Science Fiction, Fantasy and Genre Conventions - A Newbie's Guide

"An overview of the many kinds of conventions
and expos that appeal to Science Fiction, Fantasy,
Horror, Anime, Gaming and Comics fans. It helps fans
avoid costly pitfalls and aims to maximize their enjoyment
by finding which conventions best suit their interests and
temperaments..."

With Doctor Who coming back on BBC One at 6.20pm
on Saturday 05 April 2008 [ only a few more hours to go... Yeaaah! ],
the least we could do to celebrate was publishing a Science
Fiction related article ;-)

[ Well, some of it is Science Fiction related... ]


Today, June Williams is taking us to places where some of
you would probably never have wanted to be seen dead in
[ before you read her article, that is ], but don't panic,
we're doing it the 'Forward-and-Share' way...


Enjoy...


Loup Dargent

.

_________________________



Newbie's Guide to Science Fiction
and Fantasy and Genre Conventions
Copyright (c) 2008 June Williams
Buzzy Multimedia Publishing



A very large number of people who have never attended
a Sci-Fi convention have the idea that they are all about
people standing in line to get autographs of actors while
wearing Klingon makeup and costumes or pointed ears.
I'm not saying that those stereotypes don't exist, but the
Convention experience is much richer and diverse than
you may have been led to believe. To get the best experience
it is important first consider your interests and then match them
to what conventions are available.


Conventions come in two primary flavors: professional and fan run.
Professional conventions should have actors who have appeared
in genre television and films ready to sign autographs and have
their photos taken with fans. Some of these conventions include
the costs of autographs and photo sessions in the cost of admission
others operate in more of an a la carte fashion.


Often genre conventions have previews of new shows and films,
and usually an extensive dealer's room where you can buy anything
from jewelry, ornaments, t-shirts and action figures to full scale replicas
and costumes... and more. While there are a number of professional
promoters, the best known and run are Chiller Theatre Expo, Creation
Entertainment, Fed Con (Germany), Starland and Vulcon. Do expect
things to be as advertised and run on time.
Do not expect warm and fuzzy.


Warm and fuzzy is more the field of fan run conventions. Fans who get
together to run conventions have a great deal of enthusiasm, but usually
are run with a volunteer staff and can be a bit "bumpy" with organization
of the activities. What you can expect? A movie room, anime room,
gaming room, art show, dealer's room, and various special interest
group rooms and tables. It is a rare con that doesn't have a dance
and a masquerade.


Many fan run conventions also have guests ranging from actors, authors,
cartoonists, illustrators, scientists etc. You may also find workshops for
writing, acting, art, costuming, make-up and special effects. It all varies
from convention to convention and year to year. Older fan run conventions
such as Aggie Con, Balticon, Bay Con, CONvergence, Dragon Con,
ICON, Shore Leave, United Fan Con, Toronto Trek to name a few.


The following sections may help you in selecting the kind of
convention you would enjoy the most. Don't be afraid to try other
sorts once you've sampled those that are in your comfort zone.
Exploration can be fun:

• LITERARY CONVENTIONS

Love to read speculative fiction? Do you have an interest in attending
workshops on writing and publishing? Would you like to mingle with
like-minded fans and meet professionals in the field such as authors,
editors, illustrators and publishers? Then a literary convention would
be the place you might enjoy most.


Conventions such as World Science Fiction Convention (which
is where the Hugo awards are announced), the World Fantasy
Convention, World Horror Convention, Balticon, Philcon,
Lunacon, Boskone, Readercon, Wiscon and Capclave are
all reader friendly and while you may find the occasional filking
group, men in kilts, swords and women in medieval garb, I doubt
that you'll see many people dressed like the attendees of the
convention seen in the movie Galaxy Quest. OK maybe one
or two, but they are a tiny minority.

• MEDIA CONVENTIONS

Media conventions are very much about television and film.
Science Fiction and Fantasy or Horror and Paranormal guests
abound. You may meet and hear behind the scenes stories of
actors and illustrators, SFX experts and make-up artists and
a host of media professionals. Many of the attendees may be
wearing costumes. Depending on whether you are going to
a "pro" con or a "fan run" con the rest will vary greatly.


Parties are expected and encouraged. At a pro convention
this will take the form of a banquet with the guests at a fee
and/or a dance or cocktail party all for various prices. Fan
run conventions may also have a price attached to a banquet
or "private" gathering with a particular celebrity or celebrities,
but they will also have fee free dances, masquerades, art shows,
filking, sword demonstrations etc. Toronto Trek, Celebration,
BotCon, Dragon Con, Comic-Con (both Dragon Con and
Comicon will appear under many categories).

• GAMING CONVENTIONS

Gamers come in all shapes, sizes, ages, colors and ethnic
backgrounds, but they all have something in common.
A love of games.


Role playing, live, pen and paper, MMOG as well as video
gamers and board gamers all have a lot of interactive fun at
gaming conventions. You can meet game designers, try out
new games that have yet to hit the general market, and play
in tournaments for glory and prizes. Once an almost male-only
pursuit, gaming now has a growing number of female enthusiasts.
Gaming has become so pervasive that it is now nearly socially
acceptable to the mainstream public. Nearly.


There are giant conventions like GENCON and ORIGINS, where
it is so crowded you may have trouble negotiating the exhibition
halls due to the crowds. The upside is the great diversity and
FREEBIES as there are so many gaming companies competing
for your attention. Then there are the more intimate play intensive
ones like Archon, CastleCon, Dragonflight Dreikonigsnacht
(Twelfth Night), Festival of Dreams, HexaCon, KublaCon,
MACE, MarsCon, Marmalade Dog, ShaunCon, Strategicon,
The Once and Future Con, and many many more.


Keep in mind that many conventions other than pure gaming
conventions have gaming tracks. If you like to game but want to
do more than only game during the weekend you might look into
some of the other cons with a strong gaming element.

• ANIME CONVENTIONS

For the older generation anime seems so foreign,
even unreachable. It shouldn't be.


Yes, anime and its siblings manga and ahem [cough] hentai
are of Japanese origin, but the striking visual styles and beauty,
the characters and stories, connect with westerners as well as
with audiences in the east.


Because they are animations, they can either be sub-titled
or dubbed in the language of the country where it is being broadcast.
In anime the stars are the illustrators, authors, and voice actors.


At conventions you will find many of these sorts of guests as
well as companies promoting their projects. You will also find
some of the most imaginative of costumes created and
worn by fans.


At larger conventions you may find multiple rooms running
films day and night. At smaller ones perhaps just one room will
be devoted to showing their favorites.


There are often panels discussing aspects of cosplay, fan
fiction, video games, favorite voice actors, anime series or movies.
As in literary conventions there are often workshops. These workshops
are mostly how to draw manga, make computer animation, or how to
become a voice actor. The dealers room will be filled with DVDs,
software, graphic novel manga, art books, apparel, toys and exotic
(for us) foods.


While the U.S. and Canada have the largest SF conventions in
the world, the largest Anime conventions are Lucca Comics and
Games in Lucca Italy (85,000), Japan Expo in Paris France
(83,000), Salon del Manga in Barcelona Spain (63,000),
and Romics in Rome Italy (50,000). The big guys in North
America are Anime Expo Los Angeles California (41,000),
Otakon Baltimore Maryland (23,000), and A-Kon Dallas Texas
(14,500). Hey, size isn't everything and some of the smallest might
be the way to start if you have never been to a con before!!

• HORROR CONVENTIONS

What a perfect place to let it all hang out
(dating myself but who cares).


Horror conventions revel in going over the top. Long live Elvira,
Freddy Krueger, Jason, Dracula, Zacherley, Even the names
of these conventions and expos are meant to be graphic
illustrations of what you will find there. Chiller Theatre, Fangoria,
Fright Night Film and Fantasy Fest, HorrorFind, HorrorHound
Weekend, Spooky Empire. Nothing to subtle here.
No sparing of the gore.


It's like the rollercoaster of genre conventions. If you have a
strong stomach and a dark sense of humor, you will have
tons of fun.


The dealer's room, art show, video rooms all are in sync with
the horror theme. Guests that reach back decades up to the
present. Once again there is a chance to meet actors, artists
and authors for autographs, photo shoots, and anecdotes.


Attendees go wild with costumes and you can do so too,
even without a ton of money or a pile of cash. Try out your best
monsterish clothes and make-up or come as a victim... or not.
Costumes aren't required, they are just fun.


There is usually a monster mash even if that isn't the name given.
Some horror conventions invite guests that more about nostalgia
than horror. Chiller Con is a good example of this. Some of their
guests are Micky Dolenz from the Monkees, Ernest Borgnine ,
Lindsay Wagner, Brigitte Nielson, Katey Sagal (Married with
Children), Stephen Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, Barry Bostwick,
Erin Murphy (Tabitha of Bewitched), Avery Brooks, Armin
Shimmerman, Robert Picardo, Geri Reischel (Jan from The
Brady Bunch), Susan Olsen (Cindy from The Brady Bunch),
Joe Pantoliano,Richard Kiel ("Jaws" Moonraker), Lou Ferrigno,
William B Davies (X-Files-Cancer Man), Stella Stevens, Frank
Stallone, Ron Bumblefoot (Guns N Roses) and a host of others.

• COMIC CONVENTIONS

When you think of a comic book convention you will probably
think of a sea of old comic books, toys, Star Wars stuff,
Star Trek stuff, action figures, collectible card games and
magazines for sale and you would be right, but that is only
a part and an increasingly small part of the experience.


You will find illustrators, authors, publishers and very often
interesting workshops and panels that deal with every aspect
of the industry past, present and future. There are the costume
contingents that always show up at the larger conventions and
some are so good that you could almost believe you were seeing
superheroes and villains walk out of the pages and off the screen
to meet you and be photographed.


Some cons such as Dragon Con and Comic-Con began solely
as comic conventions but grew to tremendous size, scope and
diversity that they have transcended the genre that gave rise to
them. Even those such as HEROES which remains focused on
comics, manages to have a number of other aspects and should
be able to keep the whole family amused for the weekend.


Comic conventions often have a lot of pop culture and nostalgia
guests. So if you would like to see people like Creature, Parthenon
and Fat Mama from Who wants to be a Superhero or maybe even
Stan Lee himself, you might get your chance. How about James
and Oliver Phelps who played the Weasley Twins in the Harry Potter
movies? Or perhaps Sean Astin or Billy Boyd and even Elijah Wood.
From Heroes Hayden Paniterre and Masi Oka, or Ice-T... yes I said
Ice-T and his swimsuit-model wife Coco.


For a walk down memory lane there is Erik Estrada, Betsy Palmer,
Soupy Sales, Richard Hatch, John Saxon, Adam West and Burt Ward
(Batman and Robin) , Julie Newmar, Peter Mayhew, Eddie Byrnes
(77 Sunset Strip), Erin Gray (Buck Rodgers), Gary Coleman, Lou
Ferrigno and on and on. Some are from your childhood others are
from your parents childhoods. I can tell you that when I unexpectedly
got to meet the very ladylike and gracious Betsy Palmer, it was a thrill.


The bottom line is conventions are places where adults can
go and play and slough off the average workday week. Have fun !!

----------------------------

June Williams
VP Buzzy Multimedia Publishing

June Williams has worked the convention circuit as
a professional and been to scores of conventions as
a fan over a period of more than 25 years.

_____________________


Some previously published articles
you might have missed:

• The One About The Hotels Signs
• Tony Blair - The Musical
• Creativity - 6 Best Ways To Boost Yours
• 6 Simple Ways To Get Rid Of Your Boredom At Work
• The One About 'Energy Wasting Day'
• 2008 - The Year Of Solar Energy?

Tags : Horror, Anime,
Fantasy, Science Fiction




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