How to Go from Comic Writing to Film Writing

You see the film as you would like to see it, a race of images perhaps, or a way of thinking on things. I experience films as something with an innate realness to them. Even the poorest films have some grasp of humanity, whether it's a coy smile or a generic scene of sadness. Even horror films have something to say. As a writer, I have explored much in the world of writing, making this my career. Let's get honest: I haven't had a "story" accepted by anyone. So listen if you want. I am no Quentin Tarantino...

My point is that the comic is something I have researched and studied, almost more than my college studies, because there is something about the static image and the creation of a story, where you see a writer making sense of things-and an artist trying to keep up. It's the same with film: the writer is trying to make something, and the director is trying to make sense of what the writer is saying. Go South, because a true storyteller will see films and comics are important voices in the world, important ways to express something different.

Comics say similar things as films. The major films you see on the big screen often have the generic hero and the generic villain. Comic book writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman explored this. Even film writers like Jim Jarmusch or Dan O'Bannon explored these simple themes. It's the KISS Principle in action: audiences need to understand who the bad guy is, what the good guy really wants. So, what you are seeing are heroes in action in films and comics.

Comic writers write films; film writers write comics. Like who? Neil Gaiman began his storytelling career as a comic writer, pushing "Sandman" to the bestseller lists. Then he went to novels, then he went to films. On the other side, many film writers explore the comic medium. Look to the publisher Boom! Studios, who frequently bring in film talents to write comics. The founder of Boom! actually started the TV show "Eureka."

So traveling from comics to films, films to comics, is quite possible. Here is an opinion. Comics cost far less to product. If a film costs less than 10 million dollars, surely it's independent. If a comic costs over a million to make, well, that never happens. Comics cost far less to create than a major studio film. My opinion: start out and see if you can break into comics. The mediums are close, and if you can prove yourself there, you can prove yourself in the film industry (or write TV shows!)

If you want to travel south, an important stage in your storytelling career, I suggest exploring writers who made the jump from comics to films, films to comics. The names include Clive Barker, a horror master, Neil Gaiman, a master of dreams, and especially Frank Miller. There is a reason for this: a story has a certain power with a moving image; a story has an incredible power with the static image of the comic book.

Explore that.