THE FINDING:
(UFAPEC analysis 11/2018 by D. Houssonloge)
1. "The youth, poor readers"
The ReadInComics project was developed in response to an alarming observation: the ability to read is declining among French-speaking pupils in Belgium. According to the 2016 PIRLS international survey which analyzes the reading skills of 4th grade pupils (carried out here by the ULG): French-speaking pupils are the weakest readers in Europe and they are down compared to previous surveys (2011 and 2006).
In secondary school, reading proficiency is also in decline according to the results of French-speaking students at age 15 presented in the PISA survey.
While student performance had improved significantly during the last two cycles, a decline was recorded in 2015, and the proportion of students with rudimentary reading skills rose again.
Reading is also on the decline as a cultural practice
Also in 2015, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation made further worrying findings in terms of reading and mastering the French language:
According to a recent ONE study, 50% of children aged 30 months already have a language delay or disorder.
Reading as a cultural practice is on the decline
15% (1 in 7) of young people leave secondary school without a diploma and without the functional use of reading.
We also observe that the fall in interest in reading is not new and is only increasing, whether in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation or elsewhere: For thirty years, it’s a fact: every generation reads less than the previous one.
2. Reading drowned among many hobbies
According to a French survey by IPSOS and CNL in 2016:
- Young people aged 7 to 19 have a very large number of leisure activities, on average nine per week.
- Reading thus comes in 7th position among the most popular weekly activities behind TV series (92%), video games (88%), friends (87%), music (86%), sport (84%) and Internet (84%).
- In their spare time, young people spend an average of three hours a week reading for eight to twenty hours on their telephone/Internet.
- Young people today have a very large number of leisure activities and reading ranks 7th among activities practiced weekly.
- The most read genres of books among young people are novels and comics: Harry Potter is the favorite book for both girls and boys and for all age groups: 6% of readers cited it as being the book they prefer, ahead of Titeuf, Asterix, The Magic Shack and Hunger Games.
There are strong disparities between girls and boys: Girls are much more readers of novels (69% read them): after Harry Potter, their favorite books are Twilight, The Diary of Anne Frank, After and Violetta.
Boys, on the other hand, are much more readers of comics (65%) and manga (35%): after Harry Potter, their favorite books are Titeuf, Tintin, Asterix and Pokémon.
There are also strong disparities by age: Younger people read a wider variety of books and are significantly more readers of comics (45%), picture books (35%) and activity books (20 %).
The oldest are more focused on reading novels (67%): after Harry Potter, their favorite books are After, Twilight, Hunger Games and the novels of Guillaume Musso. »
Here are the objectives of readincomics, an educational and cultural project focused on promoting reading among young people but also on intergenerational exchange. :
Promote the development of reading and language proficiency in children:
The objective of this project is to encourage children to develop their reading skills and their mastery of the French language, in accordance with the educational priorities of the Ministry of National Education. To achieve this objective, the readincomics project proposes to convert the tablet or the telephone into a reading workshop.
Promoting children's literature to children:
Children's literature such as comics is an effective way to develop a love of reading in children. By encouraging children to discover and appreciate our literary heritage. This project can help them develop important concentration, reading, writing, and even communication skills.
Encourage intergenerational exchange:
Intergenerational interaction is an enriching experience that can help strengthen family bonds and pass on important values and traditions. By promoting the exchange between children and parents or grandparents, the readincomics project can help promote mutual understanding and respect between different generations. Children can thus discover the cultural heritage and traditions of their parents or grandparents.
Promote the learning of modern languages:
In addition to mastering the French language, the project can also encourage the learning of modern languages. By exposing children to other languages and cultures, the project can help them develop cross-cultural understanding and prepare for an increasingly multilingual world.
THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS PROJECT
- Capture children's attention
- Introduce children to reading
- Develop their vocabulary,
- Giving children a love of books
- Create a connection with writing, Help the child learn to read,
- Help children learn to read
- Help them focus on a text,
- From the original comics,
- Modernize the learning of comics,
- Produce proactive works for the education of youth,
- Make the original comics live and / or revive,
- Nurture the trans-generational link through the use of original comics,
- Open to respect for the work of the authors of the original works,
- Give pleasure to observe a book,
- An easy and didactic approach to reading for children and parents,
- Easy reading on tablet and computer that can be associated with the original comic strip off the shelf or newly purchased,
- Market for old original comics relaunched,
- Build on past commercial successes or launch others that are still unknown,
- Feeding the imagination of children and adults around them:
True inner adventure
Technical approach of the project:
Animate the drawings one by one or several at a time using video effects but the drawings and thumbnails remain those of the original comics. The Readincomics project will make videos to animate comics in a way that is subtle and respectful of the original work. For this, various effects can be used such as zoom, micro-pan, Ken Burns, slideshow animation, parallax, window, emphasis, flash, crossfade, etc. These effects are used to show what there is to discover and / or to put intensity in the strong points of the original Comic strip and / or the illustrated book or not, but also of the dramaturgy without creating cartoons. The soundtrack including all the necessary effects: music, sound effects, sound design, sound effects, ambient sounds... will perfectly complete the image. Thus, the work on the visual and sound animation aims to highlight the original comic strip while making it more attractive to younger generations.
Competitive Approach
Project submitted and registered,
No competition found
Only books and audio comics exist especially for the blind: Example: Blynd application
Comics (comics) and manga are popular reading materials for young people. However, the ReadInComics project differs from the classic reading of original comics and/or illustrated or unillustrated books as well as simple texts by offering a multimedia reading experience. It is also different from the digital comics currently available on the market, as it sets the characters in motion and incorporates sound elements from the original comics and/or illustrated or unillustrated books as well as simple texts. None of this exists yet.
The educational aspect
The educational aspect of ReadInComics is one of the originalities that distinguishes it from other online reading projects. Indeed, Baroch Editions through this branch of activity offers an innovative method to help children learn to read. Thanks to the “Karaoke” effect for the text, the child can follow the actor’s excellent reading. This stimulates the child’s concentration and allows him to learn words more easily. In addition, the fact that the child can stop reading at any time and resume it manually at their own pace makes it possible to adapt the learning of words to each person’s needs. Finally, the modernization of the original works and the quality of the soundtrack make it possible to arouse children’s interest in reading and make them want to continue to discover new books with their families, with their parents or grandparents or even alone.
Commercialization
The project is considering two approaches to disseminate it:
One, philanthropic consisting in offering them as an aid to the learning of
reading in schools and other institutions on the basis of sponsorship or other
fundraising,
Another, The ReadInComics project will be marketed through all kinds of broadcast and/or distribution channels such as: an application and/or TV channels or children’s programs, online sales or streaming platforms, websites and specialized booksellers…The economic model could also be based on the sale of user licenses to other publishers so that they distribute in their networks, institutions or individuals and/or by advertising/promoting their catalog on all media. The name ReadInComics, its concept as well as its logo and readincomics.com are properties of Baroch Editions and constitute a branch of activity of the latter in its own right. All of this will serve to support the marketing of the project.
"We don't change anything on the original work.
."
This is the main originality of the project.
The other originalities of the project
The trans-generational link:
It is the sharing of comics from the youth of parents or even grandparents with the new generations.
It's teaming up to love reading...
The child can also interact and for example stop at any time and can manually resume reading. He goes at his own pace and reading becomes fun: the pleasure book...
The soundtrack :
Voiceovers and those of the characters: By known or unknown actors.
Music: Like movie soundtracks
Sound effects: Very "cartoon" to bring onomatopoeia to life.
Duration: +/- 45 minutes per comic
Either the standard for series episodes.
The modernization of the original works restores the appeal of these books to the youngest. No more tight lines...
The passage through the screen becomes a strong educational tool.
Karaoke effect for text:
The text takes on color as the actor reads it. His concentration is fixed on the text and he gets into the habit of reading.
It is the key to learning to read.
And this of course in different languages…
For a learning
other languages and good pronunciation...
Readincomics brings the original work to life.
The linguistic approach
ReadInComics of course can be executed in different languages: Indeed, the Readincomics project aims to offer these original Comics and / or books, illustrated or not, as well as simple texts produced in different languages. This will not only allow you to learn new languages but also to improve the reading and/or pronunciation of those you are studying or that you already know. This multilingual initiative thus contributes to the education and cultural enrichment of children. ReadInComics is also innovative because this method allows children to explore new languages in an interactive and fun way.
The Market
- The comics market in France breaks all its records, at nearly 900 million euros in 2021 (50% manga).
- Last year, the French comics sector in the broad sense (manga, comics, youth comics and genre comics) jumped 50% compared to 2020, according to the annual report drawn up by GfK Market Intelligence
Communication around the project:
It will focus on promoting the benefits of the project, such as modernity, interactivity and language learning. Social networks and online platforms will be used to reach a wide audience.
Comic book readers
(Source Neuvième Art 2015)
In general, all genres account for a significant proportion of small readers (less than 5 comic books during the year, that is to say less than one every two months), including manga which are nevertheless read in larger volumes.
IN CONCLUSION
ReadInComics is a project that reinvents the way of reading original comic strips and / or illustrated or unillustrated books as well as simple texts while retaining their charm and their universe while modernizing them to appeal to the youngest. This is a unique opportunity to share these works that have marked several generations while offering children a unique modern, interactive and fun reading experience that brings stories to life.
