Swancon 2008

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Swancon 2008: State of the Art

Swancon 2008 was the 33rd annual West Australian Science Fiction Convention, and the 47th Australian National Science Fiction Convention, held on March 20th-24th 2008.

State of the Art SwanCon 2008 tshirt logo. Red text on beige/khaki cloth
Swancon 2008: State of the Art T-shirt logo

The Convention

Guests

  • GoH: Ken MacLeod, Rob Shearman, Glenda Larke
  • Fan GoH: Zara Baxter
  • Academic Keynote Speakers: Mark Bould, Sylvia Kelso, Andrew Milner

Venue

The All Seasons Hotel (formerly the Acacia Hotel). The Governor Robinsons hostel next door, and the Hotel Northbridge were designated as overflow accommodation.

Committee

  • Convenor: Anna Hepworth
  • Treasurer: Elaine Walker
  • Secretary: Linda Deegan
  • Gaming: Calum Watson
  • Programming: David Cake
  • Marketing & Advertising: Grant Watson
  • Website: Michael Deegan
  • Academic stream: Sonia Marcon
  • Committee Members: Art Diggle, Davina Watson, Jenny Kelly, Peter Kelly, Craig Greenbank

Memberships

Door prices

  • Full: $150
  • Concession: $130
  • Day: Thursday:$25, Friday-Monday:$45
  • Day Concession: Thursday:$20, Friday-Monday:$40
  • Masquerade only: $15

Pre-door

These prices were available up until 17th March, from Tactics, White Dwarf, and Fantastic Planet.

  • Full: $135
  • Concession: $120
  • Supporting: $40

History

One of the major program streams of the convention was a retrospective of BBC science fiction, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of BBC science fiction television productions. This retrospective included the appearance of Doctor Who script writer Robert Shearman as Guest of Honour, a screening (with live commentary) of Shearman's Doctor Who episode "Dalek", a range of panel discussions and presentations, and a large photographic exhibition produced with the cooperation and support of BBC Worldwide. This component of the convention was also co-funded by the Western Australian government's ScreenWest Screen Culture Development Fund, which was administered by the Film & Television Institute of W.A.

The convention also hosted several Australian film premieres, including Ghost in the Shell SAC: The Laughing Man, Ghost in the Shell SAC: Individual Eleven and Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.

The convention's opening ceremony featured a video introduction edited by Danny Oz, as well as specific BBC 70th anniversary promotional videos edited by Simon Oxwell and Grant Watson.

Publications and Productions

See also

External links