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Exclusive Opportunity from Kinuko Y. Craft!
By admin | April 16, 2011
The art show staff has been working closely with Kinuko and her husband Mahlon on her attendance as this year’s Artist Guest of Honor. The Borsini-Burr gallery of Montara, California, who represents Kinuko’s art and prints exclusively, graciously gave the Crafts permission to offer prints of her work in the convention Print Shop that the Crafts have specially prepared for Norwescon! A very limited number of these signed archival prints will be available for purchase. They include art that has appeared on the covers of many of Patricia A. McKillip’s books and some of Kinuko’s personal favorites.
In addition to these prints, the Crafts are showing three amazing giclées on canvas. Signed and numbered limited editions of these will be made available for purchase by direct order from her gallery.
And, of course, Kinuko will also be showing some original work as well as working sketches, all of which will also be offered to her fans.
This will be an amazing opportunity to see and collect Kinuko Y. Craft’s work and your art show team is excited to be able to present this stunning work to you.
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Let’s Make a Movie!
By admin | April 15, 2011
The “Let’s Make a Movie!” workshop is a mile-a-minute combination of workshop, improvisation, and technology, and for the past decade has been regularly producing short films from each and every workshop.
In the “Let’s Make a Movie!” workshop, everybody joins in on a round-robin soup-to-nuts moviemaking experience. The workshop exposes the writhing entrails of the filmmaking process, to show — through a hands-on step-by-step process — each and every participant that not only can they make a movie, but that they can make a fairly decent movie with a story and a structure, with practically no lead time or prep time.
If you want to review a few movies that have come about from this workshop, please check out “Con of the Dead,” and “Manslugs!: the Making of a Sci-Fi Original,” which are more horror/sci-fi in flavor, at Guerilla Productions.
The workshop heads include local low-budget filmmakers Edward Martin III (“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath,” “Flesh of my Flesh,” etc.), Eric Morgret (“Strange Aeons: The Thing on the Doorstep”), Ryan K. Johnson (“Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation,” “Flesh of my Flesh”), and Brian Oberquell (Pyro and effects specialist from Vancouver BC).
This workshop stretches across the entire Norwescon weekend. Here’s the schedule:
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Thursday, 4/21, 9pm-11pm, Cascade 10: Intro: It’s our 12th anniversary! For more than a decade, we’ve been making movies every Norwescon, like some sort of terrifying clockwork monkey. Be a part of history without actually burying yourself in the desert for a thousand years! In this introduction, see all the movies ever made at Norwescon as a part of this ground‐breaking workshop, including hilarious video introductions by the filmmakers. Here’s the best place to watch all these movies at once and behold the genesis of one of the weirdest and funniest workshops ever to be tolerated by Norwescon! Learn about some of the weird and heinous behind‐the‐scenes stories! Feel free to ask the filmmakers questions afterward, if they’re brave enough to stick around! Be inspired for part 1!
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Friday, 4/22, 10am-noon, Cascade 10: Plan it!: You were there for part 0, right? Quick! Time travel! In part 1 we go over the plan, figure out the gear, work up a story, write the script, plan the shoot and do pretty much anything else we can think of. That’s right, from soup to nuts, we’re going to make an entire movie here at Norwescon. This is your chance to be a part of the annual fun and learn how to make a movie on a budget so tiny, calling it “shoestring” would be an insult to shoestrings. The key to making a movie, of course, is good planning!
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Saturday, 4/23, 10am-noon, Cascade 10: Shoot it!: You were there for part 1, right, where we figured out what we needed and planned this movie out? Quick! Time travel! In part 2 we shoot like mad weasels because there’s not much time, and if we’re going to make a movie at light speed, then we have to move like light! So don’t be late, or you’ll just see red‐shifted versions of us. The key to making a movie, of course, is to get the footage in the can, or “box,” actually, because we’re shooting video. But you know what we mean.
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Saturday, 4/23, 6pm-8pm, Cascade 10: Edit it!: Let’s make a movie! You were there for part 2, right, where we shot video like crazy? Quick! Time travel! In part 3 we show you a little about editing, how we put all that crazy footage down and made it into a movie that made some kind of sense. Actually, we hope it makes some kind of sense. We never really know. If you bought a computer within the past two years, chances are excellent that you have more digital video editing power at your fingertips than has ever been subject to the hands of Ordinary People. Learn about using this power for Good. Or Evil. We don’t care because we only use it for Fun. The key to making a movie, of course, is editing.
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Sunday, 4/24, 2pm-4pm, Evergreen 1/2: Fandance Film Festival: In its 12th year, the festival is a celebration of low‐ and no‐budget cinema, brought to wondrous, lurching life by amateur filmmakers from all around the Pacific Northwest. More than just the movies, this 120‐minute extravaganza of entertainment also includes the filmmakers, to regale you with terrifying tales of their productions. Be there or be a regular right quadrilateral! The Fandance Film Festival is the final terrifying phase of the Let’s Make a Movie Workshop, in which participants walk through every step of making a movie, from conception to the premiere of the finished product.
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Photography Guidelines for Norwescon 34
By admin | April 14, 2011
Photography at Norwescon 34
Greetings, congoers! Just a few words regarding photography at Norwescon 34.
First and foremost, Norwescon has been and continues to be a very photo-friendly convention. With very few exceptions, we place no restrictions upon when, where, or whom you can shoot. In fact, to make it easy, our photo policy is simply this:
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Please be respectful. We understand that with so many gorgeous outfits, it’s tempting to simply snap shots willy-nilly. However, it’s polite to make sure your subject knows that you are taking their picture and does not mind having their picture taken (and this is especially true in the evening hours, when costumes may begin to have fewer layers than during the day). A friendly smile and a quick “Do you mind?” will keep everyone happy.
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Keep hallways clear. Costumes are everywhere at Norwescon, and photo opportunities abound. When taking shots in the halls, please be sure to keep an eye out for traffic. If you’re in a particularly busy area, or if people are waiting to get through without interrupting your photo, please either pause to let people pass or consider finding another space for your shot. Once again, a little common courtesy goes a long way.
And really, that about sums it up.
Of course, there are a very few situations where we have to be a little more strict. Here’s what you need to know.
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No photography in the Art Show. Most, if not all, of the art on display at the Art Show is for sale — so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that photography isn’t permitted here. Many of the artists will be more than happy to let you take their artwork home with you, they’d just prefer not to give it away for free.
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No photography during Friday’s Fannish Fetish Fashion Show. Due to the adult nature of the show and by request of the designers exhibiting their work, we ask that you keep your camera off during the FFFS performance. The only photographers permitted have already been pre-approved by Norwescon. Thank you for your cooperation.
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No flash photography during Saturday’s Masquerade. Think of it this way: if you were all wrapped up in a fancy costume that you had worked weeks or months on, navigating your way along a stage in a large dark room, perhaps with your vision blocked or impaired in some way by your costume, would you want a sudden huge flash of light distracting you? There’s simply too much potential for accidents, so please — keep your flash turned off in the Masquerade.
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Let staff direct the post-Masquerade photo area. We will once again be setting up our post-Masquerade photo area in the hotel lobby on Saturday evening. There are a limited number of seats, and there is a limited amount of space behind the seats for photographers to stand. All of this space, save a few front-row seats for Norwescon-approved photographers, is first come, first serve. We must keep the hallway open for people to pass through, so please follow the directions of any Norwescon security if you are asked to move.
Also, while some of the people modeling their costumes may have some prior modeling experience, most do not. Please, do not try to direct models by shouting to “turn left,” “look over here,” or any other direction. Norwescon staff will be directing the models, and we will do our best to ensure that everyone is afforded a chance for a good shot. However, understand that factors such as inexperience, limited hearing due to costumes that cover the head, or simple nerves from being on display in front of a large group of photographers may make it difficult for models to do exactly what you want. Be respectful of models and Norwescon staff, and if you miss one incredible costume, rest assured — you’ll have plenty of chances with other costumes!
Finally, one last request — share your photos! What fun are photos if nobody gets to see them? We at Norwescon would love to see the shots you take over the weekend. Not only that, but all those people who have worked so hard to create the costumes, panels, dances, and events that you’ll be shooting would love to see themselves in the photos you took!
The easiest way to share your photos is by setting up an account at Flickr, Yahoo’s popular photo sharing site, uploading your photos, and adding them to the Norwescon 34 Flickr Group. Tagging your photos with ‘nwc34’ will also help other Flickr users find your shots. We’re really looking forward to seeing what you see over this convention weekend!
As long as you’re sharing your Norwescon photos, do you have any from prior years floating around on your hard drive (or ready to be scanned)? We have set up Flickr groups for every Norwescon ever held — unfortunately, many of those groups have few photos or no photos at all (especially for years prior to Norwescon 28). We would be absolutely thrilled if you had any shots of Norwescons past that you could contribute to any one or more of those groups!
And that wraps it up. Questions, comments, or words of wisdom? Please email them to publications@norwescon.org!
Thanks very much,
Michael Hanscom, Norwescon 34 Lead Photographer
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Cascadia’s Got Talent!
By admin | April 13, 2011
Music programming at Norwescon is proud to present Cascadia’s Got Talent!, a one-shot experimental talent show as programming item, this year at Norwescon 34! Bring your song, your dance, your jokes, your magic act, your confusing and disturbing popsicle performance art, or whatever you can show off to our daytime audience and panel of drunks celebrity guests! Win fabulous prizes! Or at least possibly fabulous prizes! Or prizes, comma, alleged. There’ll be prizes of some sort. It’ll be fabulous! In a Gong Show kind of way.
WHAT’VE YOU GOT TO LOSE, YOUR DIGNITY? C’mon, pal, who’re you kidding? DO IT! It’ll be fun!
SIGN UP at the Norwescon Information Desk until 2:00pm Friday, after that, come upstairs and bribe the MC. SHOWTIME is 3:00pm Friday, in the Salon.
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Press Release: Renovation Hugo Finalists to be Announced at Norwescon and Eastercon
By admin | April 12, 2011
Reno, Nevada, USA – Renovation, the 2011 World Science Fiction Convention, is delighted to report that the finalists for this year’s Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer will be announced Easter Sunday, April 24, starting at 2:00 PM PDT.
The announcement will be made jointly from Norwescon 34, the Pacific Northwest’s premier science fiction and fantasy convention, and Illustrious, the British National Science Fiction Convention (Eastercon). Science Fiction fans around the world will be able to follow the announcement live and celebrate the authors, editors, artists, and works that have been selected as the best of 2010.
Renovation is also proud to announce this year’s nomination process set a new record, with over 1000 ballots received for the first time in the long history of the Hugo Awards. Renovation received a total of 1006 nomination ballots, compared to the 864 nomination ballots received in 2010, and 799 in 2009. Nominations were received from 21 countries on 6 continents.
Chair of Renovation, Patty Wells, said “We are delighted to have had this record level of participation in the Hugo nomination process this year. The Hugos have a long record of highlighting the best in the genre and that relies on the active participation of the diverse membership of the Worldcon.”
After the announcement the final voting process will begin, and Attending, Young Adult, and Supporting members of Renovation will be able to cast final ballots until July 31, 2011 midnight PDT. The winners will be announced Saturday, August 20 during the Hugo Awards Ceremony at Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, in Reno, Nevada.
For additional information, contact us at hugoawards@renovationsf.org.
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Banquet Tickets Still Available
By admin | April 12, 2011
HURRY, HURRY, HURRY! It’s not too late to purchase your ticket for the Norwescon Guest of Honor and Awards Banquet. It will take place on Thursday, April 21 from 5:00-7:00 PM, and is open to all Norwescon members. What a great way to start off your Norwescon weekend!
Join us in Grand Ballroom 2 for a delicious dinner as you get to wine and dine with the Guests of Honor. We will have several awards to present, you will get to hear first hand from our honored guests, and you will learn something about many of the exciting events that will take place over the weekend. Come and learn about the scholarship Norwescon is sponsoring and perhaps you will even win a raffle prize! This year we will have a delicious Pacific Northwest Buffet that you won’t want to miss.
Tickets are $30.00 per person and are going fast. You can purchase tickets through PayPal until April 14th, or at the Information Table at the convention if there are any available. The price at con will be $35.00, so save some money and reserve your place now. Tickets are no longer available by US Mail.
If you have already purchased your spot for the banquet, your dinner ticket can be picked up at the Information Table on Thursday at the convention.
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Charity Art Auction
By admin | April 6, 2011
As many of you are aware Norwescon presents an art auction on Sunday of the convention. It’s actually two auctions in one; we not only auction the art that’s been bid on during the convention, we also auction donated art, jewelry, and other fan-favorites to benefit our chosen charities. This year we are continuing to support Clarion West Writers Workshop and Northwest Harvest.
Something very special we wanted you to know about our charity auction this year; the family of our good friend and long time volunteer Audrey Penty have donated many of her most cherished pieces of art in her name. Audrey was an avid collector of art and the pieces that have been donated to this year auction are very special, most of which are framed and ready to hang. We have pieces from Michael Whelan, Rob Carlos, Jody Bergsma, John R. Gray III, Monique Livingston and more.
The Norwescon Art and Charity Art Auction is a heck of a lot of fun to watch and even more fun to participate in….watch the bids fly and the humor soar, help support young writers become professionals, and help our community in these still-tough times.
The Art and Charity Art Auction will run from 11:30am to 2pm in Grand 2 on Sunday, April 24.
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Paranormal Fair (Sunday Special Event)
By admin | April 5, 2011
Curious about ghosts, ESP, strange occurrences and odd artifacts? Interested in Tarot or psychic reading? Want to know more about Palmistry or Shamanism? Then come to the Paranormal Fair on Sunday, April 24th in Grand 3 where we have esteemed guests who will provide interesting information about many things outside of your average daily experience! Please check out their websites and come prepared to be amazed! Some of our awesome participants include:
- A.G.H.O.S.T. (Advanced Ghost Hunters Of Seattle-Tacoma)
- Jeff Davis, author of Weird Washington
- The Northwest Museum of Legends and Lore
- Philemon of Elemental Entertainment
- The Seattle Metaphysical Library
- Tom Hopp, Shamanism Researcher
- Mylee Starhawk, Channeling psychic and teacher of Shamanism
- Carol Best, Psychic
- Galyna Whyteowl, Divination
- Dixie Gaspard, Pagan Priestess and Tarot reader
Please join our special guests as they share their experiences, talents, and knowledge during the Sunday Paranormal Fair.
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Autograph Sessions
By admin | April 4, 2011
There are two autograph sessions this year. They are both scheduled for Saturday and a convention membership is required to participate.
Autograph Session 1 (2 pm in Grand 2)
Patricia McKillip, Kinuko Y. Craft, Jim Butcher, Shannon K. Butcher, Lou Anders, John P. Alexander, Michael Alexander, Steven Barnes, Greg Bear, M.H. (Maggie) Bonham, Ted Butler, Kurt Cagle, Alan M. Clark, Bruce R. Cordell, Heather Dale, Caren Gussoff, Jean Johnson, Wayfarers Moon, Dani Kollin, Eytan Kollin, Ted Kosmatka, Nancy Kress, Larry Lewis, Todd Lockwood, Edward Martin III, Susan R. Matthews, Mike Shepherd Moscoe, G. David Nordley, J A Pitts, Mark Rahner, Kat Richardson, Mary Rosenblum, Lizzy Shannon, Jeff Sturgeon, Sam Sykes, Mark Teppo, Gordon Van Gelder, Dameon Willich, Matt Youngmark
Autograph Session 2 (3 pm in Grand 2)
Patricia A. McKillip, Kinuko Y. Craft, Jim Butcher, Shannon K. Butcher, Lou Anders, Alma Alexander, Anina Bennett, S. A. Bolich, SatyrPhil Brucato, Rob Carlos, Brenda Cooper, Nathan Crowder, James C. Glass, Roberta Gregory, Paul Guinan, Eileen Gunn, Jay Lake, Stina Leicht, R.L. McSterlingthong, Darragh Metzger, Joshua Palmatier aka Benjamin Tate, Kevin Radthorne, Cat Rambo, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ken Scholes, Jack Skillingstead, G.Robin Smith, Renee Stern, Rodney Thompson, K Wiley, Christine Winters, Stan!
As always, participants are subject to change, so please check the Daily ‘Zine and NWC 34 errata sheet for any additions or deletions.
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April ConCom Meeting & NWC 35 Nominations
By Fnightengale | March 31, 2011
The next ConCom meeting is Saturday, April 9. See the Volunteers page for complete details.
This meeting is the last opportunity to nominate candidates for the offices of Chairman (Chair) and Vice-Chairman (Vice-Chair) and for the 2 slots on the GOH Selection Committee (GOH Committee) for Norwescon 35. And it will be your first opportunity to question them!
It is also the last chance for ConCom members to purchase their convention memberships in advance.
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