[day zero]
The line to get our badges was two hours long. There must have been at least two or three thousand people in there. We didn't even go to the main convention center -- we went to a periphery hotel set up to help lighten the load.
/SCREEEEEEEEE
Our taxi driver on the way back from Balboa Park told us how he wished they would move the convention to a different city -- he was fine with it back in the early days, when it was mostly single nerds who would go out and hit the city at night, giving him business as he ferried them to and from from different clubs and strip joints, but it's changed so much from then. The locals don't even want to go out that much on the weekend once SDCC rolls around -- it's practically carmageddon and the trafficdammerung all rolled into one out there as everyone tries to become a Tetris Grandmaster. No one wants to take a taxi, either; there are free shuttles running about every ten minutes between the convention center and the hotels for those of us who aren't able to drive ourselves, and the families usually load up in their minivans or whatever and park over there.
I don't have much of a frame of reference since the last time I went to SDCC was about six years ago, but there seem to be fewer movies being showcased here this year, probably because companies are finally figuring out that hardcore fan reaction is not at all indicative of typical mainstream movie goer reaction. (To which all I can say is durrrrrrr.) The Breaking Dawn thirty minute preview is getting the star treatment in Hall H (which seats somewhere around 6000~ people, if I'm not entirely mistaken), but other than that? I really can't name anything else off the top of my head. Movies used to be (and maybe still are?) a really big deal -- I remember the line to get into the Spider-Man 3 panel in Hall H stretched over a mile long.
That said, I've heard there are some pretty interesting movie promotions going around. I overheard some guys talking about how there are people dressed up as cowboys handing out (something?) to promote Cowboys and Aliens, and there are (women dressed in 40s style Army uniforms? currently unsure, didn't hear this part too well) doing something for Captain America. I'll try to look around more and see if I can confirm any of this tomorrow.
hurf I am tired good night
/SCREEEEEEEEE
Our taxi driver on the way back from Balboa Park told us how he wished they would move the convention to a different city -- he was fine with it back in the early days, when it was mostly single nerds who would go out and hit the city at night, giving him business as he ferried them to and from from different clubs and strip joints, but it's changed so much from then. The locals don't even want to go out that much on the weekend once SDCC rolls around -- it's practically carmageddon and the trafficdammerung all rolled into one out there as everyone tries to become a Tetris Grandmaster. No one wants to take a taxi, either; there are free shuttles running about every ten minutes between the convention center and the hotels for those of us who aren't able to drive ourselves, and the families usually load up in their minivans or whatever and park over there.
I don't have much of a frame of reference since the last time I went to SDCC was about six years ago, but there seem to be fewer movies being showcased here this year, probably because companies are finally figuring out that hardcore fan reaction is not at all indicative of typical mainstream movie goer reaction. (To which all I can say is durrrrrrr.) The Breaking Dawn thirty minute preview is getting the star treatment in Hall H (which seats somewhere around 6000~ people, if I'm not entirely mistaken), but other than that? I really can't name anything else off the top of my head. Movies used to be (and maybe still are?) a really big deal -- I remember the line to get into the Spider-Man 3 panel in Hall H stretched over a mile long.
That said, I've heard there are some pretty interesting movie promotions going around. I overheard some guys talking about how there are people dressed up as cowboys handing out (something?) to promote Cowboys and Aliens, and there are (women dressed in 40s style Army uniforms? currently unsure, didn't hear this part too well) doing something for Captain America. I'll try to look around more and see if I can confirm any of this tomorrow.
hurf I am tired good night