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"Finding Jesus At Wondercon", Tom Payne And Behind-The-Scenes Talent Talk Creating Our Favorite Fandom Hits

Emilie Badaboom writes from WonderCon,

Right as Wondercon kicked off, a hushed crowd of fans ranging from the Vampire Diaries to Walking Dead cosplayers sat quietly as the panelists chatted in the front of the hall. Being lucky enough to snag a seat just off to the side of the stage, I was able to settle in comfortably as my Wondercon adventure began.

A short video clip of scenes from Mr. Robot, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Walking Dead, Key and Peele, Lucifer, The Vampire Diaries, and others played perfectly hyping up the crowd. Maureen Toth, owner of Eastern Talent Agency, introduced panelists and moderators to the fans as Chris Villain and actor Tom Payne (Jesus, The Walking Dead) started a short script of paying tribute to the arduous task of translating concept design to art.

The panel hosted a wide range of behind the scenes talent, including costume designer Elaine Montalvo (best known for her work on TWD Season 7, who had to catch a plane that evening to begin work on Season 8!), production designer Gary Kordan (Key & Peele and Workaholics), editor Philip Harrison (Mr. Robot), editor Tony Solomons (Freakish and The Vampire Diaries), editor Marc Pattavina (Lucifer), and makeup artist Maggie Fung (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).

Insider jokes and desensitivity spilled faster than a skewered zombie's guts as panelists Kordan and Harrison bantered back and forth about always needing more blood and even carrying a disembodied head in a trunk for 3 days for fear of losing it. Montalvo stifled a laugh as she told a story of the time she mistakenly texted the wrong number about a slashed throat changing to a guttural kill..and the rushed clarifying of what was going on to avoid a visit from the police. Creative modes of death flew around the room as panelists joked of favorite props and a declaration of 'Don't search our internet browser history!' by Kordan.

Of course there's a fine line of recreating a loved character in a show and adding new material to keep viewers coming back week after week. Editor Pattavina admitted backstage to his curiosity how fans would react to the changes made to Lucifer. He admitted he had some knowledge of Sandman, but wasn't a 'buff' enough to know the story arc and relied on the writers' passion to stick to the characters. During the panel, Harrison and Solomon admitted to not having a 'strict leash' to adhere to the source material, and to rather focus on the flow and look of the show.

CGI was also touched on, Kordan, Solomons, and Pattavina admitted to using CGI as a method to better fit actors' comfort on set, recreate a scene or stunt that wasn't caught on film in the manner they wanted it, or as a way to fill in the pieces of effects. In an interview with Bleeding Cool, Fung spoke of CGI and it's effect on the makeup industry. "You can't stop progress", she said, "CGI can do a lot of our work like blood, effects, I mean everything… there's a practical sense when you watch a film with a practical effect… it's more relatable." Fung's positivity and passion for the film industry radiated throughout the panel and interview. She commented on how she didn't care about the size of the budget, she loved a challenge and loved her work.

Of course, TWD's costumes reigned as Tom Payne asked his costume designer questions regarding his own outfits and those of his castmates. She spoke on the scene where Rick and Michonne used a wire between two cars to slice dozens of walkers at the waist, and how she had to fit each and every walker with a unique, themed costume with padding to allow for their fall. Some walker actors aren't trained for stunts, and Montalvo had to take that into effect when creating the padding. In an interview before the panel she told Bleeding Cool about how she created every piece of clothing on the show, including on the inanimate dead bodies floating in the water. She also has to alter the show's extra outfits after each 'battle scar' moment to reflect previous injuries.

During the panel, Tom Payne commented on his own character's sense of style and how he saw Maggie wearing his character's shirts later on in the season. Montalvo confirmed since Maggie was spending time with Jesus, she relied on his clothes as her own as time went on and she adapted his 'look'. Of course, no questions about the remaining episodes or next season were addressed.

The panel had a very relaxed feel, it was a broad-based collection of passionate artists who enjoyed their work and made the room feel like one large discussion. Chris Villain's chipper disposition and questions kept the ball rolling, and of course seeing Jesus' luscious locks in person was icing on the cake.

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