Any tips for making dialogue-heavy pages more visually interesting?

[Missapogee]

Basically what the title says. I'm working on an update where there's a lot of dialogue and not really any action, I really needs to happen for plot purposes, but I'm struggling with all of my attempts turning out stiff and dull. What do you guys do to solve this problem? Are there any interesting angles/paneling styles that you guys do in this situation? Also feel free to post your comic here!

[IndigoShirtProd]

Move the camera around; change the angles in which the characters are viewed. Do low shot, high shots, pull the camera back. Instead of focusing on the characters, you can focus on the background. Visually display what you're talking about rather than having talking heads.

[magnavarra]

You can focus on some details - maybe they are are talking over a dinner - and draw a cup of tea or holding some other things. Or hand gestures closeups.

[DiegoPalacios]

The character`s body language can also help making a dialogue more interesting, just like in a theatre play.

Another trick you can use for dialogue/exposition heavy pages is to use explanatory illustrations in some pannels or images that represent the concept explained.

Example of the latter from my comic:

[DaphnePanda]

Focusing on backgrounds and details. Alternatively, if something is happening in the background, you can put some focus on that. You can also use patterns behind the text to add some subtle color without drawing too much attention away from the text.

Here are some examples from some of my super text-heavy chapters.

Some poor guy getting his arm stolen (stuff happening in the background)

This brush covered in dye sinking into water (combination of background-y action + abstract design). I have really long vertical panels so I'm not attaching the entire thing.

[starry-sea]

this might help a bit https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/715975911606059038/716271685237473300/wally-woods-22-panels-that-always-work.jpg

[LadyN]

A good idea (in my opinion) is to have a person visually repainting what’s going on. A lot of people when they talk make hand movements and body movements to represent what they were doing, or what they are going to do.

This only works when talking in past and future pretense though.

[DiegoPalacios]

Just remembered another trick you can pull is to play with the context of the conversation.

Example: If they are at dinner, one can slam the table if they get infuriated or drop something by accident after a shocking reveal, even the distance between the people can communicate a bigger or smaller level of comfort between the characters talking. It`s surprising how many variables can make a conversation feel more alive.

[pilot-obvious]

Here are some things I keep in mind when I'm making my comic. I really avoid having just talking heads on every panel. Show some gestures and body language while they are talking. Switch up the camera angles. Show the characters interacting with objects in the setting while they are talking... or switch to shots of the background and objects in the scene to add some variety.

Find ways to get creative with speech bubbles and text. Here's a cool Tapas thread that gives some examples: https://forums.tapas.io/t/creative-use-of-speech-bubbles/33876

[R.n.P]

i agree with @IndigoShirtProd, you can also add a lot of engaging background art especially in cases when the individual or topic being discussed isn't in the immediate vicinity of where the dialogue is taking place

[artamazon]

I will never not post this, lol. Like so many people in here have already said, different camera angles, focusing on objects in the scene. You can also play with a mix of the size and shape of panels to describe feelings, action or passage of time.

Don't be afraid to get crazy and try things. Will Eisner is probably my favorite person for learning to think outside of the box. I tried to find some interesting examples that would play well with the webcomic vertical format. Maybe it will inspire you to try something new!

Some kind of continuous image like this building where as you scroll down, you see more floors of the building, and the dialogue follows someone walking down the stairs.

He played around a lot with funky shapes, effects and high contrast. The bottom panels, something like that could be flipped vertical, so you could scroll down and see an event unfolding.

I could talk about this forever, so I'll stop now, lol.

[Rhonder]

I'm in the "as long as it's not just talking heads and there's other stuff going on, it's fine" camp. Obviously too much of a good thing and all that, but sometimes a scene just has to be a little dialogue heavy. This isn't a great example since it was kinda rushed and there are a few formatting mishaps, but I just drew this strip over the weekend for my D&D comic slice of life comic which is pretty dialogue heavy (especially the 2nd panel is over the top lol...) but I tried to remedy it some by giving care to the backgrounds and switching up the camera a couple of times (even though they're mostly mid-shots lol)

[muchazuke]

Not sure if this is really applicable if you're using a vertical format, but if you're doing a printed-page layout it helps to break the panels or limit them to a minimal. It creates a dramatic page and you can incorporate more details to your drawing. Two characters can have several speech bubbles at once if you put them carefully. Or if you have more than two characters, take a long angle to show them all at once, but remember to position them in a way that their speech bubbles wouldn't mess up the sequences. Good luck!

[M.ComicFan]

Not gonna lie, I kinda need the advice from this topic too. The comic I'm working on now has scenes with a lot of dialogue (especially in the first 2 chapters). So I hope you don't mind if I use the advice from this topic as well.

[VibrantFox]

Big agreeing with folks mentioning varying camera angles/perspective, emphasizing body language and even putting focus on things happening in the background. Another of my favorites is highlighting specific points of body language! Things like hands fidgeting or folded arms, creased brows or a strained expression, showing how the eyes look (maybe tired, angry or empty). Posing the body a certain way can also help and it's probably one of the reasons why I focus on it so much in film and tv acting.

Also as was mentioned the way you arrange your panels can play a role in helping o pace things out too. Not only does highlighting things going on in the background work but if it's pertinent to the conversation highlighting specific objects in the space your characters are in can help add some depth as well. Say there was a fight or argument between two characters, you can put emphasis on the damage left in their wake like broken stuff or if something bad happened those spattered bloodstains or claw marks can add to the suspense of a convo.

I'm a big fan of stuff like this so I'd be libel to go on for a long while so I'll kindly stop there

[DiegoPalacios]

this advice is for everyone watching, if it helps you, enjoy!