The 2009 New York Comic Con is upon us, so as Fan Cinema Today has done in the past, here’s FCT‘s top fan film-related choices for the weekend.
The overall offerings at the convention are a little underwhelming compared to previous years, however, and the business panels in particular have been severely pruned back; gone are the talks on comics blogging and so forth. Most noticeably, my favorite panel, the annual State of the Industry gabfest with the heads of all the major comic book companies, is MIA. Bummer. Guess no one wanted to talk about the economy’s effect on the comic biz for an hour.
Well, if you wanna discuss the State of the Fan Film, I’ll be wandering around the place Saturday afternoon, plus keep your eyes peeled for the likes of Fanboy Will from Fanboy Theatre and FanFilmPodcast.com and Chris Notarile from Blinky Productions, both of whom are expected to attend. Notarile is always easy to spot—just look for the dude dressed as Blue Beetle.
Before I get to the fan film-related stuff, however, it has to be said: The top thing to see this weekend, hands down, is the Watchmen, Terminator Salvation, Friday the 13th screening event, Saturday at 11AM. While that was due to the Watchmen stuff, now it’s because McG, director of Terminator Salvation, will be in attendance and you know he’ll be mounting some industrial-strength spin control on that now-classic NSFW rant by Christian Bale, AKA The Brat Knight (for even more fun, check out the dance remixes).
Anyway, here’s some choice picks that are related to fan films, film production, promoting them/yourself/your business online, and intellectual property (because it’s good to know what’s going through the minds of the people whose characters you’re using without permission). All descriptions are from the NYCC website:
How to Safeguard Your or Your Company’s Intellectual Property
You or your company have created the ultimate spandex clad protector, but how do you protect him or her from being ripped off? Through this seminar, you will learn how to protect the intellectual property in your work and ideas and discover how to avoid costly infringement lawsuits over copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, and other sensitive legal areas. This seminar will further discuss methods of protection for you or your company, fair use, protecting rights in ideas, combating counterfeiting and piracy, and litigation methods and strategies, nondisclosure agreements, work for hire relationships, the pitfalls of joint authorship, employment contracts, and tips on negotiating licensing agreements.
2/6 11:15 AM 1:15 PM 1A23 Educational
Digital Marketing – Presented by ComicsPRO
Learn how to keep up with your customers, capture sales, and promote your store in an increasingly digital world. Moving beyond the typical website, discover ways to use free and paid resources on the internet to raise your business profile and market share.
2/6 12:30 PM 1:30 PM 1A14 Educational
The Business of Webcomics! LIVE!
Watch PVP Online’s Scott Kurtz take thematic suggestions from the crowd as he, on stage, creates a brand new online property while Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo simultaneously turns these concepts into monetizeable business models. Take notes!
2/6 3:15 PM 4:15 PM 1A21 Educational
Comics To TV Shows
Graffiti, published by 803 Studios and written by Steven Prouse, Coin Operated Boy, published by Arcana Studios and also written by Steven Prouse, and Kindergoth, published by Bloodfire Studios written by Lee Kohse, will all soon be adapted into television shows. Hear from Producers David Uslan, Tommy Lynch, and Jeff Hyman and writers Steven Prouse and Lee Kohse about what it takes to turn a comic into a TV show!
2/6 4:30 PM 5:30 PM 1A07 TV
Saber Academy
Join members of the NY Jedi — the light saber enthusiast collective — and learn about what it takes to handle the elegant weapon of the Jedi and the Sith. Participate in this live Q&A and demo session and learn saber choreography skills using stage combat and martial art techniques used in the movies and creating characters for fun and performance or your own Star Wars fan films! It matters not if you are a Jedi or a Sith — because it’s all about the saber!
2/6 5:45 PM 6:45 PM Variant Stage Pop Culture
Intellectual Property 101
Your superhero has the power to bend time, space, and reality… but can he or she land a licensing deal? And just how do you protect your rights? Artists often spend years creating winning characters or works, only to lose at the bargaining table because they haven’t prepared for the deal or have failed to properly protect their rights. In this seminar, you’ll learn to prepare the legal aspects of your creations for they’re ready to be sold and also how to protect your works. Scheduled topics to be discussed include an overview of copyrights, trademarks, and rights in ideas, the importance and how to register your copyrights and trademarks, and what to do if someone is improperly using your works or ideas.
2/7 2:45 PM 3:45 PM 1A21 Educational
It’sJustSomeRandomGuy
The YouTube sensation and creator of the “Hi, I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC”" Mac/PC parody videos, ItsJustSomeRandomGuy is back at New York Comic Con! Last year, he unveiled the season premiere of Marvel/DC: Happy Hour. Now, he’s here with the season finale to the Happy Hour saga! Plus more new videos and a Q&A!
2/7 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 1A21 Pop Culture
History of Super Hero Movies: Past, Present, And Future
Comic books started out modestly eight decades ago, printed on pulp paper and appealing to a very young audience. Today, comics are American mythology with a broad ranging readership, with legendary characters and stories that have transcended time and inspired generations of readers and artists in all different mediums. Film and entertainment historian Eddy Friedfeld analyzes the comic book movie, how far the genre has come and where it is heading: From the innovative Fleischer animated Superman cartoons and the Columbia Batman and Superman serials of the 1940′s to George Reeves and Christopher Reeve’s Men of Steel, to the modern collection of Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale Batmans, Spider-Man trilogy, and a new crop of cinema superheroes, including Spiderman, Iron Man, The Spirit, The Hulk, and Hancock who have taken the genre to new levels of entertainment and insight.
2/8 11:15 AM 12:15 PM1A22 Movies
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