Monday, July 17, 2006

   Convention learnings
I saw some fellow Otakuites talking about attending upcoming Conventions in their area & thought I would talk about some things I plan on doing differently at the next convention I attend. The last convention I attended was Sakurancon in Seattle. I expect the next Sakuracon will be my next convention as well.

Registration and badges: The earlier you register, the cheaper the tickets. Simple enough. The first thing that I found out about badges was that the lines on opening day at the start of the convention are long - hundreds of people long. So, if you get a chance to pick up your pass early, I definitely recommend that. It could save you an hour of standing in line. I believe Sakuracon has a booth set up at the hotel either the night before or 2 nights before where people could get their badges before the convention actually started. I am definitely going to try for that next time.

SHOPPING TIPS:
Are you looking for something that is a must have or just trying to save money? For me, I think I was more of the attitude of get a few great items before they are gone. This past time spent most of my money on Saturday - the second day of a 3 day convention. In retrospect, that was the stupidest approach possible. If you want the largest selection, you go on the morning of the first day. If you want the best prices possible and aren't as concerned with selection, you go on the afternoon of the last day. The vendors don't really want to pack up their goods, so will be more willing to negotiate on the price.

Know what you are buying.
I picked up some production drawings (douga) from DN Angel which I absolutely love. I got 2 sets of Daisuke drawings and a set of Riku drawings. When I purchased them, I also learned something about the process for CG animes. Genga are the most desirable drawings usually done by the lead animators. The douga are the cleaned up drawings that are actually scanned into the computer for the coloring and animating. So - there are no cels for DN Angel - only drawings. In addition to genga and douga, there are also roughs and set-up drawings. The set up drawings normally show how the entire scene will look in the frame. Roughs are just that - messy. If you plan on making any invesment purchases, make sure you understand what to look for and what the values should be.

Know what it is worth. If you are looking for something specific, make sure you know what to expect from prices before going in. Unless it is something that you just can't find anywhere, then be prepared to empty your wallet. I saw some OK Nausicaa cels, but they were in the $2000+ range. Waaaaayyyy outside of my budget - especially for a cel that wasn't "great". A also found a nice Kingdom Hearts T-Shirt from Japan - $40. Was that an outrageous price? I have no idea - it was just more than I wanted to spend.

Always buy what you love. Spending on "kinda cool" or "not bad" can get expensive real quick & you may not have $$ for something you come across later that you love. I used to collect comic books & would go to a convention and get caught up with everything and just buy buy buy. Some of it would get read once and sit on a shelf or go directly into a box. Now, I realize I need to step back a little and only purchase what I really love (easier on storage & minimizes buyer's regret later). I only made a few purchases at Sakuracon - the DN Angel drawings and a Vampire Princess Miyu cel with background (TV series, not OVA). For the DN Angel drawings, I like that the drawing sets really helped show how the animation process works as well as having a few very nice drawings that can stand alone. For example, one picture of Riku with no mouth is followed by 4 very small drawings of her mouth showing how they animate the talking. The Vampire Princess Miyu cel had 2 characters I liked with the original background. I felt it was a nice image for a reasonable price.

OTHER TIPS:
Get the schedule before hand. If the convention has a schedule of events online, try to read that ahead of time. Check for events that require tickets. Some of the concerts and cosplay competitions may require tickets (free) that you will need to go to another desk to pick up after you get your badge. Make a list of a few of the "must do" events you don't want to miss. For me, I wanted to see an american voice actress from ADV speak. I got there early, sat in the front & was able to ask a number of questions.

Be courteous! You are not at home watching a video. With the panels or speakers, the guests will be able to see if you are reading the schedule instead of paying attention to the speaker. Get there on time. There were a number of people that came in half way through the presentations & each new person that came in wanted to ask the same question that was answered at the beginning of the Q & A. Annoying for the guest as well as the other audience members. Also - remember to turn your cell phone off.
I thought the people that came dressed up were great and generally very friendly. The convention asked that you approach the person for permission before taking any pictures & also get permission from the people if you plan on posting the pictures on the web. I never had anyone refuse me when I asked to take their picture (but I did have to wait until they got into their favorite pose).

If you are attending the convention with a group setting up a default meeting place is good (cell phones are better, but you have to work with what you have).

Next year, even though I only live about 10-15 miles away, I may get a hotel room at the site. The convention is 24 hours a day, so it might be fun to go to some of the late night anime showings or parties and not have to worry about driving home when tired (or be able to take a break during the middle of the day - I'm old & get tired easily).

I think that is about it for my learnings from going to a convention as a normal dressed person.

Does anyone have any other tips? Does anyone have tips for people that plan on going in costume? Actually, what I am really interested in is "What not to do" - Convention horror stories. Does anyone have any of those?

Until next time.

-bunraku

btw - Disneyland opened 51 years ago today.
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