The pungent aroma of a Colcot’s Hazelnut Cheddar Cheese Wheel drifts lazily down from the distant farmhouse window and begins to permeate it’s tantalizing scent amongst the fractured remnants of a long felled sycamore…..
-Excerpt from Viaggio Di Cortez
———————————————————————————————————
Notes From the Author:
(1) This document contains my original script, recommended panel composition, and the accompanying back-story notes to be utilized for the illustrated version of the mini-series comic Viaggio Di Cortez.
(2) This particular snippet of script covers part one of three, or the first three pages of Viaggio Di Cortez.
-Audience is introduced to the protagonist, his quest, and the first of the many challenges that lie before him.-
(3) Vaggio Di Cortez (Blue Line Pencils) Page One, two, and three will be added to the Work In Progress Page within the hour.
(4) Vaggio Di Cortez - Page 3 has been completed and added to the Portfolio / Project Section. (yes, yes, I know...I am inking it in reverse order.)
**The physical comic is in the process of being inked, and is being added to the Portfolio section on a daily basis.
———————————————————————————————————
Page 1
Panel 1
(Establishing Shot)
Cortez [ 1 ], the main protagonist, is fast asleep upon a makeshift hammock/hanging bed. Beyond the window of the house [ 2 ] the faint outline of tall grass thickets, a rotted fence post, and a homestead can be seen. A single tendril of scent drifts playfully from the distant open window of the homestead, and caresses the underside of Cortez’s nose.
Notes: Emphasis on the window frame and the objects beyond is of the utmost importance, as they foreshadow the journey ahead; make sure they are clearly visible in the composition. (Especially the grass thickets, as they are a reoccurring theme used to guide the readers through the next few pages.) Also, recommended to scatter the various items taken on his quest around the home to avoid any continuity issues.
*SEE PAGE 2: PANEL 1A-1C FOR A FULL LIST OF ITEMS/EQUIPMENT TO BE TAKEN ON QUEST*
Recommended Panel Composition: A wide sweeping panel would allow for the viewer to be able to glimpse the various knick-knacks around the house as well as still being able to keep the central focus on Cortez and the window pane behind him.
Panel 2
Cortez’s eyelids snaps open as if he is suddenly jarred awake. Perhaps the tantalizing scent trail from before is the culprit?
Notes: N/A
Recommended Panel Composition: A split panel that shows both the moment of Cortez still being asleep and the act of being startled awake/eyes opening suddenly. This allows for the first panel to be contained within a border and the second panel to be borderless and thus accentuate the fact that he is being startled awake rather than his lids simply fluttering open.
Panel 3
Cortez dashes to the window, and is seen staring off into the distance towards the homestead, with his nose raised into the air as if to get a better grasp of the scent trail that is tickling his olfactory’s.
Notes: The main focus is still that of Cortez and the faint outlines of the places beyond. (They come into greater focus, but are still not completely revealed.)
Recommended Panel Composition: A wide panel similar to the opening panel, but smaller and more contained. Use of Cortez in the immediate foreground will allow the draw distance of the panel to stretch greatly beyond the window.
Panel 4
The epicenter of the scent trail has finally been revealed; and is none other than a sumptuous wheel of Colcot’s Hazelnut Cheddar Cheese resting upon the nearby kitchen counter, with a wedge already removed to reveal the creamy center beneath the wax. The scent trail can be seen curling up onto the nearby window sill, and out over the thickets towards the distant faintly visible window of Cortez’s house.
Notes: The focus is on the Cheese wheel and its playful scent trail leading our eye over the thickets and towards Cortez’s house in the distance.
Recommended Panel Composition: N/A
Panel 5
Cortez is shown with a glazed look upon his visage and his hands clasped together, as he recognizes that delectable fragrance upon the breeze; it is none other than his favorite brand of Cheese that his cellar unfortunately no longer held any stock of within. Rationing is not a trait with which Cortez is very familiar with.
Notes: This panel is the perfect opportunity to really help establish a bond between the reader and the protagonist Cortez via a full view of his face/shoulder’s without cropping in too close.
Recommended Panel Composition: A small square panel that allows the pace of the story to slow down momentarily so that the viewer may spend a moment of two within the scene to establish a bond with the protagonist.
_______
[ 1 ] The main protagonist of our story; he is young and adventurous, but lacks the restraint one should have learned with this many seasons under his belt. He is of a stocky build, with a wide appealing grin and watery eyes, and rather large feet…even for a field mouse.
[ 2 ] The remnants of a long felled Sycamore, fashioned into a respectable, if a bit cramped, domicile for mice kin.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Page 2
Panel 1
Cortez quickly prepares for the journey ahead and grabs only the essentials for his voyage: His Trusty Hat-Pin Blade, his cloak, and his lantern. Without these he would succumb to the savagery of the wilds beyond the safely of his domicile.
Notes: Really emphasize the thin pin-like quality of the blade, as it is after all a modified hat pin and needs to consistently be shown as such.
Recommended Panel Composition: Suggested these three actions are split amongst their own separate panels, so that each can be contained within a small square panel that will allow the action to flow quickly between them. The emphasis needs to be on the speed and sense of urgency to put the necessary supplies together before the cheese is taken by another.
Panel 2
Cortez, with his cloak undulating within the breeze, marches gallantly forward towards the encroaching thickets of grass. The tall grasses flank Cortez on either side, rising up towards the distant sky as if to blot out the very light above.
Notes: The emphasis needs to be on the tufts of tall grasses arching up and over the corners of the panel for two reasons: one, to give a sense of foreboding for the journey ahead; and two, to tie back to the panels on the first page that displayed the tall thickets on the path towards the homestead, which will allow the reader to keep track of the direction that Cortez is heading in, towards the thickets and away from the safety of home.
Recommended Panel Composition: An exceptionally wide/thin panel would allow for a dramatic sweeping view, while still being able to feel constrained and pressed by the strands of grass arching up and around both corners of the panel. A Dutch Angle would also be rather useful for this frame, as it will help to accentuate the boldness of the journey that is about to begin, but also the uncertainty of safety once your leave the warm confines of your environ.
Panel 3
Cortez forges onwards into the thickets, with his home faintly visible in the distance, slowly being obscured from view by the ever-present stalks of green that are pressing inwards on our protagonist from all sides. Soon all light will have fled for safer port, and Cortez will be left to dwell on what lies within the deep darkness.
Notes: The emphasis need not be on Cortez this time, but rather on how his house is being pressed from view by the encroaching tendrils of earth, which will accentuate how perilous this journey truly is while also allowing the viewer one final glimpse of where the story gained its’ roots before it progresses onwards.
Recommended Panel Composition: Another wide/thin panel to allow for an elongated view of both Cortez pushing through the thickets rising up above to blot out the sun, but also the final glimpse of the bastion of safety that was his home.
Panel 4
The inner passage within the thickets is now completely devoid of light, and roots and rocks rise up of their own accord to ensnare the wandering foot, or tear upon the tender sole. Cortez fumbles for his lantern strapped to his waist, thankful that he had the forethought to bring it with him on his travels. With his lantern ablaze, Cortez lifts the beacon of light to eye level and squints in the faintly illuminated distance.
Notes: Emphasis should be placed on the relationship of Cortez and the only source of comfort that he is afforded of now, the light radiating out from his lantern. The only sources of light amongst the darkness now should be the lantern itself, the front of Cortez’s face and chest, and the hand/arm that is actually holding the lantern. This should create a mood of claustrophobia as the darkness literally presses inwards on the lone source of illumination.
Recommended Panel Composition: A small simple framed panel that will be inset into the corner of the unframed Page 2: Panel 5.
*EXPLAINED IN GREATER DETAIL IN THE NOTES SECTION OF THE FOLLOWING PAGE 2: PANEL 5.*
Panel 5
The light radiating out from the lantern illuminates the twisted grass canopy above, and reflects off of the glistening surfaces of the gnarled toadstools the dot the pathway far off into the distance. With lantern raised and chin firmly set, Cortez continues down the treacherous pathway leading further into the labyrinthine environs, hoping that his inner monologue is indeed misinformed and that this path does in fact have an end point.
Notes: Cortez and the lantern are unimportant in this frame when compared to the grandiose and never-ending pathway that is presented before him. All emphasis should be placed on the light and how it affects the environment around our protagonist, and how the very air seems to suck up and absorb the light. This is a transition from the closely cropped previous panel that is inset in the corner of Page 2: Panel 5, to a zoomed out view of the landscape around Cortez.
Recommended Panel Composition: This panel should be a tall/wide landscape without a bounding box in order to accentuate the fact that if the land it depicts cannot be bound or contained, than neither will a comic panel contain it either.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Page 3
Panel 1
On the journey inwards towards the center of the thickets, Cortez comes upon an expanse of water, shallow enough to wade in, but much too deep to see what lies beneath. Cortez, fascinated by the reflections that play upon the waters’ surface, notices that the ripples cause the reflections of the toadstools to distort widely and seem as if to move.
Notes: The importance of this particular frame is not on the protagonist, which whom we should only really be seeing an over the shoulder view of at the moment, but of the distorted reflections that play upon the surface that depict the environment directly behind Cortez. This will lead directly into the sequence for the following panel.
Recommended Panel Composition: A Tall thin panel, that will allow space for both an over the shoulder/overhead view of Cortez, and still have plenty of room for the main focus, the reflection of the toadstools upon the water.
Panel 2
Cortez, distracted by the fantastical affect the ripples were having on the water’s surface, does not notice the dark looming shape that breaks off from the main mass of the toadstools and slowly uncoils its prodigious girth.
Notes: The importance of this particular frame is not on the protagonist, which whom we should only really be seeing an over the shoulder view of at the moment, but of the reflection on the water’s surface that depicts a dark shape that is pulling away from the toadstools.
Recommended Panel Composition: A Tall thin panel, that will allow space for both an over the shoulder/overhead view of Cortez, and still have plenty of room for the main focus, the reflection of the toadstools upon the water, and the dark shape that is unfurling from them.
Panel 3
The constant chattering of wildlife that had accompanied Cortez since he had first entered the thickets suddenly went silent; the entire forest seemed to be holding its’ breath, watching, waiting. Finally, the silence was broken by the soft rustling of scales slithering across the terrain, and the sharp click of metal as Cortez slowly pulls his blade from his scabbard.
Notes: N/A
Recommended Panel Composition: suggested to break this panel up into two small square panels, the first depicting when Cortez realizes something is wrong when the forest suddenly goes quiet, and the second depicting Cortez drawing his blade before the terror in the dark is upon him.
Panel 4
Cortez’s lantern, knocked askew in his haste to bring his blade to bear, rolls haphazardly along the rock strewn earth until it comes to rest at the base of several immense twitching coils. The fading illumination of the lantern catches the sinuous bulk and pale underside of an immense adder rising up out of the shadows before it begins to flicker out. As the darkness begins to sink in around
-Excerpt from Viaggio Di Cortez
———————————————————————————————————
Notes From the Author:
(1) This document contains my original script, recommended panel composition, and the accompanying back-story notes to be utilized for the illustrated version of the mini-series comic Viaggio Di Cortez.
(2) This particular snippet of script covers part one of three, or the first three pages of Viaggio Di Cortez.
-Audience is introduced to the protagonist, his quest, and the first of the many challenges that lie before him.-
(3) Vaggio Di Cortez (Blue Line Pencils) Page One, two, and three will be added to the Work In Progress Page within the hour.
(4) Vaggio Di Cortez - Page 3 has been completed and added to the Portfolio / Project Section. (yes, yes, I know...I am inking it in reverse order.)
**The physical comic is in the process of being inked, and is being added to the Portfolio section on a daily basis.
———————————————————————————————————
Page 1
Panel 1
(Establishing Shot)
Cortez [ 1 ], the main protagonist, is fast asleep upon a makeshift hammock/hanging bed. Beyond the window of the house [ 2 ] the faint outline of tall grass thickets, a rotted fence post, and a homestead can be seen. A single tendril of scent drifts playfully from the distant open window of the homestead, and caresses the underside of Cortez’s nose.
Notes: Emphasis on the window frame and the objects beyond is of the utmost importance, as they foreshadow the journey ahead; make sure they are clearly visible in the composition. (Especially the grass thickets, as they are a reoccurring theme used to guide the readers through the next few pages.) Also, recommended to scatter the various items taken on his quest around the home to avoid any continuity issues.
*SEE PAGE 2: PANEL 1A-1C FOR A FULL LIST OF ITEMS/EQUIPMENT TO BE TAKEN ON QUEST*
Recommended Panel Composition: A wide sweeping panel would allow for the viewer to be able to glimpse the various knick-knacks around the house as well as still being able to keep the central focus on Cortez and the window pane behind him.
Panel 2
Cortez’s eyelids snaps open as if he is suddenly jarred awake. Perhaps the tantalizing scent trail from before is the culprit?
Notes: N/A
Recommended Panel Composition: A split panel that shows both the moment of Cortez still being asleep and the act of being startled awake/eyes opening suddenly. This allows for the first panel to be contained within a border and the second panel to be borderless and thus accentuate the fact that he is being startled awake rather than his lids simply fluttering open.
Panel 3
Cortez dashes to the window, and is seen staring off into the distance towards the homestead, with his nose raised into the air as if to get a better grasp of the scent trail that is tickling his olfactory’s.
Notes: The main focus is still that of Cortez and the faint outlines of the places beyond. (They come into greater focus, but are still not completely revealed.)
Recommended Panel Composition: A wide panel similar to the opening panel, but smaller and more contained. Use of Cortez in the immediate foreground will allow the draw distance of the panel to stretch greatly beyond the window.
Panel 4
The epicenter of the scent trail has finally been revealed; and is none other than a sumptuous wheel of Colcot’s Hazelnut Cheddar Cheese resting upon the nearby kitchen counter, with a wedge already removed to reveal the creamy center beneath the wax. The scent trail can be seen curling up onto the nearby window sill, and out over the thickets towards the distant faintly visible window of Cortez’s house.
Notes: The focus is on the Cheese wheel and its playful scent trail leading our eye over the thickets and towards Cortez’s house in the distance.
Recommended Panel Composition: N/A
Panel 5
Cortez is shown with a glazed look upon his visage and his hands clasped together, as he recognizes that delectable fragrance upon the breeze; it is none other than his favorite brand of Cheese that his cellar unfortunately no longer held any stock of within. Rationing is not a trait with which Cortez is very familiar with.
Notes: This panel is the perfect opportunity to really help establish a bond between the reader and the protagonist Cortez via a full view of his face/shoulder’s without cropping in too close.
Recommended Panel Composition: A small square panel that allows the pace of the story to slow down momentarily so that the viewer may spend a moment of two within the scene to establish a bond with the protagonist.
_______
[ 1 ] The main protagonist of our story; he is young and adventurous, but lacks the restraint one should have learned with this many seasons under his belt. He is of a stocky build, with a wide appealing grin and watery eyes, and rather large feet…even for a field mouse.
[ 2 ] The remnants of a long felled Sycamore, fashioned into a respectable, if a bit cramped, domicile for mice kin.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Page 2
Panel 1
Cortez quickly prepares for the journey ahead and grabs only the essentials for his voyage: His Trusty Hat-Pin Blade, his cloak, and his lantern. Without these he would succumb to the savagery of the wilds beyond the safely of his domicile.
Notes: Really emphasize the thin pin-like quality of the blade, as it is after all a modified hat pin and needs to consistently be shown as such.
Recommended Panel Composition: Suggested these three actions are split amongst their own separate panels, so that each can be contained within a small square panel that will allow the action to flow quickly between them. The emphasis needs to be on the speed and sense of urgency to put the necessary supplies together before the cheese is taken by another.
Panel 2
Cortez, with his cloak undulating within the breeze, marches gallantly forward towards the encroaching thickets of grass. The tall grasses flank Cortez on either side, rising up towards the distant sky as if to blot out the very light above.
Notes: The emphasis needs to be on the tufts of tall grasses arching up and over the corners of the panel for two reasons: one, to give a sense of foreboding for the journey ahead; and two, to tie back to the panels on the first page that displayed the tall thickets on the path towards the homestead, which will allow the reader to keep track of the direction that Cortez is heading in, towards the thickets and away from the safety of home.
Recommended Panel Composition: An exceptionally wide/thin panel would allow for a dramatic sweeping view, while still being able to feel constrained and pressed by the strands of grass arching up and around both corners of the panel. A Dutch Angle would also be rather useful for this frame, as it will help to accentuate the boldness of the journey that is about to begin, but also the uncertainty of safety once your leave the warm confines of your environ.
Panel 3
Cortez forges onwards into the thickets, with his home faintly visible in the distance, slowly being obscured from view by the ever-present stalks of green that are pressing inwards on our protagonist from all sides. Soon all light will have fled for safer port, and Cortez will be left to dwell on what lies within the deep darkness.
Notes: The emphasis need not be on Cortez this time, but rather on how his house is being pressed from view by the encroaching tendrils of earth, which will accentuate how perilous this journey truly is while also allowing the viewer one final glimpse of where the story gained its’ roots before it progresses onwards.
Recommended Panel Composition: Another wide/thin panel to allow for an elongated view of both Cortez pushing through the thickets rising up above to blot out the sun, but also the final glimpse of the bastion of safety that was his home.
Panel 4
The inner passage within the thickets is now completely devoid of light, and roots and rocks rise up of their own accord to ensnare the wandering foot, or tear upon the tender sole. Cortez fumbles for his lantern strapped to his waist, thankful that he had the forethought to bring it with him on his travels. With his lantern ablaze, Cortez lifts the beacon of light to eye level and squints in the faintly illuminated distance.
Notes: Emphasis should be placed on the relationship of Cortez and the only source of comfort that he is afforded of now, the light radiating out from his lantern. The only sources of light amongst the darkness now should be the lantern itself, the front of Cortez’s face and chest, and the hand/arm that is actually holding the lantern. This should create a mood of claustrophobia as the darkness literally presses inwards on the lone source of illumination.
Recommended Panel Composition: A small simple framed panel that will be inset into the corner of the unframed Page 2: Panel 5.
*EXPLAINED IN GREATER DETAIL IN THE NOTES SECTION OF THE FOLLOWING PAGE 2: PANEL 5.*
Panel 5
The light radiating out from the lantern illuminates the twisted grass canopy above, and reflects off of the glistening surfaces of the gnarled toadstools the dot the pathway far off into the distance. With lantern raised and chin firmly set, Cortez continues down the treacherous pathway leading further into the labyrinthine environs, hoping that his inner monologue is indeed misinformed and that this path does in fact have an end point.
Notes: Cortez and the lantern are unimportant in this frame when compared to the grandiose and never-ending pathway that is presented before him. All emphasis should be placed on the light and how it affects the environment around our protagonist, and how the very air seems to suck up and absorb the light. This is a transition from the closely cropped previous panel that is inset in the corner of Page 2: Panel 5, to a zoomed out view of the landscape around Cortez.
Recommended Panel Composition: This panel should be a tall/wide landscape without a bounding box in order to accentuate the fact that if the land it depicts cannot be bound or contained, than neither will a comic panel contain it either.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
Page 3
Panel 1
On the journey inwards towards the center of the thickets, Cortez comes upon an expanse of water, shallow enough to wade in, but much too deep to see what lies beneath. Cortez, fascinated by the reflections that play upon the waters’ surface, notices that the ripples cause the reflections of the toadstools to distort widely and seem as if to move.
Notes: The importance of this particular frame is not on the protagonist, which whom we should only really be seeing an over the shoulder view of at the moment, but of the distorted reflections that play upon the surface that depict the environment directly behind Cortez. This will lead directly into the sequence for the following panel.
Recommended Panel Composition: A Tall thin panel, that will allow space for both an over the shoulder/overhead view of Cortez, and still have plenty of room for the main focus, the reflection of the toadstools upon the water.
Panel 2
Cortez, distracted by the fantastical affect the ripples were having on the water’s surface, does not notice the dark looming shape that breaks off from the main mass of the toadstools and slowly uncoils its prodigious girth.
Notes: The importance of this particular frame is not on the protagonist, which whom we should only really be seeing an over the shoulder view of at the moment, but of the reflection on the water’s surface that depicts a dark shape that is pulling away from the toadstools.
Recommended Panel Composition: A Tall thin panel, that will allow space for both an over the shoulder/overhead view of Cortez, and still have plenty of room for the main focus, the reflection of the toadstools upon the water, and the dark shape that is unfurling from them.
Panel 3
The constant chattering of wildlife that had accompanied Cortez since he had first entered the thickets suddenly went silent; the entire forest seemed to be holding its’ breath, watching, waiting. Finally, the silence was broken by the soft rustling of scales slithering across the terrain, and the sharp click of metal as Cortez slowly pulls his blade from his scabbard.
Notes: N/A
Recommended Panel Composition: suggested to break this panel up into two small square panels, the first depicting when Cortez realizes something is wrong when the forest suddenly goes quiet, and the second depicting Cortez drawing his blade before the terror in the dark is upon him.
Panel 4
Cortez’s lantern, knocked askew in his haste to bring his blade to bear, rolls haphazardly along the rock strewn earth until it comes to rest at the base of several immense twitching coils. The fading illumination of the lantern catches the sinuous bulk and pale underside of an immense adder rising up out of the shadows before it begins to flicker out. As the darkness begins to sink in around
