Anime Boston 2004 - Programming Interview
The 2004 Boston Anime convention had FIVE full tracks of anime running pretty much 24 hours a day! Here's some information from the director of programming, Derek Guder.
BellaOnline : I see you're running an incredible four separate tracks of anime videos simultaneously, with a total of over 200 hours of anime. How did you decide which movies to put into which tracks?
Derek : Actually, we had 5 different video rooms, as we finalized the Video 5.1 surround-sound room at the last minute, so we had even more programming. I usually decide on the schedule in a several-step process.
First, I go through my personal collection and list everything that I think is really good, classic or a personal favorite, plus anything I know is a crowd-pleaser. This is also where I add things that I want to try to squeeze in that might not fit well - like live-action films.
Then I go through the upcoming release lists online and add anything that'll be released within a few months of the convention as a potential premier or pre-release screening.
I also make sure to add any and all specific requests that I receive, as well as double-check to make sure that I have programming from each of our guests included in the schedule.
Finally, I go through everything again to try to make sure that one or another genre isn't lacking or under-represented. Not everything can be perfectly balanced, but I try to make it so that everyone has something they want to see.
Once I've assembled that list, I also check to make sure that it's enough titles to fill about twice as much time as I have on the schedule and then I send off the screening permission requests to companies, at which point I also ask them what they would like to be screened. I usually try to accommodate their requests as a way of saying thanks, especially if I like the show as well.
When I start getting responses back, I start building the actual schedule, which is always hard. At first, it seems like I have too much time but that all disappears before long.
BellaOnline : Did you go mostly for longer movies, for shorter episodes, or for a mix of the two?
Derek : Personally, I like watching big blocks of the same show at a convention, so I try to make sure to group things into at least an hour or two per show, if possible. I've found that scheduling around a DVD volume's length can make administration and scheduling much easier in many ways, so that's usually how it works out.
BellaOnline : Were most of the movies of a particular genre, or did you find them evenly scattered amongst the various anime genres that are out there?
Derek : I try to scatter them as evenly as possible, though that's not always possible. Certain genres have always dominated anime and probably will for some time to come.
BellaOnline : How did you decide on choices between dubbing and subtitles?
Derek : By default I schedule everything with subtitles. Specifically children-oriented programming is usually scheduled as dubbed, however. I also schedule those dubs that I think are better than the original Japanese, or those dubs in which any voice actor guests we might have are involved in. I also try to put in a few compromise shows by scheduling a few recent hits with dubs if I wasn't particularly impressed by the original Japanese.
In general, however, I use the rule of thumb that dub fans get to see a fair amount of anime in the language they want on television and the average con-goer is a bit more "hard-core" than the average consumer and is thus more likely to be a dub fan, so I prioritize subtitled screenings.
BellaOnline : Is there a genre that seemed most popular with your registrants?
Derek : As with anime in general, the staples of action and pretty girls are always popular, although shoujo always has a strong contingent and seems to be rising fast. Surprisingly, the specialty programming I scheduled (my personal favorites for more esoteric, philosophical or "artsy" anime) were very popular.
And, of course, both hentia and yaoi have large, vocal and appreciative crowds.
BellaOnline : Were there any genres in particular that you tried to avoid or only include a few movies from?
Derek : Not really. There are some that I don't concentrate on, but the closest I get to avoiding a genre would be something like sci-fi action, where I don't specifically hunt down a show to represent it, since it's so pervasive that it will get in by default. Though you could say that I didn't bother scheduling anything that was an overt fighting anime, I suppose.
BellaOnline : What do you think will be the 3 most popular showings of the festival?
Derek : Hm. It's hard to say, as I didn't have a chance to really go to most of the video rooms and get a feel for the crowds, I was far too busy handling other problems. I can say that I would have expected Ghost in the Shell TV and Wolf's Rain on Friday and Azumanga Daioh on Saturday to be the most popular.
BellaOnline : What happens to all of the movies once the festival is over?
Derek : It depends. A significant portion (50% or more) of the screeners used come from my personal collection, so they obviously just go back on my shelves. The others are used for a variety of different things. A number are returned to the company that provided them, as they were special advance copies or screeners or for some other reason. Others are used as prize support or given out as thank-yous, and many are actually saved for use in subsequent years as well.
BellaOnline : What are your own personal anime favorites?
Derek : Well, I'm a big GAINAX and Yoshitoshi ABe fan, so I love FLCL, Evangelion, His and Her Circumstances, Haibane Renmei, TEXHNOLYZE and similar shows. Jin-Roh's one of my favorite anime movies, as is pretty much anything by Satoshi Kon.
Usually, my tastes lie either with the insane crack-comedies or with the mind-bending "art shows".
BellaOnline : Thanks for taking the time to speak with us!
Interview with Boston Anime Festival Chairman
Boston Anime Website
Anime Boston 2004 Review and Photos
Anime Reviews Main Page
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