This week, I helped Kel Winser with a comic-writing workshop for 17 year-olds, run at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. I've done events like this before, and am generally asked in to talk about being a jobbing writer and the sorts of things that come up when I'm writing comics. I also have original artwork from a strip I wrote (drawn by the amazing John Ross from Doctor Who Adventures), and it helps the kids to see the stages the work goes through before it goes to print.
This time we tried something different and I was more involved. Kel asked me to write a script for the attendees to draw. The idea was that each attendee would draw one or two panels each, telling the story between them. They'd have to work together to agree character designs, setting and so on.
The museum was also keen for me to include aspects of Egyptology (and the workshop included an exercise in drawing objects from life), something about modern Egypt, the practice of archaeology itself and the ancient culture of Egypt - which isn't exactly easy in three pages of six panels each. So here's what I wrote:
ANCIENT EGYPT SMASH!
Script © Simon Guerrier 2012
PAGE ONE (OF THREE) – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
Establishing shot: Egypt in the future. A mix of the ancient and the futuristic. Pyramids (not the ones at Giza – something more unusual), but with skyscrapers nearby, and flying cars. Small detail in this: an archaeological dig, with the entrance to an excavation.
CAPTION:
Egypt. 2212 AD.
PANEL TWO
A dark tomb being excavated. Closed doors with hieroglyphics (or your own strange writing) on them. In front of them kneels a figure, a silhouette, holding a torch as she reads. Though we don't know it yet, she's a woman – but we'll meet MAGGIE in the next panel. There are other archaeologists working nearby.
CAPTION:
Where incredible finds are still being made...
MAGGIE:
So it says... Oh.
MAGGIE 2:
“Death to men who enter here...”
PANEL THREE
MAGGIE lifts a torch to investigate what she's found. She's an accomplished archaeologist, but she's NOT River Song or Lara Croft or any other hero you already know. Her clothes are practical but futuristic. She wears glasses.
MAGGIE:
Good job I'm not a man.
MAGGIE 2:
But you lot best stay back...
PANEL FOUR
Same as PANEL TWO, but MAGGIE pushes the doors with her hand and the doors creak open. We can just see inside parts of the two giant ROBOTS inside.
CAPTION:
Creeeeeeeek!
PANEL FIVE
MAGGIE holds the torch up to examine two huge robots, their designs based on Egyptian gods (you pick which ones). ROBOT 1 and ROBOT 2 look brand new. We need to see their faces, and their blank, staring eyes (to make the next panel work).
MAGGIE:
They're amazing. So perfectly preserved!
PANEL SIX
Close on the robots' faces as their eyes light up. MAGGIE falls back in horror. The ROBOTS speech bubbles are in a different, more mechanical typeface and the bubbles are more square.
ROBOT 1:
That's real nice of you, puny human.
MAGGIE:
Oh!
PAGE TWO – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
ROBOT 1 and ROBOT 2 smash their way through the doors and out of the tomb. The archaeologists run away, but MAGGIE tries to keep up with the robots.
CAPTION:
Crash! Thunk!
ARCHAEOLOGIST:
Eeek!
MAGGIE:
But you're... You're alive.
ROBOT 2:
Well, d'uh. God's don't die.
PANEL TWO
The ROBOTS stand outside the dig, gazing off at the skyscrapers, the flying cars (as PAGE ONE, PANEL ONE). MAGGIE running after them, struggling to keep up.
ROBOT 1:
How long did we sleep?
ROBOT 2:
I'll check the position of stars...
PANEL THREE
ROBOT 1 leaning over to look, in amazement, at the reading on ROBOT 2's wrist. MAGGIE tries to intercede.
ROBOT 1:
Woah! What?!?
ROBOT 2:
Must be a glitch.
MAGGIE:
The doors of your tomb were sealed more than 4,000 years ago.
PANEL FOUR
The robots, shocked, turn on MAGGIE.
ROBOT 2:
The humans tricked us!
MAGGIE:
What? We didn't do anything!
PANEL FIVE
ROBOT 2 gestures at the skyscrapers, the flying cars.
ROBOT 2:
They locked us away – and built a world of their own!
ROBOT 2 2:
So we'll smash it!
PANEL SIX
The ROBOTS take to their air, leaving MAGGIE behind.
MAGGIE:
Wait! Come back!
MAGGIE 2:
What have I done?
PAGE THREE – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
The two ROBOTS smash a famous landmark from somewhere round the world. The bigger, the madder, the more recognisable, the better.
CAPTION:
Smash!
ROBOT 2:
Ha ha!
PANEL TWO
The two ROBOTS destroy ANOTHER famous landmark somewhere round the world. It has to be from a different country than the one in PANEL ONE.
ROBOT 1:
Good to stretch after all that time asleep.
CAPTION:
Crunch!
PANEL THREE
The two ROBOTS in the air, one holding on to a warplane, the other smashing into one. Behind them, lots of warplanes attacking.
CAPTION:
The humans try to fight back, but...
ROBOT 1:
Is this the best they can do?
CAPTION:
Clunk! Crunk!
PANEL FOUR
The ROBOTS in the air, the ground below them littered with broken planes and tanks.
ROBOT 1:
Okay. What do we smash next?
PANEL FIVE
From behind the robots as they look down – at a children's playground, with swings and slides, kids playing.
ROBOT 1:
Oh wow!
ROBOT 2:
Perfect.
PANEL SIX
The giant ROBOTS... on the swings. Small children stare and point and laugh.
ROBOT 1:
This is amazing! Wheee!
ROBOT 2:
Yeah, okay, humans. You can keep your world.
END
This time we tried something different and I was more involved. Kel asked me to write a script for the attendees to draw. The idea was that each attendee would draw one or two panels each, telling the story between them. They'd have to work together to agree character designs, setting and so on.
The museum was also keen for me to include aspects of Egyptology (and the workshop included an exercise in drawing objects from life), something about modern Egypt, the practice of archaeology itself and the ancient culture of Egypt - which isn't exactly easy in three pages of six panels each. So here's what I wrote:
ANCIENT EGYPT SMASH!
Script © Simon Guerrier 2012
PAGE ONE (OF THREE) – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
Establishing shot: Egypt in the future. A mix of the ancient and the futuristic. Pyramids (not the ones at Giza – something more unusual), but with skyscrapers nearby, and flying cars. Small detail in this: an archaeological dig, with the entrance to an excavation.
CAPTION:
Egypt. 2212 AD.
PANEL TWO
A dark tomb being excavated. Closed doors with hieroglyphics (or your own strange writing) on them. In front of them kneels a figure, a silhouette, holding a torch as she reads. Though we don't know it yet, she's a woman – but we'll meet MAGGIE in the next panel. There are other archaeologists working nearby.
CAPTION:
Where incredible finds are still being made...
MAGGIE:
So it says... Oh.
MAGGIE 2:
“Death to men who enter here...”
PANEL THREE
MAGGIE lifts a torch to investigate what she's found. She's an accomplished archaeologist, but she's NOT River Song or Lara Croft or any other hero you already know. Her clothes are practical but futuristic. She wears glasses.
MAGGIE:
Good job I'm not a man.
MAGGIE 2:
But you lot best stay back...
PANEL FOUR
Same as PANEL TWO, but MAGGIE pushes the doors with her hand and the doors creak open. We can just see inside parts of the two giant ROBOTS inside.
CAPTION:
Creeeeeeeek!
PANEL FIVE
MAGGIE holds the torch up to examine two huge robots, their designs based on Egyptian gods (you pick which ones). ROBOT 1 and ROBOT 2 look brand new. We need to see their faces, and their blank, staring eyes (to make the next panel work).
MAGGIE:
They're amazing. So perfectly preserved!
 |
| Page one, panel six by Ryan |
Close on the robots' faces as their eyes light up. MAGGIE falls back in horror. The ROBOTS speech bubbles are in a different, more mechanical typeface and the bubbles are more square.
ROBOT 1:
That's real nice of you, puny human.
MAGGIE:
Oh!
PAGE TWO – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
ROBOT 1 and ROBOT 2 smash their way through the doors and out of the tomb. The archaeologists run away, but MAGGIE tries to keep up with the robots.
CAPTION:
Crash! Thunk!
ARCHAEOLOGIST:
Eeek!
MAGGIE:
But you're... You're alive.
ROBOT 2:
Well, d'uh. God's don't die.
PANEL TWO
The ROBOTS stand outside the dig, gazing off at the skyscrapers, the flying cars (as PAGE ONE, PANEL ONE). MAGGIE running after them, struggling to keep up.
ROBOT 1:
How long did we sleep?
ROBOT 2:
I'll check the position of stars...
 |
| Page two, panel three by Chantelle |
ROBOT 1 leaning over to look, in amazement, at the reading on ROBOT 2's wrist. MAGGIE tries to intercede.
ROBOT 1:
Woah! What?!?
ROBOT 2:
Must be a glitch.
MAGGIE:
The doors of your tomb were sealed more than 4,000 years ago.
PANEL FOUR
The robots, shocked, turn on MAGGIE.
ROBOT 2:
The humans tricked us!
MAGGIE:
What? We didn't do anything!
PANEL FIVE
ROBOT 2 gestures at the skyscrapers, the flying cars.
ROBOT 2:
They locked us away – and built a world of their own!
ROBOT 2 2:
So we'll smash it!
PANEL SIX
The ROBOTS take to their air, leaving MAGGIE behind.
MAGGIE:
Wait! Come back!
MAGGIE 2:
What have I done?
PAGE THREE – SIX PANELS
PANEL ONE
The two ROBOTS smash a famous landmark from somewhere round the world. The bigger, the madder, the more recognisable, the better.
CAPTION:
Smash!
ROBOT 2:
Ha ha!
PANEL TWO
The two ROBOTS destroy ANOTHER famous landmark somewhere round the world. It has to be from a different country than the one in PANEL ONE.
ROBOT 1:
Good to stretch after all that time asleep.
CAPTION:
Crunch!
PANEL THREE
The two ROBOTS in the air, one holding on to a warplane, the other smashing into one. Behind them, lots of warplanes attacking.
CAPTION:
The humans try to fight back, but...
ROBOT 1:
Is this the best they can do?
CAPTION:
Clunk! Crunk!
PANEL FOUR
The ROBOTS in the air, the ground below them littered with broken planes and tanks.
ROBOT 1:
Okay. What do we smash next?
PANEL FIVE
From behind the robots as they look down – at a children's playground, with swings and slides, kids playing.
ROBOT 1:
Oh wow!
ROBOT 2:
Perfect.
 |
| Page three, panel six by Kel |
The giant ROBOTS... on the swings. Small children stare and point and laugh.
ROBOT 1:
This is amazing! Wheee!
ROBOT 2:
Yeah, okay, humans. You can keep your world.
END
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