Today unleashed one of those announcements that was so deeply SDCC; exciting news laced with a disappointing caveat. Here it is if you missed it: that very special Con streaming service we've all anticipated WILL include Hall H panels - but not live.
Are you excited about this? Do you care terribly if the streaming is delayed and not in the moment? If the footage and trailers are missing, is it still worth it? Or will you head for YouTube to see someone's sneaky recording?
From Seth Laderman of Comic-Con HQ: "We're not going to be live streaming anything because we really don't want to take away that experience of people who are the first to see and be there for it, but we can put things up shortly after."
At first glance, I can agree with that. Ride or die attendees who sacrifice meals and comfortable beds to wait for Hall H panels should definitely be rewarded. But... isn't the experience of being there live enough? Hearing the deafening applause and hollers and watching those exciting trailers? Why do you need to exclude people at home to make that feeling more special?
(And let's be honest - for many attendees, the waiting in line IS an enjoyable part of the experience. They can bond with their friends, people love meeting the attendees around them, and it can be a welcome opportunity to just plunk down and relax for a while.)
io9 takes another stance, saying that if the panels are streamed live, "standing in line (and paying money for tickets and hotels) starts to feel like a waste.)" Anyone who's experienced that incredible rush of Hall H energy will probably disagree with that, I would think. But what do I know? I've been skipping Hall H for a few years now so I'll wait to hear what its devotees think.
Comic-Con HQ's free beta goes live on 7 May; maybe that will take away some of the lingering sting of the hotel disaster. Because there's no doubt about it - we are definitely entering San Diego Comic-Con season.
While it does make me sound like a bit of a jerk, the exclusivity IS part of the experience. If every piece of footage shown is released to the public immediately afterward, the desire to wait through those long lines is severely diminished. The reason the excitement of Hall H reaches fever pitch is because you and 4,000 other people who just gone done waiting over 12 hours and sleeping outside are being rewarded with exclusive sneak peaks of films that no one else will see for months.
ReplyDeleteValid point. I think I'm the other way - I actually get frustrated when I see an incredible trailer and then I come home and I want to talk about it to people who won't see it for months.
DeleteI like the exclusiveness of the material. I'm fine with them cutting some of it out. Like being the first kid on the block with a new console. The fun is being first. For die hard fans that is the payoff. Missing meals and sitting outside all day is supposed to be the sell? Ehhhh.
ReplyDeleteWell, that's 2 votes for keeping it exclusive. It looks like it'll go that way.
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