summarize like this
Did you get a sense of how it can be compressed?
Combining actions or reactions of characters into a single moment
And merging subsequent dialogues helps in condensing the content
As you reduce, each frame carries more information, but the importance of each frame may decrease slightly
You can adjust by reducing or expanding as needed
This skill is helpful for quickly adjusting the volume, but if you develop it as a habit
It can prevent frames from becoming bloated over time
I recommend getting used to it in advance
It's closely related to pacing control that will follow later on
Controlling tempo
When initially crafting a script, a common mistake is
'If I use a lot of frames, they'll read it more slowly, right?,'
Or, 'the farther apart the frames are, the longer they'll take to read?'
The problem is that this isn't particularly effective
Increasing the number of frames and spacing them farther apart
To control the reading pace can lead to an increase in volume without necessarily
Adding density to the information contained within them
Foot only frames, eye only frames, sudden realization frames
Familiar right?
Often, this results in mixing preparatory actions in frames to transition to the next action
However, these frames contain little information
Because they serve to connect one frame to the next
If there are too many of these frames, readers may not feel compelled to linger on them
Instead, they might read through them more quickly, without taking their time
When reading speed increases, more and larger frames are necessary,
and readers end up reading even faster
The best approach is to achieve a consistent direction with the help of the text to maintain an appropriate pace
Let's use techniques like combining frames to increase the amount of information each frame conveys,
while being mindful not to unnecessarily increase the number of frames
Writing a script in advance helps prevent the expansion of frames by allowing you to grasp the flow beforehand
However, is that always feasible?
Even while writing a script, you might occasionally get carried away
And create repetitive frames to build the flow
It can become a habit, and once you become accustomed to this style, you might naturally continue using it
So, it's important to develop a habit of documenting important frames
Using frames that connect important frames before and after,
and preparing frames, helps readers to follow the flow
By providing compressed information in other frames
This is true not only when writing scripts but also in everyday conversations between people
In conversation, we often use phrases like "by the way" before less important remarks
Or, Oh! I just remembered something really important!
By frequently using phrases like this to emphasize subsequent remarks, what effect do you think it will have?
Ah! I just remembered something really important! Hey, this tteokbokki is delicious! something like this
At first, people might find it interesting, but later on, they might think, "There they go again, overreacting!
Or they might think, "There they go again, showing off!
The same applies to comics directing as well
It's best to use such directing style only when it's really important
Typing script format, designing speech bubble
Another consideration when creating a storyboard is to ensure that script format to be typed at all times
If you think about the purpose of storyboard, it's easy
It is a blueprint to build a work
It's the process of preparation
So, you should be able to imagine what kind of work you're creating just by looking at it
This storyboard can be viewed by the writer alone, but it can also be shared with platforms or assistants
It can also be shown to collaborators such as writers, artists, and others involved in the project
You could even show it to close friends and ask them if they find it interesting
But it would be difficult if it's written in illegible handwriting, wouldn't it?
So, it's better to type it out
At this point, you can choose fonts and speech bubble styles according to your taste
But it's best to maintain consistency within the work as I emphasized
This consistency and uniformity should be considered in terms of speech bubble proportions line thickness,
the ratio of letter size to space consistent fonts and ensuring that lines do not touch major objects or characters
Considering these factors would be beneficial
Determining the proportions of speech bubbles and line thickness is likely to be the most challenging aspect
I recommend aligning the speech bubble proportions and line thickness with the thickness of the frame lines
You can use lines that are the same thickness as or slightly thicker than the frame lines
However, the most important thing is to ensure that speech bubbles serving the same purpose are all the same thickness
This is crucial
Speech bubbles for shouting should
have the same thickness and proportions as other shouting speech bubbles and likewise for dialogue speech bubbles
This consistency helps the work look cohesive and ensures easy readability without any distracting inconsistencies
Sometimes you may receive questions like, "Do you prefer vertical speech bubbles or horizontal ones?
You can follow your own taste as long as they remain consistent throughout the work
Since speech bubbles exist to convey the text inside,
they should not be bothering to read
While creating speech bubbles, it would be better if you could briefly show differences in thickness, proportions, etc.
The proportion occupied by the text
When this proportion changes significantly,
the difference can be surprisingly noticeable
Please ensure that the text is centered within the speech bubble and that the proportions remain consistent from the outer edge of the speech bubble to where the text is located
So, if the text is too large or too small, it might make this proportion look odd, right?
Fonts
The same goes with the fonts
There are actually no fonts that you absolutely shouldn't use
Make the viewer focus on the content rather than external elements and read comfortably
Just keep this in mind
There are times when you might want to do the opposite of what this feature suggests
If you want to make the font really annoying and cause discomfort for readers in that aspect, then that's your call
When such an effect is needed, you can boldly use a different font
Narration and dialogue fonts are often distinguished
in less extreme cases like this
This is about the fact that in comics,
there are many types of lines used, such as frame borders, character outlines, object lines, and various types of speech bubbles
This means that these elements should not touch each other
Overlapping is fine
A slight gap is also fine
But it's problematic when lines touch directly
If they are this close together?
Or
If they are this close together, it should be fine
Overlapping or getting them closer together might be better off
That could indeed give a sense of continuity to the lines
And create subtle illusions at the points where they meet. It's a detail worth paying attention to
Writing the script like this will make for a much more enjoyable read
How was it?
If you just keep this content in mind,
it won't be difficult to convert a script to a storyboard at all
Practice until you get the hang of it!
Relax and take it easy!
That concludes today's lesson
Thank you
Summary Writing a script The purpose of writing a script continuity is to easily grasp the main dialogue, situations, flow, and length of a scene Script writing TIP Make sure one can see the entire picture
A line from the script matches to be a frame of the storyboard Important directions should be highlighted with asterisks or underlines Composition of script continuity: Dialogue, scene descriptions, other significant elements, and notes
Converting a script into storyboard How to convert a script into storyboard Convert with intuition Convert according to the purpose and objective How to convert script into image storyboard Cutting scenes that have prolonged pacing and aren't crucial
Consistent direction and appropriate pacing adjustments through cohesive storytelling Fonts and Speech bubbles Speech bubble proportions and line thickness The proportion of text within the speech bubble Consistent font style Avoid overlapping