Flim-Con4

Dear Filmcon Past attendee?s...it?s that time again,

Well if you are like most people you have been wondering...?Why have I not seen anything on FilmCon 4? or better ?Is there going to be a four?? Well the long debate is over. The truth is of course there is going to be a FilmCon 4, I promised. There has only been 1 big setback- the date.

Usually we hold the convention on the 3rd weekend of November. It?s nice and crisp outside, the leaves are all colors and we love to gather and talk to friends. Well, this year the Wisconsin football team has some very crazy schedules- the fact is the only weekend we could have had it was against WindyCon...I wasn?t going to do that.

So FilmCon 4 will be...Feburary 20th-22nd, 2004. Madison, Wisconsin- at the Radisson Inn West as usual. Same set up and everything, but in a different month. I am working on some things to make travel easier for out of town attendee?s. As for FilmCon 5, it will be back to a normal date...that means 2 Filmcons in a year. ( We?ll talk about that later!)

I have also been working on a new type of programming. This year we will try something I call Pre-Programmed. Think more audio-visual presentations. We will also be having MORE hands on panels as well.

The theme for film makers this year will be- ?The Story?! What no SPFX?- NO!, we will have the usual mix of special effects suff, but in truth what I find lacking in most films being made- professional or indie is the story. I think anyone who wants to make a film will come away from this years event with a lot more knowledge and ideas to use. Plus we have a few surprises.

For those who just want fannish media material- there will be plenty! We are mixing this year up again, a little of everything. But as usual it will be more learning panels than what other conventions present. I have several really fun ones planned. From the old Star Wars stuff to new things that we have never discussed before , like Firefly and Farscape.

We also will have the film room returning. And this year we have a first for us. You will see the films in pure THX format! I have recently made a purchase of a new sound system, so I will be donating it to the film crew to use. This will hopefully give you a more theater feel while watching, if nothing else...is does help clean up the sound!

Also returning will be the costume contest-revamped and bigger than ever. Did you relize for a convention our size almost 1/5 of all attendee?s where in the contest! We will once again be giving out trophies and alike. The film contest is also back- more details to come.

The charity auction and white Bantha sal also mark a big return. As of noe the new website is undergoing a makeover, so make sure to check it by the 1st of Oct., 2003. It will be the best for updates and information!

Now onto the guests. We have several people interested in coming, the problem is the economy. Many people are very busy...just trying to keep busy. But those people we have asked are very interested in attending. A whole new look at film and media will be present this year. But also some familar faces. Filmcon is proud to announce that Mark Nelson, art director for RAVEN software will be one of our Guests of Honor! Mark?s work on several big video games like Star Wars, Star Trek and others is well known. But did you know he also did comics? Mark was the lead artist for the ALIEN series of comics. He will be at the convention talking about his work and his art...his panels are usually filled to capacity! As we get the confirmations of the other guests we will let you know. Email is the cheapest form of mail for us. We try to limit spending on the convention as much as possible. This way the charity gets more!

As a side note- the past 3 years have been an amazing journey. We took this convention from 158 people to over 250 and with no major problems. It is because of people like you who continue to support us that we are able to bring the quality programming we have had in the past and hope to continue with in the future. But in doing this I h

 

I will not be able to make it becouse that is the time frame that kim is to give birth to our new Jedi.

 

Hi folk's-

Yes everything is on track...Much more info is coming soon, guests names and such. But I did want people to know that Filmcon was a great success because of fans from different states! Your group won the costume contest, and yes we will have another contest this year...I am hoping evryone can make it!

Eric

 

UPDATE>>>Dear Fellow Fan Force members,

Eric Larson here with news about FilmCon 4. Yes that crazy, fun, media convention in Madison, Wisconsin.

First thing is YES the convention is still going to be held...but in Feb. The reason is our great University decided to have many games of football in November- thus all hotel rooms are pretty much blocked. Also the only weekend free was up against WindyCon. That I could not do...so the dates for FilmCon 4 are Feb. 20th-22nd, 2004 in Madison. Same hotel and everyhing, just a different month!

We are also trying to get another hotel that is close by for lower room rates- if we do, those who want to save a little cash have an option where they can stay.

Now about the convention. This year has been a very difficult year to find people. Everyone is either working, just starting a job, or is looking for work. That makes it hard for me because we get people from behind the scenes...well, things worked out!

We have 2 guests right now, and will most likely bring that to 4 by the end of the month.

Mark Nelson- art director and designer for Raven will be one of our guests. Some might have met him before. Mark is one of the talented guys behind the Star Wars titles at raven, he also works on many other games. He is one of the guys who designs the ships, and creatures...not to mention a lot of other things. Mark is also knwn for being the artist for the ALIENS comic book. He will be on hand to talk about his video game work and his other endevours. As most people who attended last year will tell you- he is a lot of fun and always entertains the group with his drawing skills, and stories.

Our second guest is a big surprise. I must thanks my friends at ?Men behind the mask? for this. We will have our 2nd Emmy winner as a guest this year.

Lee Stringer- A computer artist and designer for films and television. You are probably asking...who? Well to make it short Lee worked on a show called ?BUFFY TVS?, his contribution...the destruction of the bad guys (he did the turns to dust effects). He just won an Emmy for his work on ?FIREFLY? and is currently working on and will bring behind the scenes footage from ?GALACTICA?. Lee is the head of special efects for the new Mini-Series.

What makes this so much fun is all he can talk about- computer animation, design, concepting, working in the industry,on and on and on. This will be a rare treat for everyone attending, and promises to be just as much fun as last years guests Paul Topolos- from Pixar films.

We will have the usual costume contest...even bigger I hope...last year 1/5 of the convention was in it! We will also be doing our white bantha sale and auction for Breast Cancer!

The bad news is the web site is down, and we are trying to fix it. By the 1st of Nov. 2003. it should be back up.

So if you have questions or want to know how to sign up...PLEASE write to me. Either PM me or email at- filmcon@earthlink .net

I know many from the various clubs and groups had a great time last year, and this year looks even better! So please- if you are interested write to us...and for those in the Fan Force who came- tell other people about the convention.

*****A reminder- we cap attendace at 250- and we did sell out last year! Hope to see everyone again this winter!

Thanks

 

Hello to all Quad-city members, my name is Brent Roberts. I am from the Mad Ison Cantina Fanforce group. I have decided to post this just to give you a general overlook on Filmcon.

For those of you who do not already know about Filmcon this is basically what it is. Filmcon is a locally run (by Eric Larson) con in Madison that blends together Star Wars and Fan Film making, Panels on everything from special effects to costuming, just to name a few. Last year was my first year attending the Con and I can officially say it?s a blast! It actually was my first con ever and since then I try to attend every Con I can get to, so obviously its changed me for the better Some of the other things that go on include the charity auction (many awesome star wars and sci fi relics), Star Wars trivia (Which I hope to do better at this year ), and of course the costume contest, if I am not mistaken some of you won it last year?

Anyway, for those of you who did attend last year or previous years I urge you to come again this year, and also invite some of your friends or the newer members of your Fanforce. From what Eric has told me it sounds like it is going to be the same great Con with twice the amount of fun, and many guests to share their experiences from the filming/sci fi world. So I hope to see as many of you as possible here in Madison come this Feburary! ...oh! and don?t forget, if you have a friend who you think might like it invite him or her along, the more the merrier!

Forcebewitya!

 

Hi Quad Cities Force! My ex-husband and I taught one of the lightsaber classes at FilmCon last year and we will be back to teach a class geared more towards Lord of the Rings this time! Our bios and a brief description of the class should be up on the FilmCon website soon.

I just want to say that, if you are interested in going to FilmCon, please register now! If Eric doesn't have at least 100 pre-registered (and paid) attendees by January, the convention could be in jeopardy and cancelled.

I hear that someone will be there who worked on Lord of the Rings...the guy who taught the actors to speak Elvish! Isn't that exciting? It is to me!

Anyways, please register and send in your checks as soon as possible!!!

 

Actually this is quite exciting. I'll be pre registering tonight. I'm working on a Legolas costume which will be complete and movie quality by FilmCon. It's just a lot of work to tool your own leather guantlets and belts, create a quiver and then try to make a bow that was only a rubber injected fake in the movie. But I fully intend to have the wig look real and I'm custom ordering colored icy blue contacts. It's a labor of love basically. I had to go through three inner tunics to get the collar right and color matching is brutal for suede. Nonetheless it will definitely be a blast. It's been one of my favorite cons to attend and it will be again.

 

Hi folks!
I'm just hitting various Fan Forces in the Midwest again with a reminder about FilmCon 4. I know Eric just sent an email to his mailing list about the con and that he hates begging and pestering people but he needs you to pre-register. He mentions that you can pre-register now for $10 and then, at the registration table, pay the balance of $20. That is a good deal if you're feeling a little short of cash at this time of year!

I also want to mention that one of the guests, David Salo, the Tolkien Language Consultant on the Lord of the Rings films, is a "talking head" on one of the special features of the extended DVD set of The Two Towers! I was watching it and, when his name popped up on the screen as he was talking, I thought to myself, "Wow! I'm going to see this guy at FilmCon in February! Cool!"

Anyways, please register soon by paying the special $10 now/$20 at registration or the full $30. It is definitely a con not to miss and the profits go to a good cause!

FilmCon3 was my first time and I had a blast! I got to see Dr David West Reynolds and the Sith Holocron plus talk to him one-on-one (I found out that he's wearing the Boba Fett costume in those pictures in the Star Wars Visual Dictionary that he wrote ? and autographed for me with a special message!). This is something you can't do at most cons because there are hundreds, even thousands, of attendees.

 

Hello again, just dropping by with a reminder to pay as soon as possible, before you know it Filmcon will be right around the corner. Eric would like to have everyones money by the end of the month, as of now I believe it is still 30 dollars *could be mistaken*, but that will soon change no doubt as it gets closer, so paying now would be a good plan. So if you could pay by the end of this month that would be ideal, so Eric can get a head count, and remember this is a relativly small convention so there can only be a set number of people. Don't miss your chance to go you will regret it! Talk to you all later.

Forcebewitya!

 

Hello again. Just me Forcebewitya stopping by with one more reminder to all you who have interest in going to Filmcon 4 that it is drawing ever nigh, with only about a month and a half (Feb 20-22, you do the math ) in any case if you want to come, the more the merrier, and it is indeed a blast, I highly recommend it, but seriously, come and give it a shot, I'm sure you'll have fun. If you need additional information just give me a PM, and I will be happy to assist. Farewell, and hope to see some of you there!

Forcebewitya!

 

Reminder the convention is in 2 weeks- hope you all can make it!

E

 

WOOOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO-another Con!!!! Those who dont go-dont know!!!!!!

 

Okay, people, just about 1-1/2 weeks until Filmcon so hopefully there'll be a great turnout. I'm taking my Firefly boxed set for Lee Stringer to sign and my ROTK CD for David Salo to sign.

Go to the website Filmcon.net and see the schedule (should be up by tonight, I think). I'm really looking forward to the LOTR and SW panels etc...and the costume competition (and the sword class, of course).

Looking forward to the convention!

 

Hi again!
Eric is having problems getting the schedule up on the website so if you want it, PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you.