Prologue.
What a horrible night's sleep we both had. I woke up in the early hours of the morning with one of my usual night terrors and to the depressing realisation that the shooting pains spreading out from my jaw in all directions on the left side of my face were still present. Sadly, this abrupt outburst broke my wife's peaceful slumber and while in this semi conscience state of mind I also managed to lean heavily on the wrist she hurt in the fall yesterday; two tons of Jabba the Hutt man whale flesh isn't a recommended treatment for sprained wrists. Ugh, wakey, wakey rise and shine; another new day is about to dawn. I took a quick shower because I didn't think a cat lick and a wash of my bits would cut it today; some geeks would forgo this daily cleaning ritual in order to get to a convention earlier, but I am no mere mortal geek. We were too exhausted to pop in the shower last night, conventions will do that to you. My wife could easily get away without having one because she always manages to look and smell so good in the mornings; why is that? Me on the other hand, well that's a different matter altogether, I always look like I've been fighting an army of Orcs in the night. Once our bathroom ablutions were attended to the pets were fed and off we trotted. We better prepared ourselves for the day ahead by picking up food and drinks along the way just in case we had to deal with the nightmare food vending situation we encountered yesterday.
The Drive And Destination.
The weather was atrocious today We drove on roads and freeway's with nearly zero visibility. There was a constant wall of rain in front of us and large erupting sprays of road water being churned up and thrown our way by passing vehicles; it was a treacherous drive. On the positive side...we didn't get lost today, but we did miss our turn off into the parking garage and had to take another trip around the block to get back to it. We parked at the top of the building as usual so we could get another nice view of the city. We reached the ground level in a glass elevator which was a nice change from the dark, foreboding industrial metal constructions we had been using on the two previous days. It's the first one I've ever been in, what a sheltered life I lead. Our Wonkavator brought us out near the Tampa Bay Times Forum court area and we had a short walk along a path decked out with ornate mini fountains and tastefully laid out plant pots.
Observations And Goals.
What a difference a day makes. There was a much lower attendance today so it was back to Friday's numbers. Very short or non existent lines for food, drinks and rest rooms. We had three goals in mind... See the Great and Powerful Tim, catch Linda Hamilton's panel/Q&A session, see the cosplayers and their parade. Ideally, it would have been better if we had started out earlier on all these days or stay at a hotel one night so that we could get there at a time in the morning to see all the cosplayers arrive one after the other thus allowing us a better chance to take some nice photos set against the interesting modern architecture of the building. As it was, we got there with about half an hour to spare before Tim's show. My wife kept our seats in room 13 and I decided this might be a good opportunity to try and grab a few cosplayers to photograph.
Overcoming Fear.
I have to mention what I've been dealing with over the past few years because it became very problematic during the three days of this event which was always cram packed full of people. I've been suffering from severe anxiety issues; being around people brings on these bouts of insecurity and paranoia. I went to this convention knowing this and decided this was a unique opportunity to tackle it head on. For me the feeling comes and goes in waves. Plucking up the courage to approach people and ask to photograph them isn't an easy proposition when I feel so awkward and abhorrent inside.
When I finally pushed myself through these mental barriers and overcame the fear, the job of taking photos of cosplayers was a pleasant one. They are all very patient and kind people; very gracious and accommodating to complete strangers who want them to pose in a variety of uncomfortable positions. In some cases the amateur photographers in the room mess up their shots quite frequently so they ask if they can do it again and again. It must get a little tiring having to stay in such a good mood all day under all those layers of cloth, armour and make-up.
After I've gotten over the act of taking the photos the anxiety comes straight back at me twice as bad and the sensations certainly impede my ability to think straight, but I am cognizant of my autonomic nervous system and thermo regulation going haywire. (Copious sweating and feeling feverish) My surroundings become completely overwhelming to my senses. Sounds become disorientating, smells become nauseating, light body contact becomes painful.
Unlike professional photographers who can click away until the batteries on their cameras die or they fill their SD cards full of RAW digital data, I usually need some form of medication, therapy or time to calm the mind and sooth those jangling nerves before moving onto the next person. It's much easier if you have someone else with you taking photos because they can grab the people you missed and they can bolster your confidence, strength in numbers and all that.
The main point I wanted to make here is that I managed to take some photos despite the turmoil going on in my head. I hope my experience will inspire others reading this who may be suffering with a similar condition to soldier on and not let it stop them in their pursuits.
Age Factor.
It sometimes feels very awkward and strange to me when asking young girls in amazing costumes if I can take a photograph of them. Most middle aged men don't seem to have such qualms. In fact I saw quite a lot of men perving on the young girls at the convention, sneaking cell phone photos of the female cosplayers backsides while their own wives or girlfriends were out of range. As an artist I genuinely love the work that goes into these costumes and how some people pick characters that suit their body and face types. My auto immune illness keeps me indoors and at home a lot so it's nice to mingle with people who have the same kind of interests and put 100% devotion into their craft. I guess I shouldn't feel like an old letch at these events, but as I get older I find everyone around me is so much younger. It's quite sad thinking you're too old to participate and celebrate in these kinds of gatherings especially when your whole life has been devoted to the worlds of science fiction, horror, fantasy and comic books. I wonder if other people my age feel the same way at these conventions? Maybe that's a possible project I could think about putting together for one of these shows in the future? They have tackled such issues as inappropriate conduct from males towards female cosplayers, cyber bullying of cosplayers who gender swap, or portray characters that aren't their own skin colour or body shape; plus, prejudice, stereotyping and generalisations towards women and girls into geek culture and fandom. Maybe it's time to tackle age'ism too?
The Good.
The Great And Powerful Tim.
Close up magic isn't the best type of show to perform to a large room of people from a stage that is set up several yards away from the last row of seats. If a magician provides live cameras and screens to show what he is executing it becomes much more immersive. With this in mind Tim's act fell short of what it could have been due to it's presentation. I'm sure he would have had the entire crowd eating out of the palm of his magical hand if he had set up this scenario with a large room in mind.
Having said that, The Great and Powerful Tim's comedy magical act was funny and worth spending an hour of your time to see. Some of his routines didn't quite go to plan, but he was professional enough to carry on without it disrupting his flow while he effortlessly moved onto the next part of the act; he even made jokes about the things that went wrong.
The opening piece involved a card trick that went awry. I'm not sure if it was down to the magician or the person he picked from the crowd who participated in the trick, but it was a shame for him that the opener didn't go to plan. He proceeded to pick a person from the crowd to guard a locked box that would be opened at the end of the show. Once this was brought to my attention I falsely came to the conclusion that Tim was utilizing a well known magicians stratagem, using subterfuge to misdirect the audience; purposely botching the tricks so that he could reveal the correct predictions and outcomes from his repertoire of mind reading gags at the end of the show. I was wrong, magical deeds that appeared to go off track were indeed lost causes.
Tim, is basically what you would call a magician who does mind reading tricks. He didn't do any close up magic involving any props and he certainly didn't do any grandiose illusions either. His shtick is finding different ways to guess the playing card an audience member has picked out from a deck of cards. He also asks them to draw something on a piece of paper so that he can guess what it is correctly and duplicate it. He managed to add some comic book references into the show. He asked the audience if they watched the CW shows, The Flash and Arrow. He told everyone in the room he was a superhero too and went by the names Timother Queen the Pink Arrow (obviously a play on Oliver Queen The Green Arrow). He went behind the stage curtain for a few minutes while his assistant made sure an audience member had chosen their card and put it back into the deck. Tim came out wearing a pink hoodie and holding a kids bow and arrow in his hands. The principle of the scene was that he would shoot an arrow from his bow while his assistant threw all the cards up in the air; his arrow would pierce the card the audience member had picked. This trick worked perfectly.
One feat of mentalism involved several members of the audience who were sitting in the front row. They were each tasked to think of a famous celebrity, but not reveal who it was. Tim would narrow all the options down until he rightly guessed all the names they had stored in their heads. It didn't work, again I'm not sure if this was a problem with how Tim accomplished this mental endeavour of if the crowd had failed to follow the process properly.
Another comic book related trick revolved around the super powers of Daredevil. He said he was like the Marvel comics superhero and could heighten his senses if he blind folded himself. He tells everyone he has the ability to hear, feel and smell things better than normal people: his assistant threw an object at him which he fails to deflect and he says maybe he didn't increase his powers of touch and hearing, but his sense of taste was infallible. He picked a child and a woman from the audience to participate on this one. They had to pick out any number of coloured M&M's candy/sweets for him to guess simply by tasting them. This was another trick that worked according to the plan with the exception that the child they picked was a little confused as to what to do. What was that old adage? Never work with kids or animals. I hope Tim learned from this experience.
At the end of the show the box was opened and in it was a long pieces of paper that he rolled out slowly to reveal the predictions from the think of a celebrity magical task. The fact that he wasn't paid for this gig surprised me. I was under the impression everyone involved in all these events that were going on throughout the day and night were hired by the convention organizers.
Linda Hamilton Panel.
Well worth the wait in line and that is a pretty impressive statement to make considering we had braved three days of standing on our feet lining up for hours on end, shuffling at a snail pace through a sea of people with all that body heat generated in one place. Surprisingly enough Linda looked pretty damn good. My wife and I have recently watched her on the shows Lost Girl and Defiance and lets just say she plays women who have had a very hard life. We made the mistake of thinking this is how today's Linda looks without thinking she could be wearing some subtle age make up just for the characters she's playing in those two shows. She gave very concise answers to questions given to her by the moderator and the fans who lined up down the center isle to speak to their idol.
The Tampa Police.
The Tampa police and traffic cops were stationed on the main streets leading to the convention center for the full three days and they all had very cordial demeanors despite all the chaotic masses of people and vehicles they had to direct in some pretty horrible weather. On the first day we asked a female police officer for directions to a parking area and she was quite happy to tell us where to go. On the second day we couldn't find an empty garage available and a male police officer gave us great directions to one we could access.
The Bad.
Poor Organisation Of Events And Limited Dealer Room Hours.
More events should have been put on since so many acts cancelled on the previous days. I think a company like this should always have a contingency plan if some people are a no show. The exhibition hall should stay open later. Why close the doors at 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm when the convention has functions going on until 12:00 pm on two nights? Surely people would like the opportunity to revisit this room when it is less packed full of attendees?
The Ugly.
The e-Cigarette Nazi's.
My wife uses an e-cigarette and during the past three days of the convention she's been furtively vaping in the foyers, corridors, seminar rooms and ballrooms when she has felt the need to do so. It's not like she had the thing stuck permanently in her mouth for all to see.
It was late on in Sunday afternoon in the exhibition hall when one staff member approached us and said vaping is forbidden at the convention hall. I must admit I didn't notice anyone else sucking on their nicotine juiced up sonic screwdrivers, but if they're anything like my wife they do it surreptitiously. How did this play out?
It was on the last day of the convention and towards the end of the day that my wife and I decided to have a look around the exhibition hall for one last time. My wife had to find an electrical wall outlet to charge her iPhone. She had been using it for texting, making and receiving calls, taking photographs and shooting videos which is pretty hard on the battery. She settled near a far wall away from the busiest areas of the room and I went off to try and conquer my inner anxiety demons and social phobia once more. While I was away trying to chase down some great shots my wife was approached by this one particular staff member and was abruptly told she couldn't use an electronic cigarette in this building, she backed this up by going on to say that it was state ordinance law with a fine of $250. My wife questioned this request by asking for more clarification on the subject since she hadn't heard anything about this. Sadly, the woman felt her authority being challenged instead of being affable and open to further questions. She proceeded to tell my wife to put it away in an angry tone when my wife didn't jump immediately to her attention. I will be writing a letter to the organizers of this event to complain about this persons behaviour.
There is no need to be rude even if your job is to enforce the rules. The fact that this building hosts an annual e-cigarette and vapor convention it pretty ironic. After some research on the net we found out that there is no state wide law to ban e-cigs from public venues. This pretty much put a downer of what was left of our day and took a little of the shine off the things we did enjoy.
Epilogue.
The drive back home was fairly quick and it was nice to take our clothes off, get in a hot shower and snuggle up on the bed. Do I think going to these conventions is worth it? Yes I do, but it depends on what you want from one and what expectations you take with you which will effect the way you perceive the whole adventure. A good or bad time is all down to how you deal with the unexpected, the inevitablility of chaos and a willingness to lower ones unacheivable goals, and inflayed anticipations . Thankfully, the Tampa Comic Book Convention comesa around just once a year so we have plenty of time to rest up, forget about the niggles that bugged us for the three days and remember just the fun parts of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment