Selfies are not new to us :-)

[showmasters]

Hi all,

 

just some thoughts on the changing needs of fans and collectors :-)

 

Fans have been taking selfies since the start of these events over 15 years ago, and we have no issues with them happening and that is the truth. If we did we would have banned them from the start, we never have and we do not intend to now :-)

 

We do have a stance on paid for selfies though, we do not feel that guests should charge for a selfies and as such we do not allow them to.

 

The signing time for signatures is just for that, and we can workout how many autographs a guest can do in their time and managed it so the fans in the line get seen and we can also warn if there is a likelyhood that you may not get seen.

 

But when you add paid for selfies into the mix it mess it up and some people are not good with there phones and it takes up lots of time that is wasted so that's why we do not want this trend of paid for selfies to creep into the signing lines for autographs for the events we run.

 

We put on proper photo ops for people that want them we put on organised autograph sessions that work well also, but paid for selfies is not something we plan to introduce.

 

As to none paid for selfies that is totally down to the guest and if a guest has no line i think it should happen personally but at the end of the day it is down to the guest and what they want, but our point of view is, if there is not a big line what harm does it do and the guests gets to chat to the fans so everyone wins :-)

 

We have never told a guest that they can or cannot do photos at the table, that is down to them what they choose to do.

 

i will say one other thing, a guest will not want to be seen to say no to a selfie as they might look bad, so 99% of the time before the door opens to the public a guest will tell the assistant what they will do, what they will not do and what they find uncomfortable doing. The crew member will be the person to enforce it of the guest over the day so Showmasters do have to look like the bad guy and say no for them at times as that sadly is also our job :-) , so there are the facts i hope that is of help you understand things as they really are.

 

Jason x

[sammyromie]

Good to hear you won't be charging and it will be up to the guest as it's always been! Thanks :)

[D4vem88]

Strange that this was brought up, was there a rumour that SM would start charging? I'd only ever ask if there was no signage up to say 'no posed photos', and if other people in front of me were asking successfully. Some other places can charge £30 for a table selfie which in my opinion is wrong, so nice to see that it's staying as it is.

[DavidB]

It's not really strange. People ask about it all the time.

[Raylenth]

Glad you're not doing it, if everyone started paying for table pics it would slow it down a lot more and it's hard enough to get auto's as it is now. Leave photo's for the photos shoots.

[only_jay]

So happy your not doing paid selfies if a guest is allowing pictures at the desk it's a bonus but first and foremost it's for autos!

It's not even paying for it that annoys me it is just how it affects the signing times I have struggled to get what I wanted at other companies events who have brought in paid selfies.

[Faerie Tanith]

If there isn't a sign stating otherwise I'll always at least ask-- never hurts to ask. So far I've never been refused and they're always super sweet about it, but I will always watch the queue ahead to see if anyone else is doing it. If nobody is, I don't bother asking. It's always a sweet bonus but I can live without them.

[josh-hammond]

while i dont think its right to charge for selfies, i have paid for table pics before when it has been someone i've really wanted to meet and not just get an auto..

i can live without pics with guests, (namely because i look like a potato with scruffy hair in most pictures, especially professional ops with guests) however there are a few exceptions when its someone from a show/movie im fanatical about or a guest whose character im a big fan of.

 

 

while im often one of the first to criticise showmasters for certain things about their cons, i will say fair play to them for keeping table pics free.

Edited June 22, 2016 by josh-hammond

[para50]

This is good news, thanks for addressing the subject. I sometimes like to get a selfie in addition to a proper photo op just as it's something a bit different and I like the casual nature of it.

 

A suggestion - I know then when it's busy, a sign saying 'no selfies' will be put up due to time constraints. It would be good if the volunteers actively managed this though, as it seems that once the sign is up, it doesn't come back down. Last year Jessica Henwick had a sign up and she was just sat doodling on her own pictures as she was bored. She'd been busy earlier but things had totally quietened down. I really wanted a selfie with her and I asked very reluctantly due to the sign as I felt cheeky, and she was very happy to do it. She didn't even hesitate to climb on top of the table so we could get a good picture. It was a really nice experience that I almost missed out on due to the sign which didn't actually need to be displayed any more (typing in a rush so I hope this all makes sense).

[Queen_Sindel]

Yes, you are making perfect sense.

 

Thing is, it's not at the guest assistant's discretion to take a sign down when they think it is appropriate. This decision needs to go through the appropriate channels, so sometimes it takes a little longer because of course everyone at the show is busy. The signs really do come down eventually, I've seen it happen.

[MarioVl]

Thank you for explaining this. I always wondered why some guests do not allow pictures. Sometimes they gave me the impression that it wasn't their decision, but now I see that it isn't Showmasters idea either. So I guess it comes down to the deal their agents want to make. Those pesky, necessary evils. :)

[Raylenth]

Please remember that sometimes the sign is up as well for health reasons. If the guest is feeling upwell, suffers from migraines ect, the sign can be up for their comfort.

[BasG]

Thank you for explaining this. I always wondered why some guests do not allow pictures. Sometimes they gave me the impression that it wasn't their decision, but now I see that it isn't Showmasters idea either. So I guess it comes down to the deal their agents want to make. Those pesky, necessary evils. :)

 

I am reading comments like this all the time on here: ‘I asked guest XYZ for a photo but then his minder/manager stepped in and said it wasn’t allowed. XYZ looked really disappointed...’

 

As Jason said in his post, guest assistants and managers are sometimes playing the role of ‘bad guy’ as most guests understandably want to come across as nice and friendly. If a manager would constantly make an actor stop them doing things they wanted to do I would assume they would get another manager!

 

I have to say that it happened to me twice that I hadn’t spotted the ‘No posed photos’ sign and asked for a photo anyway and both times it was a bit awkward so I pay extra attention these days.

[Queen_Sindel]

Please remember that sometimes the sign is up as well for health reasons. If the guest is feeling upwell, suffers from migraines ect, the sign can be up for their comfort.

 

Yes. First time I met John Barrowman - this was before Torchwood and even before Doctor Who, so no line and still a no posed photos sign. He mentioned he had injured his knee.

[KingRichard76]

Hi all

 

just some thought on the changing needs of fans and collectors :-)

 

Fans have been taking selfies sins the start of these events over 15 years ago and we have no issues with them happening and that is the truth , if we did we would have banned them from the start , we never have and we do not intend to now :-)

 

We do have a stance on Paid for selfies we do not feel that guests should charge for a selfies and as such we do not allow them.

 

The signing time for signatures is just for that and we can workout how many autographs a guest can do in there time and managed it so the fans in the line get seen and we can also warn if there is a likely hood that you may not get seen.

 

But when you add paid for selfies into the mix it mess it up and some people are not good with there phones and it takes up lots of time that is wasted so thats why we do not want this trend of paid for selfies to creep into the signing lines for autographs for the events we run.

 

We put on proper photo ops for people that want them we put on organised autograph sessions that work well also , but paid for selfies is not something we plan to introduce.

 

As to none paid for selfies that is totally done to the guest and if a guest has no line i think it should happen personally but at the end of the day it is down to the guest and what they want, but our point of view if there is not a big line what harm is it and the guests gets to chat to the fans so everyone wins :-)

 

We have never told a guest that they can or cannot do photos at the table , that is down to them what they choose to do.

 

i will say one other thing a guest will not want to be seen to say no to a Selfie as they might look bad so 99% of the time before the door opens to the public a guest will tell the assistant what they will do what they will not do and what they find uncomfortable doing and the crew member will be the person to enforce it of the guest over the day so Showmasters do have to look like the bad guy and say no for them at times as that sadly is also our job :-) , so there are the facts i hope that is of help you understand things as they really are.

 

Jason x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selfies are very important to me and they always have been, I find them to be very informal and the ones I have merely showcase the wonderful time I had meeting so and so, theres a level of spontaneity to them, and rarely if ever have I had the same experience with a photoshoot, I'm not a big fan of photoshoots as (as stated before) I have issues with my eyes, within a photoshoot they never look good no matter what I do (believe me I've tried all kinds of things to make my eyes look straight ahead) but nine times out of ten I end up disappointed with the picture - that's why (in my opinion) I'm not a fan of photoshoots.

​Two examples:

 

One female guest I met at LFCC in 2010 I got a selfie with, I was really happy with it and one of the pics I will always cherish - it was that moment of meeting said guest, talking to her and the picture was a sweet memento of that, the next day I had a photoshoot with her... I look terrible in it.

 

In 2012 I got a selfie with another female guest, she was so sweet to meet, and was very accommodating, we got a great selfie - I also got a photoshoot with her... I look terrible in it.

 

I do realise (as Jason and I know others have said) that some are not good with phones, this doesn't apply to everyone, having done premieres I know how crucial every second is - just one second even - and I can whip out my phone on selfie mode take the pic etc. Also, I do realise that some guests aren't fond of flashes, with an iPhone on selfie mode theres no way a flash can go off.

 

Glad you're not gonna be doing paid for selfies :)

[Tony1975]

I prefer selfies myself over photoshoots so am happy to hear they are to continue to be free. I only ask for a photo if I see others in the queue having one because I would be worried if they say no.

[Siva]

I do prefer photoshoots to the table selfie but at the same time I have had some great table selfies. Glad to hear that we wont have to pay if we want one.

[SilvaNemesis]

If there isn't a sign stating otherwise I'll always at least ask-- never hurts to ask. So far I've never been refused and they're always super sweet about it, but I will always watch the queue ahead to see if anyone else is doing it. If nobody is, I don't bother asking. It's always a sweet bonus but I can live without them.

I would agree with this. If there's specifically a sign behind them, it's pointless asking and you just look foolish. If there is no sign and other people in front have been doing the same, sometimes I tend to... or sometimes I tend to get whoever I'm with to ask for me due to my reluctance. I can't say I've ever been refused either. Also there are certain guests who aren't doing the proper paid for shoots like in 2012 when Bai Ling was at LFCC, I looked for her photo-shoot when I was buying my ticket but there was none, so I asked her if I could have a picture with her and she was very nice about it and I had a couple of shots with her. :)

[Namine]

I think it's a good thing IF they allow selfies/photos at the table, like for instance, last year, Jason David Frank did a ton of selfies with fans at his table and never once asked for cash for selfies type of thing. I know it's a huge thing in america where they insist that you have to pay something like $25 for a "photo with guest via your own camera".

[Chazzley]

Great to hear that you aren't charging for table pictures, I think charging for selfies is ridiculous.

[girlingray]

I like SM's policy on over the table photos and I'm glad to hear that charges for selfies won't be introduced.

I love getting photo ops - the photographers are great and the instant printing is excellent.

But sometimes being able to get an over the table photo with my autograph is a nice bonus - it's a minute of extra time with the guest and I've had a couple of fun encounters. Like Andrew Clover from Ashes to Ashes wanting to loom menacingly over my shoulder. And Dean Lennox Kelly putting in his fangs from Being Human, which he had with him in a pot, for the photo.

I really like the signs - 'no posed photos', so I know that I'm not going to be asking for a selfie but I'm allowed to take photos from the queue versus 'no photos and videoing' etc.

Use of the signs make me comfortable to ask for a photo where there's no sign present. I still decide whether or not to ask based on whether the guest has been happy to take photos with fans in front of me, but use of the different signs gives me more confidence to know when I'm okay to ask.

[13thScream]

Good to be clear on things.

 

I'm more of a selfie fan than the professional shoots. To me they look more natural and less formal. Not a fan of the school photo backgrounds so wouldn't mind paying for one if needed, but now understand why this wouldn't happen.

 

As others have said, it's hard enough getting an autograph so it's best to not slow that process down any further.

[CrazyHorses]

I have had to miss out on professional photographs, cos the queue to buy photoshoots and autographs never moved and I was waiting over ten minutes, back then I wouldn't have minded paying small fee for some of the guests who had no posed photography signs.

[Raylenth]

I have had to miss out on professional photographs, cos the queue to buy photoshoots and autographs never moved and I was waiting over ten minutes, back then I wouldn't have minded paying small fee for some of the guests who had no posed photography signs.

 

You can buy photoshoot tickets on line then you don't have to queue to buy on the day.

[dogsoldierspoon]

Thank god. Reminds me of a certain convention where they charged as much for a selfie (a low quality picture!) as an (expensive) autograph. I can't believe people were actually willing to pay for that.