Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Metropolis memorabilia
As a fan of the groundbreaking 1927 film Metropolis, I found this program from the London premiere pretty fucking awesome. In addition to a cast list and synopsis of the movie, the program contains articles, pictures taken during production and even some scene-for-scene comparison of the script and the original story on which the film was based.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Every time someone draws a fairy, god kills a kitten
Oh GalaxyFest, you took me back to a time when cons were all about socializing and I didn't even know panels or celebrities existed! It was startlingly like the conventions I attended 20+ years ago. I wandered the hotel, people-watching and showing off my own costume. I hung out in my room with my friends; we drank a lot and might have* broken some laws. We ate some pretty good food and walked some of the neighborhood around the hotel. In the entire weekend, I only went to one panel.
*definitely
I missed most of the costume contest on Saturday night (ref. boozing it up in the hotel room), but I caught the end when the winners were announced. Some of them were pretty cool, including a very faithful Codex*. The steampunk fashion show was much like any other fashion show, except the models were varied in their shapes and sizes, which is always a pleasure to see. Some designs and designers were interesting, creative and original, others less so. I didn't manage to catch the burlesque shows, though I hear they were entertaining. The kiltblowing event -- undeniably for adults -- was definitely a good time.
*She's a character on The Guild, which if you don't watch, you are lame.
My Snake Plissken costume turned out swell, even if my gun did keep flopping around because the spraypaint fucked with the duct tape's adhesive. Making the costume was a fun and educational process. I riveted! A handful of people asked if I was a character from something, and all of one person recognized who I was supposed to be. My favorite, though, was the person who asked if the eyepatch was part of a costume or did I use it all the time. I looked cool.
Sadly, Claudia Christian didn't make it because she started work on a new project. Boo that she wasn't there, but yay that she's working. It turns out that I made no effort to see any other celebrities, either. It might have been neat to meet Denise Crosby, but I wasn't so motivated that I even looked for her events on the schedule.
One of my favorite parts of a con, the dealers' room, was surprisingly good for such a small event. Lots of local artists who make nifty stuff, from jewelry to clothing to sculptures and other art, and not many tables full of comics and Star Trek trading cards. Unfortunately, there weren't enough funny t-shirts. I was, however, able to find something both affordable and groovy, so now I own a pretty chainmail bracelet that I've spent more time playing with than wearing.
The most surprising thing about the weekend was the art show. In a show that didn't even fill one small room, I found several things that I wanted. Not just liked, but genuinely wanted to own. To put that in perspective, I'm being generous in saying I don't appreciate most fantasy art. Every time someone draws a fairy, god kills a kitten. And still, I liked a lot of the art in this show.
On other matters of taste, the con was heavy on the steampunk, which is getting old fast. It'll be nice when that genre has fallen to the wayside enough that the costumes are once again interesting and creative instead of uninspired and commonplace. I blame the revamped Doctor Who for this. Well, since I'm lookin' to get my ass kicked with that kind of talk, I'll move on.
Since this was GalaxyFest's first year, I'm hesitant to criticize too much. However, I will note that I sure hope they work out some of the kinks. It'd be cool if the registration desk was staffed by people who were prepared to manage the chaos. The program needs to contain clear & accurate information and should be laid out in a fashion that makes it useful. The event and panel rooms need signs, with the room schedule at the very least, if not actual information about what's going on inside.
I could go on, but it'd just be nitpicking. All these things require bodies to do the work, and I feel sure some of the problems stemmed from the fact that the event was short-staffed. Volunteers are hard to come by and there are many things at a con that need attention.
The gist of my weekend was that while I'm glad I went and could contribute in some small way to a new con, I don't see myself going to GalaxyFest again until they've got a few years worth of experience. Oh, and a party floor.
*definitely
I missed most of the costume contest on Saturday night (ref. boozing it up in the hotel room), but I caught the end when the winners were announced. Some of them were pretty cool, including a very faithful Codex*. The steampunk fashion show was much like any other fashion show, except the models were varied in their shapes and sizes, which is always a pleasure to see. Some designs and designers were interesting, creative and original, others less so. I didn't manage to catch the burlesque shows, though I hear they were entertaining. The kiltblowing event -- undeniably for adults -- was definitely a good time.
*She's a character on The Guild, which if you don't watch, you are lame.
My Snake Plissken costume turned out swell, even if my gun did keep flopping around because the spraypaint fucked with the duct tape's adhesive. Making the costume was a fun and educational process. I riveted! A handful of people asked if I was a character from something, and all of one person recognized who I was supposed to be. My favorite, though, was the person who asked if the eyepatch was part of a costume or did I use it all the time. I looked cool.
Sadly, Claudia Christian didn't make it because she started work on a new project. Boo that she wasn't there, but yay that she's working. It turns out that I made no effort to see any other celebrities, either. It might have been neat to meet Denise Crosby, but I wasn't so motivated that I even looked for her events on the schedule.
One of my favorite parts of a con, the dealers' room, was surprisingly good for such a small event. Lots of local artists who make nifty stuff, from jewelry to clothing to sculptures and other art, and not many tables full of comics and Star Trek trading cards. Unfortunately, there weren't enough funny t-shirts. I was, however, able to find something both affordable and groovy, so now I own a pretty chainmail bracelet that I've spent more time playing with than wearing.
The most surprising thing about the weekend was the art show. In a show that didn't even fill one small room, I found several things that I wanted. Not just liked, but genuinely wanted to own. To put that in perspective, I'm being generous in saying I don't appreciate most fantasy art. Every time someone draws a fairy, god kills a kitten. And still, I liked a lot of the art in this show.
On other matters of taste, the con was heavy on the steampunk, which is getting old fast. It'll be nice when that genre has fallen to the wayside enough that the costumes are once again interesting and creative instead of uninspired and commonplace. I blame the revamped Doctor Who for this. Well, since I'm lookin' to get my ass kicked with that kind of talk, I'll move on.
Since this was GalaxyFest's first year, I'm hesitant to criticize too much. However, I will note that I sure hope they work out some of the kinks. It'd be cool if the registration desk was staffed by people who were prepared to manage the chaos. The program needs to contain clear & accurate information and should be laid out in a fashion that makes it useful. The event and panel rooms need signs, with the room schedule at the very least, if not actual information about what's going on inside.
I could go on, but it'd just be nitpicking. All these things require bodies to do the work, and I feel sure some of the problems stemmed from the fact that the event was short-staffed. Volunteers are hard to come by and there are many things at a con that need attention.
The gist of my weekend was that while I'm glad I went and could contribute in some small way to a new con, I don't see myself going to GalaxyFest again until they've got a few years worth of experience. Oh, and a party floor.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Pre-con preparations
It's a few days before GalaxyFest and my Snake Plissken costume is coming along swimmingly. I think when it's finished & the con is over, I'll post pictures of the costume-making process. There's also more programming info on the con's website, which is encouraging. It looks a little heavy on the steampunk (the "eurotrash of nerd-dom," as Tinkerballa* put it), but that could be entertaining. Unfortunately, Robert Picardo and Torri Higginson both canceled, but the person I most want to see, Claudia Christian, will still be there.
On a related note, I'm curious to see what the Colorado Springs geek community looks like.
*She's a character on The Guild, which if you don't watch, you are lame.
On a related note, I'm curious to see what the Colorado Springs geek community looks like.
*She's a character on The Guild, which if you don't watch, you are lame.
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