SFX Weekender - 5th/6th February 2010, Camber Sands (Part 2)

After a good nights sleep and a beautiful fry up, courtesy of my girlfriend (Cheers babe!) it was time to return to the festivities. First up was the Being Human Q&A featuring the shows creator Toby Whithouse and the Producer (Matt Bouch?). After a bit of a slow start things really warmed up when the subject of Bristol was mentioned and the shows imminent move to Cardiff. To be honest I was rather gutted when this was announced as being a Bristolian I feel a special connection with the show, especially as I actually live about a 10 minute walk from their house! Apparently The decision to move the show is purely a political one and Toby Whithouse said that while he wouldn't have moved the show if it was his decision (and was initially very annoyed) he does like the challenge the change of setting poses. Anyway they did confirm that the 3 main characters would be moving to Cardiff by the end of Season 2. The other main topic was the difference in tone between the Pilot and the first season and their decision to take the look of the vampires in a different direction. There were some rumours that some of the cast members would make an appearance but unfortunately this did not happen.

After a quick pastry to recharge the batteries and a pint to shake the feeling of impending alcoholic doom it was back to the 'Main Void' for another panel Q&A. Now it was time for some true legends of the comic book world to hit the stage and discuss the growing influence of comics on films. The panel consisted of Al Ewing, Paul Cornell, Dez Skin and Dave Gibbons (of Watchmen fame).Understandably quite a lot of the questions were aimed at Dave seeing as The Watchmen film was finally released after years in development hell. while there was some intelligent discussions surrounding the state of the comic industry and the issue of the lack of female representation in the comic book industry (eventhough girls/women now make a large part of the reading audience whereas historically it was male dominated past-time and industry) this was infact one of the funniest panels with some witty banter amongst the 4 guests. A particular comedy highlight was Dez Skins obsession with the apparent S&M elements of Wonder Woman and his disappointment at why it hasn't yet been made into a major studio film.

The afternoon was finished off with a drawing masterclass by Dave Gibbons in the 'Screening Hall'. After discussing the art of drawing using a computer he finished with proceedings by knocking out a picture of one of his most famous creations, Rorschach. It was generally quite cool seeing a master at work!

In the main afternoon slot was the one and only Tom Baker. The main hall was rammed full with Dr Who (or Little Britain?) fans trying to get a glimpse of Rye's most famous inhabitant. Tom Baker was wonderfully eccentric and everything you'd have expected him to be, entertaining, funny and seemed genuinely happy to be there. (He put in the hours too...2 signing sessions and his time on stage). Over the course of 40 minutes Tom recollected various stories from his personal life and career. He told a very witty, if tad bizarre, story about a guy he use to know when he was a monk, who hadn't ejaculated for almost 30 years (due to his vow of celibacy/chastity), and when he lost his faith and decided to...."Stroke the Wookie" the force of it pushed him backwards and out of a window! This was followed by another story regarding a rumour that he had died following a mis-understanding regarding a grave-stone he owned in his local cemetery. During his time on stage he also discussed that he doesn't like watching his own stuff (a common complaint amongst the acting community) and William Hartnell was his favourite Dr Who. However he said that this is probably due to them being friends.


After some grub (a very tasty jacket potato and tuna if i remember rightly) it was time for the main event, the SFX 2010 Sci-Fi awards. The formalities started off with a hypnotic performance from the Globot and the LED Dancers. In the dark it was quite impressive and a good way to open the event (and get everyone back from the bar and into their seats!). The host and compere for the evening was Robert Rankin and, like the evening before, he was very entertaining.

The winners at the awards were as follows:

Best Film = Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Best Director = JJ Abrams for Star Trek (There was video acceptance message from JJ Abrams and he said he hopes to be there next year)

Best TV Show = Supernatural

Best TV Episode = Children of Earth, Episode 5/Torchwood

Best Sci-Fi Actress - Eve Myles for Torchwood

Best Sci-Fi Actor - David Tennant for Dr Who

Best Novel - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (via the acceptance letter Neil Gaiman let it be known that he has written a Dr Who episode entitled "House of Nothing' and that it would air in '14 months' - You heard it hear first!)

Best Comic - Batman: What ever happened to the Caped Crusader? By Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert (Titan)

Best Video Game - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady)

Best Collectible - Dr Who: The Journal of Impossible Things (Character Options)

The following awards were Selected by SFX and not the readers:

SFX Sci-Fi Phenomenon - True Blood (The award was collected by Michelle Forbes on bahalf of everyone involved in the show)

SFX Breakout - Being Human (Award was collected by show creator Toby Whithouse)

Cult Hero - Gareth David Lloyd

Hope for the Future - Stephen Moffat (New lead writer of Dr Who)

...and Finally...

SFX Lifetime Achievement Award - Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds, Stingray, Joe 90 etc)

The awards ceremony was finished off with a UK exclusive clip from Iron Man 2 (War Machine!)

Once the formalities of the awards was over it was time to move en masse back to the bar to top up and wait for the sci-fi party of the year to get underway, the SFX Masquerade. This was the part of the inaugural SFX weekend where anything goes, dress-wise that is! Upto to now everyone had been in 'civvies' but once the awards were done the Cosplay addicts showed their true colours. While me and my party didn't bother with the fancy dress, sorry Cosplay (unless you include my '2nd skin' of denim, leather, shorts and T-shirt as 'fancy dress'), there were plenty of people who did and some of them were awesome. My personal favourites were Optimus Prime and Dr Manhattan, who in particular really did let it 'all hang out'! ;o). While everyone was partying and soaking up the atmosphere one Mr Pat Sharp was spinning the wheels of steel. The formal festivities came to an end in the form of several 'rock' bands. I must say after many a go on Guitar Hero: Arcade and lots of beer/whisky I was set for some serious metal/hard rock. However its fair to say that neither of the two bands I saw floated my boat, to be honest I cant even remember what either of them were called. However while I was intrigued to see Neil Buchanon's Marseille but by the time they were due on stage I was having too much of a good time in the bar with the various artists, authors, party dwellers and festival goers. Following a conversation with Dez Skin about Forbidden Planet and a very garbled chat with a very well respected, yet slightly inebriated Mr ****** (The name has been deleted to protect the innocent!) it was unfortunately time return to our my quarters and get at least a few hours sleep before the brutal drive home. With that the curtain came down on what was an amazing weekend and one that I won't forget for a while. While some people may complain that the calibre of star (excluding James Marsters and Tom Baker) may not have been up there with the likes of Collectermania, and of course not Comic Con, I genuinely think all the guys on the various panels/Q&As were very interesting and in many respects that's just as important as 'headline' stars. I am definitely considering returning to Camber Sands again next year. See ya guys there!

SFX Weekender - 5th/6th February 2010, Camber Sands (Part 1)

Afternoon All. I've finally recovered from the drunken debauchery that was the inaugural SFX Weekender and have decided to post up my thoughts. Eventhough it did involve travelling the width of England (the return journey was not particularly fun after a few days of partying), the drive was well worth it as it was a thoroughly enjoyable event. While the Pontins setting was not the most glamorous (it seemed like it may not have been painted since the 50's!), it certainly was a nice change from the usual tent and mud combo and it was genuinely exciting having a bed, clean toilet, shower and kitchen.

(Photo by Paul Cornell)

The event kicked off at 12pm on Friday 5th with a intro from the SFX guys in the 'The Main Void', the focal point/nucleus of the event. Once I cracked open a beer I decided to get my weekend under way and join the mass of people queuing to meet James Marsters (of Buffy/Angel/Torchwood fame). After sinking a few beers I finally found myself at the front of the queue with my girlfriend casually chatting to 'Spike' about his love for Star Wars and growing up in the same town as George Lucas. He was kind enough to sign some stuff and pose for pictures. He seemed genuinely happy to chat to fans and took the time to interact with everyone that was there. It took me a while to get use to his American accent following years of playing English characters!

Following his signing session, James took the stage for a Q&A - Over the next 45 minutes he took on all comers and wooed the crowd with various stories and on-set tales ranging from how he preferred kissing John Barrowman to Sarah Michelle Geller, the mooted Spike TV movie and his respect for Joss Whedon. The final question fired at him was which he thought was better, UK Sci-Fi or US Sci-Fi - a recurring theme over the whole weekend. After a slight pause he stated that he thought that UK Sci-Fi is better written but American Sci-Fi is more 'relaxed'(i assumed this was a slight dig at the BBC?) He was charismatic, funny and didn't shy away from any of the questions. All in all a great start to the weekend.

Following the Q&A action i decided to check out the Gaming Zone. In the pre-event literature it stated the games that would be appearing would be Batman Arkham Asylum, Final Fantasy (XIII) and Alien Vs Predator. However there must have been a last minute change of heart by Square Enix as they had Just Cause 2 on display instead. To be honest I wasn't too gutted as I'm not the biggest fan of the FF series. Nonetheless I wouldn't have minded seeing the new installment in the RPG juggernaut in the flesh. Also with no sign of Batman either it meant my gaming thirst had to be quenched with two large shots of AvP and Just Cause 2.

Up first was Just Cause 2 (Xbox 360) hands-on: The version I played, according to the menu screen, was a demo. I must start by saying that I have not played the 1st game but my fleeting visit with the new installment has certainly left with a desire to get my hands on the final game when it is released in March. The graphics were nice and the controls were slick. I think in this day and age poor controls can kill a game before it even gets going. Saying that i did have problems switching weapons but I think that's down to me not being overly familiar with the Xbox controller and there being no tutorial, rather than the game itself! :o). While i didn't attempt to complete the mission laid out before me I did have immense fun base jumping, car jacking and generally causing mayhem. The grappling hook was a nice touch and from what i saw from some of the guys around me there is much fun to have from tethering guerrillas and lassoing cars/bikes. I managed to mangle a few guys with it and 'fast travel' to a several locations including a water tower and the roofs of several local village dwellings. However unfortunately i was unable to cause the levels of carnage with the hook that have been witnessed in some of the recent Just Cause 2 trailers (i.e. tethering planes and helicopters or using gas canisters as impromptu 'elevators'). The vehicles were easy to enter and drive and the the roof stunt exits were a lot of fun. My personal highlight of the demo was base jumping off a cliff, pulling my chute at the last moment, landing on the roof of a moving jeep before entering the vehicle (via the window) and storming a road block...very cool!

The gaming double whammy was completed with a lengthy go on Alien Vs Predator (PS3). After having nothing but problems with the demo, when it was released on the 4th Feb, i was looking forward to finally having a proper blast. After several multiplayer death matches and a few co-op 'Swarm' games i was convinced that Rebellion had done a great job bringing two of Fox's most treasured franchises to 7th Gen consoles. First thing I noticed was that the graphics definitely seemed more polished than those of the demo (albeit I only got to play the demo for 10 minutes!). Along with the 'Refinery' map I got to check out 'Temple' and a third, un-named map that was a cross between the two. Across the 3 maps I also sampled the 3 different playable races, Predator, Alien and Human. I must say that they all have their pro's and con's but being a massive Predator fan I must say that I truly loved playing as Jim and John Thomas' finest creation. While you don't start out with many of the Predators iconic weapons (shoulder canon, glaive, spear etc) you do have instant access to his claws and cloaking device. The element i really did love was that when within range, a tap of the 'square' button you performed a killer finishing move and some of them were BRUTAL! Anyway as many of you have already probably played the demo I won't go into anymore detail regarding the 3 races or the 'Refinery' Map. However as discussed I did get to play a two further maps...

The first was 'Temple', a open air map that consisted of several large stone pillars/columns, interconnected by a series of tunnels. The map was surrounded by large stone banked/pyramid style walls.

The 2nd new map I've called 'Temple 2' - This map seemed to contain the remains of a old temple and there were overgrown broken columns, which can be traversed by the Predator. They are also great for camping out and catching unsuspecting Marines as they run beneath you. These were all in a valley/meadow style setting with a large set of steps leading up to the entrance to a large futuristic building. Several parts of the map were connected by 'cocooned' Alien tunnels a la the end of Aliens.

These maps were a lot of fun and the game really did offer something more than the usual FPS, Call of Duty wannabe multiplayer deathmatch. I did manage to have a quick chat with one of the development team (Tom?! - Sorry I cant remember his name but I'm sure he said he was head of Multiplayer Development at Rebellion) who informed me that not only was I playing the final code of the game but one of the most interesting maps (to be included on the final release) is based on the rotating/evolving 'Aztec' Pyramid from the first AvP film (awesome!). Various other things were discussed during our brief conversation from Fox's unsupportive stance on the team's original vision of the Alien to the unique experience the game and its three species offers. My stint on the game finished with several games of 'Swarm', Rebellions answer to 'Nazi Zombies'. All I can say about it was that it was intense and captured the feel of confusion and desperation the Marines felt at the climax of Aliens. As the only illumination comes from the gun barrel mounted lamps there is a genuine claustrophobic, eerie feel to this game type. I particularly liked the heart beat monitors at the top of the screen showing the vital signs of your companions. I don't know if there are multiple co-op maps on disc but if there isn't I'm sure that can be rectified by future DLC (You listening Rebellion?)


Now that I had gaming fix it was time to get back to the Sci-Fi...

Robert Rankin - My girlfriend and her family are massive Rankin fans and therefore missing his slot on the Slaughter Lamb stage was not an option...and to be honest I am glad i did witness his 'set' as his Quirky mix of songs, anecdotes and jokes was immensely entertaining. His instantly likeable personality meant this was a definite highlight of day 1 and an obvious choice for the Awards host.

The first day of this Sci-Fi double header came to a close with the SFX Imaginarium - For 2 hours the main stage area came alive with an assortment of entertainment including cabaret, magicians, jugglers, dancers, fire-eaters and Cosplay. All of this took place in the shadow of two massive statues of the demonic Zuul beasts/dogs from Ghostbusters (I wanted one of them for my front room!). However I didn't experience much of this, other than part of a magician's act, as I was sat in the bar (The Slaughtered Lamb!!) attempting to answer the questions in the SFX Blastermind Pub Quiz. While me and my party are seasoned pub-quizzers we decided to not officially take part in the quiz through fear of being destroyed! While in hindsight, the questions were challenging, they weren't as brain frying as they could have been. However saying that we wouldn't have won! After several more Newcastle Browns and several drunken conversations with like minded people we decided to return to our Chalet and attempt to get a few hours kip. Day 1 was done and dusted...roll on Day 2 and the SFX 2010 Sci-Fi Awards...JB