L'Art de la BD - Tome 01: Du Scénario à la réalisation

by Bernard Duc

Apprendre, comprendre, expérimenter, ces deux ouvrages techniques mélangent informations pratiques et bases théoriques pour maîtriser la BD en apprivoisant toutes les finesses de cet art aussi riche que diversifié. Deux ouvrages de référence indispensables.

Genres: Bande Dessinée, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 1982

Reviews

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have owned this book since it first came out in France in 1982, an early edition before the second volume was planned. I have an extremely battered copy, with all the pages detached from the spine, so much it was leafed through during my childhood … but I don’t think I ever read it cover to cover, choosing instead to enjoy the vast number of illustrations from cartoon series I didn’t know. After abandoning this book in the attic for a couple of decades, I’m giving it a proper read.

It’s an excellent technical manual detailing the basics of visual narrative, as presented in bande dessinée but also applicable to cinema and television, and to literary narrative as well. It’s all about directing the reader’s attention and conveying the author’s intentions with subtlety, depth, and clarity.

I have long given up drawing cartoons (I never was any good) but my writing can benefit from these tips on using the narrative camera to define and enhance the reader’s experience of the story. There are great explanations about avoiding pacing issues in storytelling, keeping descriptions proportional to the impression to convey and their story purpose, focusing into the essential, as well as that hoary old chestnut of “showing not telling”. You’d think that issue wouldn’t arise in visual narrative, which is by definition all showing, but it does. Relevance and pacing issues reflect the same dichotomy in visual as well as narrative storytelling.

One thing I am noticing from this read is just how poorly edited this book was: the columns of text are sometimes truncated, sometimes placed out of order. There are bits missing and it’s not because any of the loose pages have been lost!

Anyway, it’s a good read, so three stars.

[Ingrid Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the infinitesimally small library in our village moved to a bigger location, many books were offered for sale. For a dollar or two each, one could get any number of amazing books. In 2002 my kids were small and I used to bring them to the library AT LEAST once a week, more often twice - in those days, they both read a lot.

This book, and its companion Volume II (tome II), were the two I reserved the minute they were available, even though they are quite worn and used (always a good sign). They are interesting and beautiful books to look at, to read, learn from, and appreciate. Love these books.

[William Andrew Loomis II]

O MELHOR NO GÊNERO!