The establishing shot sets up the setting of a scene, of course. It could be a wide shot of a city or a house, or a crowded bar, or two characters at a dinner table.
It'll need more detail than other panels; even in a simpler art style, establishing where we are and what characters are there takes more detail…and more work.
The good news is that once an establishing shot is put together, the reader's mind will accept it as established, and much less detail is needed for the rest of the page…or maybe more.
This is how a blank background, or just a prop or corner of the wall, or a blurry, undefined background will do the job. I've used that blurry, textured blob a lot…but it still requires creating a background before blurring it.
A background that I used to see in Archie comics was a smear of color - like a curved or “S” shaped line of color against the white background. I've tried it behind character closeups or medium shots.
Another trick I've tried - I don't remember where I first saw it - is turning my characters into pure black silhouettes against white. I really like the effect for to use for a panel in an extended conversation or even a simple action panel. I think it works really well.
Of course, you need to establish the setting when the location changes - not necessarily in the first panel but SOMEWHERE early in your new scene. Unless you're going for a confusion of place for a story related reason.
Any thoughts of establishing shots?
Sorry about this quick article; I nearly forgot to write it up until the last moment!
bye for now!
Banes
Establishing Shots
Banes at 12:00AM, Feb. 10, 2022
7 likes!
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hushicho at 6:57PM, Feb. 10, 2022
Great article, and it's so fun to play with ways to refer to the setting without having to do some overwrought background. Archie, through the years, always had a consistent pop art solid quality, and I've learned more than a few things from icons like Dan DeCarlo, for example! As always, I recommend taking a look at Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work, and also at least The Spirit by Will Eisner for some masterful establishing. Read it in black and white, and make sure it's Eisner. I am very confident it will give you at least some ideas and inspiration!
Banes at 6:36PM, Feb. 10, 2022
Thanks y’all! Gunwallace, that’s brilliant!
Ozoneocean at 6:05PM, Feb. 10, 2022
@Gunwallace- genius
Gunwallace at 10:38AM, Feb. 10, 2022
Establishing Shots would be a great name for a bar that specialized in pre-loading before events. Location would be key; it would need to be near several major venues/stadiums. Groups of sober people would march in, stay 20 mins spending freely, and then stagger out to go to the football/musical/philosophy lecture.
Othosmops at 7:07AM, Feb. 10, 2022
I didn't know the word for this "film" setting before, but the dramaturgical role of the long shot was clear to me. Thanks for the tips on how to keep such scenes from being overloaded in terms of time and (for renderings) data!
Ozoneocean at 5:47AM, Feb. 10, 2022
Love it! Establishing shots are super important.
EssayBee at 5:31AM, Feb. 10, 2022
For cityscape establishing shots, I'd recommend doing them large, and if you have places that you know you'll be reusing at different times, color them with different color schemes (day, night, evening, etc.) so you can use them when needed instead of having to redo tedious city shots. Large cityscapes, although a pain in the butt, if done large enough, can be zoomed in/cropped to serve as background buildings for the rest of the scene if your characters are talking on the street, on a rooftop, in a building with a window, etc. Make those huge establishing shots work overtime to save you some work!