Getting back to the discussion late:
Re (With apologies to the Honey Badger) “cosplayers don’t care”. Reading the discussion and drawing from my own experience, I can certainly understand the mindset of there being less of a sense of “competition-worthy” costumes, but Stace’s comments give me some insight into the perception. So, it’s not so much “onstage competition-worthy” – that energy is less focused on masquerade competition and more about impressing their peers and the public in the halls. There’s apparently still a healthy sense of competition among a certain percentage of costumer/cosplayers, though. Nonetheless, there are “horror stories” of the ones that lie about their workmanship, etc. (Andy has a very notorious example of that).
Now, at these large media cons mentioned (Dragon Con, AN, etc.) , their shows are more “costume contests and maybe they don’t care – this is Costume-Con. Costume-Con has masquerades. The con has its own culture, and should be recognized as unique in its focus. Yes, it should be inclusive, but I think it does a disservice to new people to assume they are not willing to learn about how a different con works.
Re: Awards – Those “horse ribbons” represent more at CC. Sure, the big cons have all sorts of prizes, etc. But at CC, they represent recognition by their peers that they are respected for their efforts. That shouldn’t be underestimated. And for a lot of people, that respect is more important to them because their labors of love are acknowledged. I know – I have seen the excitement and tears when they get called up on stage.
An additional thought or two: One thing that sets CC apart is the opportunity to have a tech rehearsal. I fully understand the decisions made by the CC32 tech crew to abbreviate times (or outright deny time to some) for completely valid logistical reasons, due to the number of entries. I just hope that’s not a precedent set. New people are always amazed and thankful for the time to walk the stage with Tech. And frankly, that’s probably only a danger when we’re back in San Diego and Toronto. Hopefully, aware of CC32’s experience, those bigger cons will plan accordingly.
Ultimately, it’s still the prerogative of each MD, or concom, to set the costume policy. Should CC34 adopt the suggestions made on this list, it will be interesting to see what impact it has on the hall costumes as well as the quality of the masquerade(s). It’s is an opportunity to “make new mistakes!”, as pas CC con staff have frequently exhorted the concoms that follow to do.
For my part, I’m actually glad to know what the policy for Toronto will be – I think it might give me a slight advantage over many of my fellow competitors. 🙂
Bruce
On Tue, Apr 28, 2015 at 3:36 PM, castleb@atlanticbb.net [runacc] <runacc@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Masquerade rules have not been standardized over the years, and have been at the discretion of each Masquerade Director. Can anyone give me an example where wearing your competition costume in the halls before the competition was explicitly forbidden? My memory of this (which may be inaccurate) is that it has always been put forth as a strongly worded suggestion. As others have pointed out, the more people that see a costume before a competition, the less the element of surprise and pleasure at seeing it for the first time, which may affect the perception of both the audience and the judges. If the competitor doesn’t care and wants to wear their costume in the halls, that’s their prerogative.
Fashion Show is a separate case, because those costumes are special, and seeing them in the halls (or entered in the F&S/F masquerade the night before) is generally considered a no-no. The Fashion Show costumes entered in the Masquerade issue occurred at the very first convention I attended, and it left a lasting impression of impropriety. Again, if you’ve seen it in the halls or in a previous competition, then there is no incentive to attend the Fashion Show and see the design-to-reality magic on stage. And again, I’m not sure if there has ever been a specific proscription spelled out in the rules for Fashion Show participation.
Competitions have rules. If you want to compete, you have to follow the rules. If a masquerade director or con chair feels strongly enough, maybe this needs to move from a “suggestion” to a “rule.”
I kind of like the “A costume worn in the halls other than to transport it and yourself to the green room is not eligible for Best in Show” is a nice compromise. You can enter, but if you want the biggest big ribbon, you need to keep it under wraps.
From: runacc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:runacc@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 11:39 AM
To: runacc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [runacc] Survey – (was Hall costumes are becoming the Competition costumes…)
Pretty much what Vicky said. Now, I haven’t gone to a large anime con in years (AnimeCentral, Anime Detour) but when people are talking about churning out 3-8 costumes a year, they’re talking about hall costumes. They want to have things specifically for series/fandom photoshoots and to fill spots in groups with friends, for the most part. But sometimes these hall costumes do end up on stage, whether on a whim or because the masquerade simply exists.
As to the idea that the big cons “don’t care” if you wear your stage costume in the halls? Not always true. At Dragon*Con there is an entirely different culture of costuming, it really can’t be compared to most cons we regularly attend. It’s a special monster. Some of the big anime cons have all-day pre-judging so you’re FORCED to wear your costume in the halls, even for a little bit, something I personally abhor with every fiber of my being. But competition at these same places can be cutthroat. People will lie about commissions, fight for the coveted spots in the show, sandbag with costumes that’ve already won Best in Show elsewhere, etc.
What’s in it for the cosplayers? Sure, winning is “just” a ribbon and a certificate some places, but some places it’s swag. Some places it’s a large trophy (I have 5 sitting on my mantle across the room). So if it’s “just” a certificate, why the vicious competition? Don’t blame Heroes of Cosplay, it was around before that pile of fake drama. Competition is still a thing, in people’s minds, so to dismiss something as simple as “don’t damage your costume or prejudice the judges” as unnecessary isn’t taking the whole picture into account. We’ve all collectively listed a lot of great reasons not to wear your competition piece all weekend, and “we’ve seen it already, it’s boring” is the LEAST of those reasons.
The reason I advocate a rule or at least a guideline is because in a lot of cases, cultivating a habit or a new (old) way of doing things takes time, patience, and a lot of one-on-one handholding. I would say Geek-kon needed at least 5 years of the costume department and masq. directors diligently sticking to their guns and slogging through a routine before people started to catch on that the masquerade is more fun and interesting when you bring your biggest, shiniest thing and really put some effort into it versus wearing closet-raided Naruto costumes and making out with your gf on stage. Actual example, not making that up. But that routine included requiring rehearsals and checking with people before handing them a hall cosplay award for the same costume they were taking to the masquerade. Having rules in place speeds it up – without rules, that transition would have taken a lot more than 5 years.
I don’t know that we’re ever going to come to a consensus but at least understanding where everyone is coming from is important. Plus, it’s very hard to blanket-statement any of this. Every region has different habits and traditions. What flies at Anime Boston is gauche at Anime Detour, and what’s passe on the coasts is still really popular in the Midwest. To a point, we have to let regional cons do what works in their region. But there are some things that aren’t a bad idea to attempt to universally adopt, and that’s why we argue on this list. 🙂
Stace
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From: runacc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:runacc@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2015 8:51 PM
To: runacc@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [runacc] Survey – (was Hall costumes are becoming the Competition costumes…)
As someone who’s speaking from almost entirely the Anime/Gaming/Multigenre costuming and convention-running perspective, there’s really no perception of “competition-worthy”. That doesn’t formally exist in such conventions and is looked on as a bit snobbish (YMMV).
I think it’s important to acknowledge that the general public of cosplayers/costumers (however you orient) don’t largely care about arbitrary ideas about whether or not a costume is seen prior to the Masquerade. DragonCon doesn’t care, Anime North doesn’t care, Otakon doesn’t care, Otakuthon doesn’t care, Anime Boston doesn’t care, etc etc. Heck, I’ve yet to see a Comiccon that cares.
After all, what’s actually in it for contestants? By and large, if one were to argue the bare bones, it’s a horse ribbon and bragging rights. Most of these people understand, respect, and enjoy costuming, but won’t be beholden to such rules if the stakes are supposed to be friendly and genial.
It’s similar to how some fannish conventions try to limit the type of costumes which appear. Doctor Who may not be anime, but the majority certainly doesn’t care. At the end of the day, an enterprising cosplayer will simply augment the costume or find some obscure manga/anime reference to Doctor Who to justify things if they have to. Conventions which try to enforce this kind of thing are usually ignored or mocked, and don’t really further an inclusive atmosphere.
Back to the actual topic though: I don’t think we would support any ban on wearing costumes prior to the Masquerade. In my view, at least, it seems like an unnecessary restriction.
Posted by: admin@conbravo.com
