What a disappointment (Eva Myles and John Barrowman)

[S1J0]

Just a few points to add, although some people have pointed them out already.

 

(1) Money, Money, Money...

 

You pay £x for an autograph - anything extra is a bonus. Of that £x a proportion will be set aside for the fee paid to the signer - say John Barrowman for example. Then you have another portion set aside for costs such as the photo itself (not free you know), the pens (again, not free) plus any other incidental costs that arise from staging such an event (there are many).

 

So, after taking out A,B & C, you are left with £D which is profit. If you ask any event organiser, these events are more often than not run as businesses. It is rare to find a non profit making organisation - as in one that is not a business - running such events. So, after putting aside any personal costs for the event runners - they have to eat, live etc - it is usual for aforementioned event organisers to put any surplus money to future events. After all, some fees are paid upfront to signers, and any travelling costs and hotel bills have to be paid as well.

 

In closing this point, it isn't "all about the money" in the sense that some people are suggesting, but about running a successful business that enables "us the fans" to meet people we see on TV, at the cinema, read their novels, see their work on screen in the form of set design, special effects etc..

 

(2) The Experience...

 

At such events as Collectomania - often referred to as a "signing event" - you pay to get an autograph or a photograph with the person of your choice. If you are able to grab a brief chat with the guest, then you are very lucky. A handshake, a hello/goodbye, a hug at the photoshoot if very lucky are generally the norm. In some cases greetings disappear with some guests who have reputations for being grumpy etc, but these are few and far between. Some signing events now hold "talks", and this is an ideal place to get your question in and have an answer at the guest's leisure. If you want to have a more relaxed atmosphere, then maybe a full weekend convention is the place to go.

 

(3) No cameras/recording etc..

 

There are two suggestions as to why this happens. The first one is because professional photo shoots that the attendee pays for are becoming the norm at all signing events and conventions. They are becoming more saught after than a signed still photo/book etc as it gives you a lasting memory of meeting the guest(s). I have a wonderful cast shot from an Angel convention that I atteneded many years ago, and it brings back fond memories. So, as some guests have said when asked about the no camera rule, they feel it would be wrong on those who have purchased photo shoots to allow people to have free "over the table" shots. However, some guests ignore the no camera rule and do them anyway.

 

The second suggestion is that it takes up alot of time, and thus reduces the number of attendees that can get through to see the guest. With quieter lines this rule/suggestion is not relevant, but with very poular guests it can mean a difference between people towards the back of the queue meeting the guest and not meeting the guest.

 

(4) No flash photography..

 

Someone has said that this is a silly rule as they stand in front of cameras for a living. Well, lets get this in a little bit of common sense perspective....Yes, they do stand in front of cameras for a living, but they do so under controlled circumstances where they know what they are doing and when things will happen. After all, the TV Show/Film makers want to protect their stars..not annoy them. Making the stars work in situations that could harm their sight - continuous flashing can do this, ask any model - or annoy them so that they do not work with them again, can mean the difference between directing a A List movie or show, or a straight to DVD movie.

 

In the setting of a signing event where hundreds of people are in a queue, and in some cases in the low thousands throughout the day, having flashes going off from all angles can annoy, upset or affect the sight of the guest. How many of us have got a passport photo and rubbed our eyes after the flash went off? I know I do..it isn't nice.

 

(5) No personlisation..

 

There have been several different reasons given to this one. With James Marsters it is apparently due to an old injury. So, increased writing can make you hand ache. Especially if you are signing a thousand plus autographs in a short period of time. Another one is time...Yes, it does take extra time to sign a name. Whether it be a two lettered name such as Jo, or an 8 letter name such as Samantha, it still takes time. Not only to sign it, but to concentrate enough not to screw it up. After all, a thousand different names in such a short period of time can be taxing to the best of them. So, more time spent means less attendees through. And think about how you would feel if you were one of those who missed out due to the above..

 

(6) The guests having control..

 

Some people have said that the guest have control over what they want to do. I guess to a certain extent that this is true. However, when they enter into a contract with an event organiser they do so in good faith. Remember that they are working to earn a living. Not all actors etc are on A List wages, and make a fair sized portion of money from doing the event signing and convention circuit. So, if a guest proves "problematic" to an organiser, said organiser may think twice about rebooking them.

 

Anyway, these ar ejust my thoughts. No direct attacks, but responses to comments made in this string and elsewhere.

 

 

Have fun

 

S1J0

[bobd_uk]

Might be worth a poll on that one. But I do hear you. My point of view is that if you cant get a decient hello then you might as well buy a presigned 10x8.

 

I don't mean to be rude, but if that's your opinion then I'd suggest that when you know a guest is going to be busy, you should just buy a presigned 10x8 then.

[ShortyAZK]

I don't understand the getting no hello or goodbye thing....JB was perfectly polite, said "hello thanks for waiting, i'm really sorry it's a brief meeting" to the people I heard in front of me and to myself and I was in the last mad rush of people to go through near the end!!

[gilgalad70]

I'm sorry, but not having Barrowman for 3 days, but having him for 1, somehow 'annoys the public'? What planet are you on? How many days did the Hobbits do? Carrie Fisher? Shatner? How many folks were still annoyed after they'd been signed up for 2 days? Hobbits had a day to themselves and still pissed off a bunch of folks.. not their fault, but rather the pre-adolescents that showed up tapping on the windows and screeching if they looked up. Having Barrowman for a day annoyed you because he was popular and you didn't get your way. The public's expectations don't come near it.

 

Look, Barrowman etc had other work on, he had this thing called National TV to do, so couldn't do Saturday as has been explained umpteen times. Friday woulda been out, either due to another set of rehearsals, or Torchwood stuff. If what I've read on here about Torchwood being shot now, he'd have been busy Monday, leaving Sunday.

 

One day.

 

Rather him NOT do ANY signings at all, or fit in spending his day off signing stuff? It baffles me how grouchy and complaining folks are about how their expectations of what comes bundled in with an autograph. You pay for an autograph, not a photo of him looking down, looking away or anything, not the chance to quote your favourite episode by line, not the chance to have his babies (although, I wouldn't rate your chances anyway ) just an autograph. Nothing else is guaranteed or implied.

 

Possession of a VT does not guarantee an audience with the guest.

 

Btw some maths whizz concocted his earnings based on the idea he'd get 100% of his signings.. And Showmasters costs would be raised, how? Hire of the Hall, hire of the desks and dividers, plus the large posters. Are they free to Showmasters too? Crews expenses, they come out of thin air?

[fray101]

Might be worth a poll on that one. But I do hear you. My point of view is that if you cant get a decient hello then you might as well buy a presigned 10x8.

 

I don't mean to be rude, but if that's your opinion then I'd suggest that when you know a guest is going to be busy, you should just buy a presigned 10x8 then.

 

You wouldn't necessarily even need to buy one! I got a signed photo of JB via his website a couple of years back (after regretting not getting a 10x8 signed at LFCC 2005) for the price of a couple of stamps!

 

Mind you, he's slightly more popular now so it's possible that he doesn't do these anymore.

[sazzra]

got there at half 8, and got ticket number 13 for eve and 16 for john both personalised and were very friendly and chatty, no problems for me, hope they come back soon,

 

 

Erm, how did you get number 16 for John if you were there from 8.30, I was there from 6.15 and I got number 47.......????

Probably Shorts 'n' Shades or Jack Skellington bag that were annoying us by wandering up and down looking for a way to push in (I was no 48 - stood behind you )

 

I really, really hope this thread gets deleted. It started off with some toys from pram chucking by the lovely MariE (see? Final vowel really doesn't matter at all) and has now degenerated into the tub thumping 'I paid £20, I want a personalised signature in blood with certificate and at least 10 minutes to take photos' that seems to appear after every single big guest. Suck it up - if you don't want to pay £20 to have a person squiggle on a picture while you stand there, don't; I'm sure no one will really mind You are paying for a signature, nothing more, nothing less, and that is exactly what you got.

[Bev]

Maybe, I take on board what you all say but then I think they should reduce the price. I wouldnt have minded too much if I paid £10. I just want to eliminate the greed cost out of it. if you get my meaning.

 

He charged £20 per signature. He got though 1000 tickets at least at the minimum.

 

so..

 

£20 x 1000 = £20,000

 

and lots of people were getting 2 sigs, so you can add an extra £5k on that.

 

£25,000

 

how much would he charge? ummmm.

 

no, if they dropped the cost, i think we all would have been happy with a very quick HELLO, GOODBYE.

 

:)

 

Entry to Collectormania was free. What you "bought" when you were there was up to you. You're obviously not much of a fan if you consider £20 too much to pay for an autograph from someone of John's calibre. Why exactly did you want his autograph? To brag to your mates?

 

 

Do stop moaning, cjp_24. You say you arrived at MK at 9.30. Well, reality check: some of us were there a LOT earlier than that! Some of us drove for well over an hour on the M1. Some of us queued for a lot longer than you did. And we did it willingly and happily - just for the experience of seeing John, getting an autograph (personalised) and saying Thank You to him for the pleasure his talent gives us.

 

You're complaining about £20? As they say in the commercial: PRICELESS!

[purplephoenix03]

OK, I've not finished reading this full thread but I daren't not right now:

 

1. Guys, it's EVE. Not Eva! It's bugging my OCD nature to see her being called Eva \o/

 

2. Eve is gorgeous and lovely and so very generous. She personalised my photos and having met her before, she actually recognised me straight away and got up to give me (and my two friends with me) a quick kiss and hug. She wanted to sign an extra thing I had for free, but was told she wasn't allowed. Her queue was quite empty when I went up, cos it was while John was still in his mammoth photo op. Also, I got to MK for 8am and so my tickets were in the top 200.

 

3. As for John, he also personalised my items. I had one for a friend too, and he made a point of making sure he'd spelt her name right too. He was friendly and we had a quick chat. I was also one of the few still milling about when his queue switched from VQ to OQ and ended up going back up. He wasn't personalising at this point, but seeing as I was just egtting my photo op signed, I wasn't overly fussed.

 

4. As far as I'm aware, of all the people I managed to visit, only James Marsters wasn't personalising. But he hasn't in years so I'm not overly surprised.

 

 

Thanks for the experiance, CM! Much appreciated :)

[Tiggsy]

It's really nice that people decide that guests are up their own backsides,when it's things that have been put into place by agents.Would I have liked a personalisation on my Eve auto?Yes sure!Was I happy I got to meet her though?Yes.She seemed lovely to me,she looked up said hello,signed and then said thankyou for waiting in the que *melts* in the only Welsh accent I can tolerate!Hopefully she will come back to another event.I understand you can't please everyone but rude comments aren't really needed!

Edited May 6, 2008 by Tiggsy

[DavidB]

It's really nice that people decide that guests are up their own backsides,when it's things that have been put into place by agents.Would I have liked a personalisation on my Eve auto?Yes sure!Was I happy I got to meet her though?Yes.She seemed lovely to me,she looked up said hello,signed and then said thankyou for waiting in the que *melts* in the only Welsh accent I can tolerate!Hopefully she will come back to another event.I understand you can't please everyone but rude comments aren't really needed!

 

Yeah! Stand up for the wifey

Edited May 6, 2008 by DavidB

[crippsy_99]

Skimmed over the last few pages of this thread but it just seems to be the same thing over and over so not sure if what im about to say has already been mentioned.

 

The no photos thing: How would you like many people you dont know pointing cameras at you every waking moment of the day, photographing every single move you make..you wouldnt..

 

Poor john and eve had to run a gauntlet of cameras every time they moved. Wall to wall people. At one point I know it got so bad they couldnt move John through at all because people wouldnt get out of the way so they had to start 'herding' people to the sides just so he could walk through, and there were so many flashes going off during this one particular time the poor bloke was overwhelmed and startled because it never let up.

I know there was at least one group of hormonal teenage girls who never moved more than a few foot from his signing area all day long! I know they were there early on as I saw them when I was waiting for a VT, then when I went through they were all outside pressed against the window with their phones and cameras out constantly snapping away, then at the end of the day they were back inside right by the signing area and had to be told several times to move away but they just ignored the crew.

But worst of all..right at the very very end of the day, what I saw appauled me. Eve was first to leave and head off out, and the fangirls went nuts for her..she was whisked off FAST, almost dragged and was pretty much sprinted out of there because of the rabid fans waiting. I was waiting for John to see if I could capture a couple of photos, so was waiting off to the side with flash off. As soon as people realised his que had closed and he was about to go, tons suddenly appeared off the side of the signing area completly blocking the way, and when he came out they went nuts. The crew did their best to get him through and away, but then most of the hormonal teenagers that had been there all day went running AFTER HIM screaming away like a pack of rabid animals! Dear god people their only ordinary people you see on tv..give them space!

 

John himself, when I met him, he was fine, chatty and friendly and being really nice to people. A little girl was in front of me and her mother tried pushing her luck taking a photo of the two together, only, she didnt have it turned on, then couldnt operate it. John honistly did try but then had to apologise to the woman and say he really couldnt hold the que up any longer and they'd have to go, then the security guy told them to move on. He was genuinly a nice guy I thought, and clearly wanted to see as many people as he could in the time he had knowing time was limited, all while taking time to say hi to those who had made the effort to meet him.

Eve, also very friendly and chatty and was great to see.

For that they are top guests, so anyone who wants to complain about John and Eve, you obviously must have met someone else!

[rollingdogchick]

Great post Crippsy.

 

who ever started this thread clearly knew the reaction they were going to get and doesn't deserve the effort of the replies it's getting.

 

Did you get anything good when waiting patiently crippsy?

 

They are most certainly normal people and I really wouldn't dream of running after someone, famous or not...

 

Hope everyone had a great day(s) though!

[hannah_dru]

Yeah I did feel quite sorry for them both for the amount of people that were bombarding them. I remember going to check on Eve and James' numbers whilst they'd gone to lunch and people were queuing over their lunch break! At least give them some time to eat. I heard a couple of people when I was in queues as well saying that they might hang around before the guests left so they could hang around them. I'm a big fan of some celebs but I know that they're normal people and that they deserve some space and time to themselves.

[ptenbob]

I remember going to check on Eve and James' numbers whilst they'd gone to lunch and people were queuing over their lunch break!

 

I can't believe I didn't mention this before...

 

Eve, once she realised how many of her fans were there to see her, never actually took a lunch break.

 

I know this, because as well as working in front of her on her queue (possibly being the Jobsworth mentioned earlier), I also helped escort her through the crowds wherever she needed to go - and therefore have a little knowledge about what she actually did that day.

 

How many stars are willing to give up basic comforts like food to meet their fans?

 

 

 

Not many.

Edited May 6, 2008 by ptenbob

[hannah_dru]

Bless her!! That's dedication for you.

[Princess83]

Eve's such a darling. I met her at another event recently and she's possibly the warmest and most charming actress I've met. She really is amazing with fans, even if clearly a little overwhelmed by it all. :)

[crippsy_99]

Did you get anything good when waiting patiently crippsy?

 

I got a few good shots. Saw several guests go past, spoke to a guest who stopped for a chat as he knows me and a friend I was with, and took a few photos. I like the Ian Whyte ones as I just think their funny/cool because he's just SOOO tall! Can see loads of heads then he just towers well above everyone!

Also managed to get my John shot Eve was rushed off too fast

[ddgangel]

Eve, once she realised how many of her fans were there to see her, never actually took a lunch break.

I thought she didn't. I have respect for her for not having lunch. I have respect for all of them don't get me wrong but not having lunch... that is dedication. That or her and John were having a competition for how many autographs they could do in a day. lol. I did had images of her eating at the table. She was so sweet when I met her for the photo op and when she signed the photo of herself. Really bubbly and hyper which could be infectious if you hung round with her long enough.

Edited May 6, 2008 by ddgangel

[ptenbob]

Eve was rushed off too fast

 

Sorry about that!

 

 

:)

[Nixster]

got there at half 8, and got ticket number 13 for eve and 16 for john both personalised and were very friendly and chatty, no problems for me, hope they come back soon,

 

 

Erm, how did you get number 16 for John if you were there from 8.30, I was there from 6.15 and I got number 47.......????

Probably Shorts 'n' Shades or Jack Skellington bag that were annoying us by wandering up and down looking for a way to push in (I was no 48 - stood behind you )

 

I really, really hope this thread gets deleted. It started off with some toys from pram chucking by the lovely MariE (see? Final vowel really doesn't matter at all) and has now degenerated into the tub thumping 'I paid £20, I want a personalised signature in blood with certificate and at least 10 minutes to take photos' that seems to appear after every single big guest. Suck it up - if you don't want to pay £20 to have a person squiggle on a picture while you stand there, don't; I'm sure no one will really mind You are paying for a signature, nothing more, nothing less, and that is exactly what you got.

 

Woo hoo, Nicley put, and hello again (would you be miss scared of darleks or, I'm gonna get a darlek if you don't behave?)

Well I got home yesterday, didn't have time do much, came on here today (tuesday) and there is just a big B-itch fest going on. It was like 8 pages long before I spotted it.

 

Everyone was warned about the one day thing, that's ONE day, you were warned on this forum that people will be there early, yes I said EARLY as in STUPID o'clock, like me who had 4 hours sleep due to a boogie the previous night.

If you had a large number ticket you were warned there was NO GAURANTEE you would be seen.

There were signs stating no PERSONALISATION or photos etc.

Then you post "oh it wasn't meant to sound like that when I posted it."

It's called RE-READING BEFORE POSTING. And YES SPELL CHECK is always advised. If I don't know the spelling of someones name I tend to put in brakets (I think that's how it's spelt) but a three letter name is a bit bad to get wrong.

Oh and this message is meant to sound like this.

The capitals are not shouting they are just stressing a point.

I think it's time to end this before blood is spilt.

[purplephoenix03]

Eve, once she realised how many of her fans were there to see her, never actually took a lunch break.

 

Oh, I remember this! I was in the JB queue at the time and you were talking to the other crew member working with you about that and I couldn't help but butt in with a vocal admiration for Eve. I understand why she did it, for I give up my lunch all the time to help my kids (I'm a teacher) but it's no where near the same.

 

She truly is one of the nicest actresses I have ever met in my history of con going.

[crippsy_99]

Eve was rushed off too fast

 

Sorry about that!

 

 

:)

 

I should think so too

 

Just kidding..she almost got stopped by fangirls as it was, any slower and they'd have got her!

[S1J0]

To all of the posters in this thread who have posted sensible and realistic comments - in my opininon - I applaud you all. Unfortunately, there are some people who attend such events as Collectormania who seem to think that the guests are there to jump through hoops, sit, heel and beg for a doggy biscuit whilst signing numerous autographs with 1000 word dedications, and smiling at a plethera of headache inducing flashing cameras. Hey, these guests are human beings earning a living, albeit a good one. All I ask is for those people who are not happy to leave their names and work addresses so the rest of us can queue up for their autographs and all take flash photos at the same time

[Doctor Who]

To all of the posters in this thread who have posted sensible and realistic comments - in my opininon - I applaud you all.

You''d be one of them

Edited May 6, 2008 by Doctor Who

[rollingdogchick]

I totally agree