Last A-Kon Update (fwd)
Walter Amos (amos@sedl.org)
Tue, 26 May 1998 13:09:59 -0500 (CDT)
For the benefit of any list members who may be attending A-Kon, I am
forwarding the information below. Question - since there is still time
to add a panel, would there be any interest in some sort of LGH panel?
I did one at A-Kon a few years ago which was surprisingly well
attended. I would not mind doing another but have no idea what I'd
say. Any ideas/comments?
==============================================================================
"Zu jeder Zeit, an jeder (sic) Ort, bleibt das Tun | Walter Amos
der Menschen das gleiche..." - Galactic Heroes II | amos@sedl.org
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 17:23:13 -0500
From: Meri Hazlewood <phoenix@cyberramp.net>
To: phoenix@cyberramp.net
Subject: Last A-Kon Update
A-Kon 9 Update 5-23-98
-----------------------------
IT'S ALMOST HERE!
In a few days A-Kon 9 will begin! This will probably be the last update
(unless something really spectacular happens) before the show.
Here we have a full listing of the panels to date. Eventaully it will also
be on the web page, so watch for it. If you are one of our
speakers/guests/animators/artists, etc. and you see a panel you'd like to
be part of, PLEASE let us know. We don't always know your other interests
or other fields of expertise, so we may miss putting you on something you'd
really like to talk about! (this does not include gaming, etc., which is
already on the web page). If anybody has other ideas for panels, let us
know, we still have a few slots that can be filled!
See you soon!
---------------------------------------
LOST ANOTHER ONE!
Brian Stelfreeze will be unable to make it down this year, due to an
animating project he's working on. Yes, foraying out from the static page,
into the kinetic medium has proven more time consuming than he thought,
although he worked until the last possible 7-day-advance ticket cutoff
time, trying not to have to cancel. But in the end, time (and paying
commitments) won out. We're sorry to miss him, and we swear we're dragging
him to an A-Kon one of these days! He will be at our other convention,
Stellar Occasion, in September, however, so you can catch him there!
------------------------------------
BUT WE GAINED A FEW MORE!
We have learned that Fred Perry will be coming to A-Kon this year! Yay Fred!
Also, Richard Stockton, writer for AP, will be appearing at A-Kon
Also confirmed are Brian Denham, and Joe Wight, both comic artists of some
repute!
------------------------------------
REMEMBER TO VISIT SYCO FOR CHARITY
Just a reminder: SyCo Distribution is sponsoring a Raffle for the Make A
Wish Foundation.. Make A Wish grants wishes to terminally ill children.
They're raffling off your choice of (1) a complete run of Evangelion, or
(2) a complete run of Blue Seed (13 tapes) or (3) a complete set of Ranma
Hard Battle (12 tapes). The chances are $2 and can be purchased at their
table in the dealers room
------------------------------------
PRE-REGISTRATION IS IMMENSE!
We have finished mail-in pre-registration at an all-time high of 805!
Yes, that's over Eight Hundred pre-registered folks for A-Kon 9! Yeee-Haw!
Fantastic! Thanks to all of you for sending in your stuff!
Again, at the door prices are: 3-day $38, Friday Only $19, Saturday Only
$21, Sunday Only $15. 3-day passes come with the program book. It's the
best deal. Program Book cover will be printed in full color, with artwork
designed exclusively for us by the folks at Radio Comix (Pat Duke, Elin
Winkler, etc.)
Hotel Rooms ARE still available (it's a big hotel), however, we suggest you
contact them by phone instead of by mail, to insure you have your room.
Call the hotel at 972-929-4500 and mention Project: A-Kon to get the
special rate. Remember, share a room with 3 friends, and it breaks down to
only $20.50 per night! It's not that bad when you think about it!
Guaranteeing with a credit card is strongly recommended if at all possible.
Also, the hotel will probably have a $25-30 fee (almost all of them do
nowadays) when you get to the front desk to turn on the phone, movies,
etc., which you get back when you check out. I know that's something of
pain if you didn't budget for it, however, think of it as a savings account
- you'll at least have THAT much money to get back home on! We wanted to
let you know that ahead of time so it wasn't a nasty shock. You can put
that 'security money' on a credit card as well.
---------------------------------------------
AND NOW...THE PANEL LISTING
FRIDAY
12 Noon: "What does a Director Do" - for those of you who always wondered,
this will be a good chance to find out. 'Directing' may mean something
different in an animated movie than in live action. Find out from those
who do it! (Michi Yamato, others)
1pm: "Women in the Industry-We're STILL Here!" See what the feminine side
of the force has to say about publishing in a male-dominated business.
Also learn about the differences between the industry here, and in Japan,
in regards to female professionals. Is it really so different? (Elin
Winkler, Mio Odagi, Ippongi Bang)
"AD Vision News" The latest and greatest from this prolific anime
distribution/translation company
"Cel Painting Demo" The first in a series of 2 classes where you will
actually learn to paint anime cels. A $6 fee will get you all the
materials, brushes, paints, etc. you need to complete your very own cel!
Hosted by Steve Bennett
2pm: "Central Park Media News" more info for the anime collector from
Central Park Media and U.S. Manga Corps
"What the Hell is an Editor Anyway?" Ever wonder what they do? What is
there to 'edit' in a translated manga? Is 'editing' another word for
'censoring'? (Doug Dlin, Elin Winkler)
"Amtgard Demo" Wonder what the difference between Amtgard and SCA is?
Find out here! Wonder what it feels like to smack someone upside the head
with a boffer weapon? Find out here! Wonder what it feels like to BE
smacked upside the head? Find out here! In fact, all you want to know
about fantasy live action role playing games can be learned here!
3pm: "Translating for Fun (?) and Profit (?)" Hear from the pros what's is
like to take something from a totally different culture, speech pattern,
etc. and make it acceptable to a US audience, without losing the flavor and
the meaning of the story. It's not as easy as you might think. (Neil
Nadelman, Toshifuma Yoshida)
"How to Run a Successful Fan Club" Complete with demos from the Anime Club
of the University of Texas (at Arlington). Countless times they've been
asked how they went from a 10 person club to one of the largest clubs in
the US with over 250 members. How do you elect officers? How to you fund
the club? How do you get AV systems and keep it portable? How do you get
the tapes? Etc. See these things answered, plus see a taped demo of their
stuff in this 2 hr. seminar.
"AniName That Tune"...I can name that song in XXX notes! Come join this
popular game-show styled panel for 2 hrs of music, some so eclectic it'll
shred your mind! Challenge yourself! Join in the fun! Prizes awarded!
Hosted by Blake Moore, our resident prostating staffer!
4pm: "The Art of the Comic" What is 'anime influenced' art - what trends
are coming up? Are things going more 'manga style', and is that going to be
the new 'style' for the new millennium? Even SPAWN has been anime inspired
with it's new Manga Spawn line. Does it change the way original artists do
their work? (Brian Stelfreeze, Pat Duke, Ben Dunn, Tavisha Wolfgarth)
5pm: "Animating-Fer Real!" What's it like to actually make still,
2-dimensional characters move? Isn't it great and/or very difficult, to
control the sound, action, characters, background music, voices, ALL of it,
come together to produce a piece of kinetic art? (Shawn the Touched, Nick
Gibbons, Ben Dunn, Louie Ambriz)
"Return of the Brother of the Son of Sub vs. Dub: The Battle Turns Ugly"
There has been a disturbing trend recently where some fans are being
ostracized because they dare to prefer the dubbed versions of anime to the
subbed versions. Why this tendency to define the "pure" anime fan? (Neil
Nadelman, Toshi Yoshida, Newton Ewell)
6pm: "Fan Subbers Speak" Hear from the folks who do this sort of thing.
(panelists TBA)
"Spiritual Enlightenmane through Spam and It's Importance and Uses in a
Modern Free Society" the title just about says it all. Hosted by Pat Duke,
king of pink pork product
SATURDAY
10am: " VIZ News": The latest and greatest from this popular anime
distributor, and publisher of Animerica Magazine
11am: "Designing a Game World of your Very Own": from blank piece of paper,
to rules, regs, histories, cultures, mechs, etc. etc. (Patrick Hughes,
Justin Achilli, Newton Ewell)
READING: PN Elrod: Pat will read from her latest book, so you can hear
what the words of the author sound like, when coming from the author's own
mouth. (a new thing for A-Kon, but very fun, and Pat is a helluva author
and a real doll!)
"Cel Painting Demo" Round 2: Another painting class, hosted by Steve
Bennett, where for a mere $6, you can take home a head full of knowledge
and your own hand painted anime cel! (2 hr. class)
"Creating Believable RPG Characters" Avoid a stereotype and produce a
real personality from the first time he/she is played. Humans, non-humans,
gender, mounts, familiars will all be addressed. (hear this panel, then try
out Animania, the live action anime game!) (Paul Cardwell)
12:noon "Studio Do-Do News" - What's up with the Japanese manga company
that is fast becoming popular over here! Their titles and their artists
have been published by Antarctic Press, Studio Ironcat and Radio Comics,
and are doing quite well, we hear. (Ippongi Bang, Yab, Mio Odagi, Reijiro
Kato)
"PR for RPG's" After a Canadian radio program with "pop-up audio"
commentary, the seminar goes into a discussion of such public relations
topics as how to organize and enlarge game clubs, answer attacks on games,
the benefits of gaming, where to get help, and specific problems rom the
group. Did the Pop Up Video people see this to get their idea? (2 hr.
seminar)
1pm: Airbrush Painting Demo. Watch a real art piece being created.
(Nightstar Productions) (4 hr.)
"Starting Yer Own Company": How hard is it to get noticed when there are
so many big fish? How do you get your product (manga, comic, animated
piece, etc.) into the stream with the others? (Kat Butt Comics, Tavicat,
Valkyrie Games, Radio Comix, White Radish)
Amtgard Demo - see how the fantasy live action game is played, battles
fought, etc.
2pm: Wolf Studios Makeup Demo and SFX Discussion: Watch as the pros who do
Haunted Verdun Manor change a hapless audience victim from an everyday
person into something completely different! Then enter a discussion about
special effects, how to, what not to, etc. (that flame thrower effect is
cool....but when your walls are made of wood, you're in deep kimchi, bud!)
(Lance Pope, Wolf Corlett) (2 hr.)
Fan Fiction Panel: Discussion of anime fan fiction from some of the best
known authors out there. Many of them are on the web, so their stuff is
readily available! Moderated by Nicholas Liefker and including panelists:
Chris McNeil, Richard Lawson, Robert Morrison, Krista Perry, Stephen Tsai
(2 hr.)
"Voice Actors Speak" Hear from those who really do it, how hard it is to
put words in mouths that were not drawn to speak the same language. How
silly do they feel saying some of the dialogue? (Amy Howard, Tiffany Grant,
Doug Smith)
3pm: AnimEigo-the Latest Buzz: See what's up with one of the first anime
distribution companies in the U.S. See what's on the table for the coming
months! (Robert Woodhead)
4pm: "Yamato-Fest": A lively discussion of old-tyme anime with one who was
actually THERE! (amy Howard, Dave Merrill, Steve Harrison)
"Fireside Chat with Bay Area Animation Society" come on down, bring your
discussion topics for this 2 hr. roundtable talk that could go anywhere.
Jerry Springer of anime? Or quieter, more thoughtful Montel Williams? Your
questions will decide! (Stephanie Chun, Rob Miles, Tracy Brown, members of
BAAS)
5pm: "Furry Fandom: Is it Funny, or is it 'Funny'?": Hear about the latest
and sometime disturbing new trends in anthropomorphic fandom. Disney and
Tezuka would roll over in their Graves! What can be done to return to the
cute critters we all have loved for so long? (Mel White, Elin Winkler)
6pm: "Introduction to Dallas Brawl". There IS furry fandom in our area -
and they're way cool people, too. They are consumate storytellers, and
artists, and etc. Come and meet them! (Mel White, Dallas Brawl)
White Wolf News: Hear from representative Justin Achilli what's going on
at this popular gaming company. (Justin is one of their cornerstone game
developers, working on many of their titles, including Rage)
SUNDAY
10am: Radio Comix News: Here it is, the scoop on one of the fastest growing
manga-styled comic companies around!
"Designing the 'Look' of Characters": How do you decide what you want
your characters to look like? Whether they're comic, gaming or anime
characters, do you pick their 'use' and then draw them accordingly, or do
you get an image in your mind, and develop their culture, etc. from there?
(NeNe, Newton Ewell, Shawn the Touched, Fred Perry, Lee Madison, Studio Do-Do)
11am: Antarctic Press: What's Up!: Okay, so they may not have as many
titles as they once had, but they're far from dead! They've even got
action figures out now for some of their characters! The comic industry is
not kind, but they're not giving up! Hear the latest from the folks at
AP-the first anime-styled comic company in the US, and based right here in
Texas! (AP folks)
Art Discussion: "How Color affects Mood and Emotion in Anime": The title
about says it all. There are definite feelings that are put forward by the
coloring of an anime piece. See proof with the folks from Nightstar
Productions.
12:00 Safety Tips: "Never Drink while Watching Depressing Anime" Did
Windaria make you want to up-end a bottle of rat poison? What anime do YOU
find depressing? And what other animations could possibly make you feel
that way? The wonder that IS anime. (Steve Harrison, Neil Nadelman,
others TBA)
Anime Jeopardy w/AWOL: It's Back, and it's Bad! And if you win, you prove
to a whole room of people that you have no life! The most bizarre, most
obscure, tiniest bits of trivia are flung about like so many pies in a
Three Stooges movie, in this action packed game! It's tradition! Join in!
(hosted by members of Anime WithOut Limitation) (2 hr.)
1pm Panel TBA
2pm: Roundtable Talk "What Books Would You Like to see Animated?": We've
seen Lensman, we've seen Dune and Starship Troopers done live action, we've
seen Starship Troopers animated. What would we REALLY like to see, and how
would we like to see it? (Pat Elrod, Newton Ewell, others TBA)
Tavicat Comics, the Latest: Meet the folks from Tavicat Comics, the folks
who put out the popular Reality Check comic. This is their first visit to
A-Kon. See how they went from costuming at the top of a Los Angeles
building, to putting out a very funny and sweet manga-styled comic of their
very own.
"Where's the Coke Machine" and other useful Japanese Phrases" - Going
visiting? You need to know what to and not to say, how to ask for things,
and how to get out of trouble. A quick study of some basic Japanese
language phraseology. (Robert Woodhead, Toshi Yoshida, Neil Nadelman)
Amtgard Demo - another chance to smack each other upside the head with
foam weaponry! (2 hr)
3pm: "Anime Old'N'New" - is there a real difference between the epics of
old, and the epics of now? What is the love affair some fans have with the
old shows like Harlock, Gundam, etc. Are the new shows merely superficial
violence, T&A and spaceships? Are we just too darn old? (Dlin, Harrison,
Merrill, others TBA)
"So, Ya Wanna Turn Pro?" Do you realize that there are people out there
who want to become professional timers/translators/etc, and yet have no
idea how to do something as simple as file an invoice? Come learn how from
some folks who have already been through this and can give you some
pointers. (Nadelman, Yoshida, Perry, others TBA)
4pm: "Creating your own Worlds: Writing vs. Drawing" - does writing guide
the artist, or vice versa? Is it easier to conceptualize a world in words,
or in pictures? (Elrod, Stockton, Perry, Hughes, Duke, Rosearik Rikki
Simons)
"What's New at Studio Ironcat"? Well, Studio Ironcat IS new! The latest
company on the anime/manga scene, they have some great titles and cool info
to share! Come and meet them (actually, you've met them before, but now
they're IN CHARGE! Look out!) (Steve Bennett, Kuni Kimura, Kevin Bennett,
etc.)
6pm: "Rocks N Roses" How did we do? Did you love this year? Hate it? What
do you want to see different? Did you like the hotel? Give your opinions to
help us tailor next year's show. Also, the Wall will be given away at this
panel, as well as an auction of targets drawn, and shot at, by our various
artists! (this is a first!)
-----------------------
SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!!!!!
Meri Hazlewood
Chairman, Stellar Occasion & Project: A-Kon
visit our web site at http://www.cyberramp.net/~phoenix
there's cool stuff there!