Check it out after the break!
Summary
The post con depression has subsided and it's time to go over all the aspects of it. I was there as a member of the crew, representative of the community press and of course as a brony, and all of this gave me a unique view of the whole weekend.
As a part of the crew, I didn't get to cover all the things I wanted to as press. But I still managed to snap a few good pictures and see a few panels. I've tried to sum up the whole con below with my own commentary.
Having been to BronyCon in New York this summer, and that being my first ever convention, it is natural for me to compare BUCK with that. How did it compare, you ask? Aside from the smaller size and lack of official show staff or actors, both cons had the very same elements that made both of them weekends I will never forget.
The Elements of Harmony.
The Pictures
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| BUCK 2012 Day 1 |
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| BUCK 2012 Day 2 |
The Panels
There were so many different panels going on all the time that I personally couldn't see them all, and I was on duty for most of the con. But here is the rundown:
- Documentary Q&A
- Both Michael Brockhoff and Laurent Malaquais told us a bit about the documentary and took questions from the audience. At the end they also showed two spoiler clips from BronyCon.
- BronyPalooza preview.
- Tara Strong trolls a brony.
- Livestream.
- Musicians Q&A 1 and 2
- I didn't get to see the second, but the first involved a lot of questions from the audience to the artists. A couple of the questions were technical in its nature, if you are interested in that, these panels might have some answers.
- Livestream panel 1.
- Livestream panel 2.
- Game developers Q&A
- Didn't get to see this one, but if you are interested in the pony games currently being developed, this is where you should look.
- Livestream.
- Broadcasters Q&A
- Not present here either. This one was about the various internet radio stations and podcasts. If thats your thing, get some here:
- Livestream.
- Artists Q&A
- Not present here either. From what I heard this was about drawing ponies. Since its a Q&A I assume questions were asked on that subject, so if you're looking for tips on how to draw ponies, this might be for you.
- Livestream.
- UKofEquestria Live Podcast
- Due to some miscommunication in the staff, this was done instead of the Video Creations Contest panel on the first day. From the parts I saw, it was an on the spot podcast done by the UKofE podcasters, with a live audience. Questions were asked and answers given. A bit of goofing around, but fun none the less.
- Livestream.
- MLP: Collectable Card Game DEMO
- Didn't see this one and don't really have any info.
- MLP: Online Game DEMO
- Didn't see this one either and don't really have any info. The games website is here.
- Budding Friendship Game DEMO
- I saw most of the first session. The presentation became less of a demo and more of a oral presentation because of technical issues. But the game itself sounds really promising. The basic gist of it is that you're a pony in Ponyville on a quest to find your cutie mark and you run a farm. And as you progress you become friends with the locals and you harvest crops etc to make your living.
- You find more info here.
- Equestria 2D Game DEMO
- Didn't see this one either and don't really have any info. The games website is here.
The Events
- Message from John de Lancie
- John was originally scheduled to be a guest at BUCK but had to cancel due to a job offer. Being the great person that he is, he of course sent a personal message explaining this and sending his best wishes.
- See it here.
- Message for Amy Keating Rogers
- We also got a message from Rogers. You can see it here.
- Music Jam Session
- Wasn't present but the title says it all. Apparently they made a new brony song.
- Live Music Acts
- We had quite the lineup of live music in several genres. I caught a few glimpses here and there and several of your favorite pony tunes were played. The stage was set up right next to the bar, so combined with that, it looked like everybody had a good time with these.
- Music Workshops
- Wasn't present and have little information on this.
- Art Workshops
- Wasn't present and have little information on this.
- My Little Karaoke
- That's right, there were karaoke. I heard a few feline mating calls, but overall the level seemed high and the participants were having a good time.
- Craft Workshop
- From what I gathered, this was a workshop about creating plushies and the likes. Wasn't there myself but these kinds of workshops seem popular.
- Video Creations Contest Entries
- This event got sidetracked by the Live Podcast and there were some upsets over this from the contestants. But it was rescheduled for day two and from the little I saw from the entries, there were some great talent and effort behind these. It was basically a contest for PMVs and animation shorts made by the fans.
- EverfreeNW LIVE LINKUP
- Didn't happen for some reason. Apparently someone overslept or something. A bit disappointed about this myself, as I was curious about what this was.
The Vendors
There were quite a lot of vendors at BUCK. There were a couple selling plushies and then there were many of them selling official MLP merchandise (that's not available in the UK). There were some nice custom made things being sold, but I personally would have liked to see even more of that. Actually, I'd like to see more vendors overall, especially if next years BUCK is going to be bigger.And of course the plushies sold out the first day!
The Party
Pinkie Pie herself would have been proud of this party. We had good music, ponies were dancing and everybody seemed to have a great time. I heard that some were partying so hard that our first aiders had to stop them before things went south.For me, it had the same feel to it as BronyCons BronyPaloosa, just on a smaller scale.
And of course there were the party cannons...
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| Picture taken from SlightlyEccentric |
The Charity Auction
The element of generosity was strong at BUCK.£3 687.96 (thats $5 860) was raised for The National Autistic Society.
And that Britannia plushie went for a whopping £1 000!
The Food
There were some food available for purchase at the venue, most of it wasn't all that good to be honest, and certainly not at those prices. Combine that with the no outside food brought in rule, this is something that needs to be addressed for next year.One thing to give credit for was the fact that they served alcohol. I didn't get a taste of it though, because the crew had to be sober. I heard some complaints about prices and rumors that the venue even increased the prices at some points. I don't know what they are on about, the beer prices were still a 5th of what you pay in Norway...
The Cosplay
This was one of my personal highlights of the entire con! There were so many great and creative cosplays on display. I dare say it was almost at the same level as BronyCon, bar number of full fur suits.
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| Thats the second place Tombstone cosplayer |
The staff and crew
This was a first time convention and it showed. As someone who is used to the world of military precision, the staff and crew were pretty disorganized the first day. This caused a few bumps throughout the day, but nothing of major proportions.
Thankfully it was taken care of and after a good debrief and orientation when the first day was over, everything went far better the second day. When your convention is starting to look like a military operation, you're doing it right.
From what I've gathered in the aftermath of the convention, they are rethinking the whole organization of the staff and crew for next year. I look forward to participating again next year.
Thankfully it was taken care of and after a good debrief and orientation when the first day was over, everything went far better the second day. When your convention is starting to look like a military operation, you're doing it right.
From what I've gathered in the aftermath of the convention, they are rethinking the whole organization of the staff and crew for next year. I look forward to participating again next year.
The Venue
In my honest opinion, the venue of choice was at its limits of what it could provide for a brony convention of this size. It was a concert hall built like a maze (at least when you ventured outside the main con area).
Only one of the rooms had air condition (in the whole building) and the second room used for smaller panels was REALLY small.
I would advise the convention committee to consider another venue for next year.
SEMPER FILLY!
