Credit: Peggy Sue Wood | @peggyseditorial

WHY NOT NOTES?

Way back at the end of July, when Casea, Jenna, and I were reviewing panels and preparing notes, we quickly found that some panels were better watched then written out. While we can, and often do, attempt to pull out information from panels that we find most interesting or relevant to you all in the readership, this time, it felt a little harder. 

You see, even now, all of Comic Con’s panels are available on their YouTube channel–so none of us have been in a rush to write everything out, edit, and publish ASAP. Moreover, we know from personal experience that watching something for yourself can provide information and/or aspects you probably won’t get from someone’s quick notes (such as the inspiring feeling you might get from seeing a passionate speaker.) So, after some discussion, we pulled together a list of interesting panels we’d like to recommend–a list I’ve been tasked with curating into this post for you all to consider. Meanwhile, Jenna and/or Casea will be taking over the notes on two panels that we had already started reviewing to be published here at another time (hopefully soon). With that, let’s jump in!

–

ANIME/MANGA PANEL:

Panel Name: First Squad: How A Western Story Was Adapted Into A Japanese Anime And Manga – Link: https://youtu.be/Ffg6hOP4gCQ

Aired: 25 July 2020

Panel Description: Misha Shprits (First Squad) will discuss the journey and techniques that he and his co-creator took to get their original story produced into a Japanese anime and manga. Misha Shprits will partake in a Q&A discussion with Austin Osueke (publisher of eigoMANGA). 

My Take: This is an interview-style panel. I appreciated the inside look at how the anime came to be produced, hearing about some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into it, as well as cultural tidbits you might have missed while watching the show. While I didn’t see anything note-wise to be found for an aspiring anime/manga creator, the panel is still worth watching as the creators’ story is interesting. You can tell that they love what they do, and it’s worth supporting with a view!

FILM INTERESTS/VIDEO CREATOR PANELS:

Panel Name: Comic-Con Film School – Link:  https://youtu.be/rvdkGosl-vU

Aired:  Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: This is a nuts and bolts class on how to make a movie for very little money using available video hardware and software. Whether you’re shooting your first Fortnite fan film or that story about the leather-clad girl who hunts vampires, this course will take you from script to final product so that you too can enter your own movie into the CCI: IFF. Panelists for the class include Valerie Perez (producer/star of the Paula Peril series), Jack Conway (creative producer Next Generation Esports), Vera Vanguard (writer/producer/star of Breaking Barbi), Nick Murphy (writer/director of All Night Skate), Josh Perilo (creator/writer of Hindenburg), Sean Rourke (writer of Ballistica), and actors Megan Rees, Kelsey Walmer, and Bradley Upton.

My Take: This is an excellent panel for filming beginner. The panelists talk a lot about how important it is to get started and how you can’t let perfectionism hold you back. It is a much-needed message to many creators who hold back on jumping fully into the industry or onto a platform. They also provide a list of programs that people can use to get started. You don’t have to have a film degree to make a video. You just need a camera and some passion! (And maybe an idea…)

Panel Name: Writing for TV: From First Draft to Getting Staffed – Link: https://youtu.be/WhnXdmrvzq4)

Aired: Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: Moderator Spiro Skentzos (Arrow) along with Bob Goodman (Elementary), Niceole Levy (Cloak & Dagger), Jaime Paglia (Eureka), and Letitia Baylor (manager, scripted content, NBCUniversal Networks) discuss navigating the TV spec terrain–including beginner’s mistakes, what they look for in a writer and what it takes for you to write a killer spec that will stand above the crowd.

My Take: This is a conversational panel. It’s a good watch for new-professionals looking to enter the industry. It’s not an exciting panel, but it is worth watching or listening to. 

WRITING/PUBLISHING COMICS, NOVELS, ETC. PANELS:

Panel Name: Creating and Drawing the Action Comic Character with Monte Moore – Link:  https://youtu.be/7u9VzywWAg8

Aired: Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: Panel discussion and drawing demonstration with veteran comics industry artist Monte M. Moore on how to create unique comics characters of your own as well as drawing suggestions for creating dynamic comics action-oriented illustrations. Monte will cover basic concepts and fundamentals as well as integrating character illustration into a cover layout for a published comic book cover. See Moore at https://linktr.ee/studioscarab 

My Take: This panel is fantastic for creating a sheet of character reference and movement. The panelist goes into different shapes and how to adjust them for different poses. The steps are defined, easy to follow, and great for beginner artists and honed talents. I followed along to the panel in one of my own sketchbooks and was surprised at how easy it was and how much better my art looked by using some of his methods. A great watch!

Panel Name: World Builders: The Evolution of Immersive Entertainment – Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbqsEprLLU&ab_channel=Comic-ConInternational

Aired: Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: The hunger for unique content and the current challenges global content creators face to establish safe production solutions have pushed technology to evolve. Join the creative drivers who are introducing remarkable virtual production and content creation solutions in projects like Lion King and The Mandalorian; Isabelle Riva (head of media and entertainment innovations, Unity Technology), Ted Schilowitz (futurist, Paramount Pictures), Emilie Jolie (co-founder & CEO Apelab – Zoe in-VR Creation Software), Brooks Brown (co-founder & CCO, ViRvi—Bringing Virtual Reality to Art), Kwaku Aning (director, Center for Innovation and Entreprenaurial Thinking – CIET), and Asad Malik (founder 1RIC, Jadu AR app). Moderated by David Bloom (Forbes). You can check out experiences from these companies virtually in the FutureTechLive! activation space, powered by Unity.

My Take: This panel focuses a lot on world building for film. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s not as comic-based as I thought it would be jumping in. STILL, anyone who works with comics can tell you how much film and comics overlap in terms of framing/directing. I felt like this panel was great. WORTH A WATCH.

Panel Name: How to Create Your Own Novel – Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiwNrnvStJ0&ab_channel=Comic-ConInternational 

Aired: Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: How to Create Your Own Novel: From First Idea to Publishing and What You Need to Sell Your Work Into TV and Film

My Take: This panel was okay. Like others, the big message was “just get started,” as in: write down your ideas, start formulating a story, and dare to be bad with the writing at the start (essentially, leave the editing for after you finish). Perhaps because I’ve been to a LOT of publishing panels and conferences and conventions in the past, much of the information felt familiar. However, this is probably a good panel to view for those new to the industry or writing. Much of the information is very standard advice that you’ll hear and need to use if you plan to work in this industry. 10/10 would recommend for new writers.

Panel Name: Don’t Tell Your Story, Show It! – Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dCMZuKZFgk&ab_channel=Comic-ConInternational 

Aired: Sunday 26 July 2020

Panel Description: Ever wonder how the really good books suck a reader in and hold their attention page after page? It might not be the characters, nor even the plot of the book. It’s could be the way in which the author writes that separates their story from the pack. Join award-winning author and former lead fiction writer for Sony’s EverQuest Next, Maxwell Alexander Drake, as he presents his class “Don’t Tell Your Story, Show It!” During this class, you will gain insight into how to put your story together in a compelling way that will have your readers turning page after page to see what happens next.

My Take: This is a MUST WATCH panel for any writer. The concept of “Show Don’t Tell” can sometimes be hard to conceptualize, particularly for world-building but also in other forms. In this panel, the idea is laid out clearly, discussed, and explained in a kind of clarity I sometimes hoped for in my first few creative writing classes as a college student.