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Welcome, one and all, to my latest special feature: How Not to be an Asshole at Conventions. I've got a few of these planned out covering various aspects of convention attendance, and I think you'll enjoy them.
The first, then, is How Not to be an Asshole at Q&A Sessions. You're all familiar with the Q&As: after the industry rep, guest, or fan has made his or her panel presentation, they usually take questions directly from the audience.
What fans tend NOT to realize is that, particularly in the case of guests from Japan, the time that guests have to answer those questions is incredibly slim, and there may not be another chance for other fans to ask questions for months or years, if ever.
These fans will proudly walk up to the microphone and ask the dumbest questions possible. It almost feels as though their goal is to waste everyone's time, except that the questions are so awful, it doesn't seem possible for someone to intentionally come up with them.
So! Without further ado, let's talk a bit about what to ask...and what NOT to ask. There are visual aids as well.
PART I: How to Formulate a Question
- First off, do your research prior to the panel. No one likes that douchebag who gets up and asks the guest about a show they didn't actually work on, something that was already announced, or-- god help us –a question intended for someone that the guest isn't. (Yes, I have watched people ask guests questions thinking the guest was someone else. It sucks for everyone involved.)
- Second off, PAY ATTENTION DURING THE PANEL. They may answer your question right there!
- Third, PAY ATTENTION DURING THE Q&A. Someone ELSE might ask your question first, letting you sit down.
PART II: How to Fix Your Question
- Odds are good that you will be nervous, and you will try to formulate your question word for word before you get up to the mic. I mean this in the nicest of ways: odds are also good that your question will suck. Here's how to try to tone down the lame.
- This is very, very important: CAN YOUR QUESTION BE ANSWERED IN TWO MINUTES ON GOOGLE? Release dates, is there a sequel planned, etc. These questions are the ones that make me want to shoot people in the face. DON'T. DO. IT.
- Cut out the intro. You don't need to explain the episode in great detail to the person who made it in order to ask your question. You also don't need to thank them for everything they've ever done before asking. If your introductory explanation takes more than like, five seconds, it's too long.
- Don't ask two-- or god help me, three –questions at once. You can't wait in line once at Disneyland and go through the ride twice in a row, and you shouldn't try to screw other people out of their question times that way either. And that is what you're doing, whether you realize it or not.
- Last but not least...if you are asking your question because you think it'll sound funny or intelligent and not because you think there'll be a good answer? Sit your ass back down and zip your mouth. Those questions always suck.
PART III: Questions You'll Never Get the Answer You Want From
- “Have you licensed / are you going to license [TITLE]?” This is another one that incites volence in me. Unless it was already announced earlier-- in which case your RESEARCH would have turned it up –they will not and cannot announce anything. If they could have and wanted to, they would have. If you want to make licensing suggestions, do so on your own time later at the con or online. They will never go “oh yeah! I forgot! We picked up that one title you've been emailing us weekly about!” Ever.
- “Can you say something juicy about [SCANDAL]?” This isn't usually the form this question comes in; it's usually more specific. But usually the goal is to get the reps to say something off-the-cuff. It won't work, it's their job not to talk about that stuff, and these questions very rarely get any interesting response.
- "Will you marry me / sleep wih me / be my significant other?"
Okay, I hope that helps a few of you move on from crappy questions to quality ones!
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Recent User Blogs
Yeah, I know the brutal feeling of rage that overcomes the mind when someone asks the same question more than once. Though, I'm more bitter because the same question about the same gundam series get asked every time. Though it's better now that Visual and Entertainment are the same company. I can't tell you how my head hanged low everytime I heard people asking questions about another company's title.
I always ALWAYS make sure it's not something totally stupid, or googleable (although my Blu-ray question to the TTGL folks may have been a poor choice, I felt the need to ask and had no idea Japan didn't even have it and I thought it would be quick, same at Funimation panel).
I loved, loved, loved spawn, until I stopped. I felt McFarlane may have went too far and gone over to the dark side, but I still respect his accomplishments thoroughly. Plus, I VHS'd the 90's cartoon off of HBO. was it HBO, I forget. I'm gonna stop before I start prattling about The Maxx
Here the link
On the intro front, I maintain that going off for two minutes about how amazing the creator is, while well-intentioned, still a complete waste of time. A quick, short "thanks, love what you do" is sufficient, and if you want to blather more, try and cram yourself in with the crowd that hangs around after the panel.
As for multiple questions: the vast majority of the time I see fans getting up there and wasting precious time with the guests asking multiple stupid questions which provide information to no one and satisfaction to only that single fan (and not always to them). This is especially true with Japanese guests, who often get asked lengthy, convoluted questions that they misunderstand and therefore can't answer effectively.
It probably sounds a bit harsh, but I really don't care of attendee #3,594 is *actually* America's Biggest Gundam Fan or whatnot. It's still rude to all of the other fans to monopolize a guest's time asking 2 or 3 in-depth and/or difficult questions when everyone else wants to get their question answered as well. At best it's sheer thoughtlessnees; at worst it's hubris ("sure, other people have questions, but they couldn't be anywhere near as good as mine").
It'll never happen-- but fans need to put the overall fandom's happiness over their personal gratification on these things. Ask your question, and if you want to ask another major one (yes, the occasional short follow-up makes sense to jump on), get back in line, and if there's time you can get to it. Yes, that means that maybe your question won't get answered, but it's a sacrifice that fans SHOULD be happy to make for their fellow fans.
....I've been on a major kick lately about how no one's got any sense of kindness or courtesy anymore, and this is really just an ofshoot of that, I suppose.
Still the people who do such things as you've illustrated are why I never, ever watch anything where the audience can ask questions. They're invariably doing it to hear themselves, not to hear the answer.
"Hi, I've been taking Japanese for three months and I'm really good at it. I sent you an email with a sample of my work, but I never heard back. Why are you ignoring my brilliance?"
or
"I bought a copy of the Sailor Moon video that you guys put out in 19xx and the tracking is all wonky now. If I come by your booth later, do you think I could get a refund?"
Seriously? Sit down. No one cares but you.
I wrote this up a long time ago, too, but I have a very different approach. The point of these kinds of panels is for the fans to interact with the creators. Distributing info is a secondary thing, as between the Internet and other forms of press you can probably find the majority of info. Especially if you can read Japanese. I think it's good to actually take the time to thank the creator for whatever, as long as you don't take too long. So I disagree with Gia about that "generalization"--it's generally good to insert a sentence or two to show your appreciation, and the exception is that please don't spend 5 minutes doing it.
The multiple-question thing is a slightly more nuanced thing. I personally would ask a follow up question if there's room for it, but asking two very different questions, yeah, that might be considered as disrespectful of your fellow fans.
The worse of them all, I think, is to ask your question in Japanese. Second to "not-doing-your-homework" which to me isn't so much disrespectful for fans, but to the creator. That's just bad.
"Hi, Rumiko Takahashi, I love your work and I'm a huge Ranma 1/2 fan! Now, about [topic]..." <- This is fine.
"Hi, Rumiko Takahashi! I love your work, especially Ranma 1/2, InuYasha, and Urusei Yatsura. My favorite characters are Lum, Shampoo, and Kagome! I especially love your art style, because it's so simple and expressive. I also really love the sense of humor you infuse into your work. Your short stories are totally underappreciated in the US too, by the way. I think you're Japan's greatest mangaka living, if not EVER! Now, about [topic]..." <- Not so much.
@JediAutobot Actually I find those questions insightful if you ask them the right way to the right people. A lot of the times the mundane questions everyone asks can be asked better and you will get better answers.
But otherwise, yes Gia, I am in SUCH total agreement.
I can say that as a fan, I do my research before going to the convention/event... and when I ask questions, the guests always can tell that here's a fan with real insight, and real questions! And as such, I've had some amazing experiences because of that.
For instance, a few years ago Oni-Con in Houston, TX had Yoshitako Amano (who began life as an animator on shows like Devil Man, Gatchman, etc. worked as an illustrator to the Vampire Hunter D novels, and as a character designer for several of the Final Fantasy games. He's also worked as a set designer for Opera, done numerous commissioned non-anime statues for public places, done jewelry design, stained glass, and even original kimonos. He's also done some collaborations with Neil Gaiman/Dark Horse's Sandman, Marvel and DC Comics.)
Amano is probably one of my favorite living artists (and I don't just mean because of his work on anime related properties). So here is Oni-con with an amazing guest... his panel begins 20 minutes late. Not because he was late, but because someone from the staff was meant to introduce him. When the staffer finally gets there, their introduction consists of "So like he's worked on Finfal Fantasy and Vampire Hunter D). Here's an example of a convention that can't even do their homework, which unfortunately set up the panel for a Q & A session that was horrendous. All of the questions were related to VHD and FF and most had nothing whatsoever to do with what he had worked on. So when I finally got to ask my question... I could tell a sense of relief from Amano-san.
My question to Amano-san: SO I know several years ago you had an exhibition in NYC that included an exhibition of some of your original kimono designs, are there any plans for an art book showcasing this collection to be made, or does that exist somewhere in some book I haven't been able to find?
My efforts paid off in the autograph session that followed the panel. I was located in the middle of the autograph line. By the time it was my turn he spent about 5 minutes with me, conversing through the translator, as he did an original sketch in 5 colors for me on my shikishi. What did he draw? A woman in kimono, with a crane in the background in flight. Inspired by my question. I was later told by the security staff working with him in that autograph line that I was the only one he spent so much time with, and that got such a detailed drawing from him. And that shikishi, and experience with him is one I will always treasure. In his own way he rewarded me for caring, and he could tell that I was someone who definitely found the exchange meaningful.
On another occassion I was asking Princess Tutu creator, Itoh-sensei a number of questions on behalf of the Princess Tutu community on livejournal. I had already removed the questions that were easy to answer. And during the panel at Ushicon... pretty much peppered her with all those questions. Alternating between others in the small panel, and myself (they knew I was the 'voice' for dozens of folks from the internet who couldn't be there). The translator told me later that she was really impressed by the questions, and the forethought that had gone into them, as it showed how much the fans had cared. And isn't that the impression we want to leave on these people whose work we admire so - that we care?
But as much as it behooves an individual to do some research before asking a question, I also say that it behooves the convention, or whoever is running the panel to give some thought into the panel's structure. A good introduction will help educate your audience and increase the chances of your audience asking more relevant questions.
Your right about that gia. On second part I would have to curb my enthusiasm if did see Rumiko Takahashi at a panel and not thank him for over minute.
Yes, I think asking that question in the right way can be informative. How that person got into the industry was my example. To ask if someone can read their treatment on a movie/comic/whatever because they want to use the Q&A to jumpstart their own career is selfish.
Also, con Q&A's are usually on a time limit, because the room has to be used for the next panel, so how long a question takes to even be asked is important.