So yeah, I have two ideas/concepts, One is a comic idea, and the other could well be a movie idea or something ongoing like a RPG or series.......So what's next?
I can't draw worth a darn.
Who do i trust to tell the idea to to get feedback?
These concepts have been floating around in my head for 15+ years, so how do i get them on paper as I suck at writing, I am an idea person.....
If i mange to put this info down on paper in point form, them mail them to myself, will that be enough to protect them from being stolen.....????
I could use some info guys/gals, These idea's are amazing and have great protental, I want more them anything for others to enjoy them :)...
Don
Replies
Hey Don,
I've experienced this somewhat. Coming up with an idea, but holding it close to my chest, knowing that I didn't have the time or resources to commit to it.
What I came to realize was that I thought they were great ideas and ultimately I wanted to see them come to life, whether I did it or not. I wanted to see the idea in a comic book or a movie. So if someone else could take it and run then I would look forward to seeing it when it came out :)
Best of luck.
I may do that once i get it all typed out, it's all on paper right now, I typed out an intro tonight and posted it on my blog for some feedback, I would apperciate any feedback you may give :)
Don
Martin Murtonen said:
Donald, if you so wish, you can send me a direct email and I can comment on your concept.
Gerald Lee had me go over a script for him recently and he was pleased with the results.
Check out my blog :)
Hey Martin,
LOL!, so much input....I had to read it a few times to take it all in LOL!......
Tell ya what, I will sit down in the next few days, And i will put a small presentation together, something that will wet your whistle, but not give out to much info. If anything this will allow me to get some feedback on some of my ideas... and you are right, I do have alot more ideas, for stuff, comic ideas, I have a bunch of stories that i have written, they are not 100% and are full of grammer and spellings mistakes, but i wrote them just to empty my brain to make room for more ideas to form :)...
I will maybe make a thread about it, or a blog.. ;)
Don
Paula is correct - anything you make is automatically copyrighted. Note: Superman is copyrighted (or TM) but flying people/superheroes is not. A song is copyrighted, but a musical style is not.
Donald - if you have a good idea please don't stash it. What I would suggest is: MAKE IT SHORT, sweet and pack a punch. A lot of us end up getting these epics in our heads and then we get stuck with the scope of it, and since it seems so big, we give up before we even begin.
So, to make things manageable - make your thing short, compact and to the point. If you're an idea man, then you will come up with a thousand other things before you know it, and these ideas, as good as they are will seem pale in comparison. But you have to start.
Do your comic with a fixed panel count. Example: Start with splash panel on page 1, and then each additional page have a 4 panel grid. (Or 6 panel, or 3 panels). And then maintain it for the duration of the story. And write panel to panel. Done. So a 24 page comic with 1 splash page and 4 panels a page = 93 panels. Make a dummy and write your dialog in each panel - with stick figures/talking heads.
Do everything with restrictions. And then work to fit within the restrictions. Now you have a goal. When doing kids books I know I need minimum of 24 pages (It's not cost effective to do less) but then going over 36 potentially becomes cost prohibitive for my client - so I know page by page, how to break up their content. (One way to look at it is, each page is a comic panel). Can you tell your story in 36 panels? (or 36 pages).
Examples: The Spirit, by Will Eisner - 8 Page shorts. He had a week or less to get his stories out the door -and had to have his 8 page comic supplement to the Newspaper by the next Saturday.
One-shot comics - as in a tale told in 24 to 48 pages. These are self contained stories which give enough room to have a story play out, but not become cumbersome. Beginning, middle end. Done.
You mention that it will take it a lot of energy to do this - so my suggestion is, if you keep it short, simple, and contained - 8 pages or a One-shot, you get it done and out of your system - and then you don't have to sit around be concerned about the ongoing maintenance of a monthly book or universe.
Either an 8 page tale, or a one-shot are extremely feasible. Can you tell your story in 8 pages? If not then, why do you need more?
Keep it black and white - keeps cost down, quicker output.
So suggestions:
1. Try and do your story as an 8 page comic - 1 splash page and 4 panels/page following. Can it be done? If so go to town. If you need more pages...
2. Do a 24 page comic - 1 splash page, 4 panels/page until complete. (Johnny B. Goode a webcomic that is featured here at CCAS is a prime example of going panel to panel).
3. Alternative: Do a 36 page comic - but only 1 panel/page (the page is the panel) - can you compact your story into that?
4. Write your comic on flash cards/or note cards - each card is a panel. Write the story panel to panel, until complete. Then count your panels, and determine a potential page count for comic.
If you can't draw, hire the right people. Keep it black and white to keep costs down. Consider other alternative ways to present the material (maybe it's a comic collage).
Short. Compact. To the point. I challenge you, nay triple dog dare you: Can you write your story in 8 pages. Can you do it in a week?
(Note: A lot of these questions are rhetorical).
Martin
Wow, alot of good info here, Thanks so much :) And yes I hope someday i do get the motiavation to fatten up my concepts, I have told a few trusted persons of my concepts, two of them are comic and RPG nuts, and they liked the idea so much, I game mastered a game using those concepts, and they loved it...So yeah I am pretty sure my idea's will be liked by many :)
Maybe if i have some time, I will type them out and post them for some of you to glace over... I have them written down in point form, and put them in storage..... For now :)
Thanks so much for the input guys, means alot to me :)
Don
Well, " Poor man's copyright" where you mail it to yourself is a myth. All you'd have to do to get around it is mail yourself an empty unsealed envelope, and stuff it with whatever you want whenever you had something. The courts know that and don't give any weight to that method.
But the good news is that as soon as you write down the idea, it *is* copyrighted. It's your idea in a fixed form, and that is protected. But you kicking around ideas verbally with other people is not. So it's safer to share your ideas in written form, even if it's email. A series of emails which discuss details of payment to a freelancer is considered a contract and shows intent to pay the freelancer (helpful when wringing payment out of deadbeat employers), so email ought to be enough of a fixed format with enough proof attached to the date to verify that you wrote it first. Still, ideas can (and should) be borrowed and tweaked - but lifting entire written passages is illegal and violates copyright.
The other good news is that it isn't ideas people are lacking for. Everybody has an idea they think is a winner - and it very well may be. But the execution of the idea is the difficult and valuable thing. Somebody who is good enough to execute an idea well has his own ideas to work on and won't bother stealing yours. If some hack steals your idea, he won't succeed because he can't execute it, so, no impact.
Your problem will be finding somebody who not only *can* execute the idea, but who also is willing to take time out from their own brilliant ideas to work on yours. For that you need either a lot of money, or to have already written out your idea in a compelling way they can believe in (which you need to do anyway so they can execute it well).
In short, idea-stealing is a myth, poor man's copyright is a myth, and there's no getting around putting in the work. :) Maybe after awhile you'll feel motivated to finish them out on paper - always a good idea, since that's how you find plot holes and inconsistencies. Best of luck!
Hey Gerard,
Nah you didn't discourage me, I am just not up to all the work it would take to make these a reality...Besides, both the concepts aren't excatly Faith based. They are superhero based idea's the one is more a concept on how ppl get superpowers, the other is based on one char and how his powers effect the world itself.
both are very org, and well thought out, I just don't have the motiavation to go any farther with them..
Don
Hi Donald, I'm sorry if I discouraged you, I didn't mean to. If you like I can help a little bit with your presentation of your ideas. If you go to my profile you'll see two links, one is to my amateur comic 'Edge of the Flock', you can see what my writing and storyboards are like. If you're interested let me know. Don't be discouraged if God has given you these ideas, it will work out:)
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