Programming: Schedule by Time | By Guest | By Room
Main | Anime | Art | Children's | Costuming | Filk | Film | Gaming | Media | Science

  Media Programming

Fantasy, science fiction and horror aren't merely literary genres. They are overwhelming and popular genres in television, motion pictures, radio plays, and computer games, enjoyed by millions. Panels will discuss various television shows, including Star Trek: Enterprise, Farscape, Stargate, and the recently-completed Buffy and Angel series. Media imports from Europe, Australia and Japan will be addressed (and there's more than Doctor Who and Ultraman), and then there's new, ractically-science-fiction-by-itself media like computer games (Doom 3, Deus Ex, Half-Life) and /machinima/, the use of computer game engines to create animated films.

media@philcon.org
Media Programming Coordinator - Suzanne Rosin

Fri 8:00PM in Room 403 -- George Lucas’ Forever Wars (#136)
   Panelists will discuss whether the Star Wars expansion will keep the franchise alive. Is George Lucas needed or not? An examination of the 15 part series and how it rekindles our interest in Star Wars. Also, how the online gaming community is keeping interest in the Star Wars universe on life support.

Fri 8:00PM in Room 406 -- Radio is the Sound Salvation (#155)
   Radio drama’s always been well-suited for fantasy—where else could anyone get away with the Chicken Heart that Ate Chicago? Panelists will discuss the current state of radio SF and fantasy, including the new Hitchhiker’s series, Seeing Ear Theatre, and Dry Smoke and Whispers. What’s new, what’s great, and what’s worth downloading as an MP3.

Sat 11:00AM in Room 403 -- The Sid and Marty Krofft Super-Fantastic Groovy Saturday Morning Color Festival (#154)
   H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, the Bugaloos, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and the great Land of the Lost... If you were a kid in the early 1970’s, you enjoyed these colorful visions every Saturday morning, right when you were wolfing down your Super Sugar-Frosted Choco-Sucrose Cereal. Now that the buzz has finally worn off, you remember that it was probably your first exposure to science fiction as well.

Sat 12:00PM in Room 403 -- Look, upon the shelves! It's a comic… No, wait, it's a video game... Naw, it's a ride! Maybe it's a book… A TV show? I guess it's a movie, sorta… (#135)
   Panelists will discuss how the barriers of the various media forms are dissolving. Synergy is a principle in the media industry, where a story and its characters can be merchandised as movies, books, video games, comics, and much more, simultaneously. And science fiction and fantasy are genres that lend themselves to this practice. How does this work? Does this work? Is this the future of science fiction? Is this good for science fiction?

Sat 1:00PM in Room 403 -- Battlestar Galactica: Red Eyes versus Red Spines (#150)
   Did the remake standup to the original? Do we like the new robots? Panelists discuss the differences between the two shows and whether it should have been modernized. Has the message of Battlestar Galactica changed in the face of 9/11 to reflect the darker terrorist subculture?

Sat 2:00PM in Room 403 -- Story Arcs: Everybody Wants to be Leo Tolstoy (#147)
   The shows are intelligent, complex, and epic… but miss one episode, and you may be left behind. TV shows with story “arcs” are now an important part of television. Did story arcs make Babylon 5 special? Have they helped or hurt the Star Trek franchise? Did Buffy and Angel do it right? Discuss with the Panelists the pros and cons of this trend.

Sat 3:00PM in Room 403 -- Stargate, Atlantis, and the sideways flushing (#152)
   On its 8th season, the support cast has been developed and become a part of the show. Panelists will discuss whether the killing of the Doctor, Martouf, Skaara and Narim actually advanced the plot of the show as expected. What about the Asgard, Jacob Carter or Master Bra'tac-- will they survive to the end? Will the Asgard and/or Goa'uld make an appearance, or will it just be the Wraith?

Sat 4:00PM in Room 413 -- I was only a child at the time, but... (#148)
   Panelists look back on the TV shows that meant the most to them as children. Do they meet the test of time? Can they still enthrall a new generation of geeky kids?

Sat 4:00PM in Room 403 -- Farscape: Whose cell are you sleeping in tonight? (#153)
   Does the show's undertone of promiscuity reflect new dimensions of the global society? Panelists will discuss Skaren/Sebacean forced breeding, Luxan/Sebacean/Nebari bonding, and why is it so obvious that no one wants to sleep with Rigel.

Sat 5:00PM in Room 403 -- The Sci-Fi Channel: The Good, the Bad, and the Boa (#145)
   Does the Sci-Fi Channel live up to its goals? Why does the channel keep returning to its ugly past? Why does it show brain-dribble soulbarf like John Edwards and Scare Tactics? Are the new shows the answer to bringing "science fiction" back to the Sci-Fi Channel? Does the channel show what the fans want?

Sat 5:00PM in Room 413 -- Meet the new Who...Same as the Old Who? (#151)
   What do we want from the upcoming Doctor Who series? Panelists will discuss the expectations of the fans, the difficulties of satisfying a two-generation-long fan base, and whether it will meet the standards of the Doctor Who universe or will it be another Doctor Who movie.

Sat 6:00PM in Room 403 -- Blogging a Dead Horse (#157)
   Web logs (blogs) let everyone broadcast their thoughts and lives to the far corners of the world. This has opened new avenues of communication, social interaction, and political activism. The panel will discuss this evolving medium and its impact on society.

Sun 11:00AM in Room 403 -- Heaven is Not Heaven Anymore (#137)
   Panelists will discuss the various TV shows and movies where science fiction has been used as a vehicle for the writers/producers to put forth their philosophical or religious beliefs. Is religion cheapened when used as mythology?

Sun 1:00PM in Room 403 -- We Come in Peace, so Shoot to Kill (#138)
   Will military xenophobia dominate first contact? Or will a fruit basket smooth things over with the new neighbors? Panelists will discuss the differences between Independence Day, Signs, Contact, 2001, Stargate, etc.

Sun 1:00PM in Room 406 -- Lords of the "New" Church (#146)
   What makes some shows or movies cult classics, while others are easily forgotten? Come discuss with the Panelists the fascination with science fiction shows, and try to pinpoint what makes a classic.

Sun 2:00PM in Room 403 -- No, I am NOT the Least Common Denominator! (#143)
   "It didn't need special effects." Panelists will discuss those compelling, intelligent works that provided more Food for Thought than Eye Candy. (Donnie Darko, Millennium, Carnivale)