About Worldcon

How to Join

Staff

Interaction Media Programme

Fans of TV and film can start salivating at an exciting media programme we have in store. We will have panels looking at the genre from various aspects, whether it be how TV shows such as Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica treat religion to the portrayal of science and scientists on TV SF programmes.

You can take a walk down memory lane to discuss favourite shows from your childhood. Ask whether Star Trek has left us with an enduring mythology. Or question the growing examples of lesbianism in genre shows.

Of course, the new Dr Who will be discussed and we are pleased to have the likes of Dr Who writers Paul Cornell and Gary Russell among our panellists. But we will also be looking at other British genre programmes such as Blake’s 7 and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

New programmes will be talked about. How good or bad is the current crop of SF and fantasy shows, from Hex to Wonderfalls, from Smallville to ReGenesis, from Firefly to Andromeda. And of course Lost. And what is different about new shows being created in the US to those in the rest of the world?

And we can’t forget Stargate, from mediocre film to long-running show, now with its own spin-off. How does it get away with its mixture of mythology and science? A panel will also examine the four seasons of Farscape.

Then there is the serious point of why some SF fans look down their noses at TV. Is this justified? Is TV somehow a lesser form of the genre? And what about TV tie-in books? Are they real novels? Come along and have your say.

Who were the creative geniuses on TV in the twentieth century – Gene Roddenberry, Chris Carter, JMS, Joss Whedon and so on? And who will be remembered in twenty years time?

On films, the biggest launch of the year has to be the new Star Wars film completing the saga. This was a show that spanned multiple forms from films to books, games and comics. How well did the mixture work?

Other films that will be discussed include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Highlander, The Incredibles and Donnie Darko. And David Mattingly will be here to present a slide show of the paintings he created for use in the I, Robot movie.

Why do some poor films become good TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer being a good example? Did Buffy and Angel come to good ends? Anime will feature in a series of three talks looking at the history of Japanese cartoons and a panel on the best five anime movies.

This Worldcon also features a movie world premiere - the Scottish movie GamerZ will premiere on Thursday 4 August. Production crew and cast will be there.

Beyond panels and premieres, you can expect to see most of the Hugo-nominated movies and a number of videos and animes during the convention.

And for those that like to get involved, we will have a workshop on writing fan fiction, advice on writing for TV and a discussion on professional script writing.

Never before has a Worldcon produced such a feast for fans of TV and film.

© UK 2005 Ltd, 2002-2005. All rights to content reserved to UK 2005 Ltd, unless otherwise indicated. This page maintained by webmaster@interaction.worldcon.org.uk.

Page last updated 12^th July 2005