Planet Babylon - Convention report part 2
And here I am with the second part of my convention report. In case you happened to miss the first part, that can be found here
Again quite a few photos. I couldn't decide which ones to include so I put quite a few of them into the post. Again clickable for larger and shareable, just tell me if you put them somewhere.
I hope you enjoy!
Slept maybe a bit better than the previous night but still kept waking up every once in a while. We had to wake up quite early since Randy’s Q&A was going to start the day and we wanted to get good seats for ourselves. At least we had managed to correctly adjust our watches to the day light’s saving time and weren’t late. I did spend a few extra minutes in front of the mirror checking for any green spots on my skin. *g*
I again skipped breakfast since I was feeling too jittery for that and just met a few people from our group in the hotel lobby and we walked together to the convention hall. I was wearing my crown from the previous evening and that got a few looks from people we passed. There were quite a few people already waiting for there but we did hope we’d get good seats anyway. Soon we were let in and we again formed a queue outside the actual hall. What did surprise me was that even after the queue was formed people just came from the sides and went past us. Did throw a few comments into air about peoples’ rudeness. I could have maybe sort of understood if it was just one or two people joining their friends but there were people who didn’t know anyone at the front of the line but obviously thought they had some right to plant themselves there. I’m so used to being in conventions where people queue in a sophisticated matter, that this behavior sort of surprised me. Sorry for ranting.
When we were let into the hall we got our seats from the second row on the right side. Not bad seats at all. We had to wait for a while and while we waited g_m_h_3 talked about how nice it would be if we could get Randy to wish Happy Birthday to evy_9_seconds since it was her Birthday that day. Since things obviously weren’t starting yet, I went out in search of a staff member I could ask, if there was something they could do. I did manage to find someone I talked to and they told me that I could try and request it at the Q&A. Very happy I went back to the hall.
Things were again started with a dance performance but I just kept waiting for Randy to get on stage. When the dance ended they obviously began to work on showing some video. I waited them to show something with Randy in it and we did get a clip of him doing the King of Babylon dancing scene, with horrible quality and half without sound. I’m sure Randy was very glad they decided to show just that scene since he has said in several occasions that he hated the go-go dancing they made him do. After that clip they started working on showing us some more videos. Since it was only going to be Randy on stage, I expected there to be more clips with him. I couldn’t have been more wrong. They started showing clips from the L-Word, or tried. The sound was missing half the time and they started the same clip over and over again. And then changed to another clip, with which they also had trouble with. I just kept on thinking, let Randy get on stage already, please. We don’t care about clips of L-Word when they are taking time away from us seeing Randy. Finally they managed to show one of the clips fully and when a text about the DVD of the final season of the L-Word now being available I might have said a bit loudly "Who cares?" Was feeling slightly bitchy. *g*
So finally they got Randy on stage. I tried to ask about Randy wishing Happy Bday already in the beginning but I was completely ignored. While the Q&A progressed I guessed they had forgotten about their promise after all. Felt slightly disappointed.
First some pictures:
Lipbite!
Again the questions and answers have been taken from aschicca. This time around the questions were asked by the presenters.
- How much did Randy work on the KOB dance? Randy said he'd worked with a go-go boy on a few routines and then they shot it for a long time. He also said that he danced keeping in mind that Justin was probably thinking something like, "I can't believe I'm doing this but I am!" and the dance was like a discovery for him.
- They then showed the Prom scene, which Randy was really interested in, and then pointed out that that dance is a turning point for B/J. When the clip ended Randy made hand gestures about waving a baseball bat around. I guess he would have liked to see the rest too. Randy said that Justin in season 1 never got what he wanted from Brian, he was always denied. But during Prom, Justin finally got everything he wanted because Brian was now willing to give it to him. Randy also said that learning the dance wasn't hard, and that during the scene some of the extras didn't know what the show was about and they were homophobic (O.O), so that somehow made the scene more real to them, too.
Randy intently watching the Prom-scene
- They showed a clip from the Pink Posse arc, when Justin puts the gun in Hobbs' mouth. Was Randy ever worried that Justin would go too far? That this journey would break him? Randy said that the scene was very intense. He talked about the fact that a few of the writers had lived the time where gays were raided in bars and all that and they wanted to show that. But, Randy also said that it was hard for him to play that because it felt OOC for Justin to react like that because Justin did NOT live how the writers lived, so Randy had to adapt all the writers' frustration to a kid who had different life experience.
Trivia: David, the host, while talking about the Pink Posse called them Pink Pussy.... I have no idea how Randy managed not to laugh in his face!!! We did laugh and Yaele, the translator, told David about his mistake and he was so embarassed!! Randy was grinning like a loon :D LOL
- He was asked if it was difficult to shoot scenes in Babylon with no music and he said that it was funny listening to the beat for a few moments and then having to shout and keep moving without it. He said the extra all danced at a different rhythm! LOL
Those were the only questions asked during his Q&A. A lot shorter than on the previous day and they did have quite a few technical difficulties. I did feel that we were robbed a little with them cutting the Q&A short. Okay, the questions and answers were also a bit longer so of course that had its part too but I do feel that the technical difficulties they kept having took some time away from us too. And of course them translating everything all the time.
More pictures!
After the Q&A it was again time for photoshoots. I had bought an extra photoshoot with Randy so I went to queue for that. I was planning on taking a picture with my crown on. I also got an idea that I could maybe talk with Randy about evy_9_seconds’s Birthday there, if they didn’t throw me out, since I knew she was getting her photo taken as well. I did ask a staff member if that was alright and she told me that I could well talk with him and that there was nothing stopping me. Remembering from all the other conventions I’ve done, you certainly aren’t allowed to hold back the photoshoots by talking with the guests but obviously they didn’t have a rule like that here. I made sure I was in the queue before evy_9_seconds. When it was my turn at the photo I walked to Randy. He obviously did remember seeing me before and obviously wasn’t prepared to shake my hand again but I gave my hand for him to shake anyway, before I realized that, and it caused a slightly awkward moment. He did say that he liked my shirt that had the text "I am what I am" on it. I managed to say thank you but somehow the situation was quite awkward otherwise and wasn’t really sure if I should talk with him first or just take the picture and then talk to him. In the end I went with the picture first. I again had my arm around his waist and he had his around mine. Then I did the talking. I explained that a friend of mine had a Birthday and that it would probably mean a lot to her if Randy could wish her a Happy Birthday when she came to take her picture with him in a while. I promised to stay behind and point her out to Randy. After that I said my thanks but the photographer told me that she wanted to take another shot. I was more than happy to put my arm around Randy’s waist again. Afterwards I thanked him again and walked to the side. I did stay in the area so that I could give him a sign when evy_9_seconds came. The staff member tried to throw me out a few times but I stubbornly stayed there and explained that I had agreed with Randy that I was going to point someone out to him. Also the security guy tried to throw me out but I was stubborn. And maybe took a small advantage of the situation that they didn’t speak English that well so me speaking rapid English at them and explaining something a lot, made them back off. *g* Finally I saw that evy_9_seconds was the next one in the queue. I quickly stepped a bit closer to Randy and told him that the Birthday girl was coming. When evy_9_seconds walked to him Randy did congratulate her and gave her a hug. It obviously made her happy. Of course it would have made me happy too if something like that had happened to me. *g*
After everyone had gotten their picture taken we headed for lunch. We had decided to go the central Paris since there was quite a lot of time before anything interesting was going to happen. The afternoon was going to be started with L-Word stuff and we weren’t that interested in that. In front of the convention place I was introduced to the newly arrived contrejourcalie who was joining us for our lunch expedition. On the way to the metro station I met one more person, fraserette. I remembered commenting on her posts about meeting at the con so I was glad I got the chance to meet her.
The whole group took the metro and we went to eat on Champs Elysee. Okay, just McDonald’s again but at least it was on Champs Elysee. Doesn’t that make it a bit more special? *g* After lunch we walked around for a while before I decided to head back to the convention place with ancaangie since I wanted to get an autograph from Randy that day too and his autographs were starting soon. The others still stayed in the city a while longer.
Our little group!
It took us a bit longer than we thought to reach the convention hall and for a while we were worried that we might miss it but in the end we found out that there was still plenty of time. They were also doing autographs with Rachel and Laurel but we joined Randy’s queue first since that was the most important for us.
When it was my moment to go and talk to him I had the DVD cover of Thinking for him to sign. I did tell him that I was excited about seeing it later when they were doing a showing. He did tell me that it was just a short film but that he did think it was really good and that he hoped I would enjoy it. I also thanked him again for complimenting my shirt earlier and told him that I was sort of trying to adapt the text as my motto and that I was trying to learn to live my life so that I didn’t care so much about what other people thought about me. He said it was a good goal and that he was trying to live like that too. I also did ask him something but it has totally escaped my mind what it was. Will edit at some point if I remember what it was. I might have ended up oversharing a bit but he was watching me the whole time and it did seem he paid attention. There were no signs of him getting impatient with me or looking like he wished I would already be gone and I totally love him for that. I gave my thanks and went to the side to wait for ancaangie who was in the queue after me. When she got her autograph we decided to try our luck with also getting Marci Adilman, who had directed the film as well as starred there along Randy, to sign the DVD cover as well. She was sitting at the side behind a table where they were selling the DVDs. We didn’t have the courage to ask her directly in case we stepped over some lines so we found a staff member and asked her. She had no idea but she asked Marci herself, if she was willing to sign the DVDs for us. She seemed genuinely surprised that we actually wanted her autograph as well and said that sure she would sign them. She was really nice. We talked with her for a while and she signed the DVD covers. She also told us that she hoped we would enjoy the film when they showed it later.
Since there was still time before the screening started I decided to get Rachel’s and Laurel’s autographs out of the way too. I joined Rachel’s queue first and got her to sign a picture from the L-Word. While she was signing there was some small talk about me being from Finland and she seemed surprised that I had made the trip just for the convention. I did tell her that it was quite normal for me and that I made these trips a few times a year. I did say it had been nice meeting her and continued on my way.
Next I joined the queue for Laurel’s autograph. For some reason that queue seemed to progress really slowly. Finally it was my turn and I handed her a promo picture from the L-Word. Did ask if she had had fun and she said yes but that was about it for our conversation. I did tell her too that it had been nice meeting her before walking away. I don’t know if it was just me but I did get a slightly arrogant picture of her. To me it seemed she really wasn’t that interested in being there, or at least not doing the autographs and photos. On stage she did seem different. Don’t know, maybe it was just me.
At that point it was quite close to the time they were going to start showing Thinking so I got myself a seat from the hall. They showed the film and luckily everything worked well so that our enjoyment wasn’t ruined by any technical difficulties or anything. It really was a lovely small film. Basically told a story of a girl that goes to this silent meditation thing and while there, her thoughts start running into quite inappropriate directions. There was no dialogue in the film but only some music and then some sounds. If you get the chance, you should definitely check the film out. I quite enjoyed it.
After the screening Marci Adilman came on stage to do a small Q&A. I think Randy was supposed to join her too but I guess they changed their mind. Maybe he was too tired or something. Marci talked about making the film and how the whole idea had actually come from Randy since he had gone to this silent retreat some years back and then made her go too. There had been this guy in there that Marci thought was giving her the eye, or not. She couldn’t be quite sure of it. And since there was no talking there, she couldn’t really find out. She actually wrote the story for the film while at that retreat.
She also told a few other tidbits about the process and how they had almost gotten thrown out of the place they were filming in because the owner of the place thought they were doing pornography there because at one point there were just stage notes in the script that said, Marci making out with Randy in the hottub, Marci making out with Lucy at the hottub, everyone making out in the hottub. The guy had confronted Marci about that and made her cry. After that a few bulky guys who were part of the production had told the guy that they weren’t making pornography and that he had no right to talk to Marci that way. They told the guy that if he had a problem in the future, he should come and talk to them.
Marci and Randy have been friends since they were 12 and they established (t)AB to give their friends who hadn’t had the exposure Randy has had a chance to get their work out there too. She talked about how they had already as teens talked about moving to NY together and doing something there. She wasn’t living in NY anymore, though. Someone asked her what she thought was Randy’s best character quality. She had hard time answering that since she thought there were so many good qualities in Randy. In the end she went with his enthusiasm and how when he got excited about something, he really went for it and was passionate about it.
There were some other questions too but I just can’t remember them now. She was really adorable on stage. While I had talked with her earlier she appeared a bit nervous about the thought of getting in front of all the people to talk about the film but I do think she did well.
Picturetime!
That was about it for the convention for us for that day. There were still some panels happening but we already knew that those were going to be only in French so they weren’t much use to us. Most of our group were heading into town to celebrate evy_9_seconds’s Birthday but I opted out since I was feeling quite tired. Instead I made plans with g_m_h_3 and ryana82 to go for a drink a bit later after we’d had some time to rest. ancaangie was heading to the VIP dinner with the guests. We weren’t envious of her at all, no we weren’t /sarcasm. We tried to find her something new to wear for the dinner but couldn’t find any shops that were open so she just decided to go in something that she already had.
At the hotel I spent some time talking with aschicca before she headed for the Birthday dinner. After she left I spent some time trying to get my laptop to work but didn’t have much luck with that. The wireless network they had at the hotel seriously sucked and I couldn’t really get any pages to load properly. Soon I gave up and headed to the hotel lobby to meet g_m_h_3 and ryana82. We headed to this small restaurant near the river and got drinks there. The first drink we drank outside since it was quite nice there but when we decided to stay for another drink we went inside because it started to get slightly chilly. We suddenly realized that of course we should order Cosmopolitans since we were there due to QaF after all. Unfortunately that drink wasn’t included in the restaurants list (A/N: It’s one of the most basic drinks. What kind of bar doesn’t have that?) so we ended up ordering something else and some fries to share. I’m quite glad that the place was practically empty since we did end up making quite a racket. There was a lot of laughing and story sharing, both to do with QaF and otherwise. While we were there we talked about how it was amazing how people who have actually not ever met each other before can get along so well after such a short time. We also started doing some quotes from QaF and talked about our favorite scenes.
After the two drinks we decided it was probably best to return to the hotel even if we were really enjoying ourselves. Still the tiredness and the alcohol had done their job and there was maybe a small amount of hysteria in the air. *g*
At the hotel I tried to get my laptop to work again but without much success. I knew I needed to stay awake until aschicca came back since there was just one key for our room but in the end I lost the battle. I sent her a message that I was falling asleep but to pound on the door when she came or to call me so that I would wake up. I then shut off most of the lights and let sleep take me. After some time I started dreaming of someone knocking. I went to open the door in the dream but the knocking just went on. It took me a while to realize that there was someone actually knocking at the door. *g* I stumbled out of the bed and to the door. Wasn’t really completely awake. I let aschicca in and stumbled back into bed. We did talk for a while but I’m pretty sure I was back asleep in under ten minutes.
Again quite a few photos. I couldn't decide which ones to include so I put quite a few of them into the post. Again clickable for larger and shareable, just tell me if you put them somewhere.
I hope you enjoy!
Slept maybe a bit better than the previous night but still kept waking up every once in a while. We had to wake up quite early since Randy’s Q&A was going to start the day and we wanted to get good seats for ourselves. At least we had managed to correctly adjust our watches to the day light’s saving time and weren’t late. I did spend a few extra minutes in front of the mirror checking for any green spots on my skin. *g*
I again skipped breakfast since I was feeling too jittery for that and just met a few people from our group in the hotel lobby and we walked together to the convention hall. I was wearing my crown from the previous evening and that got a few looks from people we passed. There were quite a few people already waiting for there but we did hope we’d get good seats anyway. Soon we were let in and we again formed a queue outside the actual hall. What did surprise me was that even after the queue was formed people just came from the sides and went past us. Did throw a few comments into air about peoples’ rudeness. I could have maybe sort of understood if it was just one or two people joining their friends but there were people who didn’t know anyone at the front of the line but obviously thought they had some right to plant themselves there. I’m so used to being in conventions where people queue in a sophisticated matter, that this behavior sort of surprised me. Sorry for ranting.
When we were let into the hall we got our seats from the second row on the right side. Not bad seats at all. We had to wait for a while and while we waited g_m_h_3 talked about how nice it would be if we could get Randy to wish Happy Birthday to evy_9_seconds since it was her Birthday that day. Since things obviously weren’t starting yet, I went out in search of a staff member I could ask, if there was something they could do. I did manage to find someone I talked to and they told me that I could try and request it at the Q&A. Very happy I went back to the hall.
Things were again started with a dance performance but I just kept waiting for Randy to get on stage. When the dance ended they obviously began to work on showing some video. I waited them to show something with Randy in it and we did get a clip of him doing the King of Babylon dancing scene, with horrible quality and half without sound. I’m sure Randy was very glad they decided to show just that scene since he has said in several occasions that he hated the go-go dancing they made him do. After that clip they started working on showing us some more videos. Since it was only going to be Randy on stage, I expected there to be more clips with him. I couldn’t have been more wrong. They started showing clips from the L-Word, or tried. The sound was missing half the time and they started the same clip over and over again. And then changed to another clip, with which they also had trouble with. I just kept on thinking, let Randy get on stage already, please. We don’t care about clips of L-Word when they are taking time away from us seeing Randy. Finally they managed to show one of the clips fully and when a text about the DVD of the final season of the L-Word now being available I might have said a bit loudly "Who cares?" Was feeling slightly bitchy. *g*
So finally they got Randy on stage. I tried to ask about Randy wishing Happy Bday already in the beginning but I was completely ignored. While the Q&A progressed I guessed they had forgotten about their promise after all. Felt slightly disappointed.
First some pictures:
Lipbite!
Again the questions and answers have been taken from aschicca. This time around the questions were asked by the presenters.
- How much did Randy work on the KOB dance? Randy said he'd worked with a go-go boy on a few routines and then they shot it for a long time. He also said that he danced keeping in mind that Justin was probably thinking something like, "I can't believe I'm doing this but I am!" and the dance was like a discovery for him.
- They then showed the Prom scene, which Randy was really interested in, and then pointed out that that dance is a turning point for B/J. When the clip ended Randy made hand gestures about waving a baseball bat around. I guess he would have liked to see the rest too. Randy said that Justin in season 1 never got what he wanted from Brian, he was always denied. But during Prom, Justin finally got everything he wanted because Brian was now willing to give it to him. Randy also said that learning the dance wasn't hard, and that during the scene some of the extras didn't know what the show was about and they were homophobic (O.O), so that somehow made the scene more real to them, too.
Randy intently watching the Prom-scene
- They showed a clip from the Pink Posse arc, when Justin puts the gun in Hobbs' mouth. Was Randy ever worried that Justin would go too far? That this journey would break him? Randy said that the scene was very intense. He talked about the fact that a few of the writers had lived the time where gays were raided in bars and all that and they wanted to show that. But, Randy also said that it was hard for him to play that because it felt OOC for Justin to react like that because Justin did NOT live how the writers lived, so Randy had to adapt all the writers' frustration to a kid who had different life experience.
Trivia: David, the host, while talking about the Pink Posse called them Pink Pussy.... I have no idea how Randy managed not to laugh in his face!!! We did laugh and Yaele, the translator, told David about his mistake and he was so embarassed!! Randy was grinning like a loon :D LOL
- He was asked if it was difficult to shoot scenes in Babylon with no music and he said that it was funny listening to the beat for a few moments and then having to shout and keep moving without it. He said the extra all danced at a different rhythm! LOL
Those were the only questions asked during his Q&A. A lot shorter than on the previous day and they did have quite a few technical difficulties. I did feel that we were robbed a little with them cutting the Q&A short. Okay, the questions and answers were also a bit longer so of course that had its part too but I do feel that the technical difficulties they kept having took some time away from us too. And of course them translating everything all the time.
More pictures!
After the Q&A it was again time for photoshoots. I had bought an extra photoshoot with Randy so I went to queue for that. I was planning on taking a picture with my crown on. I also got an idea that I could maybe talk with Randy about evy_9_seconds’s Birthday there, if they didn’t throw me out, since I knew she was getting her photo taken as well. I did ask a staff member if that was alright and she told me that I could well talk with him and that there was nothing stopping me. Remembering from all the other conventions I’ve done, you certainly aren’t allowed to hold back the photoshoots by talking with the guests but obviously they didn’t have a rule like that here. I made sure I was in the queue before evy_9_seconds. When it was my turn at the photo I walked to Randy. He obviously did remember seeing me before and obviously wasn’t prepared to shake my hand again but I gave my hand for him to shake anyway, before I realized that, and it caused a slightly awkward moment. He did say that he liked my shirt that had the text "I am what I am" on it. I managed to say thank you but somehow the situation was quite awkward otherwise and wasn’t really sure if I should talk with him first or just take the picture and then talk to him. In the end I went with the picture first. I again had my arm around his waist and he had his around mine. Then I did the talking. I explained that a friend of mine had a Birthday and that it would probably mean a lot to her if Randy could wish her a Happy Birthday when she came to take her picture with him in a while. I promised to stay behind and point her out to Randy. After that I said my thanks but the photographer told me that she wanted to take another shot. I was more than happy to put my arm around Randy’s waist again. Afterwards I thanked him again and walked to the side. I did stay in the area so that I could give him a sign when evy_9_seconds came. The staff member tried to throw me out a few times but I stubbornly stayed there and explained that I had agreed with Randy that I was going to point someone out to him. Also the security guy tried to throw me out but I was stubborn. And maybe took a small advantage of the situation that they didn’t speak English that well so me speaking rapid English at them and explaining something a lot, made them back off. *g* Finally I saw that evy_9_seconds was the next one in the queue. I quickly stepped a bit closer to Randy and told him that the Birthday girl was coming. When evy_9_seconds walked to him Randy did congratulate her and gave her a hug. It obviously made her happy. Of course it would have made me happy too if something like that had happened to me. *g*
After everyone had gotten their picture taken we headed for lunch. We had decided to go the central Paris since there was quite a lot of time before anything interesting was going to happen. The afternoon was going to be started with L-Word stuff and we weren’t that interested in that. In front of the convention place I was introduced to the newly arrived contrejourcalie who was joining us for our lunch expedition. On the way to the metro station I met one more person, fraserette. I remembered commenting on her posts about meeting at the con so I was glad I got the chance to meet her.
The whole group took the metro and we went to eat on Champs Elysee. Okay, just McDonald’s again but at least it was on Champs Elysee. Doesn’t that make it a bit more special? *g* After lunch we walked around for a while before I decided to head back to the convention place with ancaangie since I wanted to get an autograph from Randy that day too and his autographs were starting soon. The others still stayed in the city a while longer.
Our little group!
It took us a bit longer than we thought to reach the convention hall and for a while we were worried that we might miss it but in the end we found out that there was still plenty of time. They were also doing autographs with Rachel and Laurel but we joined Randy’s queue first since that was the most important for us.
When it was my moment to go and talk to him I had the DVD cover of Thinking for him to sign. I did tell him that I was excited about seeing it later when they were doing a showing. He did tell me that it was just a short film but that he did think it was really good and that he hoped I would enjoy it. I also thanked him again for complimenting my shirt earlier and told him that I was sort of trying to adapt the text as my motto and that I was trying to learn to live my life so that I didn’t care so much about what other people thought about me. He said it was a good goal and that he was trying to live like that too. I also did ask him something but it has totally escaped my mind what it was. Will edit at some point if I remember what it was. I might have ended up oversharing a bit but he was watching me the whole time and it did seem he paid attention. There were no signs of him getting impatient with me or looking like he wished I would already be gone and I totally love him for that. I gave my thanks and went to the side to wait for ancaangie who was in the queue after me. When she got her autograph we decided to try our luck with also getting Marci Adilman, who had directed the film as well as starred there along Randy, to sign the DVD cover as well. She was sitting at the side behind a table where they were selling the DVDs. We didn’t have the courage to ask her directly in case we stepped over some lines so we found a staff member and asked her. She had no idea but she asked Marci herself, if she was willing to sign the DVDs for us. She seemed genuinely surprised that we actually wanted her autograph as well and said that sure she would sign them. She was really nice. We talked with her for a while and she signed the DVD covers. She also told us that she hoped we would enjoy the film when they showed it later.
Since there was still time before the screening started I decided to get Rachel’s and Laurel’s autographs out of the way too. I joined Rachel’s queue first and got her to sign a picture from the L-Word. While she was signing there was some small talk about me being from Finland and she seemed surprised that I had made the trip just for the convention. I did tell her that it was quite normal for me and that I made these trips a few times a year. I did say it had been nice meeting her and continued on my way.
Next I joined the queue for Laurel’s autograph. For some reason that queue seemed to progress really slowly. Finally it was my turn and I handed her a promo picture from the L-Word. Did ask if she had had fun and she said yes but that was about it for our conversation. I did tell her too that it had been nice meeting her before walking away. I don’t know if it was just me but I did get a slightly arrogant picture of her. To me it seemed she really wasn’t that interested in being there, or at least not doing the autographs and photos. On stage she did seem different. Don’t know, maybe it was just me.
At that point it was quite close to the time they were going to start showing Thinking so I got myself a seat from the hall. They showed the film and luckily everything worked well so that our enjoyment wasn’t ruined by any technical difficulties or anything. It really was a lovely small film. Basically told a story of a girl that goes to this silent meditation thing and while there, her thoughts start running into quite inappropriate directions. There was no dialogue in the film but only some music and then some sounds. If you get the chance, you should definitely check the film out. I quite enjoyed it.
After the screening Marci Adilman came on stage to do a small Q&A. I think Randy was supposed to join her too but I guess they changed their mind. Maybe he was too tired or something. Marci talked about making the film and how the whole idea had actually come from Randy since he had gone to this silent retreat some years back and then made her go too. There had been this guy in there that Marci thought was giving her the eye, or not. She couldn’t be quite sure of it. And since there was no talking there, she couldn’t really find out. She actually wrote the story for the film while at that retreat.
She also told a few other tidbits about the process and how they had almost gotten thrown out of the place they were filming in because the owner of the place thought they were doing pornography there because at one point there were just stage notes in the script that said, Marci making out with Randy in the hottub, Marci making out with Lucy at the hottub, everyone making out in the hottub. The guy had confronted Marci about that and made her cry. After that a few bulky guys who were part of the production had told the guy that they weren’t making pornography and that he had no right to talk to Marci that way. They told the guy that if he had a problem in the future, he should come and talk to them.
Marci and Randy have been friends since they were 12 and they established (t)AB to give their friends who hadn’t had the exposure Randy has had a chance to get their work out there too. She talked about how they had already as teens talked about moving to NY together and doing something there. She wasn’t living in NY anymore, though. Someone asked her what she thought was Randy’s best character quality. She had hard time answering that since she thought there were so many good qualities in Randy. In the end she went with his enthusiasm and how when he got excited about something, he really went for it and was passionate about it.
There were some other questions too but I just can’t remember them now. She was really adorable on stage. While I had talked with her earlier she appeared a bit nervous about the thought of getting in front of all the people to talk about the film but I do think she did well.
Picturetime!
That was about it for the convention for us for that day. There were still some panels happening but we already knew that those were going to be only in French so they weren’t much use to us. Most of our group were heading into town to celebrate evy_9_seconds’s Birthday but I opted out since I was feeling quite tired. Instead I made plans with g_m_h_3 and ryana82 to go for a drink a bit later after we’d had some time to rest. ancaangie was heading to the VIP dinner with the guests. We weren’t envious of her at all, no we weren’t /sarcasm. We tried to find her something new to wear for the dinner but couldn’t find any shops that were open so she just decided to go in something that she already had.
At the hotel I spent some time talking with aschicca before she headed for the Birthday dinner. After she left I spent some time trying to get my laptop to work but didn’t have much luck with that. The wireless network they had at the hotel seriously sucked and I couldn’t really get any pages to load properly. Soon I gave up and headed to the hotel lobby to meet g_m_h_3 and ryana82. We headed to this small restaurant near the river and got drinks there. The first drink we drank outside since it was quite nice there but when we decided to stay for another drink we went inside because it started to get slightly chilly. We suddenly realized that of course we should order Cosmopolitans since we were there due to QaF after all. Unfortunately that drink wasn’t included in the restaurants list (A/N: It’s one of the most basic drinks. What kind of bar doesn’t have that?) so we ended up ordering something else and some fries to share. I’m quite glad that the place was practically empty since we did end up making quite a racket. There was a lot of laughing and story sharing, both to do with QaF and otherwise. While we were there we talked about how it was amazing how people who have actually not ever met each other before can get along so well after such a short time. We also started doing some quotes from QaF and talked about our favorite scenes.
After the two drinks we decided it was probably best to return to the hotel even if we were really enjoying ourselves. Still the tiredness and the alcohol had done their job and there was maybe a small amount of hysteria in the air. *g*
At the hotel I tried to get my laptop to work again but without much success. I knew I needed to stay awake until aschicca came back since there was just one key for our room but in the end I lost the battle. I sent her a message that I was falling asleep but to pound on the door when she came or to call me so that I would wake up. I then shut off most of the lights and let sleep take me. After some time I started dreaming of someone knocking. I went to open the door in the dream but the knocking just went on. It took me a while to realize that there was someone actually knocking at the door. *g* I stumbled out of the bed and to the door. Wasn’t really completely awake. I let aschicca in and stumbled back into bed. We did talk for a while but I’m pretty sure I was back asleep in under ten minutes.