Hello everyone! Welcome to a new and unique lesson about adding sound, or rather sound effects, to manga scenes. Have you ever read a manga and felt that there was a sound coming from the scene? A movement, or a certain emotion? Yes, that's what we'll be discussing today. Manga consists of static drawings and only uses words to convey the idea or meaning, unlike anime where we hear the voices of the characters or the surrounding environment. Therefore, it's essential for us to understand how to add text or sound effects to compensate for the absence of sound.
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It's not as difficult as it might seem to some. All we need are a few phrases that describe the sound coming from the scene, using various methods such as large fonts, visual effects, and visual presentation, so that the reader can hear or imagine the sound themselves. So, get the program ready, and let's embark on this journey together!
Calligraphy
It is one of the easiest and most direct ways to deliver the desired sound, and the steps are as follows:
• We choose the appropriate location and insert the text box using the text tool. Text Tool
• We write what this sound is, for example: “a door closing”
• We change the font style and size through the font settings. Tool Property To match the scene
Explanation of the script:
Explosion: We write the word “BOOM” in Arabic or English in a large size that covers the scene, with an arc-like tilt.
A calming voice: such as “shh,” meaning be quiet, and a soft, simple font should be used.
Tension: We should make the line wavy to give a sense of tension and anxiety emanating from the heartbeats.
Types of writing that express the same sound
Here, instead of writing what sound is, we will write it directly:
- BAM! Shooting, stabbing, or falling.
- Check: The sound of the camera or the sound of footsteps.
- Tin tin: Horror music.
Optical lines
It is suitable for explosions, fighting, or collisions, to express the intensity of the sounds involved:
- • We define the desired scene; it must be an action or shock scene.
• We add the action lines effect from the materials list Material Palette Or using font tools Speed Lines - • We distribute the fonts in the format we want.
Explaining visual lines step by step
Heavy fall: Like a ball or a person, it needs lines that curve outwards to suggest weight.
He opened the door forcefully: Slanted lines with vibration.
drops: Very fine lines, suitable for drops of water or blood.
The effect of silence
One of the easiest, most attractive and powerful ways to convey the message without needing to write or draw is to simply point the camera at the element, and the reader alone will hear the sound effect.
• We choose a scene that contains only one element, such as a clock, from which the reader senses the sound of the clock saying: “Tick tick tick”.
• We can choose a scene of rain only, and immediately the sound of rain will come to mind, because the mind automatically links the image to the auditory memory.
• It is essential that these scenes do not contain other characters or elements to avoid distraction.
Explaining the effect of silence
We choose a wide camera angle, from above, of an empty room or a large forest, so that we can imagine the chirping of birds, for example.
We zoom the camera in excessively on the element, such as the pupil of the eye or the lips, and make the scene in dark colors, in order for the viewer to feel silence and stillness.
Textual effects with drawing
This is a very powerful and important technique, because we use words and drawings to express the sounds present in a manga scene, and it has its own special charm as well.
Suitable for scenes of explosions.
It is also suitable for a scene of a manga character screaming.
The importance of divider panels for your manga scenes
Explanation of textual and visual effects
• Place the appropriate effect behind the text
• The writing should be close to the sound source.
• It is essential to follow the direction of movement
• Make the effects part of the scene, not a separate element.
Note: Using more than one effect in a single scene causes a lot of chaos and confusion for the readers, so try to balance the effects and not exaggerate them.
We can think of these effects as visual music, just like the soundtracks in anime and films, which add more magic to the scene. The great thing is that you won't need to write or draw the effect constantly; as we mentioned during the lesson, silence and stillness can sometimes be as powerful as a sound.
Thank you for reading the lesson, and I hope to meet you soon, God willing.
