Fusion
Well, that was fun.
It was slightly odd compared to previous cons I've been to because there weren't that many people there that we knew. As a result I spent much of the weekend on my own or with Aileen - somewhat different from End of Days last year. The other big difference this time round was that I volunteered to steward for the first time. This involved helping out with getting people through autograph and photo sessions, and while largely pretty monotonous work I enjoyed helping out, even if I did end up even more knackered than usual by the end of the weekend. I think I'll be volunteering at future cons. :)
To coalescents continuing disappointment, 'media' cons tend to focus on getting actors as guests, the only exception this weekend being Nickolaus Brown, a costume designer who worked on Buffy for three years. While I would certainly like to see some of the writers at these events, this doesn't bother me too much. It does however means that the Q&A sessions are often limited as to how much depth they can go into, although this depends hugely on the actor.
The weekend really belonged to the Firefly guests - Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite and Summer Glau. They clearly hadn't been expecting their fans to be so many or so enthusiastic, and it was great to see them so obviously touched by the reaction they got. This is, for me, what conventions are really all about. Nathan was the real star - as friendly, charismatic and entertaining (and apparently hot, as every single female I talked to over the weekend was happy to tell me..) a guest as one could hope for. He also had some interesting things to say about his character and the show in general. The girls were also lovely, although I've now decided that Summer is cuter. ;) They of course wouldn't give any details about the forthcoming movie except to say that it was pretty dark in tone and would involve reavers. Oh, and Mals pants will be just as tight but hopefully more expensive and comfortable. ;)
The other guests: Robert Patrick - a big name by convention standards, but very friendly, happy to answer detailed questions about a film he made 13 years ago, and the recipient of the only question I asked over the weekend about his role in The Sopranos, which apparently was one of the best acting experiences of his career. :) Nick Brendon - a much better and more relaxed guest than when I first saw him 3 years ago. Emma Caulfield I almost entirely missed due to stewarding, but she seemed nice. Tom Lenk - a very entertaining fellow, if clearly getting sick of all the questions about his own level of geekiness (pretty low) by the end of the convention. Sarah Hagan (Amanda in Buffy S7) - somewhat shy and didn't have an awful lot to say, but very sweet nonetheless, and she got completely starstruck by Robert Patrick which was amusing. :) The other guests I hardly saw at all.
One thing nearly everybody mentioned was how difficult it is being a TV actor in the US at the moment, due to the domination of 'reality' TV. We knew this already, of course, but hearing the people who it affects so directly talking about it makes it very clear. One can only hope it doesn't last.
It was slightly odd compared to previous cons I've been to because there weren't that many people there that we knew. As a result I spent much of the weekend on my own or with Aileen - somewhat different from End of Days last year. The other big difference this time round was that I volunteered to steward for the first time. This involved helping out with getting people through autograph and photo sessions, and while largely pretty monotonous work I enjoyed helping out, even if I did end up even more knackered than usual by the end of the weekend. I think I'll be volunteering at future cons. :)
To coalescents continuing disappointment, 'media' cons tend to focus on getting actors as guests, the only exception this weekend being Nickolaus Brown, a costume designer who worked on Buffy for three years. While I would certainly like to see some of the writers at these events, this doesn't bother me too much. It does however means that the Q&A sessions are often limited as to how much depth they can go into, although this depends hugely on the actor.
The weekend really belonged to the Firefly guests - Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite and Summer Glau. They clearly hadn't been expecting their fans to be so many or so enthusiastic, and it was great to see them so obviously touched by the reaction they got. This is, for me, what conventions are really all about. Nathan was the real star - as friendly, charismatic and entertaining (and apparently hot, as every single female I talked to over the weekend was happy to tell me..) a guest as one could hope for. He also had some interesting things to say about his character and the show in general. The girls were also lovely, although I've now decided that Summer is cuter. ;) They of course wouldn't give any details about the forthcoming movie except to say that it was pretty dark in tone and would involve reavers. Oh, and Mals pants will be just as tight but hopefully more expensive and comfortable. ;)
The other guests: Robert Patrick - a big name by convention standards, but very friendly, happy to answer detailed questions about a film he made 13 years ago, and the recipient of the only question I asked over the weekend about his role in The Sopranos, which apparently was one of the best acting experiences of his career. :) Nick Brendon - a much better and more relaxed guest than when I first saw him 3 years ago. Emma Caulfield I almost entirely missed due to stewarding, but she seemed nice. Tom Lenk - a very entertaining fellow, if clearly getting sick of all the questions about his own level of geekiness (pretty low) by the end of the convention. Sarah Hagan (Amanda in Buffy S7) - somewhat shy and didn't have an awful lot to say, but very sweet nonetheless, and she got completely starstruck by Robert Patrick which was amusing. :) The other guests I hardly saw at all.
One thing nearly everybody mentioned was how difficult it is being a TV actor in the US at the moment, due to the domination of 'reality' TV. We knew this already, of course, but hearing the people who it affects so directly talking about it makes it very clear. One can only hope it doesn't last.