July 11, 2012[b]4:00-5:00[/b] Character Design in Entertainment: From Script to Sculpt — When it comes to behind-the-scenes special features and “The Art of Making…” reference books for movies, gaming, and entertainment, oftentimes we only get a brief glimpse of what went into the design of a production. Leading creature and concept designer Neville Page (Avatar, Star Trek, Tron, Super 8, and most recently Prometheus) goes in-depth about the specificity of character development, from script interpretation to full design execution, referencing select work from some of the spectacular films he has worked on. You will not only see the final resolve, but the roughest of sketches. A thorough Q&A will be a big part of the presentation. Room 7AB
[b]5:00-6:00[/b] Blu-ray Producers 2012 — Bill Hunt, Todd Doogan, and Dr. Adam Jahnke of The Digital Bits.com and Geek Monthly discuss the process of making great Blu-ray special editions with producers Charles de Lauzirika (Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-Man), Cliff Stephenson (The Hunger Games, The Expendables 2), and Robert Meyer Burnett (Star Trek: The Next Generation-Seasons One and Two), as well as Warner Home Video’s senior VP of theatrical catalog marketing George Feltenstein. Audience participation is encouraged. Room 5AB
[b]6:00-7:00[/b] The Science of Science Fiction: Canon Fodder — Aliens, robots, wormholes, superheroes…there’s more than a little science in all of these, but how can that science be kept straight and consistent across multiple movies and seasons of TV shows? Panelists Jon Spaihts (writer, Prometheus), Jane Espenson (producer/writer, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (writers, Thor, X-Men: First Class), Jaime Paglia (producer/writer, Eureka), and Dr. Kevin Grazier (science advisor, Battlestar Galactica, Defiance), talk about the ups and downs of respecting the science in ongoing science fiction TV and movie series. Moderated by Dr. Phil Plait (writer/host, Phil Plait’s Bad Universe, Discover magazine’s Bad Astronomy blog), and courtesy of The Science and Entertainment Exchange, a program of the National Academy of Sciences. Room 25ABC
