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My really long Comic-Con write-up
Well, I haven't caught up on the friends list as planned, because I still have the jet lag from hell and reading LJ would involve things like concentrating. But since I don't see myself getting any more work done today, it's a good chance to get that con report posted. The week was so chock full of events that it's starting to blur, but I'll go for the chronological approach.
Actually it's a con-report/San Diego sightseeing tour, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jwaneeta and I flew in two days early to have time for touristy endevours. So...
(tuesday)
...once settled at our trusty hostel, we signed up for one of the hostel's free (yay) tours and went to Balboa park, which is well worth a visit.
After that, we bought tickets for a trolley round trip through the whole city (not cheap but c'mon, we were staying at a hostel so a little indulgence was in order). After that we went to the Coronado peninsula to go swimming. I can never get enough of swimming in the (unaptly named) Pacific. These waves are so much fun. And pretty scary.
Dinner was had at an excellent Mexican place in old town, which looked like this:
The food was great, and we even had a two-entrees-for-the-price-of-one coupon. Overall, we were extremely lucky when it came to food. Either that or, as Cyn said, bad food is outlawed in that city.
(wednesday)
The next day we took a trip with the Amtrak up to San Juan Capistrano, where we visited the ruins of the old mission.
me in front of the ruins...
Cyn under decorative stone arch (I love this pic)
... then took off for the nearest beach. The waves there were scarier than at Coronado and there was quite a bit of an underwater pull, but the other swimmers seemed unfazed and we're here to tell the tale.
Back to the hostel which by now was populated mostly by con goers. And that is the reason I vastly prefer hostels to hotels, lack of comfort notwithstanding: In the evening we'd all lump together in the living room, every one armed with a drawing pad, happily drawing and talking comics and checking out each others artwork... it was a particularly great crowd this year! (And I owe about a dozen people email.)
And now to the craziness:
(thursday - first day of the con)
I attended a dozen panels, but I'll stick to just a few. I don't even remember everything... it's all a haze.
Last year I caught only part of Michael Lovitz's Comic Book Law School seminar, so this time I made sure to be there for all three days. That guy is good. He manages to make this whole dry copyright/trademark/licensing material not just understandable, but entertaining. No, really. And he said that he's been doing this class for the past 17 years, with not two being the same, which I believe at once. He's big on audience participation, and the countless questions take the lecture in new directions all the time.
There was way too much to repeat here, I'll stick to a few details that pertain to fandom (and bear in mind that I know almost nothing about IP law, and that German and US laws differ to make it even more complicated). My main impression from what Lovitz said was that we don't have to worry one bit about fanfic/fan art as long as it stays non-commerical. What is more, in the case of fan art the copyright holders even look the other way and squeeze both eyes shut when it comes to people selling their fan art originals (originals as in not prints). When I first heard that I had trouble believing it, considering what happens if someone tries the same thing with fic.
According to Lovitz, the reasons are (unsurprisingly):
(1) Fan artists pose no direct competition to publishers as far as the selling of original artwork goes. Publishers are not in the business of selling artwork
(2) It's free PR.
(3) Cracking down on it would accomplish little except piss off your target group.
So, nothing to gain, much to lose by sending out C&D orders. However, there're exceptions. The reaction can be swift if the PTB find a character displayed in what they would consider a compromising way. It's a fine line.
We covered Fair Use only very briefy, because people kept interrupting with Trademark and Licensing questions. All very interesting as well, but when there was but half an hour left on Saturday, some of us got itchy and started shouting 'Fair Use, Fair Use!' Heh. It was a very lively seminar indeed.
The determining factors of whether a work is a fair use "include:
1.the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3.amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work."
I got the impression that a huge emphasis is put on the 'commercial nature' part.
I can't remember what else I attended that day. Well, I dropped byjwaneeta's publisher's booth. Everybody there was incredibly nice and a pleasure to talk to. Then her and I went to have dinner at that incredible Chinese place on 4th and G, which we've since told everybody about, because it has become Cyn's and my mission in life to convince people of the greatness of this place. Seriously, that was the best Chinese food I ever had, and they serve a heap that's enough for two meals (we were never too ashamed to ask for doggie bags).
(friday)
More law school in the morning, then I think I went to see Scott McCloud (the author of the brilliant 'Understanding Comics') plug his upcoming comic book, 'Making Comics'. It looks very good, particularly the chapter on worldbuilding. After he introduced the book (the man can talk fast) he handed the mike to his daughter, eighth grade, who did a power point presentation of the familie's upcoming road trip. Eighth grade. The girl talked to the audience like an old pro, witty and confident... to say I was impressed was an understatement. They had some techical problems (that's what you get when you work with computers) but overall, it was a really cool panel.
Then, Bones (yay)
They showed only a few clips from the first season, but made up for it by adding a few bloopers. Then Boreanaz and Hanson came out for a Q&A. Last year's Q&A had made me feel rather uncomfortable because people kept asking about Angel and taking little interest in the new show or Deschanel (I wonder if that's the reason she didn't show this time). However, this one was pretty good. The fans went out of their way to avoid asking about the Whedonverse (at one point he said something like, "No, it's okay, you can ask me about Buffy and Angel."). Only one woman asked who he preferred, SMG or Emily Deschanel. Which, come on. You don't ask a question like that. There is no good answer to a question like that. Though he was really adorable, the way he tried to weasel out of that one. Did a good job of it, too.
I'm pretty sure there're full transcripts online so I'll stop here.
In the evening we went to see 'Serenity'. I wanted to see it in the company of fans. Then we met up with Cyn's friendstudioqt for dinner and snuck into the pool area of the Mariott, where she was staying. I do regret that I didn't sneak into the pool as well, it looked so inviting.
(saturday)
Yet more law school, then... wow, I don't remember. Maybe it'll come back to me.
Saturday was the day I went to the dealers' room which I hadn't had found the time to do yet. Saturday also happened to be the day when the fire marshall made them stop selling tickets. It was insane. The next day I met a dad with his sons who'd come all the way from Arizona and could't get in. I did most of my comics shopping on Sunday, when many of the weekly-pass visitors were leaving and the crowds were back to a bearable level.
I took only a few pictures at the con:
Who're you gonna call?
I have no idea who these guys are supposed to be, but they got that certain something.
In the evening, Cyn's boss took us out for dinner - pleasant company and, once more, delicious food. (And old artist's rule: never turn down a free meal :)
Then, more creative hanging out at the hostel. I got a bit of pencelling done on the comic, too. It was just a really productive atmosphere. I got so much new input for comics art... great tips for art supply, too. Each time I asked someone at the con, "That's a great line, what pen do you use?" they showed me their Zebra 330 brushpen. My new mission is now to obtain one of those. Outside of Japan, that's apparently not easy.
(sunday)
Cyn flew out the next morning, but I had two more days. I went to the con center one last time to get some serious shopping done. Then I wanted to attend the Tie In Writers panel... see how the other half lives and all that. I kept running into people on my way there so I caught only the final half hour. The panelists were Jeff Mariotte, Nancy Holder, and three guys I'm not familiar with. After having read some of Holder's Buffy tie-ins, I'm not overly impressed with her writing. Mariotte, however, has written decent Angel novels in the past ('Haunted' is pretty good) and the latest comic series 'Old Friends' is worth picking up, too.
Anyway. There was some general advice on how to write, and how to get into the business, nothing sounded new to me. Except one thing that might be of interest to some on my flist: In the tie-in business, you don't need an agent. No agent necessary. So... the thing is, I could list dozens of Whendonverse fic writers who can write Nancy Holder into a corner, left-handed and blindfolded. I know many are not at all interested in doing this sort of thing for money, but just in case you are: Not having an agent is no obstacle in this line of work. Just thought it's worth mentioning.
'kay. I skipped on the Harry Potter movie and went to check out yet another beach. Bought a two-day ticket for the busses for nine bucks and went to Ocean Beach, the local surfer community. Culture shock, dude! Over there they hadn't even heard of Comic Con. (While the rest of the city, without a doubt, was glad to see us go, and busy counting the money they made that week.)
These people had brought their parrot to the beach
sunset over Ocean Beach
Then me and the remaining conventioneers at the hostel went for a walk down to the pier. We watched the dealers pack up. It was almost kind of sad to see that huge hall all empty.
This is the sitting room at the hostel. In the background, the kitchen. In the morning there were free freshly baked pancakes.
(monday)
yet more sightseeing:
The desert plant garden at Balboa park
And this final one was not taken in San Diego, it was just on the camera; it's the terasse behind our house. More blooming cactusses (cacti?)
Man, that was longer than I intended but once I get writing it's hard to stop.
Actually it's a con-report/San Diego sightseeing tour, as
jwaneeta and I flew in two days early to have time for touristy endevours. So...(tuesday)
...once settled at our trusty hostel, we signed up for one of the hostel's free (yay) tours and went to Balboa park, which is well worth a visit.
After that, we bought tickets for a trolley round trip through the whole city (not cheap but c'mon, we were staying at a hostel so a little indulgence was in order). After that we went to the Coronado peninsula to go swimming. I can never get enough of swimming in the (unaptly named) Pacific. These waves are so much fun. And pretty scary.
Dinner was had at an excellent Mexican place in old town, which looked like this:
The food was great, and we even had a two-entrees-for-the-price-of-one coupon. Overall, we were extremely lucky when it came to food. Either that or, as Cyn said, bad food is outlawed in that city.
(wednesday)
The next day we took a trip with the Amtrak up to San Juan Capistrano, where we visited the ruins of the old mission.
me in front of the ruins...
Cyn under decorative stone arch (I love this pic)
... then took off for the nearest beach. The waves there were scarier than at Coronado and there was quite a bit of an underwater pull, but the other swimmers seemed unfazed and we're here to tell the tale.
Back to the hostel which by now was populated mostly by con goers. And that is the reason I vastly prefer hostels to hotels, lack of comfort notwithstanding: In the evening we'd all lump together in the living room, every one armed with a drawing pad, happily drawing and talking comics and checking out each others artwork... it was a particularly great crowd this year! (And I owe about a dozen people email.)
And now to the craziness:
(thursday - first day of the con)
I attended a dozen panels, but I'll stick to just a few. I don't even remember everything... it's all a haze.
Last year I caught only part of Michael Lovitz's Comic Book Law School seminar, so this time I made sure to be there for all three days. That guy is good. He manages to make this whole dry copyright/trademark/licensing material not just understandable, but entertaining. No, really. And he said that he's been doing this class for the past 17 years, with not two being the same, which I believe at once. He's big on audience participation, and the countless questions take the lecture in new directions all the time.
There was way too much to repeat here, I'll stick to a few details that pertain to fandom (and bear in mind that I know almost nothing about IP law, and that German and US laws differ to make it even more complicated). My main impression from what Lovitz said was that we don't have to worry one bit about fanfic/fan art as long as it stays non-commerical. What is more, in the case of fan art the copyright holders even look the other way and squeeze both eyes shut when it comes to people selling their fan art originals (originals as in not prints). When I first heard that I had trouble believing it, considering what happens if someone tries the same thing with fic.
According to Lovitz, the reasons are (unsurprisingly):
(1) Fan artists pose no direct competition to publishers as far as the selling of original artwork goes. Publishers are not in the business of selling artwork
(2) It's free PR.
(3) Cracking down on it would accomplish little except piss off your target group.
So, nothing to gain, much to lose by sending out C&D orders. However, there're exceptions. The reaction can be swift if the PTB find a character displayed in what they would consider a compromising way. It's a fine line.
We covered Fair Use only very briefy, because people kept interrupting with Trademark and Licensing questions. All very interesting as well, but when there was but half an hour left on Saturday, some of us got itchy and started shouting 'Fair Use, Fair Use!' Heh. It was a very lively seminar indeed.
The determining factors of whether a work is a fair use "include:
1.the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3.amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work."
I got the impression that a huge emphasis is put on the 'commercial nature' part.
I can't remember what else I attended that day. Well, I dropped by
jwaneeta's publisher's booth. Everybody there was incredibly nice and a pleasure to talk to. Then her and I went to have dinner at that incredible Chinese place on 4th and G, which we've since told everybody about, because it has become Cyn's and my mission in life to convince people of the greatness of this place. Seriously, that was the best Chinese food I ever had, and they serve a heap that's enough for two meals (we were never too ashamed to ask for doggie bags).(friday)
More law school in the morning, then I think I went to see Scott McCloud (the author of the brilliant 'Understanding Comics') plug his upcoming comic book, 'Making Comics'. It looks very good, particularly the chapter on worldbuilding. After he introduced the book (the man can talk fast) he handed the mike to his daughter, eighth grade, who did a power point presentation of the familie's upcoming road trip. Eighth grade. The girl talked to the audience like an old pro, witty and confident... to say I was impressed was an understatement. They had some techical problems (that's what you get when you work with computers) but overall, it was a really cool panel.
Then, Bones (yay)
They showed only a few clips from the first season, but made up for it by adding a few bloopers. Then Boreanaz and Hanson came out for a Q&A. Last year's Q&A had made me feel rather uncomfortable because people kept asking about Angel and taking little interest in the new show or Deschanel (I wonder if that's the reason she didn't show this time). However, this one was pretty good. The fans went out of their way to avoid asking about the Whedonverse (at one point he said something like, "No, it's okay, you can ask me about Buffy and Angel."). Only one woman asked who he preferred, SMG or Emily Deschanel. Which, come on. You don't ask a question like that. There is no good answer to a question like that. Though he was really adorable, the way he tried to weasel out of that one. Did a good job of it, too.
I'm pretty sure there're full transcripts online so I'll stop here.
In the evening we went to see 'Serenity'. I wanted to see it in the company of fans. Then we met up with Cyn's friend
studioqt for dinner and snuck into the pool area of the Mariott, where she was staying. I do regret that I didn't sneak into the pool as well, it looked so inviting.(saturday)
Yet more law school, then... wow, I don't remember. Maybe it'll come back to me.
Saturday was the day I went to the dealers' room which I hadn't had found the time to do yet. Saturday also happened to be the day when the fire marshall made them stop selling tickets. It was insane. The next day I met a dad with his sons who'd come all the way from Arizona and could't get in. I did most of my comics shopping on Sunday, when many of the weekly-pass visitors were leaving and the crowds were back to a bearable level.
I took only a few pictures at the con:
Who're you gonna call?
I have no idea who these guys are supposed to be, but they got that certain something.
In the evening, Cyn's boss took us out for dinner - pleasant company and, once more, delicious food. (And old artist's rule: never turn down a free meal :)
Then, more creative hanging out at the hostel. I got a bit of pencelling done on the comic, too. It was just a really productive atmosphere. I got so much new input for comics art... great tips for art supply, too. Each time I asked someone at the con, "That's a great line, what pen do you use?" they showed me their Zebra 330 brushpen. My new mission is now to obtain one of those. Outside of Japan, that's apparently not easy.
(sunday)
Cyn flew out the next morning, but I had two more days. I went to the con center one last time to get some serious shopping done. Then I wanted to attend the Tie In Writers panel... see how the other half lives and all that. I kept running into people on my way there so I caught only the final half hour. The panelists were Jeff Mariotte, Nancy Holder, and three guys I'm not familiar with. After having read some of Holder's Buffy tie-ins, I'm not overly impressed with her writing. Mariotte, however, has written decent Angel novels in the past ('Haunted' is pretty good) and the latest comic series 'Old Friends' is worth picking up, too.
Anyway. There was some general advice on how to write, and how to get into the business, nothing sounded new to me. Except one thing that might be of interest to some on my flist: In the tie-in business, you don't need an agent. No agent necessary. So... the thing is, I could list dozens of Whendonverse fic writers who can write Nancy Holder into a corner, left-handed and blindfolded. I know many are not at all interested in doing this sort of thing for money, but just in case you are: Not having an agent is no obstacle in this line of work. Just thought it's worth mentioning.
'kay. I skipped on the Harry Potter movie and went to check out yet another beach. Bought a two-day ticket for the busses for nine bucks and went to Ocean Beach, the local surfer community. Culture shock, dude! Over there they hadn't even heard of Comic Con. (While the rest of the city, without a doubt, was glad to see us go, and busy counting the money they made that week.)
These people had brought their parrot to the beach
sunset over Ocean Beach
Then me and the remaining conventioneers at the hostel went for a walk down to the pier. We watched the dealers pack up. It was almost kind of sad to see that huge hall all empty.
This is the sitting room at the hostel. In the background, the kitchen. In the morning there were free freshly baked pancakes.
(monday)
yet more sightseeing:
The desert plant garden at Balboa park
And this final one was not taken in San Diego, it was just on the camera; it's the terasse behind our house. More blooming cactusses (cacti?)
Man, that was longer than I intended but once I get writing it's hard to stop.
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I saw some guys there who used oil paints with stunning effects. I want to try them out myself now.
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What is more, in the case of fan art the copyright holders even look the other way and squeeze both eyes shut when it comes to people selling their fan art originals (originals as in not prints).
I should mention that I recently heard of an exception to this. I was told that artists who work on the Simpsons comic have to sign an agreement to do no sketchs of the characters for pay at cons or signings, or to sell old pages or prints. This is the first time I've ever heard of a company disallowing this -- doing sketches or commisions of iconic characters has always been allowed, for all the reasons you quoted above. But the inker I spoke to said one Simpsons penciler even got a C&D.
When I expressed a certain amount of amazement, he said: "Well, it's Fox, you know."
Of course, art that's done for fan purposes, with no money changing hands, would logically be safe. It's hard to see how Fox could object to that. But their ways are mysterious.
Only one woman asked who he preferred, SMG or Emily Deschanel. Which, come on.
Oh, why must people do this? I imagine experienced congoers like David Boreanaz are hardened to such things by now, but I just writhe for them.
Saturday also happened to be the day when the fire marshall made them stop selling tickets. It was insane. The next day I met a dad with his sons who'd come all the way from Arizona and could't get in.
!!! I hadn't heard this actually happened, though given what I saw on Saturday it did cross my mind. Wow, that's out of control. And I feel bad for the poor dad and his sons.
I'm glad you got to see the cactus garden. And I wish I'd had the strength at day's end to hang out in the common room a little, they sound like they were a nice bunch.
I love your backyard and your cacti! Pretty.
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Sometimes I wonder whether Fox set out to annoy the fans on purpose. They got quite a reputation by now. But yeah, I'm pretty sure the non-commercial simpsons fan art is still safe.
I imagine experienced congoers like David Boreanaz are hardened to such things by now, but I just writhe for them.
I can't tell if he was shocked or amused, but there was definitely a short moment of jaw-droppage.
!!! I hadn't heard this actually happened, though given what I saw on Saturday it did cross my mind. Wow, that's out of control. And I feel bad for the poor dad and his sons.
Remember my friend Josef? I met him again (he was on my flight from Atlanta, except where I had to wait for 11 hours, he waited for five minutes) and he told me about it. He'd talked to one of the con organizers who told him about the fire marshall coming.
The dad and his sons at least got in the following day. They made sure to stand in line early.
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I too cringe at the thought of people asking such questions. *sigh*
I have tried some Nancy Holder and was likewise unimpressed. If I had any idea where to start looking at tie-in writing, I would do so. :-D (I imagine having original fiction under contract might help, proof that you can turn stuff in on schedule.)
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Most certainly. Once you have a book or two to show, things tend to become a lot easier since the editor can see that you don't just have the necessary skill, but are also capable of meeting a deadline.
I assume conventions like this one or the book fair in Frankfurt are excellent places to make contact. The panelists talked a bit about how they got tie-in jobs... approach the publisher at conventions, try to get the name and contact info of the person responsible for the tie-in titles if she's not there, send some samples. Or just call and ask for the contact info and whether they accept unsolicited work samples.
I'd avoid the word fan fic (though seriously, so far my own publishers here have had not the slightest problem with the fact that I do fan comics on the side... but from what I gather it could different over there.)
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Love the photos, too. Thanks for giving us a virtual glimpse of the Con.
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