So, Im think of holing a Zombie Survival/Apocalypse panel this fanime, as well as the KH one. But, this si SUCH a broad topic! I was wondering what you guys would like to see in such a panel?
Honestly, there's a ton of written material, websites out there already but if you hold a panel maybe you could discuss any of the following:
Defensive techniques (fighting)
Defensive techniques (finding a place to hole up in and defend)
Preparing for what may come (identifying a hideout now, identifying weapons, identifying protection)
Or maybe compare what we've seen in movies, on tv, read, etc. to how we should/could/would react in real life (e.g. what would you do if you ended up in Night of the Living Dead?)
dont forget the wild weapon making ideas at
tape it or die . com
and video games/ movies / anime about the stereotpyical hilarious chaos that happens during your standard zombie apocalypse...
I've gone to a fair amount of these, some wildly entertaining, a lot of 'em pretty lackluster.
I find that the dealmaker isn't 100% in information, but if the panel itself is entertaining. The majority of these panels end up as lectures about information that anyone that is curious can google up. Be unique with your visuals, Powerpoints are nice but props are better. Maybe find/make/borrow/steal replicas of good AND bad weapons. Audience interaction is the most important thing about a panel. I attended a panel once that took volunteers to place paper targets on themselves in areas that they learned were zombie weak spots, and then other volunteers to shoot the targets with different types of Nerf guns (shotgun, pistol, rifle, sniper rifle). Needless to say, it was a riot.
As an aside, the word "zombie" itself is EXTREMELY interpretable, so make sure you have clearly defined what "breed", if you will, of zombie you're informing the audience about. It might be interesting if you compare a couple types (e.g. the Green Flu type, your classic Dawn of the Dead zombies, the modern science-gone-wrong type, etc.) when talking about weaknesses and abilities.
I hope this was helpful. Good luck, you'll probably see me there :]
Suggestion: Since this is an Anime convention, and Fanime's theme this year is Steampunk...
How about concocting something to do with Anime characters in steam punk costumes turning into zombies? Or... at a steampunk event... or... I'll leave it to you from there. ;D
What if you also take clips of anime/video game series with zombies for examples of dos and don'ts? (Like High School of the Dead and that kinda thing) Though depending on the rating of your panel, some of those might be better suited for an age 16+ panel. xD;
it would be cool if you got the hight school of the death cosplayers to volunteer to show up...since well...it is about a zombie apacolypse..haha