WonderCon 2022 Recap: Creatives From Studio 666, American Horror Story, Murderville, Castle Rock, Pam & Tommy, Raising Dion, And More Discuss The Making Of Horror, Sci-Fi, And Comic Book Genre Projects At WonderCon Anaheim 2022!
Anaheim, CA, April 2, 2022 – For this year’s WonderCon in Anaheim, excited fans assembled for an in-person conversation with Hollywood’s highly sought-after writers, composers, visual effects artists, and special makeup effects artists to discuss their work on thrilling projects like “Studio 666,” “American Horror Story,” “Murderville, “Castle Rock,” and more at Impact24 PR’s 2nd Annual “It’s Alive!”: Designing Sci-Fi, Horror, and Comic Book Genre Film and TV panel.
The panel was moderated by actor and content creator Chris Villain, and featured Rebecca Hughes (co-writer, “Studio 666”), Jason Collins of Autonomous F/X (“American Horror Story”, “Pam & Tommy”, “Blade Runner 2049”), Matt Novack (composer, “Murderville”), and Jason Piccioni (“American Horror Story”, “Castle Rock”) and Kevin Yuille (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Raising Dion”) of FuseFX.
As the conversation started, panelists broke down their process and experience working on their respective films and television shows. Sticking to the themes of horror, sci-fi, and comic-book, moderator Chris Villain asked each panelist to reflect on their projects and how they’ve expanded beyond the genre.
Starting off with how to blend the genres of comedy and horror, writer Rebecca Hughes expressed “my favorite part about writing comedy is the ability to bend the rules. We can get away with a lot in terms of comedy in the horror genre. We can make fun of some of the tropes and also pay respect to them.”
“My favorite part of my job is that I’m always a fan,” added special makeup effects artist of Autonomous F/X Jason Collins. “I’m an avid reader and watcher of these genres. The fact that I get to participate with my own designs and impressions that people will get to see has been really exciting. The thing that keeps me on my toes are the fans and people who will call you out that have a lot of familiarity with it. You’re always sweating about messing up something for the fan base.”,
The panelists were also asked to share the challenges they’ve faced in their respective roles.
For composer Matt Novack, the challenge was creating a score that can balance both comedic and darker aspects of a show like Murderville and Harley Quinn. “When scoring around comedy, you always score around jokes,” he shared. “Then when the darker elements are added, we need to then bring in music that matches the change in tone. Genre bending projects like these really allow me the opportunities to try new things and have fun.”
The panelists also discussed their favorite parts of working in the genre. FuseFX Visual Effects supervisor Kevin Yuille commented that the “best part of working on the sci-fi genre is the world building. You’re not limited by life or the real world. I enjoy coming up with different ways of creating.”
As the panel began to wrap up, FuseFX Visual Effects Supervisor Jason Piccioni reflected that “the industry is starved for new, diverse voices. In a world where they say making a living as an artist is impossible, there are so many avenues and opportunities out there to have your voice heard and to make a living as an artist.”
Moderator Chris Villain thanked everyone for their passion and encouraged the audience to check out their upcoming projects to explore more of how they build worlds and bring them to life.
The audience at WonderCon Anaheim left the panel feeling curious and excited about the stories told in the horror, sci-fi, and comic book genre, with a new appreciation for the behind the scenes talent that make them come to life