Matt Refghi

Like many creatures of the web, I’ve been known to watch YouTube videos every now and then. For the last year or so, I’ve noticed something strange going on with Google’s advertising approach within YouTube. Initially, I just thought I was witnessing a mistake that their developers made, and I waited to see when they’d fix the issue. To my surprise, that day never came – so today, I’m going to describe the problem, as I perceive it. Let’s start with a screenshot:

Notice the message to the bottom right? It says “you can skip to video in,” and then has a countdown, in seconds. There’s nothing wrong with such an approach – in fact, it allows me to move my mouse to where I’ll have to click. When the countdown ends, here’s how the message box changes:

Do you notice anything different? The “Skip Ad” button is smaller, vertically. Why does this matter, you ask? Well, here’s the thing: sometimes, when I go to click the “Skip Ad” button, I find that I accidentally click the ad – not the button. How? Well, when the message changes to “you can skip to video,” I, as a user, usually move my mouse over the box, and eagerly await the moment it becomes clickable. The first few times I did this, I hovered my mouse pointer over it, and proceeded to click the box repeatedly, in anticipation. When it actually became clickable, it turned out that my mouse was hovering over the part that disappeared, and before I knew it, I had accidentally clicked the ad. If you’re doubting the significance of the box’s transformation, consider this comparison:

We’re not talking a minor difference here. A good ~40% of the “you can skip to video” box is lost, and instead the ad gains that territory. At first, I saw it as an attempt by Google to get more clicks – even though those clicks were most probably low in value. After all, if I click something accidentally, it’s extremely unlikely that I will be interested in the result of that click. And if it wasn’t about getting more clicks, then why did the box change size? As a company who (understandably) seems to put so much value into its advertisers, why would they do this? It was definitely an interesting question, to me, as it even had an impact on YouTube’s usability.

So I looked into it, and discovered that YouTube ads of that variety (Standard InStream Ads) were not being charged per click (CPC), and thus, the problem I noted above wasn’t as severe as it could have been. Still, I wondered why Google would make a design choice that would open the door to accidental clicks? After all, isn’t the amount of a clicks an important metric in the performance of an ad? Their documentation certainly brings attention to it (emphasis added):

Reporting Metrics

• Video Impressions
• Video Click Through
• 50% Midpoint Plays
• 100% Complete Plays

But, in the end, I’m certainly not an expert in Google’s advertising practices – so I could be wrong about this being a negative thing. Still, I’ll continue to wonder … so if anyone out there knows the truth, do let me know – I’m really curious. Oh, and you know what’s particularly interesting about this? YouTube’s new iOS app doesn’t have this problem – see the screenshots below. Could it have something to do with a mouse being more precise than touch? Fascinating question, in my opinion.

Now that I’ve dipped into the topic of Halloween, here’s a picture of me getting kicked by a guy in a SWAT costume:

Notice how I’m still holding a glass, despite being cuffed? I’m dressed as Julian from Trailer Park Boys, a character who always walks around with a glass of liquor. Even in the most ridiculous scenarios, he’ll keep his glass in hand. Given my hair color and overall body type, I felt I could do his character justice – the result can be seen below.

And finally, here’s a really specific reference to first Trailer Park Boys short that was ever created (which was in black and white). Important: While I’m pointing a toy gun at a cat, I am not advocating violence towards animals – those who saw the short will understand.

Some of you may remember that I wanted to expand into TV and movie reviews, with video as a delivery format. The idea was to have a review show named “All Too Convenient,” but despite some effort, I never seemed to find the right approach. It wasn’t a total loss, however, as it resulted in one YouTube video that detailed the experience. Today, I’d like to reveal another product of “All Too Convenient” experiments: a written review of The Hunger Games. I originally published it on April 20th, 2012, but it didn’t take long for me to pull the plug. It’s a good review, in my opinion, but I felt it took me too long to write, and I already had one blog that I needed to think about. To put it simply, the approach simply didn’t feel right, and I didn’t think it would be sustainable. Rather than let it disappear into nothingness, I thought I’d post it on this blog so it can at least be read by those that are interested. Enjoy!

Spoiler Warning: The review below should only be read after having seen The Hunger Games, as it contains massive spoilers. It was written for people who like to read an in-depth analysis after seeing a movie.

I approached The Hunger Games with no prior knowledge of the book, having never even seen a trailer. Instead, my introduction was from the movie poster, and a brief description. The premise reminded me of Battle Royale, a Japanese film that had students killing other students, controversial, as you can imagine. My only hope was that it would not follow the same formula, and instead provide a richer back story. In this regard, I was not disappointed. The Hunger Games story did manage to set itself apart from anything I’ve seen before. However, at a certain point, the movie took a turn for the worse, in my opinion.

It all started when the rules were changed to allow two people from the same district to win. This, in turn, triggered a romance, and in my opinion, it didn’t make much sense. Allow me to illustrate what I mean.

First off, consider the overall brutality of these Hunger Games, and how they have remained the way they are for a while. Early on, Katniss and Gale discuss the possibility of not going to the games, to help stop them from being successful. But the conclusion is that this would never work, at least from Gale’s perspective. The Hunger Games seem to be backed by many years of rituals and has an established procedure by which it functions. I found that the rules themselves were a big part of establishing a genuine sense of fear, allowing me to relate to the characters. So isn’t it a bit odd that the rules would change so easily, just because Katniss somehow triggered a riot in district 11? Seemed strange, at least to me. If I knew more about the previous Hunger Games, it might make more sense – perhaps they’ve done stuff like that in the past.

Either way, it made the Hunger Games producers (in the story) look like they weren’t really confident in what they were doing, almost like they were making emotional decisions rather than sticking with the proven procedures. Raw brutality is more interesting to me, because you can’t negotiate with it – survival instincts have to kick in. Peeta’s crush complicated things, for sure, and I wanted to see what Katniss would do about that. I was hoping for a creative ending that would suggest to the world that the games should be terminated. For example, Katniss is the only one left, and kills herself before she is released from the arena. That would make people think, especially if she said a few words prior to doing so, to clarify her motivations.

But, what can I say, the romance thing happened. What confused me the most was that she seemed particularly resistant to Peeta in the train, and yet, he had done something to help her, by tossing her the bread. Yes, it was similar to tossing bread to a pig, so it kind of degraded her, but still, he was helping in a desperate time. Katniss seemed pretty interested in Gale, and yet, as soon as the producers announce that the two people can win, from the same district, she immediately runs off to Peeta. She didn’t seem particularly interested in Peeta up until that point, at least not in a romantic way – but he was a friend from her own district. I can understand having an attachment to someone you know, but soon enough, she’s kissing him and all that. I guess you can say that the pressure of the game may have lowered her own resistance to Peeta’s affections. After all, when there’s a chance at love when all you have is death, why not opt for it? Well, for one, opting for it means you’re playing into what the audience wants, and as such, you’re kind of selling out. And what about Gale? It was pretty obvious that there was something there. It all seemed a bit too rushed, to me. If she had more time with Peeta, and was less resistant to him from the start, then yeah, I would have an easier time buying it. But no, it seems a desperate situation allows one to quickly eliminate such hesitation.

I also noticed two moments where characters made speeches before they actually took an action. I recognize that a lot of movies do this, but I’m not a fan. The best example is when Katniss was pinned by an enemy girl, and she brags about how they finally caught her, killed Rue, and now she’s next. Oooooooooo, scary. Then, of course, another tribute makes use of the conveniently long speech to pull her off of Katniss, and kills her in the name of Rue. While I liked that he did it in her honor, how did he know that Katniss was friends with her? Was he stalking them at one point? That question, in itself, is not a problem, but it did make me wonder. As for the dramatic speeches, they always make me roll my eyes. In this case, specifically, we’re talking life and death, with a very thin line in between. Why risk any time making a stupid speech? Once you have a chance to eliminate a threat that is looking to kill you, you don’t mess around, especially not after a big frantic fight where any person could have won. Survival instinct takes over, and the ego takes a back seat.

Having survived that close encounter, Katniss lives on to heal Peeta, and then they eventually had to deal with the finale. You know, those large beasts that looked like dogs. The cruel producers spawned a few copies of those just to spice up the action, while Katniss and Peeta rush to the structure at the center of the arena. When they get there, they climb onto the roof, and realize that another boy is up there. He and Peeta get in a fight, and there’s this big dramatic moment where the boy asks Katniss to kill him, so that Peeta can die too. I wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but Katniss shot the boy without Peeta falling with him. The dogs were happy to feast on his body for a few seconds, and then Katniss put him out of his misery. As soon as he died, the dogs lost interest, and wandered off. I found this particularly odd, as they still had two live targets on the roof. Just moments earlier, they were pretty interested in eating them, too. What changed? Surely, it couldn’t be the smell of blood, as the boy’s body had plenty. It made me think that perhaps the producers had called off their beasts, as the winners had been selected. Katniss and Peeta then have no problem jumping off the structure, despite the events that just occurred. I would have taken some time to catch my breath, and would have stayed in the vantage point, just in case.

I must also mention that I disliked some of the action scenes, as the camera work seemed particularly disorienting. With all the camera movement, the action was barely discernible – I would have liked a little more clarity into what was happening. Not a deal breaker in itself, but something I felt I should mention. As a whole, I liked the desperate brutality of The Hunger Games, and I felt that the initial rush for the weapons was particularly well done. It was a psychological exercise, and I enjoyed that. They did create an interesting universe, one that I hope to learn more about in future films, if they are made. There was a clear contrast between the rich, who were colourful, and the poor, who were not. There’s something to be said about that, and I feel that the film could have explored the political reasoning behind the existence of the Hunger Games.

In the end, I have to wonder if Katniss recognized the romantic potential as a tool for getting out alive. Perhaps she acted her part knowing that it would increase their chance at survival. It was all about sponsors, and gathering public approval, after all. I’d like to think that she was that intelligent, but without having read the books, I can’t conclude this. I recall a moment where she was speaking with her mentor, at the end, and he explained to her that she made the producers angry. This is probably the best proof against my theory, as I would have expected her to know that. Clearly, in that last scene where she and Peeta considered killing themselves, she must have realized that it was going to cause problems. Interestingly, this scene flew very close to being exactly what I had hoped, a suicide that would mark the games for what they are – an exercise in needless brutality, where there can be no true winner.

As you probably noticed, I’ve been mainly commenting on the story, without addressing the technical aspects of the film. This is because I was largely satisfied with the visuals, the audio, and the performances. I was specifically impressed with Jennifer Lawrence‘s portrayal of Katniss, as well as Elizabeth Banks‘ portrayal of the bizarre Effie Trinket. Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz also did well in bringing their characters to life, so I’ll give them that. As I mentioned earlier, I have some problems with certain decisions made by the director, and clearly, I’m conflicted about the story. But aside from that, The Hunger Games is still a movie I can recommend to most people, flaws and all.

Rating: 7/10

Transcription

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Credits

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Alright, we’re at Dragon*Con 2012, and I’ve got four cats right here. So, is it your first time at Dragon*Con?

All: No.

Matt: Okay, so you’ve been here before. How many times?

Kitty 3: This is my third year.

Matt: Third year.

Kitty 2: This is my sixth, I think.

Matt: Sixth year.

Kitty 4: Sixth.

Matt: Very nice.

Kitty 1: Third.

Matt: Third? Great. And is this – what kind of costume is this – you just went creative and had a whole bunch of cat costumes?

Kitty 3: Well… do you watch Big Bang Theory?

Matt: Yes I do.

Kitty 2, Kitty 3: Soft kitty?

Matt: Oh, soft kitty! Of course!

Kitty 3: Yes!

Matt: Of course, soft kitty.

All: (singing) Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur.

Matt: (laughs)

All (singing) Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.

Matt: That’s great, thank you. It’s a nice surprise, I thought it was just cats, but it was more than that, so thank you.

Kitty 4: We like the ones you’ve got to think about.

Matt: Yeah, no me too. I have – this costume, I don’t have all the pieces right now but it’s so – it’s a Canadian show, ’cause we’re from Canada, we flew down. So it’s a Canadian show, and no one recognized it yet.

Kitty 3: Aww.

Matt: Maybe, maybe eventually.

Kitty 4: What’s the show?

Matt: Trailer Park Boys. We’re not really recording, but –

Kitty 4: No haven’t heard about it.

Matt: Haven’t heard about it, it’s okay, it’s fine. His only gimmick, the character, his main gimmick, is that simply carries a glass around, with alcohol, never puts it down. So I just drink stuff that looks like alcohol.

Kitty 3: Ah okay.

Kitty 4: So you just drink all day long and call it your costume.

Matt: Right, but I use –

Kitty 4: (laughs)

Matt: (laughs) It’s a great costume, it’s a great costume.

Kitty 4: Hey, it works, it works!

All: (singing)  Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.

Credits

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Alright, we’re at Dragon*Con 2012, and I’m here with two cosplayers that I do not recognize, and I’m particularly intrigued because of the plunger. So if you could please tell me about your characters, tell me about yourselves.

John: I’m playing the Phantom of the Paradise which is from a 1970s movie directed by Brian De Palma as a musical version of the Phantom of the Opera.

Matt: Okay, not familiar, but still very cool. Yes?

Clara: I’m playing Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell manga, it’s an old school version of her outfit.

Matt: Okay, alright. And the plunger, where does that fit in?

John: He attacks somebody with a plunger in the middle of the movie, and the action figure actually comes with the plunger, so I figured it was –

Matt: Is there a clog he needs to fix? Or what’s the –

John: No, he attacks him in the bathroom, so it’s kind of a comedy.

Matt: I see, alright. How long have you been coming to Dragon*Con?

Clara: This is my third year.

Matt: Third year? Me too! Great.

Clara: (laughs)

John: I’ve been here for five or six years.

Matt: Five or six years, great. And are you from the area?

John: What’s that?

Matt: (repeating) Are you from the area?

John: Yes.

Matt: Yes?

John: Yeah, about a mile away.

Matt: A mile away, that’s pretty close. What’s your favorite thing about Dragon*Con?

Clara: I love that it’s a gathering of my people. The nerds, the dorks, we were picked on in school, but now I feel like we rule here. We’re cool now. (laughs)

Matt: Now we thrive, that’s right. (to John) Same?

John: Yeah, nerds, and drinking – it’s my life.

Matt: Excellent. Is there anything you would recommend someone who hasn’t been to Dragon*Con?

Clara: Well, I think that they definitely should go. You gotta start raising your nerds, when you have kids, bring them here, you can be yourself here – it’s amazing.

John: Yeah, if you’re a nerd, and you live in the area and you want to come, you should come – it’s fun.

Matt: Great. And if would ask you “what’s the best costume that you’ve seen today?” is there anything that comes to mind, that pops out?

Clara: I love the multitude of Shepard from Mass Effect. The costumes have been amazing here, and there’s so many of them now.

Matt: Yeah, me too.

John: Yeah, I liked seeing Rocket Racoon and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.

Matt: Okay, I’m not familiar, but… good. Um, and you’re names, I don’t believe you’ve mentioned your names.

Clara: My name is Clara.

Matt: Alright, Clara. (to John) Yes?

John: I’m John.

Matt: Nice meeting you both, and thanks for taking the time to interview with us. And may we use this interview on YouTube?

Clara: Yeah, no problem.

John: Yeah.

Matt: Thank you.

Clara: Thank you so much.

Matt: Thanks. (to John) Thank you, plunger man.

John: My hands are wet.

Matt: And you’re holding a plunger.

John: I’ve been – this is brand new, but I’ve been sweating so much, I was like –

Matt: It’s okay, I appreciate it. Alright, thank you.

And now the blooper.

Matt: And I’m here with two characters that I do not recognize, and I’m very curious about, particularly because you’re carrying a sponger.

Matt: What am I saying? (to camera man) Let me restart.

Clara: (laughs)

Matt: (laughs) (to camera man) Let me restart, I’m sorry.

Matt: It was, uh – sponger, what the hell is a sponger?

John: (laughs)

Clara: (laughs)

Matt: A plunger! It’s a plunger. Okay.

Credits

Featuring: John and Clara

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Once again at Dragon*Con 2012, and I just had to stop to talk to Link right here because I was particularly impressed with his costume. I remember Ocarina of Time very well, and I know that’s not the standard shield – I remember this shield, it was very useful. I also recall that the tunic is normally green, so if you could tell us a little more about the costume, and your design, your decisions.

Aaron Granofsky: Alright. Technically, this is the Twilight Princess Zelda version, but I wanted to make the Ocarina of Time mirror shield, so I built the mirror shield and just added it to the Twilight Princess. But Twilight Princess typically has Zora armor, but I didn’t know that before making the costume, so I made a blue version like Ocarina of Time, so I kinda just swapped all the different games into one.

Matt: I see. Do you remember, because it’s been a while since I played this, do you remember the effect of the blue tunic?

Aaron: Yes, the blue tunic allowed you to breathe underwater without a time limit.

Matt: That’s it, okay. And the mirror shield allowed you to reflect light and things like that.

Aaron: Yep.

Matt: Is this completely your creation?

Aaron: Pretty much, yep, everything.

Matt: I believe you had a site you wanted to mention?

Aaron: Yes, I have site called Fiberglass Blades, and it has all the tutorials on how I make this, and other ways of getting a copy of this as well. (Note from Matt: Aaron sells a very limited amount of his creations off his website, check it out if you’re into high quality costumes.)

Matt: And are you from around here?

Aaron: I’m from the Maryland area, just figured I’d check out Dragon*Con, I heard it’s pretty big, just decided to see what it’s like.

Matt: Great, and your thoughts so far?

Aaron: It’s quite massive, it’s quite different experience than the typical anime conventions I’m used to. It’s pretty fun.

Matt: Excellent. I’m glad you’re enjoying it, and I hope you enjoy the rest. Um, your name again?

Aaron: Aaron Granofsky.

Matt: And so far, have you seen other Legend of Zelda costumes?

Aaron: I have seen a few Links and other ones, Princess Zelda.

Matt: So I take it you got plenty of photos with them, good times?

Aaron: Yeah, yeah, we’ve been going around, we’ve been teaming up and getting photos together.

Matt: Alright, excellent. So have a good time, and thanks a lot for taking the time to interview with us.

Aaron: Alright, thanks.

Matt: Thank you. (reaches to shake hand) Let me see if I can shake your shield hand there. (laughs)

Aaron: (laughs)

Matt: Thanks.

Credits

Featuring: Aaron Granofsky

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Alright, we’re here at Dragon*Con 2012, and I’m here with Jason who’s dressed as Thor. Hello Jason, so how many times have you come to Dragon*Con?

Jason: This is my seventh year.

Matt: That’s great – what costumes have you worn before?

Jason: I’ve been a Hellraiser from Cenobite, or Cenobite from the Hellraiser movie.

Matt: Very nice.

Jason: Scottish highlander wearing a kilt, and of course Thor, one of my favorites – so this is my second year in a row being Thor.

Matt: Right. I noticed that that hammer is not just a regular hammer –

Jason: Yes.

Matt: I’ve seen many Thors, but that’s one strong hammer. Can you just tell us about the hammer?

Jason: Yeah, I’m a sheet metal worker, and I do sheet metal fabrication and everything, and this is a stainless steel channel and it weighs about thirty pounds, mirrored stainless steel. I completely welded it all together, polished it, wrapped the handle in leather, had it engraved, and I’ve had it for about fifteen years now.

Matt: Very nice. Do you have a website you’d like to mention?

Jason: Uh, no I do not.

Matt: Okay. Great. Alright, so there’s that, and then – what would you say is the best part of Dragon*Con to you?

Jason: Everything. There’s just so much phenomenal stuff about this, that’s why I keep coming back every year, the people, the fun, and I think the best thing to me is: I have children, so having other people’s children run up to me, and want their picture with me, is just the coolest thing in the world to me.

Matt: That’s great.

Jason: Because I know my children have done it as they were growing up, so I can kind of give back to them now, being a character that the children kinda look up to, and I have five-year-old children running up to me, wanting their picture with me, so yeah, that’s pretty neat.

Matt: Great. Are you from the area?

Jason: Yeah, I’m from Dallas, Georgia, about 45 minutes away.

Matt: Great.

Jason: Yep.

Matt: Okay, sounds good, so very nice meeting you.

Jason: Absolutely.

Matt: Thanks again.

Jason: Thank you, Matt.

Credits

Featuring: Jason

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Alright, we’re at Dragon*Con 2012 and I’m here with Justin who decided to dress as Walt Whitman. From Breaking Bad, and yet, he seems to be –

Justin: Walt Whitman? It was Walt Whitman?

Matt: Wasn’t it?

Justin: Uh, I think it was Walter White.

Matt: Oh!

Justin: Walt Whitman was the writer.

Matt: Jesus, Walter White.

Justin: Yeah.

Matt: That’s right, okay. (to cameraman) We’ll restart?

Justin: I think that was good, that was good though.

Matt: Yeah, it’s fine, it’s just.

Justin: It was a nice gap, I liked it.

Matt: Oh, you mean, like a natural mistake? What do you mean?

Justin: Well, yeah, you were like, yeah, “Walt Whitman, he made meth too!”

Matt: (laughs)

Justin: Most people did not know that!

Matt: Alright, so we’re Dragon*Con 2012 and I’m here as Justin who dressed up as Walter White from the Breaking Bad series, and he didn’t really go with stealth for today, he decided to go all out and showcase that he is a meth cook, or something dangerous like that. So Walt, is this your first time at Dragon*Con?

Justin: No, I’ve been coming for about, I’d say, five years now.

Matt: Five years?

Justin: Five years.

Matt: Are you from around here?

Justin: Actually, yeah, I live in Douglasville, about 45 minutes outside of Atlanta.

Matt: Aright.

Justin: So not much of a drive.

Matt: So not much a a – pardon?

Justin: Not much of a drive –

Matt: Oh, okay.

Justin: Compared to a lot of people.

Matt: Yeah. We fly down from Montreal.

Justin: You know, I thought I heard a little something there.

Matt: Yeah?

Justin: Yep.

Matt: So what’s your favorite part about Dragon*Con?

Justin: Well, honestly, for one thing the costumes, just walking around, seeing some of the amazing stuff people do. Another is just the sheer range of different kinds of panels you can go to, since there’s no one specific thing going on at Dragon*Con. So you can go to a panel on Star Wars one minute, and then an hour later be listening to the actors of True Blood talk about what goes on the set, so…

Matt: Right.

Justin: There’s always something interesting going on.

Matt: Yeah, that’s true. Can I have an idea of the other costumes that you’ve worn in the past? Is this the first, here?

Justin: No, no, this is one of the costumes I wear. I went as the clown doctor from Children’s hospital, the year before – the year before last, that was actually pretty good. I mean, the make-up ran a little bit, but it got a good response out of people. I think the big thing I try to do is try to get something that you’re not gonna see a lot of, because it gets a little better response.

Matt: I agree, and also less people might recognize the reference that you’re making, the value of the people that do recognize – I think, is a lot more value – you know, it’s a lot more valuable to actually see the few that actually recognize the reference. Would you agree?

Justin: Oh, yeah. It’s – I’m gonna admit, it’s a little bit of an ego thing, when you have people coming up to you all day and going “Can I please get a picture? Can I take a picture with you?” Because that makes you feel like you put some work into it, and that you came up with a really good idea that people are responding to.

Matt: Right? That’s true. I’m actually – this is my first experiment, this is a Canadian TV show I’m dressed up as, a character from a Canadian TV show. Not hits so far, but we’ll see, you know. Always have to walk around with a glass, that’s one of the quirks of this character.

Justin: Ahhhh.

Matt: It can be challenging, carrying everything.

Justin:  This thing right here is not exactly comfortable, and the suit itself? It’s pretty warm on the inside.

Matt: I see.

Justin: But I mean, that’s the cost.

Matt: It keeps you safe, when you’re working.

Justin: True.

Matt: That’s great, so yeah, great meeting you.

Justin: Pleasure.

Credits

Featuring: Justin

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira

Transcription

Matt Refghi: Alright, so we just arrived at Dragon*Con 2012, and we encountered Moss from The IT Crowd. How are you doing, Moss?

Maurice Moss: (British accent) Doing well, thank you.

Matt: Alright, I see that you have a cup there.

Moss: (British accent) Absolutely, I’ve searched the canteen completely and most thoroughly, and I’ve actually found my cup.

Matt: Woah.

Moss: (British accent) It’s very, very distinctive because there’s a picture on the base.

Matt: Okay, alright. How do you differentiate between that cup and the other cups.

Moss: (British accent) Well, mainly the picture is what does it, although I do see Richmond drinking from it from time to time, which makes me a little bit vexed.

Matt: I thought he died from scurvy.

Moss: (British accent) He did. But then later he came back, as you know, from goth to boss?

Matt: That’s right.

Moss: (British accent) Absolutely. Quite surprising.

Matt: I see, and I see you’re also wearing a very interesting shirt right there.

Moss:  (British accent) Oh, well, yes, see, unfortunately, it is the week-end, and since it is the week-end, Aunt Irma visits.

Matt:  Oh, yeah.

Moss: (British accent) Sometimes, it gets a little bit wonky with our emotions and breast tenderness, it’s a little embarrassing to be quite certain.

Matt: I see. So I see you’ve embraced it, it seems that you like to show off this image, now. How is Jen doing, by the way?

Moss: (British accent) Well, Jen unfortunately couldn’t make it… because of Aunt Irma.

Matt: Because of Aunt Irma.

Moss: (British accent) It gets a little bit unwieldy having her out of sorts with her wild hair and her womanly ways, and all sorts of things that aren’t necessarily proper for small children or… anyone.

Matt: Probably a wise decision, yes. Alright, so how long have you been coming to Dragon*Con?

At this point Lucien stops speaking in character, and drops the British accent.

Lucien: I’m going to break character I guess, for that one since it’s a knocker, but I first started in 1996, so I’ve been coming for… 16 years. Yeah, 16 years, that’s a long time.

Matt: Yeah, so you’re from the area, I take it?

Lucien: I’ve lived in Georgia for about half of my life, I was originally from California.

Matt: I see.

Lucien: So I moved out here, and go back and forth quite frequently to visit family, stuff like that, so. How long have you been being coming to the Con?

Matt: This is my third year, and his first year.

Lucien: Awesome, first year. Nice!

Matt: First year, yeah. And we just arrived, and just bumped into Lucien who also – when I came here last year, I saw him, and thought he had the best costume.

Lucien: Thank you sir, I appreciate that. That’s awesome, dude.

Matt: You’re welcome. So I wrote a blog post, and he happened to find it randomly, so it’s just really funny that the first person I encounter here is Lucien. So, very good, and you’re rocking that uniform again, I like.

Lucien: Absolutely.

Matt: Like the accent, you really have that down.

Lucien: I try, sometimes it gets hard, like his pronunciation is a little weird after certain vowel sounds, so it’s really hard to capture it. But, I do the best I can, you have to practice for like weeks in advance.

Matt: That’s some dedication.

Lucien: It is.

Matt: I see you also embody the body language.

Lucien: Yes, that’s really important. That was killer for me, because if I’m going to do the costume, I feel it’s important to be in costume, I think it’s important to be in character all the time. When I have my next one on which is, like I said his character from The Watch, I try to – he doesn’t have much speaking parts in that, but he’s – I don’t want to spoil it on camera since you haven’t seen it, but I have a prop from it that’s very distinctive.

Matt: I see.

Lucien: Hopefully, you know, it’ll be – his character is similar, so it should be easy.

Matt: Okay, so it’s been a pleasure meeting up with you, and by the way, just so you know, we come from Montreal, Canada.

Lucien: Oh, seriously!

Matt: We fly down, yeah.

Lucien: That’s awesome. Yeah, everyone comes from all around, that’s always nice. I have a guy who came, I met him yesterday, he’s dressed as Rimmer from Red Dwarf –

Matt: Okay. I’m not familiar with it, but go ahead.

Lucien: It’s an old 1980s British sci-fi comedy –

Matt: Right.

Lucien: He’s here, and he came from Australia.

Matt: Nice.

Lucien: First Dragon*Con, awesome.

Matt: Very nice. Great, so yea, good seeing you and  –

Lucien: Absolutely.

Matt: So see you again.

Credits

Featuring: Lucien Freeman

Filmed by: Joseph Pereira