JMS Appearance: Storytelling Across Media Nov. 3

[Jan]

Just found on the Comic-Con.org site:

https://comic-con.org/frontpage/sam-storytelling-across-media

Comic-Con presents SAM, Storytelling Across Media, a one-day symposium for aspiring writers and artists, as well as professionals, interested in the art of storytelling. This event will be held on Saturday, November 3, at the Comic-Con Museum, 2131 Pan American Plaza in Balboa Park, from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, with a mixer from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. Admission is FREE, but online registration is encouraged. Seating in all symposium events is limited.

SAM is not your traditional comics convention. There is no Exhibit Hall. SAM is all about storytelling, through a series of talks about how to tell a story in various media, including comics, gaming, animation, movies, and more. It explores the similarities and differences in telling stories through different media and focuses on the craft of telling a story through creator lectures.

San Diego Comic-Con is part of the San Diego Comic Convention family of events. SDCC is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

WHO: SAM: Storytelling Across Media
WHAT: A one-day symposium devoted to talks and workshops about storytelling in various forms of media.
WHEN: Saturday, November 3

[Jan]

Here's the description of the panel JMS is hosting:

5:00–5:45 The Prince from a Distant Land Scenario—According to the Writers Guild of America, the career span of the average writer in TV is about ten years. Unless you're lucky enough to hit the jackpot on a series of novels or films, the stats for print and movie writers are largely on par with that figure. But there are some writers who have been able to extend that much further, including J. Michael Straczynski, whose career spans over 40 years, with each year busier than the one before. The secret comes down to the very heart of this conference: storytelling across various media. Come and learn how to the keep the work fresh, the career intact, and maintain your relevance as a writer in the service of producing a career that will last a lifetime. The Theater

[Jan]

Rather to my own surprise, I went to JMS panel at the SAM symposium yesterday. It was held in the future home of the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park (for those familiar with San Diego).

I'd planned to check out some of the other panels since I got there early but realized that all of the panel rooms were small and didn't want to take a seat somebody else could use.

Rather than his usual freestyle Q&A, JMS talked about how his career didn't turn out as he'd planned. His original goal was to make it in short stories and novels but took the opportunities as they presented themselves and started selling plays and articles and reviews and audio dramas. It was when those petered out that he sold his first non-fiction book and used the advance to move to the LA area where he was able to break into animation with a He-Man script.

He touched on learning that a writer should always have three sources of income so that when one goes away, there's still others to fall back on. The "Prince from a Distant Land" part is that when you appear on the scene in a market where you're not known, you're new and fresh and shiny to the powers there. He stressed that what matters is the words on the page rather than your age or background.

As usual, the time alloted seemed too short. Afterward he took some time to sign things for people outside the panel theater.

And today I head home after 24 hours and 15 minutes in San Diego. Between East and West Coast time changes and the end of Daylight Savings time last night...color me confused!

[Looney]

Did you have any personal exchanges with him?

Does he look different or is it just the angle and lighting?

Why is it to your "own surprise" that you went?

[Jan]

Did you have any personal exchanges with him?

Nothing major. I said hi as he was going in. Afterward I offered him a set of B5 wristbands and a dogtag (he declined) and told him I'd enjoyed it.

Does he look different or is it just the angle and lighting?

Well, I still haven't really gotten used to the way he looks without glasses. Also in this light his facial hair isn't as noticable, I don't think. The only other difference (I think) is that this isn't his 'posing for pics' face.

Why is it to your "own surprise" that you went?

I wasn't going to go right up to last week when some plans fell through and I had a plane fare looking for a trip. So I let the universe decide and said that if I could get the plane fare for no more than X extra *and* I could get an employee rate (I work for a Holiday Inn) in San Diego within reasonable Uber/Lyft fare, then I could go. The universe smiled and so I went.

[Ubik]

Jan, do you get the impression he is perhaps moving away from any future TV/film in favour of writing plays and novels? (Appreciate you may not have gotten any indication from this panel).

He doesn't seem to be pushing anything B5 related at the moment. San Diego is normally his platform for updates or making a case for new projects. I feel like, with Sense8 getting cancelled, that might have been the final nail in the coffin for building the required 'street cred'.

[Jan]

Jan, do you get the impression he is perhaps moving away from any future TV/film in favour of writing plays and novels? (Appreciate you may not have gotten any indication from this panel).

Nothing based on this talk, no. The only thing he said about his current work is (paraphrasing) 'I've got a few other things in the works that I can't talk about right now'. In late October he mentioned that the Rising Stars feature is looking for a director.

In keeping with his liking to keep at least three sources of income streams, I would imagine he's been working on a number of things we haven't heard about yet.

He doesn't seem to be pushing anything B5 related at the moment. San Diego is normally his platform for updates or making a case for new projects. I feel like, with Sense8 getting cancelled, that might have been the final nail in the coffin for building the required 'street cred'.

Last word I heard on a B5 movie was that it's been hard attracting investors when he doesn't hold all the rights and that he's conscious of the fact that the longer it goes the harder it's likely to be. That said, perhaps the fact that the show's available on Amazon Prime, Comet and Sky is an encouraging sign.

[Jan]

Here's a pretty good article about JMS' panel at the SAM event. Except for the writer referring to him as 'Michael', of course.

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/11/11/j-michael-straczynski-sam/?fbclid=IwAR1k3cXWewrfcyWO3FLZ72TV2LyqnH7xyLlQ_UWMuYLKPGnCPbGBQqXhNLI#disqus_thread

[Looney]

Except for the writer referring to him as 'Michael', of course.

In fairness, Michael might be how J. Michael is trying to re-invent himself.

And on a sadder note, now that I know what happened with Buddy the Miracle Cat you can totally see grief on that face in those pics. I also wonder if Buddy's condition is what led to JMS' recent odd request about chartered planes?

[Jan]

In fairness, Michael might be how J. Michael is trying to re-invent himself.

Ha! No, it's just standard practice if somebody leads off with an initial, they usually prefer to not use their given name.