dragonmate1 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 LeVar was at a convention in 2001 in London (he was a last minute replacement and was not signing) and at that show he was involved in photograph sessions! Couple of hundred people lining up just to get photos taken with him, he seemed totally relaxed and enjoying himself. So I find the agoraphobia line hard to believe unless he was just having a good day back then. I also find it hard to believe that a helper would give out such personal information about his medical status rather than say "at mr Burtons request please dont' take any photos" Ive worked in several autograph lines for varying other companies and so long as pictures are taken from the side with no flashes it usually doesn't cause a problem. The problem comes when fans are trying to juggle money, autograph tickets, photos, plastic sleeves, backpacks and cameras whilst already agitated at meeting the actor and want to take a picture either with them or of them signing the item! What might seem like a reasonable delay to an attendee in preparing to take a picture CAN prevent people getting an autograph and thats a fact! I know this having witnessed the delays first hand. Another classic example of time wasting is some people actually keep the photo in a sleeve, in a folder in a backpack until they are right up at the guests table!! Nothing gets more infuriating as a helper than people flouting the rules. We get abuse from people that we tell cant take pictures and we get abuse from people at the end of the line because some people took pictures and they didn't get their autographs as a result. Whats that saying: you can please some of the people some of the time, but you cant please sci-fi fans at a convention? Subject.. I understand your point re some attendees holding up the queue but to be told not to take a photo whilst standing in the queue and for that reason is not really on! Of course I wondered if this were the truth, particularly so when the SM notice stated that photos may be allowed at the end of the day if the line is not full up.. But I foolishly accepted what the crew member said as the truth and respected what I thought of as Levar's specific wish. I now have quite a bit of experience of these shows and yes have seen the attendee juggling many items and not being properly prepared whilst standing in front of the guest, but maybe SM could have put more people at the head of the line to ensure that all attendees were in a state of readiness.. I knwo it would use more volunteers, but I saw plenty of volunteers doubled or tripled up in places that didn't seem to need that many.. so perhaps the staff were there.. It's also a bit absurd that the few seconds it takes to take a picture (from someone properly prepared with perhaps a partner ready and willing to take it) is banned, whilst there seems to be little control on the time an attendee stands and talks to the guest following receipt of their autograph!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Fooku Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I thought Billy was quite personable, OK I ddint get to speak to him for much more than a hello how are you but he signed my photo and personalised it without me asking him to when we had been told he wouldnt be doing personalisation so I was quite pleased with that. If he had stepped off a plane from LA and gone straight into an event like that he must have felt pretty minging so its no wonder he didnt look 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illyria Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 (edited) I now have quite a bit of experience of these shows and yes have seen the attendee juggling many items and not being properly prepared whilst standing in front of the guest, but maybe SM could have put more people at the head of the line to ensure that all attendees were in a state of readiness.. I knwo it would use more volunteers, but I saw plenty of volunteers doubled or tripled up in places that didn't seem to need that many.. so perhaps the staff were there.. actually we did have a member of the crew at the top of billys line making sure everyone had theyre things ready... about billy though... it was nice to meet him but he did seem preoccupied and didnt say much, probably due to tiredness, which was a shame... he seemed a nice enough guy though and im a fan of billys but i agree, it did seem like he didnt want to be there! but andy and sala made up for it! im a huge fan of andys now!! hehe, hes such a lovely guy!!! Edited March 7, 2004 by illyria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimis Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Poppy, I wasn't as upset about getting photos of Billy (although it would have been nice), but i also felt a bit awkard asking him some questions as he seemed really preoccupied. At the time i thought 'Oh well he's knackered and not quite with it' but i felt that he just didn't really want to speak to me. I'm glad that it wasn't just me that experienced this and like you said it's not 'picking on Billy' but..... Andy Serkis more than made up for it though. He was really friendly and made every effort to chat to myself and my daughter. yeh i'm glad someone else agrees with me! Billy just did not wanna be there and i'm really pleased that someone else also understands that I am not getting at billy or anything. Yeah he had no interest in what I was saying and by that time i was mega upset because of the photo ban..................and then I felt like I was bothering him! OOOh yay Im not the only one! I agree with you acsolutely! I got there at 7.30 and got A Billy Boyd ticket no 125, but me n my friend were let in early cos the guy just let us, he seemed totaly absent, n i felt like I'd done something wrong n realy guilty! then I thought, well, he's tired, and has to sign near enough to 1000 pics before the days over, but then again... he doesnt have it that hard, many people work harder every day n smile, we are paying 15 quid for him after all, he could show some appreciation! Andy Serkis was great, I met him at the Forbidden Planet signing a while ago, and that was cool, he was supposed to be there for 2 hours, but stayed to sign for everyone who showed up! A realy great guy, and his book it well worth buying. I was in talk 1 with him and he realy could not have been beter, I saw him chatting to this child at the end, who gave him a £2 coin for the MS charity, and Andy was so sweet to him, and realy took his time. It's such a shame people like Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom etc just cos theyre cute, or fit or whatever, when you have amazing people like Andy Serkis and Sala Baker who should be rated higer, at least people have seen it now; not meaning any offence to any of the others, it's just something I've realy come to realise this weekend! but in Billy's defence, when I was queuing up for LOTR Talk 1 at the end, there were few people left, and he was taking his time and chatting, and allowing hugs and pictures, I think he had probably been rushed in after a horrible long flight, was jet lagged and hadnt had a minute to himself, just the prospect of hours of obsessive fans with high hopes. xxxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuFF DaDDy Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Sorry I expect a photo when ive paid a tenner to get in and 233 in the queue, when I was told I couldnt take any photos, I told the BiG guy crew member that I AM taking a photo, he looked at me and thought better off argueing, anyway my sister took a picture of him signing my photo and when I shook his hand. Its not my fault he got there late and you gave out tickets to 750, you should have capped it at 400-500 and then give out tickets if he caught up, I dont expect to pay the early bird fee and not get a photo sorry, but I did have a chat with him about him being late etc, so sorry for the guy behind me having to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elullatook Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hitman Fan watch your tounge. It was not Billy who said no photo;s it was SM. When i met him he was as nice as pie and answered a couple of my questions. So if you want to badmouth someone try SM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I've got to admit I had a fantastic minute or two with Billy. I asked him to sign a photo that was signed by Dom, Elijah and Sean. He commented about me "having th lot" and that the scene from the photo was cut from the movie. We had a chat about New Zealand and that the mountain in the background was Mount Cook and that it was beautiful if we ever had a chance to go. A really really nice guy, and BEST of all, I asked him for a photo, he said yes without hesitation and posed with me. This is the second time I've met him, and along with Sean, I think he's one of the nicest of the hobbits. JRD was fantastic both times I've met him. I must say though, everyone of them has been superb. I've never been refused a photo with a LOTR guest, and Trek guest or anyone - AND this was my 4th convention - ALL Showmasters! Well done Billy, and thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuFF DaDDy Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Agreed m8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eogwyn Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Oh dear, now I'm feeling REALLY guilty taking a photo when I was told not to - but as someone else said (sorry, can't remember who) you have to take your chance Poppy I'm really sorry you were disappointed - I wonder what time you saw him, was it early (well, early for him) perhaps he was still getting over the plane ride - 10 - 12 hours or more on a plane is enough to put anyone out of sorts for a while. I saw him around 4pm and he was fine then. I'm sure he'll do another event and give you another chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEX (PSP) Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hey Eogwyn, did you a sticker. Did u get it, I left them in the forum area???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceCoolPsycho Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Im probably ganna be the rogue on here but Billy Was excellent. Shook his hand. Got a piccy while in the que. Had a quick chat. Signed my autograph all in the space of a few seconds. As a matter of fact all guests were excellent. Just remember the golden rule. Dont babble . Keep it short and be thankful. Ive been to many cons now and SHOWMASTERS by far is the best and most organised ive been to. Also all you volunteers did a great job in conditions that can be volatile. Ive been a steward in other cons and you guys were fair and just . Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salogel42 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 The showmasters knew Billy was going to be be late, so why on earth did they issue so many tickets! It was bad enough at C4, when all us fans were herded past the stars, and the SMs gladly lined their pockets with the notes we were paying for their autographs. To me the bloody autograph is not important, what is, is talking to the celeb, and having a picture taken with them. When will SM learn that the fans do have feelings, and the fans can get very fed up, and the fans can think, OH NO, IT'S AN EVENT RUN BY THEM, I AIN'T GONNA BOTHER GOING!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuFF DaDDy Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 And then they will lose money.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salogel42 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 High Five Buff Daddy!!!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauron Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Okay, i understand that having pictures with them takes up alot of time and can completely understand the ban on this BUT its the stupidest thing I have ever heard to completely ban pictures. I could have got some fantastic pictures of Billy while i was waiting in the queue doing nothing, the fact that I was banned from doing it REALLY upset me and I just wanted to go home! It doesn't hold the queue up! I was just standing there! Billy couldn't have been less interested in what I had to say to him. I was so so so excited about meeting him and had loads to say and he was friendly enough but he just didn't seem interested in what I had to say. You could just tell he wanted to be ANY where but meeting us fans. It was probably jet lag but then he shouldn't have been there. I was knackered too. I sat around for five hours waiting to meet him. I did sneak a hug though, that he didn;t look very pleased about either. So OVERALL i was a bit upset about the billy boyd experience. To me the pictures are the most exciting part of my day. I didn't get to pose with dom or elijah either and the fact that I had photos of them, that I had taken while doing NOTHING in the queue is the thing I am still most excited about. They are the things that are all over my wall, that I show people when they ask me what meeting elijah and dom was like. I did manage to sneak a few pictures of billy while i was in the andy serkis queue, but I felt like satan. But the fact that I felt like i was bothering him when i met him also upset me. Now please don't take this as a swipe at billy but I just hope I get to meet Billy again when he actually wants to be there and there is NO stupid picture ban. Luckily Andy Serkis and John Rhys Davies was great. So they made my day worth while. BUT still very upset about picture ban. Its the stupidest thing I have ever heard. woow that sounds unlucky i got there at 9.00 about 10 places in front of naurarwen fangorn got ticket number 209 and he was grr8 got pictures he woz really genuine and sounded well interested in what evryone had to say to him that was at about 12.00 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistaken_plane Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 met billy early, took a few photos of him signing my things as I saw the sign saying no posed pictures. he was nice enough, but I didnt want to chat anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoden_of_rohan Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 When I met Billy he asked us if we wanted a photo, but we weren't allowed because of time etc etc. Hmmm...like that would stop me!!!! lol Got one anyway!!! Cheers for understanding Ptenbob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legowyn Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I would like to say that Billy was lovely to me. He was all smiley, and gave me a lovely hug, too The stewards around him were really apologetic about not allowing pictures, one said he understood how he would feel if he was me. I appreciated that a lot. I really think everyone at the show was great, guests and stewards, it must be incredibly intimidating being faced with mad obsessive fans for two whole days. As this was my first con, I didn't know what to expect at all, but I really thought it was run remarkably well, and although we got there late on Saturday (1pm) I still saw everyone I wanted to and spoke to some great people (fans, guests and stewards!). Thanks to all involved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shazbat Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I've met Billy several times and he has always been lovely. I didn't queue to meet him this weekend as I already has his autograph twice but I was in Talk 2 tonight. Billy was obviously very tired and was rubbing his eyes and I think he even may have politely smothered a yawn at one point. He did only answer questions that were directed at him, but I asked him a question and he was charming and sweet as ever. He also said he loved doing this sort of thing. As I left a woman had rushed over to him as he was heading out and asked for a quick photo, which he was happy to pose for and I waved at him and said goodbye and thankyou. He smiled back and said goodbye too. I think he was just way too tired for the event. He booked to do this event quite a while ago and probably had no idea he would be so tired when it came to it, but I'm sure he didn't want to let us down. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illyria Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 hhmmmm i agree with you Shazbat, he was obviously so tired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenaciousD Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Hello I'm new to the forum, saw it yesterday and thought yeah i'll have a dollop of that. Anyway. Having read the comments and talked to people who seemed to think Billy Boyd looked a little bored with the whole thing. I reckon he was tired but I also think another factor could be attributed to the three people around him. Two americans and the girl taking the money. I noticed that early on in the day Billy Boyd was chatting away with everyone, saying hello being great about the whole thing. Making sure everyone felt welcomed. As he was doing this the girl taking the money would on occasion pipe up and ask the person getting the autograph to hurry up as there were a lot of people waiting. Fine, understandable, but it had the potential to make the atmosphere very uneasy. I know it's difficult and a problem I doubt could be solved successfully. I find it hard to believe that Billy Boyd would intentionally disappoint fans. I've seen him in interviews, and been lucky enough to meet him twice. Each time I've seen how he behaves with the fans and he really does seem to be an all round good guy with both feet firmly planted on the floor. On a personal note I'd like to see these Showmasters events moved a little more Northwards(further than Milton Keynes). Make sure the whole country has a chance to get there. *coughs NEC cough cough Manchester cough cough* Keep well all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Amy* Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 I wasn't as upset about getting photos of Billy (although it would have been nice), but i also felt a bit awkard asking him some questions as he seemed really preoccupied. At the time i thought 'Oh well he's knackered and not quite with it' but i felt that he just didn't really want to speak to me. I'm glad that it wasn't just me that experienced this and like you said it's not 'picking on Billy' but..... I feel exactly the same. On Saturday he was happy enough when he said hello, but as soon as he wasnt looking at us his face did drop a bit so i didnt want to ask him anything - he kinda made me feel like it wasnt particularly what he wanted to be doing and that i was disturbing him by being there I was also slightly annoyed at the fact that we were told very firmly that no photos could be taken and to put our cameras away but then some people had photos just because they double checked with Billy. Sunday did make up for it though because even though he didnt look his normal happy chappy self, he looked less distracted than on Saturday and we got some really nice photos with him that he was more than happy to do He was quite quiet in the talk this evening too but he must have been tired after such a long day I understand how annoyed he must have been about the filght delays and things and im not having go at Billy at all because i have met him before and he has always been really lovely, but he was defiinitely wasnt his usual self Still love him to bits tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subject_117 Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 *cough* glasgow *cough* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daughter_of_kings Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 He sounds like a right spam. I'm fed up with these primadonna stars and their attitudes. Don't let it bother you. How could he have Jet-Lag ? I bet he flew 1st class where they practically have beds as seats and you can sleep all the way home from america, therefore not being tired when you reach the UK. Idiot. I really really don't want this to turn into a barrage against Billy because I am a huge fan but he wasn't very happy and didn't want to meet us, so he should not have been there. But please lets not go mad at him! im sorry if you think he wasnt happy but me and my son had a giggle with him i didnt think he was un happy at all maby he was a bit pissed that people couldnt take his pic he did ask me why people wernt taking pic i said we where told that we where not allowed hope you had fun tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TenaciousD Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 That's interesting. If HE doesn't know what is going on as regard to the photos then what chance does everyone else have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts