TO Comic-Con, March 18 - 20, 2016
So last Sunday I attended my first ever Toronto Comic-con (free ticket remember). It as very laid back compared to Fan Expo which is simply crazy either running from panel to panel or waiting in long lines to get in. The lines were far shorter for this con as it's much smaller. This was a good thing because I had a horrible migraine the entire time (it got worse as the day went on) and was amazed I was even able to function by the end of it.
After walking the vendor floor for a couple of hours I didn't buy anything at all. I did't expect to. I already have my Funko Pop Aquaman (based on Jason Momoa). They did have the Hot Topic 'Exclusive' Aquaman that's aqua coloured but it was ridiculously expensive at $29.95 (FP retail at about $12-$15 normally) and I don't need two figures.
Lunch consisted of tempura shrimp and some veggies then it was time to line up for Jason Isaac's panel. There was a guy dressed as Lucius Malfoy complete with white wig, velvet jacket and cane. Which was appropriate because he got Jason's attention during the panel. I mentioned to lady__croft who came with me, the guy's wig could be recycled for a number of other costumes. We came up with Wraith (Stargate Atlantis), Elves (Lord of the Rings), Daenerys (Game of Thrones), Elsa (Frozen), Castithans (Defiance), The Witcher (game) etc. I took a quick pic of the wig from behind as I didn't want to be intrusive by taking a full shot of the guy but maybe I should have asked him idk. At the beginning of the panel, Jason allowed everyone time to take photos then asked us to put the cameras away so we could be present during the panel discussion instead of being distracted (I'm sure he hates the flashes going off periodically too - I don't take flash photography I use natural lighting and a higher ISO indoors for these things). He also asked one guy not to video tape him (the guy wasn't too happy about that). Jason started by mentioning the questions he gets asked most frequently and providing the answers. Btw there was no moderator. He spoke for 30 minutes non-stop - not kidding. He's hilarious though. He kept us entertained with stories bout how he came up with Lucius' wardrobe, impersonating the HP director Chris Columbus, (whose voice and mannerisms he mimicked), and first scene he was in with Richard Harris. Jason went on to tell us of how he came up with the character's wig, cane and velvet clothing despite the director's original intent to have Lucius wear a pinstripe suit and look like a normal guy. The director had to call the producer to ask if it was ok to change the 'wardrobe'. He told us his first filming scene was with Dobby & Richard Harris. He asked the Director where was Dobby supposed to stand in the scene and if they going to use a prop as a stand in. The director said no we'll cgi him in wherever you look. Jason went on to pretend to kick and then hit Dobby with the cane and the director asked him was he was doing and when Jason explained, the Director ask the FX guy if that was ok and the FX guy just nodded and said sure. It makes you wonder who actually running these movies. You'd think the director would just make a decision not confer with others. We were all laughing at these stories. There were many more I can't possibly recount well.
Then we went to Karen Allen's panel. There were a few people dressed as Indiana Jones including a little kid who was adorably cute. Her panel was very short maybe 35 mins in total as she had to do a photo op and catch a plane. She spoke of Animal House and East of Eden. Most notable story was during Raiders where she had to put on the white dress and escapes the tent. The original scene called for her to seduce Belloq. Karen advocated to change it as she felt her character would never try to actually seduce someone else when she's in love with Indy. Interesting....all these actors seem to come up with better stuff than the directors LOL.
The con was good over all and I had fun. Hopefully next year I won't have a mind numbing migraine during it *crosses fingers*.
After walking the vendor floor for a couple of hours I didn't buy anything at all. I did't expect to. I already have my Funko Pop Aquaman (based on Jason Momoa). They did have the Hot Topic 'Exclusive' Aquaman that's aqua coloured but it was ridiculously expensive at $29.95 (FP retail at about $12-$15 normally) and I don't need two figures.
Lunch consisted of tempura shrimp and some veggies then it was time to line up for Jason Isaac's panel. There was a guy dressed as Lucius Malfoy complete with white wig, velvet jacket and cane. Which was appropriate because he got Jason's attention during the panel. I mentioned to lady__croft who came with me, the guy's wig could be recycled for a number of other costumes. We came up with Wraith (Stargate Atlantis), Elves (Lord of the Rings), Daenerys (Game of Thrones), Elsa (Frozen), Castithans (Defiance), The Witcher (game) etc. I took a quick pic of the wig from behind as I didn't want to be intrusive by taking a full shot of the guy but maybe I should have asked him idk. At the beginning of the panel, Jason allowed everyone time to take photos then asked us to put the cameras away so we could be present during the panel discussion instead of being distracted (I'm sure he hates the flashes going off periodically too - I don't take flash photography I use natural lighting and a higher ISO indoors for these things). He also asked one guy not to video tape him (the guy wasn't too happy about that). Jason started by mentioning the questions he gets asked most frequently and providing the answers. Btw there was no moderator. He spoke for 30 minutes non-stop - not kidding. He's hilarious though. He kept us entertained with stories bout how he came up with Lucius' wardrobe, impersonating the HP director Chris Columbus, (whose voice and mannerisms he mimicked), and first scene he was in with Richard Harris. Jason went on to tell us of how he came up with the character's wig, cane and velvet clothing despite the director's original intent to have Lucius wear a pinstripe suit and look like a normal guy. The director had to call the producer to ask if it was ok to change the 'wardrobe'. He told us his first filming scene was with Dobby & Richard Harris. He asked the Director where was Dobby supposed to stand in the scene and if they going to use a prop as a stand in. The director said no we'll cgi him in wherever you look. Jason went on to pretend to kick and then hit Dobby with the cane and the director asked him was he was doing and when Jason explained, the Director ask the FX guy if that was ok and the FX guy just nodded and said sure. It makes you wonder who actually running these movies. You'd think the director would just make a decision not confer with others. We were all laughing at these stories. There were many more I can't possibly recount well.
Then we went to Karen Allen's panel. There were a few people dressed as Indiana Jones including a little kid who was adorably cute. Her panel was very short maybe 35 mins in total as she had to do a photo op and catch a plane. She spoke of Animal House and East of Eden. Most notable story was during Raiders where she had to put on the white dress and escapes the tent. The original scene called for her to seduce Belloq. Karen advocated to change it as she felt her character would never try to actually seduce someone else when she's in love with Indy. Interesting....all these actors seem to come up with better stuff than the directors LOL.
The con was good over all and I had fun. Hopefully next year I won't have a mind numbing migraine during it *crosses fingers*.