Click the image above to check out the pictures from my Sac-Anime Adventure!
Sac-Anime! The last con of the year for me this year. Now I go into hibernation, and start to focus more on creation for next year. I have a lot of projects I wanna complete before I stumble back into the convention world next spring.
At the top of my list is the TransCat graphic novel. There's a lot of cleaning up I need to do to all the early pages before they can all be compiled. Apart from that is the proposed TransCat Soundtrack that I wish to include with the graphic novel. It has a good start so far, but it really needs more work.
I've also theorized a short TransCat anthology I can whip together for the next Free Comic Book Day that deserves a little more attention. I also got penciled pages for TransCat 9 and 10 in the can. At least ONE of those will be released by my next con.
It's funny, around this time last year, I was truly worried that TransCat would simply not be able to go on, what with all the drastic changes my life had taken on all at once. A year later, I am still dealing with the consequences of those changes, but have found a system through which my art can still go on. If I devote half the year (Autumn and Winter) to dealing with things like working and debt, then the other half of the year (Spring and Summer) can be dedicated to TransCat and going to Cons!
I think it worked out pretty well this year. I didn't overdo it. A lot of stuff worked out for me, so i'm gonna see if I can do it again next year. maybe even improve upon it.
So let's talk about Sac-Con!
I am failry certain this will be my final con of the year.
Unless something irresistible shows up between now and January 1st.
Sac-Con was GREAT though, if not a little unorganized.
I arrived early Friday morning with my dear friends and helpers Savannah and Conor.
I once again had to skip Force Friday so I could pack and get some sleep, and wake up early the next morning, ready to hit that 2 hour drive. However, in a welcomed change of pace, I wound up not having to drive this time. Conor took the wheel in his Hybrid and we spent maybe 10 bucks on gas the whole weekend. Thank you, Conor! I got to rest in the back seat and listen to music as the scenery whipped by.
Now I had signed up for the Artist Alley a little bit late this year and as a result I would up on their wait list. I've come in from their wait list before, so i wasn't terribly worried. They asked me if I wanted to be on the "last minute" wait list too, which meant if someone with a table wound up bailing last minuted, I'd be one of the people they'd call. Last time I did that, they called me literally the day before the con. This time, i did not get a call. A reasonable person might have concluded that I did not get a table that year and just accept that.
BUT! I'm not a reasonable person, so i packed all my TransCat shit anyway, thinking the worst that could happen was I didn't get a tale and it would all just stay in the trunk of the car.
We arrived about 15 minutes before everything opened. We stopped at the hotel room first and attempted to check in, only to be told that since the person who originally booked our room (my friend Michael) wasn't with us, they could not legally let us in! I had to give him a quick call at work (the reason he could not come) and desperately plead with him to find some time to make the necessary changes so we could have a place to sleep. Thankfully, fortune smiled on us, and Michael was able to do all that for us in about an hour. Thanks Michael. Thanks.
While we were waiting, we decided that we'd head to the con, and maybe find out if the whole table thing worked out for me. I spoke to a security guard and explained my situation to him. He led me into the Exhibition Hall (which had not yet even opened) and helped me find the organizers.
I asked if I had a table, they said that since the hall hadn't even opened yet, they hadn't even started going through the wait list names yet. Okay, whatever, that's cool. We still had all these bags to unpack, so we headed right back to the hotel room. Unpacking did not take that long, but me and Savannah were VERY pleased to have found the swimming pool! we knew there'd be one, so we had all brought swim suits. Conor was DOG TIRED and decided that in lieu of a dip in the pool, he was gonna take a nap. I asked him to try to keep an ear out for my phone ringing just in case a space in the Exhibition Hall opened up for me.
The pool was oddly positioned ABOVE the parking garage. The garage was on the ground floor and the pool was on the 1st floor. It was strange because both me and Savannah were both acutely aware we were on "on the ground" the whole time we were in the pool. I think it gave us both a rush of paranoid excitement. I very much absentmindedly jumped in the water with my wallet still in my pocket. thankfully, nothing was permanently damaged. I did have a number of awkward conversations with people every time I handed them cash, making sure to let them know WHY it was moist. It wasn't gross sweat. It was nice, clean chlorine! Everyone was pretty understanding.
After we tired of the pool, me and Sav headed back upstairs. I was anxious to find out whether or not I had gotten a call from the Con yet, but was saddened to find no calls had come in at all. We showered off, re-dressed and decided to head back to the con and pester the organizers again.
I luckily found the same security guard and he ushered me back into the hall, which had been opened now for a little more than an hour. Once again, the organizers had no specific news for me. I decided to ask them where on the list I even was, thinking I could gauge the likelihood of my getting a table on my placement on the list. They informed me i was number 49. UGH! At that moment i was PRETTY SURE I was not going to get a table. The idea that 49 people would need to cancel for me to get in seemed impossible. I was pretty sure at that moment that I was just gonna buy myself a regular ticket and attend as a regular attendee, but I thought to ask the lady I speaking with just in case "If I buy a badge, and THEN I get called for a table, will I be reimbursed? Or no?", and to my pleasant surprise, she told me that they'd treat my badges as currency towards my table. That's a good system, I think.
At the top of my list is the TransCat graphic novel. There's a lot of cleaning up I need to do to all the early pages before they can all be compiled. Apart from that is the proposed TransCat Soundtrack that I wish to include with the graphic novel. It has a good start so far, but it really needs more work.
I've also theorized a short TransCat anthology I can whip together for the next Free Comic Book Day that deserves a little more attention. I also got penciled pages for TransCat 9 and 10 in the can. At least ONE of those will be released by my next con.
It's funny, around this time last year, I was truly worried that TransCat would simply not be able to go on, what with all the drastic changes my life had taken on all at once. A year later, I am still dealing with the consequences of those changes, but have found a system through which my art can still go on. If I devote half the year (Autumn and Winter) to dealing with things like working and debt, then the other half of the year (Spring and Summer) can be dedicated to TransCat and going to Cons!
I think it worked out pretty well this year. I didn't overdo it. A lot of stuff worked out for me, so i'm gonna see if I can do it again next year. maybe even improve upon it.
So let's talk about Sac-Con!
I am failry certain this will be my final con of the year.
Unless something irresistible shows up between now and January 1st.
Sac-Con was GREAT though, if not a little unorganized.
I arrived early Friday morning with my dear friends and helpers Savannah and Conor.
I once again had to skip Force Friday so I could pack and get some sleep, and wake up early the next morning, ready to hit that 2 hour drive. However, in a welcomed change of pace, I wound up not having to drive this time. Conor took the wheel in his Hybrid and we spent maybe 10 bucks on gas the whole weekend. Thank you, Conor! I got to rest in the back seat and listen to music as the scenery whipped by.
Now I had signed up for the Artist Alley a little bit late this year and as a result I would up on their wait list. I've come in from their wait list before, so i wasn't terribly worried. They asked me if I wanted to be on the "last minute" wait list too, which meant if someone with a table wound up bailing last minuted, I'd be one of the people they'd call. Last time I did that, they called me literally the day before the con. This time, i did not get a call. A reasonable person might have concluded that I did not get a table that year and just accept that.
BUT! I'm not a reasonable person, so i packed all my TransCat shit anyway, thinking the worst that could happen was I didn't get a tale and it would all just stay in the trunk of the car.
We arrived about 15 minutes before everything opened. We stopped at the hotel room first and attempted to check in, only to be told that since the person who originally booked our room (my friend Michael) wasn't with us, they could not legally let us in! I had to give him a quick call at work (the reason he could not come) and desperately plead with him to find some time to make the necessary changes so we could have a place to sleep. Thankfully, fortune smiled on us, and Michael was able to do all that for us in about an hour. Thanks Michael. Thanks.
While we were waiting, we decided that we'd head to the con, and maybe find out if the whole table thing worked out for me. I spoke to a security guard and explained my situation to him. He led me into the Exhibition Hall (which had not yet even opened) and helped me find the organizers.
I asked if I had a table, they said that since the hall hadn't even opened yet, they hadn't even started going through the wait list names yet. Okay, whatever, that's cool. We still had all these bags to unpack, so we headed right back to the hotel room. Unpacking did not take that long, but me and Savannah were VERY pleased to have found the swimming pool! we knew there'd be one, so we had all brought swim suits. Conor was DOG TIRED and decided that in lieu of a dip in the pool, he was gonna take a nap. I asked him to try to keep an ear out for my phone ringing just in case a space in the Exhibition Hall opened up for me.
The pool was oddly positioned ABOVE the parking garage. The garage was on the ground floor and the pool was on the 1st floor. It was strange because both me and Savannah were both acutely aware we were on "on the ground" the whole time we were in the pool. I think it gave us both a rush of paranoid excitement. I very much absentmindedly jumped in the water with my wallet still in my pocket. thankfully, nothing was permanently damaged. I did have a number of awkward conversations with people every time I handed them cash, making sure to let them know WHY it was moist. It wasn't gross sweat. It was nice, clean chlorine! Everyone was pretty understanding.
After we tired of the pool, me and Sav headed back upstairs. I was anxious to find out whether or not I had gotten a call from the Con yet, but was saddened to find no calls had come in at all. We showered off, re-dressed and decided to head back to the con and pester the organizers again.
I luckily found the same security guard and he ushered me back into the hall, which had been opened now for a little more than an hour. Once again, the organizers had no specific news for me. I decided to ask them where on the list I even was, thinking I could gauge the likelihood of my getting a table on my placement on the list. They informed me i was number 49. UGH! At that moment i was PRETTY SURE I was not going to get a table. The idea that 49 people would need to cancel for me to get in seemed impossible. I was pretty sure at that moment that I was just gonna buy myself a regular ticket and attend as a regular attendee, but I thought to ask the lady I speaking with just in case "If I buy a badge, and THEN I get called for a table, will I be reimbursed? Or no?", and to my pleasant surprise, she told me that they'd treat my badges as currency towards my table. That's a good system, I think.
SO! Slightly heavy hearted, me and Savannah and Conor walked over to registration to buy out tickets, fairly sure I would not get called. Our first day was PRETTY GOOD to say the least. I definitely refrained from buying too much (or anything at all) the first day, but I did my best to SEE as much as possible!
The day was coming to a close, me and the group were at the table of a queer erotica writer than Savannah was a huge fan of, when suddenly my phone buzzed! I checked it out, thinking it might be a late message from work (I had someone covering me on Friday who had called me a couple times to ask me about stuff), but I was wrong! It was from the Con! It was them letting me know that a table was gonna open up for me tomorrow morning and all i had to do was say I wanted it! YES!!!
I rushed over and signed the exhibitor agreement, showed them my sales permit, and turned in the badges we had bought, which were replaced with artist badges. (I paid back Savannah and Conor's contribution by taking them out for a nice dinner after the con).
To celebrate, we went to the anime rave that was being held that night. I hardly EVER go to these things when they have them at cons, but I was in a chipper mood and I felt like dancing! So dance we did!
We stumbled back to the room, sweating and tired (the intense Sacramento heat also added to that). I showered off yet again and settled in for a good, long night, knowing tomorrow was gonna be a whole new kinda challenge.
We woke up early, knowing that it would take time for all three of us to get ready. Conor gracious offered to drive me and my supplies to the convention center so that I wouldn't have to carry it the three or four blocks from the hotel room. I had packed a kind of bare essentials version of what I normally bring to my table, knowing full well that I might NOT get a table, and I wanted to take up as little room in the car as possible. Even still, the box was VERY heavy and I wanted to carry it as little as possible. That Conor, what a guy.
The first day went well. It's usually the first and second days that are the best, sales-wise and the final day where you're lucky to pick up some stragglers. I was a LITTLE miffed that I missed that lucrative first day, but the second day more than made up for it. Once again, I held off purchasing any items, even though there was SO MUCH that I wanted. After the close of the second day, me and the pair headed over the the AMV contest.
I USUALLY only go for the winners, but I guess there was a part of me that wanted to see all the entries, just out of sheer, morbid curiosity. I knew they'd be mostly losers, but i knew I'd have a good time laughing at them, and marveling at the ones that were well done.
AMVs have changed a LOT it seems. Last time I went to an AMV contest it was specifically for finalists and it was two fanimes ago. ALL of them were top quality, and at the point the only way for me to decide which ones I liked the best were ones that had songs I particularly liked, or ones that were based on anime I particularly liked.
This contest was a lot harder to decided and a lot STRANGER! First of all, the ones that were bad, were still pretty good. There were a few entries that were just an unaltered scene from an episode or movie with a song that worked well on top of it. Lazy, but the choices were good. One I remember particularly well was a scene of Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade paired with the this crazy, experimental hip hop song. The secene chosen was the beginning scene when the soldiers corner the rebels in the sewer. The song paired over it SO WELL that hardly any editing was needed.
Then there were some that had good songs and were based on good anime, but seemed like the editing wasn't really "there" if you feel me. Like they either went overboard with effects and it was really noticeable, or else the idea of what exactly they were trying to create wasn't fully formed. Then there were some that were really odd mismatches of song and subject. One that I remember was particularly cringey was scenes from the game Uncharted paired with Walk The Moon's "Shut up And Dance". The poor pairing, plus the uncanny valley quality of the game's human models made of one really hard to watch video.
The two REAL standouts of this contest were done by the same person, I'm pretty sure. The techniques seemed very specific and similar. I've not bothered to look them up yet, but if they were done by two different people, I'd be REALLY surprised.
The first one was called "Disney Zombies" and it was a video made up of some meticulously edited scenes from a bunch of Disney movies, where they placed a lot of characters in the kinda dingy, run down looking town, and through some very clever editing, made it seem like they were all interacting with one another. The "plot" of the video was that there was a zombie outbreak, and one by one, these lovable Disney characters got infected and began attacking one another. A REALLY creepy set to some really creepy music.
The second video was of the exact same theme.
Disney characters edited out of their natural surroundings and into a darker, scarier one.
in this one, Milo from Atlantis appeared as this horrifying specter who could see a little timer above everyone's heads that showed him when they were going to die. Mostly he looked on in morbid amusement as each character met their untimely end, until he meets Megara from Hercules about to be hit by a car. He falls in love with her and decides he's going to freeze time and save her from her untimely fate.
She seems safe as he places her frozen body into her own bed, waits long enough to see her time reset to show her full lifespan, and then unfreezes time. In the next scene, Meg is now hobnobbing with the two main characters from Road to El Dorado. Milo becomes enraged with jealousy, and kills them taking Meg captive. She resists at first but then he bedazzles her, turning her dim surroundings into some kinda of paradise wonderland, where she kind of falls under his spell, and embraces him. As the scene fades out you can see each one of their timers set to about 5 minutes, inferring that they're both going to die shortly, off screen.
This one REALLY shook me because the way they edited Milo, he was all shadowy and dark with bright red blood eyes. It was RATHER haunting. I dunno what causes a guy to wanna create not one, but TWO music videos centered around this jarring theme of cute, lovable Disney characters participating in these horrific plots, but this guy did it. Savannah theorized it was part of some really specific sexual fetish. I'd not be shocked to learn that that wasn't far off from the truth.
After the contest, Savannah and Conor decided they wanted to go to day 2 of the rave. I was really tired and wanted to make it an early night, so I headed back to the hotel room, and got comfortable. Sadly, for Savannah and Conor, the rave was really awful that night, so they left super early themselves. They were both back well before midnight and I wasn't even asleep yet. We all settled in for the night, prepping for day 3.
Day 3 was the slowest day by far, and most torturous, because it was the day everyone wanted to see everything, and I was mostly alone at the table. I definitely managed to make some sales though. I sold out of issues 1, 2 and 4. Still have plenty of 3's left, though! I wonder how that works out???
In either case, i was pleased at my sales, although I wished that I'd had more company.
Savannah and Conor came back towards the end of the day, and i had an hour or so to browse around and make all the purchases I wanted to make. I got a copy of Transformed #2 by my dear friend Al Neun. Rest assured i'll be reviewing that book here on this site soon! I got to see some friends, buy some toys and even a present for my friend tiger's new place in SF.
As the con drew to a close, we packed up the car, drove off to meet a friend in town and had dinner before heading back home. All in all, this was a great last con of the year. It was great to really get back into it.
Now I must rest, and refocus my efforts back on creating.
I'll be back soon!
Worry not, my sweet babbies~ worry not~!
No comments:
Post a Comment