General Info

The event opens at 12pm.

Exhibitors will be granted access no earlier than 1030AM to set up stalls.

The back entrance to Level one will be open and accessible for exhibitors easy access to setting up.

You can also use the car park space at Airlie place by this entrance to unload your products. However if you do use this space, please unload you products then move your car to park elsewhere. Do not use the space for parking for the duration of the event!

Artist alley closes at 1630 to allow us to clear the tables away in time for Kendo and cosplay events on the stage which begin at 5pm. All stallholders must begin clearing up at 1630.

Portfolio reviews can still be signed up to via email up to 10pm Friday April 4th. the contact address is p.reviews.deecon@gmail.com

All under 14 years olds must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

All under 18 year olds must be off the premises by 8pm for legal and licensing reasons regarding sale of alcohol.

Everyone 15 years and over is advised to carry ID with them at all times to be on the safe side.

Online T-shirts and ticket sales will close Friday April 4th at 10pm.

http://www.dusa.co.uk/events/deecon-deecon-after-party/

Anyone who has made an online purchase will recieve an email with instructions for collection on the day. Please be sure to remember either a print of your confirmation or an email on your mobile.

Any cosplay weapons deemed unsafe by security will be returned to you as you leave the building.

No under 18's allowed in Air Bar as it will be selling alcohol during the day as well as food.

Liar Bar will sell soft drinks and snacks only.

All game tournament sign ups for Liar Bar will take place there between 12pm and 2pm with tournaments beginning after 2pm.

Restrooms are available on level 3 and level 4 of the building.

Any non-student members of the public attending the After-Party will have to pay a further £2 on top of the ticket prices.  This is a standard charge from DUSA that applies to all non-student members of the public for all the nightclub events run at DUSA.

Madeline Gangnes

You may have thought we couldn't possibly pack anything else into the event- but you'd be wrong!

Madeline Gangnes is an American student (originally from Hawaii but also from the Seattle area and Chicago) on Dundee University's Comics Studies MLitt course who studies the critical analysis of comics rather than comics creation.

Madeline will be giving a talk titled "Active and Audible: Translating and Adapting Visual Techniques from Manga to Anime in Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s AKIRA", where she'll be discussing the visual techniques Ōtomo uses to convey motion, action, and sound in the manga version of AKIRA and how those aspects of the piece are treated in the anime adaptation.

Sounds pretty awesome!

Official Schedule

Our Official DeeCon 2k14 Timetable. Complete with a spelling mistake on Medieval.


LEVEL 1 MONO:

. 12pm - 4:30pm = Stalls and Artist's Alley (AA)
. 1:30pm - 4:30pm = Cosplay judging
. 5pm - 6pm = Kendo Official Display
. 6pm - 8pm = Cosplay Masquerade and Competition Results
. 8pm = Raffle Prizes and Prize-Draws Announced
_____


LEVEL 2 RECEPTION:

. General reception
. Cosplay Judging (access via Campus)

____

LEVEL 3 LIAR:

. 12pm - 7pm = Games Area and Competitions
. 7pm - 8pm = The finish-up hour. (Under-18s must be off the premises by 8pm due to licensing restrictions)

____

LEVEL 4 FLOOR 4:

. 1pm - 6pm = Portfolio Reviews (in floor 4 reception area)
. 12pm - 4:30pm = Stalls, Tables

LEVEL 4 MEETING ROOM 1:

1pm - 1:50pm = Bandursnatch
2pm - 2:50pm = Zoe Burgess
3pm - 3:50pm = Bianca Ansems
4pm - 4:50pm = Luke Dickens
5pm - 5:50pm = Destiny Blue {maybe longer?)
6pm - 6:30 pm = Madeline Gangnes


LEVEL 4 CARNEGIE SUITE:

1:30pm - 2:20pm = Peter Greeves
2:30pm - 3:20ppm = Kenny Mitchell
3:30pm - 4:20pm = Phil Harris
4:30pm - 5:20pm = Janine Van Moosel
5:30pm - 6:20pm = Film People



LEVEL 4 AIR BAR:

. 12pm - 6pm = Food and Drink & Bar (Alcohol)
--
DeeCon Performers:
. 6:30pm - 7:50pm = 'Tom Paxtoni'
. 7:00pm - 7:20pm = 'Loud Poets'
. 7:30pm - 7:50pm = Mathew Barnard
. 8:00pm - 8:05pm = Stuart Walker; DeeCon Magician
. 8:15pm - 8:20pm = Batman+bagpipes
--
. 8:30pm - 9:30pm = DeeCon PubQuiz
--
. 9:40pm - 12am = Karaoke Open



LEVEL 5 FLOOR 5:

. 12pm - 7pm = TableTops and Photography Open
. 1pm - 6pm = 'Yugioh' Tournament and 'Magic of the Gathering' introduction games
. 10:30pm - 3am = Aftershow Party


ROUND 1:
~ 12:30am = DJ Nanishi
~ 12:45am = DJ Momoka
ROUND 2:
~ 01:00am = DJ Nanishi
~ 01:15am = DJ Momoka
ROUND 3:
~ 01:30am = DJ Nanishi
~ 01:45am = DJ Momoka
GRANDE FINALE:
~ 2:00am = Winner DJs till the End!!


____



CAMPUS:
. 12pm = Doors Open
. 2pm - 2:30pm = Medieval Display
. 3pm - 6pm = Sumo Wrestling Costumes


____



QUEEN MOTHER BUILDING:

Film Screenings:

1pm - 2pm = Garden of Words
2pm - 3pm = Cowboy Bebop (2 eps)
3pm - 3:30pm = Duarara
3:40pm - 5pm = K-On Movie

Final Press Release and Photoshoot

We are in the run up to the event! It's all hands on deck here with only a couple of days to go! 

Just about everything is organised. It's going to be amazing! We can't wait!

This week we organised a photoshoot to help promote the event locally and invited you guys to come along in costume to help us out. 

It was a great shoot and thank you so much to everyone who came along to support us. We really appreciate it!

We got some coverage in the courier and evening telegraph websites as well as a full front page spread in todays courier and a double spread inside! 

Here's a selection of our own photos from the shoot.

And some of the coverage online

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/video-anime-fans-gather-in-dundee-ahead-of-dee-con-invasion-1.299957

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/dundee/gallery-anime-fans-dress-up-for-dee-con-1.300097

http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/fans-set-for-bigger-and-better-dee-con-1.296784

http://dundee.stv.tv/articles/269445-dundee-comic-expo-and-dee-con-show-off-comicbook-and-anime-talent/

Enjoy!

Fraser MacLean

More Disney!

Fraser MacLean ~ Animation Veteran ~ will be doing Portfolio Reviews at DeeCon this year. It doesn't matter what kind of visual art you do, Fraser has experience enough to give you valid feedback on it and industrial insight.

He has worked for Disney, on films such as Roger Rabbit (1989) and Space Jam (1996) and Tarzan (2000), is the author of best-Seller 'Setting the Scene', has a huge knowledge of doing Backgrounds and Layouts, and has done many other things. On top of that, he's a really nice guy. 

Book a time-slot at p.reviews.deecon@gmail.com, or turn up with a portfolio on the day with up to 20 pieces of work on the day; (showreels included ~ if you can provide the hardware); or even if you just want to have a chat with him.

He will give you invaluable insight into the industry. Even if you work in Sound, programming, or Game Development soley ~ a conversation with this man's experience may be worth your while as we are very lucky to have him.

One again, the email to book a portfolio review slot with Fraser is 

p.reviews.deecon@gmail.com

And for anyone interested in buying the book,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Setting-Scene-hc-Fraser-MacLean/dp/0811869873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396280214&sr=8-1&keywords=setting+the+scene

DeeCon Team

Professor Kenny Mitchell and Malgorzata 'Maggie' Kosek of Disney Research

We just confirmed a couple more guest speakers for the day :)

Giving a talk on "Concept Art in High Tech Production", Malgorzata 'Maggie' Kosek and Professor Kenny Mitchell of Disney Research.

"In this talk we cover the role of concept art in technological productions.

Many inspirational artworks created by artists using traditional tools (for example Ralph McQuarrie's legacy) have been instrumental in the process of communicating a shared vision of a ground breaking movie, technology or way of looking at the world.

Creating concepts on paper or matte painting with oil on glass require years of training, a dedicated studio, and there is no undo button. Whereas, digital tools make the creation process simple.

We will cover traditional and digital tools for creating concepts and characters, including how 3d concept preparation is increasingly useful today. The numerous interesting connections of Manga and comic art to our recent productions and research prototypes will be highlighted including toys, digital comics and augmented reality games."

DeeCon Team

Guest Cosplay Judge Sasashie

Hi DeeConners!

We would like to announce that the lovely Sasashie has been confirmed as another cosplay guest and judge for the cosplay competition.

Sasashie has been cosplaying since 2008 and has won various awards for her cosplaying at D-Con and London MCM expos.

We are again excited to have such an experienced cosplayer on the judging panel.

Be sure to check out her facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/SasashieCosplay

Sign up to our cosplay events here:

http://deecon2k14.blogspot.co.uk/p/cosplay-competition-2014.html

The final date for signing up to our cosplay events is March 29th! So don't wait any longer people!

DeeCon Team

Pokemon X & Y Tournament at DeeCon 2014

Pokemon X and Y tournament confirmed for this years event!

Participants must bring their own 3DS.

More info on this and other games events coming soon

DeeCon Team

International Tabletop Day

It's official, DeeCon is participating! 

Courtesy of our friends at Highlender Games, the whole top floor of the union will be dedicated to running games from the tabletop pack : Battlestar Galactica, Small World, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic.

Not only that, Highlander will also be running their annual Yu Gi Oh tournament as well!

More info to follow as it's confirmed!

http://www.tabletopday.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TabletopDay
http://www.sol.co.uk/b/benvierd/

DeeCon Team

Luke Dicken

And another games industry talk this time from IGDA Director Luke Dicken!

Luke Dicken is the first Director of the International Game Developers Association from outside of North America. He was the first person in the world to win three of the prestigious IGDA Scholarships. He was featured on the Develop 30 Under 30 list for 2013 and he’s been invited to speak at conferences around the world including the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

But Luke only started working with the games industry four years ago.

In this session he’ll talk about his successes and failures making the switch from a PhD student studying Artificial Intelligence in Glasgow who nobody had ever heard of to an industry insider. Luke will also share tips on how you can get your start, get noticed and break into one of the most exciting industries going.

DJ Nanashi

The other half of our DeeCon 2014 After Party DJ Battle, returning champ DJ Nanashi!

The mastermind behind Nanashi Dansu, Scotland's premier Eastern Asian club night returns to DeeCon to bring you the lastest and greatest in various genres from Japan, China and Korea.

Check out his promo video here http://vimeo.com/56578913

http://www.innovasian-events.com

Northumbria University Kendo Club

We're pleased to announce that Northumbria University Kendo club are returning to DeeCon to put on their awesome Samurai martial arts display. 

More info on "The Way of the Sword" at their website. Check it out!

http://www.northumbriakendo.co.uk/

Janine Van Moosel

We're adding yet another guest speaker to the list! Janine Van Moosel is a freelance portrait and comic book artist who will be speaking at the event about finding ways to make your passions work for you as a freelancer and will also generously be lending her time to do portfolio reviews!

Janine will also have a table at the event promoting her new comic City of Lost Souls, for which 
she provides the artwork from Creator and singer from "The Black Lights" James McCulloch scripts'.

You can check out Janines artwork and the City of Lost Souls at the following links!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/City-of-Lost-Souls/380581942073351
http://janine-douglas.deviantart.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janine-van-Moosel-Artist-and-Illustrator/510703062355623?ref=hl

DeeCon Team

DeeCon & Dundee Comics Expo

This year DeeCon is running alongside the Dundee Comics Expo.

A mere 30 second walk from the DUSA building, where DeeCon is based, is the QM building which this year will be hosting the comics expo. The Comics Expo will be full of independent creators showing off their comic book work and will also feature some guest lectures and special guests.

So remember to check it out on the day as well!

Dundee Comics Expo Facebook

Film Screenings Vote!

We've just announced a list of potential anime films and episodes to screen at this years event! Stop by facebook and have your say on what should be shown this year!

DeeCon on Facebook

After Party Tickets and T-shirts on SALE NOW!

OFFICIAL DeeCon 2014 After Party Tickets and T-shirts are now available to purchase online.

T-shirts only £8 and available in a variety of sizes.

After Party tickets are a mere £5 for a fun filled night!

After Party will open at 10:30pm til 3:30am featuring not one but two great DJs! DJs Momoka and Nanashi will be battling it out for supremacy.

There will also be karaoke and live music performed in the evening before the After Party commences.

Place your orders now!

http://www.dusa.co.uk/events/deecon-deecon-after-party/

The event is open to all members of the public but please be aware, that DUSA charges an additional £2 to all non-students for entry into the building for evening events. This is a standing charge DUSA charge for all events. Please make sure you remember your student ID if you are a student!

Special Guest Cosplay Judge

Hi Guys,

We would like to announce that the lovely Aranel has been confirmed as a cosplay guest and judge for the cosplay competition. 

Aranel has been cosplaying since 2008 and has been a guest at Glasgow Comic Con, Collectormania Glasgow, Big Comic Book Weekender and Hobbyfest Dubai.

We are excited to have such an experienced cosplayer on the judging panel.

Be sure to check out her facebook page! 

https://www.facebook.com/aranel0cosplay

For full details of how to enter our Cosplay events this year please visit the Cosplay Events page here

http://deecon2k14.blogspot.co.uk/p/cosplay-competition-2014.html

Bianca Ansems

This year we also have talented freelance artist, animator and director, Bianca Ansems, who will be talking about her art and experiences as a freelancer in the animation and illustration industries.

Bianca is an animation director from the Netherlands, now living in London, UK. She works as a freelance animation director for clients including BBC, House of Fraser, Royal Horticultural 
Society, and the City of London.

Check out her awesome website for her showreel and some of the projects shes worked on.

http://www.biancaansems.com/

Bandursnatch Studios

Bandursnatch Studios who run Glasgow University Cosplay Society and run workshops and tutorials on cosplaying will be giving a presentation on prop building for cosplay and make-up for special effects and crossplay.

https://www.facebook.com/BandursnatchStudios
https://www.facebook.com/groups/163310100478880/

Zoe Burgess

Freelance Writer and Cosplay enthusiast, Zoe Burgess Will be giving a talk on geekdom, fandom, and her experience and views on Cosplay.

Earlier this year, Zoe featured in Channel 4's 'Gok's Secret Styles.'

Here is Zoe's article on wegeekedthis following her time on the show.

http://wegeekedthis.com/a-geek-against-gok-by-zoe-burgess/

You can also check out the episode she appeared on at 4od and her youtube channel.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/goks-style-secrets/4od

http://www.youtube.com/user/LetZoeSpoilYou/videos

Orbit Ever After

2014 BAFTA Nominated short film "Orbit Ever After" Director Jamie Stone, Minitures/SFX Designer David Ross and Production Designer Abigail Joshi will present a screening of the film and talk about it's production.

Check out the trailer here!

Portfolio Reviews!

This year at the event we will be running portfolio reviews throughout the day. 

Reviewers will be lecturers from DJCAD and Abertay University who have industry and academic experience in the games, animation and film industries. 

So if you are an artist and you want some professional feedback on your work or you are a school or college student seeking some advice about where to go next with a career in the creative industries this could be an excellent opportunity for some top notch advice!

Please help spread the word if you know anyone who could benefit from this.

More info coming soon about how to book times for reviews!

Dee Con Team

Phil Harris

Hello all!

Our Second confirmed guest speaker this year is another games industry vet! Mr Phil Harris will be talking about his time in the games industry and working as a games developer.

Currently Phil is a Games Content Developer at One Thumb Mobile working on MMORPG Celtic Heroes as well as developing his own table top roleplaying game and creating the background history for Pyre Studios board game "Inevitable Betrayal" and in the past has organised and run Compulsion, Scotland's Premier Gamign Convention for 2 very successful years.

http://onethumbmobile.com/celtic-heroes/
http://pyre-studios.com/products/inevitable-betrayal/

Deecon 2014 Mascot Competition Winner

The DeeCon 2014 mascot competition ended on Friday and our judges have been pouring over the entries this week.

Thank you all again for dozens of entries received. 

There were lot's of fantastic entries and it was a difficult decision but in the end we settled on the entry that we felt was most fitting for what we are going for this year.

We're pleased to announce that the winner of this years mascot competition is Erinn Lucas.

Some comments from the judges:

"We just loved the idea of having a highland cow as a mascot for a Scottish anime themed convention. The style of the design serves our purposes and fits with the spirit of DeeCon perfectly."


Congratulations Erinn!

Peter Greeves!

Hello DeeConers!

We're proud to announce our first confirmed guest speaker this year will be Mr Peter Greeves!

Peter is an artists for the games studio Ninja Kiwi creators or the Bloons series and lots more. Check out the link at the bottom for Ninja Kiwis addictive free web games.

Before taking the position at Ninja Kiwi Peter has worked at Red Kite Animation, as an animation director at Moxiedia Ltd, an illustrator at MTV ROCKS' Gonzo, and he was an artist at Dynamo Games  as well as working as a freelance illustrator and animator.

Mr Greeves will be talking about Art and Animation in the Games Industry through the perspective of his experience!

http://ninjakiwi.com/
http://www.redkite-animation.com/
http://vimeo.com/37477750

DeeCon Mascot Competition Returns!

Hello everyone!

It's time again for the Official DeeCon Mascot design competition!

Up for grabs if you win - £100 + an official DeeCon T-shirt featuring your Mascot!

The DeeCon team have put together a few examples to help get the creative juices flowing. 

Please send entries to deecon2k14 AT gmail DOT com

The closing date for entries is Friday 31st January 2014. A winner will be chosen by the DeeCon team and announced shortly after.

Important stuff - no further work will be asked of you after the design. Winning the competition means you give us the rights to use your character as our Mascot and to use in promotional materials for the event. This includes our right to redraw your mascot in further images should we desire.

Entry guidelines:

There is no specific theme this year other than make the mascot design suitable for an anime convention.

No more than 1 entry per person.

Keep it family friendly please. You can send mature content if you really want but you won't win. We have to be able to use it.

Here are the colours we have used in our logo - blue: 201A3D cyan: 009FE3 magenta/pink: A71680. We would like the design to use colours that will work with the existing logo and branding.

You can submit a single image of your character design but it would be useful for us to see more views if you want to include details on the backs of your design.

Please try and keep the file sizes small. No more than 5mb JPEG or PNG. HOWEVER, if you win, we might want to print your winning image as it is so it would be very good for you to have a larger resolution copy. 300DPI, CYMK colour mode, that you can send us should you win. 

If you have any questions about the competition, please contact us either via the contact form on our blog or via our facebook page or on Twitter

Table Booking Update

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

We are still sorting a couple of things out regarding table booking.

In the meantime, if you want a table please use the contact page at our blog http://deecon2k14.blogspot.co.uk/p/bookings.html 

You'll be added to our list and we'll email you directly as soon as tables are up for sale.

We will make an official announcement when everything is in place for table booking on Facebook, Twitter and our blog.

Further information about the event will be begin rolling out in January.

Thanks for your patience!

DeeCon Team