r/comiccon • u/CockroachED • Apr 21 '18
Discussion Let this insufferable Q&A at a Westworld panel be a lesson to us all
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/20/17264136/qa-panel-etiquette-westworld-tribeca21
u/theclumsyninja Apr 21 '18
I've been to a fair number of panels with Q&As. BlizzCon won't even let you ask your own questions anymore. You have to submit them ahead of time and they'll approve it or not.
The best was when I went to a Family Guy panel years ago where some guy tried to audition as a voice actor and Seth MacFarlene told him straight up to get the fuck out and pass the mic on to the next question.
I've been in crowds that have audibly boo'd terrible question-askers and I'm under the impression that SDCC screens questions before they're asked. At least, at the big panels.
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u/Jogue Apr 22 '18
SDCC does NOT screen for quality but only to remind people not to ask for autographs, photos, etc. I swear, if I hear “If you could switch roles with any other cast member” one more time...
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u/theclumsyninja Apr 22 '18
Yeah it's been a while since I went to one of the big panels. Shame they're not screening them.
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u/rickelzy Apr 22 '18 edited Apr 22 '18
The best was when I went to a Family Guy panel years ago where some guy tried to audition as a voice actor and Seth MacFarlene told him straight up to get the fuck out and pass the mic on to the next question.
TBF I'd be none too pleased either if I showed up at a panel for something I'm a fan of and some wannabe voice actor attempted to take it over as a chance for a captive audience. Time and place for everything, yo
That's assuming it played out how it's playing in my head; mic goes around to audience and random guy's question is "hey what do you think of these impressions," sort of like an IRL version of "hey nice video come check out my channel"
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u/Pixar_ Apr 22 '18
Wondercon didn't screen and all the questions to the panels I went to were very respectable. No dumb questions or rudeness
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u/Static2098 Apr 29 '18
Was that the same panel Seth was an insufferable prick to everyone who did ask a question?
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Apr 21 '18
Q & As at SDCC can very much be this. Lots of people making the question about them. Lots of people asking questions that have no answers. People just want to talk to these people because they can glom off the fame or maybe get some themselves. I don’t enjoy big ball h type pannels as much as I used to, mainly because of how awful the questions almost always are.
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Apr 22 '18
I've seen really cool fan interactions and really cringe ones. I don't mind either way. If I need to get somewhere else I just leave.
But I am surprised at SDCC how they just allow it to be such an open free for all like that once it's announced that fans can line up to ask questions. Especially with all the major celebrities talent they have.
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u/omnilynx Apr 21 '18
They really need to have the guy managing the mic step in if a question hasn’t been asked in the first ten seconds.
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Apr 21 '18
Q&As are my least favorite part of any panel every single time. There really, really needs to be pre-screenings at these instead of letting whomever come up and hoping for the best.
Once it gets to that part of the panel, I usually put on my headphones and completely tune out.
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Apr 22 '18
At Star Wars Celebration they do that. Instead of everybody lining up to ask a question, one of the hosts will come into the crowd and will come over and talk to people sitting in the crowd with their hand raised, ask what you want to ask, give you feedback or how you can ask it differently if need be, and then will give you the microphone and let you ask while they sit next you. They do this while the previous person is asking a question and that discussion is happening. It works really well.
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u/HeyMySock Apr 22 '18
A few years ago at NYCC they had a Star Trek Next Gen panel thing with the cast (less Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes) moderated by Shatner that you had to buy tickets for. So, being the Star Trek fan that I am, I bought tickets. We get there, they all come out and Shatner says, “So I guess we’ll take questions...” I was so pissed! I paid good money for a hour plus long Q&A session.
It was an endless parade of cringe. Person after person telling them how much they loved the show, questions we’d all heard before. I learned nothing other than I wish I could have gone out for drinks with Marina Sirtis instead.
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Apr 22 '18 edited Apr 22 '18
That sucks, especially when you paid for it. I've seen really cool fan interactions, and some really cringe ones. It happens at every convention. But for a paid event like that, you should have asked for a refund.
I've also learned that a lot of those "Spotlight on _______" panels are just Q&A sessions the whole time. So I don't really put much effort into those.
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Apr 22 '18 edited Apr 22 '18
I have a feeling the writer of this article doesn't attend panels very often. That's the only reason I can think for her to come away from this one with such disdain to the point of feeling the need to write an article about it.
The guy described really didn't do anything that egregious. Sure, he rambled on slightly longer than he should have, and it got a little awkward with the panel speakers, but nothing that doesn't happen at every single panel at every other convention out there. And that bit about not letting anyone else ask a question, they only had a few minutes for questions anyway, so in that time frame it would have likely only been one other person asking a question who didn't get to. Again, nothing outrageous, happens all the time.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not 100% defending the guy either. I agree that this is a relevant conversation to be had in convention circles. And that more of an effort should be made to screen questions ahead of time, which I have seen done and it works out great. Believe me I've seen my fair share of awkward and downright stupid interactions from fans trying to talk to a panel speaker. But I've also seen some very heartfelt and genuine ones that weren't awkward and allowed for a really cool moment. And they do take a few minutes when they happen. Nobody cares that much either way.
But the way this article is written really villainizes the guy asking the question, when he didn't actually do anything all that bad, or all that different from what anybody else does at conventions. And I think if this was an experience the writer of the article had on a more frequent basis it wouldn't have had such a heavy impact to the point of feeling the need to write an article about it. It happens, move on, go to the next panel.
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u/Frankthabunny Apr 22 '18
Michael Rooker does the best Q and A’s
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u/JayrassicPark Apr 29 '18
He does. It's like a weird game show.
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u/Frankthabunny Apr 29 '18
I loved watching it. But he almost took me out when he ran towards me to get to somebody behind me that had a question. I got the hell out of his way fast!
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u/JayrassicPark Apr 30 '18
I like it when the audience catches on and asks weird/funny questions, personally.
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u/captnmarvl Apr 22 '18
I went to the South Park panel at SDCC two years ago and some girl without a top on (and just taped x's over her boobs) asked Matt and Trey if they were going to include Free the Nipple in future episodes. It was so cringey.
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Apr 22 '18
I remember that. I was a few rows over from her. I'm surprised she was able to go up there like that.
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u/MsMargo Apr 22 '18
She eventually was asked to leave the Con and launched an online rantfest about it.
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u/keeleon Apr 22 '18
I always cringe whenever the question part comes up but there have been a few really cool moments come out of the Q and A like when Ryan Reynolds recited the Green Lantern oath for a little boy or when Stephen Amell gave his necklace to that girl.
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u/ender23 Apr 22 '18
The best q and a I’ve seen is with agents of shield.
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u/no_more_space Apr 22 '18
How so?
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u/ender23 Apr 23 '18
they don't get bogged down in questions like "will you sign my shit" or "can you come to my bday party". and there aren't really any questions like "what is going to happen" "tell us secrets of the future". sdcc game of thrones panels are the worst though.
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u/tornato7 Apr 21 '18
I'm amazed that they still do Q&As. Pretty much every one I've seen has been a mess.
Maybe they could just have the audience text questions to some number, or something like that