41 replies to this topic

[Supernova]

Big thanks to Jason and Gary (and the SM team) for hosting a really special day at Elstree. I had an excellent time and thought everything ran really smoothly. I used to attend the old Falcon Society events and this is the first time in probably a decade where I felt that magic again - around a specific convention and also Star Wars. I think post Special Edition I fell out of love with the franchise but today really made me realise how incredible SW really is and also how amazing the craftsmen across the production were. The talks were just brilliant and it was so insightful to hear the fascinating stories that these guys spoke of

The archive was stunning but I'm so gutted we weren't able to take photos. Jason/Gary - you need to bring out a book documenting everything we saw today, just incredible. The handwritten Lucas script probably being my highlight

Thanks again for a truly special day, I'm really excited for next year and will be booking my ticket in June

[dilbert34]

Totally agree, an excellent day, made better by the location. Great to meet those that worked behind the scenes. Well organised as usual. Look forward to the next one...

[jamie]

me to was great looking at some of the archive stuff guest where great all of them very nice blokes

i also loved having the punch card maybe this could be taken over to other events somehow maybe having showmasters cards being able to buy one with say 10 or more £15 slots another one with 6 slots of £20  would mean less cash having to be taken on the day

Edited by jamie, 05 May 2012 - 07:37 PM.

[Dave Boy]

Fantastic day !!
I still can not believe I was walking around a Star Wars stage.
Everything was perfect. The guests and the talks were excellent.
The archive of course was incredible, It was just awesome to see Carrie, Harrison's and Sir Alec's contracts.

A big fan since the original release, today meant so much to me. Count me in for next year !

Thank you Jason and Gary.

[greedo_uk]

Agree - a great day overall and a good location ( smaller than I thought it would be though ). Please go again.

The talk by Michael Ford et al was absolutely brilliant - big thanks to them.

Perhaps one criticism would be the queues were a bit of a free for all - but didn't take away from the event.

Awesome

PS but please let us photograph the props (especially the greedo mask and hands)

PPS If the guy who was wearing the x-wing pilot hoody is on the forum please tell us where you got it!!

Edited by greedo_uk, 05 May 2012 - 08:14 PM.

[KingRichard76]

Today was a special day which saw me listening to the Raiders March and the Main Title from Star Wars and as I walked down Borehamwood High Street constantly had Raiders March playing got to the gates of Elstree around 8:10am? And was surprised to see no one standing there but turned out three others were waiting in the little waiting area.

As time went on more and more people turned up, interesting the little bit of paper we had to fill out about security and then given our dog tags and stuff - and then to enter Stage 7 was something short of Magickal its like when you go to the Natural History Museum and stare in awe at the model of the Blue Whale - this was how it was for me - just taking it all in, taking it in how such different Films had been filmed here over the years and how the likes of Lucas et al had all yelled "Action" in here.

Looking back at it I wish I had got my Autographs early, when I first came in because it was rather a madhouse and queues for one Guest kind of mixed with other queues etc.

The exhibition was of course nothing short of mesmerising, seeing the little switchboard that ultimately blew up Alderaan was interesting seeing what it really is/was in real life - and of course seeing Harrison Fords contract was awesome (not just because I'm a big Ford Fan either).

The talks were all very interesting - but I'm sure no one could doubt that the highlight of the talk was Kenny Baker and Rusty "I wasn't an Ewok" Goffe, that joke never tired and between the two of them they didnt fail to keep us all in hysterics.

The Auction was well handled and even now, I'm not surprised that the "Frank Oz/Jim Henson" Autograph went for over a £1,000 (I'm happy with my ILM letter headed stationary :) )

All the Guests seemed more than happy to be there and some were exceedinly enthusiastic (although when I was by Dave (Prowse) and Kenny there was a lady taking photos of Dave who obviously took great exception to it and the crew member had to tell this lady twice) when she did the same thing to Kenny I think he was a bit annoyed.

One moment of Geekery came when I went to get Michael Fords Autograph and saw the Oscar he won for "Set Decoration" for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and my God are those things heavy!

I didnt want to leave the Stage - in fact around 5pm Stage 7 became more quiet and getting Autographs wasnt a big deal and wanted to capture as much of the Stage as possible (to any other attendees, crew etc - the reason I had my iphone in the air and doing a 360 degree turn was so I could get a kind of panoramic shot of the Stage) the impromptu Lightsaber battle was also cool and it had to be done.

But what  can I say, that I havent already said? I'm sure theres going to be loads more once I think of it but today was promised to be a "Day long remembered" by Jason and by God, he wasn't wrong - being in Elstree Studios was stuff that the most wildest Dreams are made of.

Edited by KingRichard76, 06 May 2012 - 04:11 PM.

[dr zaius]

many congratulations on the success of empire day today,particularly to the organisers who made it all happen.i am sure everyone who attended went away happy(and in some cases skint....lol).and look forward to empire day 2 next year....this event is surely destined to become "a must" amongst star wars fans judging by the reception today.

it was a great feeling to be on the hallowed turf of elstree,i had never been on a film sound stage before,so i was thrilled by that,let alone the event itself.i envisioned i was going to be walking onto some vast sound stage...a la bond.....but stage 7 was how shall i say...bijou....lol.i understand that it may be held in a larger stage next year,so will look forward to seeing more of elstree...and no doubt more guests and more fans.

the talks were good,and ran smoothly.and i thought the auction was very good,there were some nice pieces
of vintage memorabilia,i have found at lots of other cons and i`m sure i speak for many here, that the standard of the auctions has been lacking to say the least.....mugs and t shirts anyone?? but on this showing there were plenty of quality collectibles,some rare items too.well done guys! i`m sure the archive must be more than happy with the way the bidding went.

only one criticism.....more bar staff needed....i waited twenty minutes to get served a cup of coffee and i wasnt the only one.the poor bar girls struggled to keep up with the demand.....well done to them for trying though.

thanks again for a great event guys...remember it i shall...lol

heres to empire day 2013!!

[SMASTER]

A massive thankyou to Jason, Gary, and all the crew members and guests- today was fantastic. Everything went smoothly, the numbers were perfect- not too crowded at all. A massive highlight of my day was definitely the Kenny Baker/Rusty Goffe talk- it was hilarious

One minor thing was a couple of times me and my mate found ourselves a little bit stuck for something to do- when the auto queues were too long and we were between talks sometimes we found ourselves a bit aimless. This was pretty rare though, but maybe a few more stalls next year? (assuming there is  a next year- fingers crossed!) I understand it all depends on the size of the studio we're in though....

The displays were fantastic, a once in a lifetime oppurtunity. On the 'no photos' concern, I thought that perhaps it was better they weren't allowed- it might have been harder to look at the displays as there would probably of been more people standing around taking photos of them? The displays were fascinating though, Gary and Jason should publish a book with photos/scans....

A minor sour note, also mentioned by King Richard was the inconsiderate woman who shoved an iphone in poor Kenny's face and took a photo without asking. Sad to see something like that at such an awesome convention, and Kenny was obviously (and rightly so) a bit annoyed.

Apart from that though, a brilliant con- you'll definitely see me and my friend next year!   

[LiamSwann]

Had a brilliant day, ridiculously overwhelmed at meeting both Gary and Michael Ford - Michael Ford whom I find underrated in his craft. Bring on 2013, a giant thank you.

[raiden58237]

Firstly I would just like to thank all of the guys and girls who helped make today possible. I know some of them were at the studio from midnight, all the way through to the end of the convention and then having to pack everything up as well. Fantastic job.

Thankyou for making it possible to be at Elstree Studio's. One of the locations in which Star Wars was originally filmed. I was so excited when I entered that studio and just saw it. I never realised so much could be made possible in such a small location.

The exhibit of all the original props, scripts and so forth were absolutely amazing. Seeing some of the pictures though where parts of Star Wars were scrapped did upset me a lot. Just seeing what had happened to it all was a shock.

I will mention the problem with the ques. I noticed a lot of people were just cutting in. I did noticed one person was actually interviewing a few of the guest there on the spot when people were meant to be getting autographs. I think that is a little unfair as people have been waiting in line for a while and someone is just standing there with a mic and asking questions.

I would also like to thank the 2 gentlemen who were dressed up in Storm Troopers outfits. I was surprised that more people were not dressed up in Star Wars outfit's in such an awesome location. You guys must have been sweeting buckets by the end of the day.

Also a big thanks to some of the guys and that, that I have met at the convention. It was awesome meeting you and hopefully I will see you again next year at the next Star Wars convention or possibly the Collectormania convention or London Film and Comic Con.

Also a special thanks to all of the guest who attended. It was absolutely amazing meeting you all. You were all fantastic. It was such a laugh meeting some of you and just shocking to see some of you as well. I have loved Star Wars for years and never though that I would ever meet any of you buts thanks again. It truely was an amazing day.

May the force be with you all.

[Dave Boy]

KingRichard76, on May 5 2012, 09:11 PM, said:

I didnt want to leave the Stage - in fact around 5pm Stage 7 became more quiet

Yeah, I had a last wander around the archive and stage and left about 5:30. I did not want to leave the stage and took more pictures, one last glance, a sigh, then headed out back up to Tesco to view the Lucas stage again.

Quote

being in Elstree Studios was stuff that the most wildest Dreams are made of.

Right on !!


** To top the day off, BBC2 had 'I Love 1977' with Carrie Fisher !! **

Edited by Dave Boy, 06 May 2012 - 09:47 AM.

[Psyclepath]

PPS If the guy who was wearing the x-wing pilot hoody is on the forum please tell us where you got it!!

http://www.shopecko....3880005.3880008

There you go!

[pinkstarbuck]

It was a great event, and a real geek dream to be on hallowed ground too! I was surprised that I was only 1 of a handful of females there (in fact I saw several of fellow women looking bored that had perhaps been reluctantly dragged along by their partners. I was with my fiancé and I loved every second! )

My own personal highlight was seeing Chewies crossbow and one of Lukes Sabers, the signed contracts were also very cool, I agree with those of you saying the Kurtz Joiner archive should bring out a book with all the pieces in. Maybe you could sell it at a future event and help to raise more money for the archive?

Other highlights were holding an Oscar (they are HEAVY!) and Toby Lofthouse saying I was far too young to be a fan (I'm 30 lol!) And JOhn Morton was a real gentleman too. All the guests I met were wonderful and really pleased to be there meeting us all too!

My only grumbles -and they are the same ones that crop up at every convention- are the amount of people taking unsolicited flash photos of guests without asking despite being warned against such behaviour. It's uncomfortable for the guests and also for those of us who get violent migraines triggered by bright lights. There also seemed to be no form to the queues and on several occasions the same guy cutted in front of the queue to get a piece signed that he'd "forgotten about". I also agree that there should be a limit on how many pieces can be signed by one person or dealers and something should be done about large bags as I almost had my eye taken out by a guy with a huge bag and 2 poster tubes on his back ( and he didn't apologise either) and I have been one of those people with a massive bag at previous cons but stopped taking one when I smacked somebody in the face with it accidentally. I also saw somebody plonk their bag in the aisle in front of Rusty Goffes table and had a crew member trip over it.

I also wasn't too happy about a signer being previously free and then charged for on the day with no warning!

Many thanks to those of you commenting on my fiancée light saber. Forum rules forbid me from mentioning the name of his business but we are regular con attendees so you will see us around.

We won't be attending next years Empire day as it clashes with our wedding but we will be attendees at many more empire days in the future, definately! It was a great day!

[greedo_uk]

pinkstarbuck, on May 6 2012, 11:30 AM, said:

We won't be attending next years Empire day as it clashes with our wedding but we will be attendees at many more empire days in the future, definately! It was a great day!

Perhaps I have missed it - was the date announced ( or is it 5th May again )

And thanks for the link to the hoody ( as above ) - really cool.

[pinkstarbuck]

greedo_uk, on May 6 2012, 03:09 PM, said:

pinkstarbuck, on May 6 2012, 11:30 AM, said:

We won't be attending next years Empire day as it clashes with our wedding but we will be attendees at many more empire days in the future, definately! It was a great day!

Perhaps I have missed it - was the date announced ( or is it 5th May again )

And thanks for the link to the hoody ( as above ) - really cool.

It was in the back of the programme, 4th-5th may 2013. We're getting married on the 4th ( it will be a Star Wars wedding too!) so won't be attending. I don't know if this means it will be a 2 day event or if they've not decided which day to host it on. Nothing was said at the end of the auction apart from the usual "thanks for coming, bye!" lol.

[LiamSwann]

I overheard a staff member (at the photo session stand) saying the event would be a two day event, with more guests etc..

[Colonel Gonzo]

pinkstarbuck, on May 6 2012, 11:30 AM, said:

My only grumbles -and they are the same ones that crop up at every convention- are the amount of people taking unsolicited flash photos of guests without asking despite being warned against such behaviour. It's uncomfortable for the guests and also for those of us who get violent migraines triggered by bright lights. There also seemed to be no form to the queues and on several occasions the same guy cutted in front of the queue to get a piece signed that he'd "forgotten about". I also agree that there should be a limit on how many pieces can be signed by one person or dealers and something should be done about large bags as I almost had my eye taken out by a guy with a huge bag and 2 poster tubes on his back ( and he didn't apologise either) and I have been one of those people with a massive bag at previous cons but stopped taking one when I smacked somebody in the face with it accidentally. I also saw somebody plonk their bag in the aisle in front of Rusty Goffes table and had a crew member trip over it.

I also wasn't too happy about a signer being previously free and then charged for on the day with no warning!

I just wanted to say I agree with these points.  In starting a thread regarding these issues I have been deleted twice today which I think is appalling customer service when all I wanted to do was say it was a great day with the above issues.

[jamie]

then headed out back up to Tesco to view the Lucas stage again.

did you not go upto it when inside

[Marky242]

Who was the signer who was meant to be free that started charging? You got the correct amount of free signers with your pass (6 or 12 dependant on which pass you bought at the time).

[x-pack]

I thought Gary Kurtz would have been free as it was his event. I'm guessing it was someone else though.
What a superb day. Same as everyone else really, except that i didn't feel as in awe of the stage as i had thought. If i had seen it as an empty room it might have been different. Can't explain that one really, but there you go. Don't get me wrong, i did feel ultra priveliged to have been at Elstree. A day that i will never forget.
The archive display was amazing, much better than i had imagined. It was fantastic to see an actual Greedo head and the Darth Vader bust. I was reading about one of the engine parts off Luke's landspeeder and how it had been found being used as a plant pot. Little nuggets like that made this event for me.
In the end i fealt very jealous of all the people who were able to take part in the production of the films. I only wish in my life that i have tales to tell like those from the production guys who were talking to us all about their experiences on the sets. Needless to say i am definitely going to the next one. What a day!
..and oh yes, those people taking intrusive photos.. I'm a keen photographer and was there on the day with my camera set up. However, there are two things i can't abide - the downright rudeness of some people taking snap shots as described above, and beeping cameras. Turn off the beeping 'shutter ready' noise! It's just rude. There was someone during one of the last talks in the third row (behind me) with a compact camera doing this. So annoying for everyone.

Gripe over