Way back at CC 18, I created a FAQ sheet for newbies. Of course, back then
we didn’t have all the new anime, etc. groups to welcome to our fold that we
do now, and the tech requirements have changed somewhat, but the overall
seems to hold up pretty well.
Tina
*Frequently Asked Questions: A brief primer for the new (and not-so-new)
costumer*
*
I’m new to this. I feel really nervous about…
*** *
… appearing in costume on stage.
*
A: We all had to start sometime. Yes, it can be scary going up on stage the
first few times. Probably, every person you see up there felt that way at
first (some of them who have been doing costumes for years *still* feel that
way), but try to remember that you’re among friends at this convention.
*
… talking to these strangers in costume, talking to experienced costumers
who may look down on me as a newbie, etc.
*
A: Costume fans are one of the friendliest groups of people around. Most of
them love to talk to other people about costuming and costumes, especially
their own costumes. On the other hand, don’t decide that someone is
terminally stuck-up if they don’t want to talk to you just then: they may be
on a serious sleep deficit, need caffeine or food desperately, be jet-lagged
and not feeling very functional, or they may just be really, seriously,
nervous about their presentation a bit later in the con and have a major set
of butterflies distracting them. Just as you sometimes don’t feel like
talking to people, you may also be catching the other person at a bad time.
*
… competing against more experienced costumers.
*
A: This is why the *Division system*** was created. What is the Division
system, you may ask? It is a means of separating the new or inexperienced
costumers from the more experienced costumers, *for purposes of judging*.
The judges (and audience) will recognize that a Novice costumer is likely to
have less experience, and (in some cases) less well honed skills than a
Journeyman, Craftsman, or Master costumer. Novices are judged in relation to
other Novices, Journeymen in relation to Journeymen, and so forth. A Novice
costume is *not* an inferior costume — on a number of occasions, Novice
costumes have won Best In Show, over costumes made and presented by
experienced Masters.
*
What do all of these things regarding the Masquerades/Competitions mean?
**
What is the tech (technical) rehearsal and why do I have to go to it?:
*
A: The *tech rehearsal*** is *very important* to you. At many larger
conventions, and *definitely* at WorldCon or Costume-Con, it is required for
all entrants. It ensures that you actually see the stage you will be
appearing on. Hopefully, you will also
A*walk*@ the stage, as well. If you have a “feel” for the space you will
have available, your presentation will look better, and you are less likely
to fall off the front, back or side of the stage — this is also a safety
factor.
The *”tech” crew*** *really* want to make you look good on stage.
Unfortunately, this is harder if they have no idea what you have in mind. By
going to the tech rehearsal, you will have a chance to explain to them what
you want to do in terms of sound (if you brought a sound effects tape),
lighting, and any other special effects they may have available. They may
even make suggestions that could make your costume or presentation look
better.
The *MC (Master of Ceremonies***/Narrator), who will be announcing your
costume, will also be there. You will have a chance to talk to him or her
about your presentation. If your costume introduction text has any exotic
words in it, you should plan to spell them out phonetically for the MC. Any
text you want read should be CLEARLY printed or typed.
Above all, no matter how much you want to surprise the audience and your
fellow costumers, *never*, *ever***, surprise the *masquerade director***.
He or she will not divulge anything about your planned presentation, but the
director needs to know about anything that may be unusual or potentially
unsafe. This includes things like flash powder, smoke bombs, fog machines,
stuff you plan to throw around on the stage, etc., as well as any unusual
props (accessories) or weapons, or unusual moves (such as leaping off the
stage). *Note*: throwing objects out at the judges and audience is a no-no!
*
What is the Green Room?
*
A: The Green Room is the backstage area where the contestants gather as they
prepare to go on stage. Check-in time usually is at least two hours before
the expected curtain time. The costumers can finish getting into their
costumes (if they haven
=t already done so in their rooms), test their props one last time, and
maybe put on or touch up their makeup. Contestants should *not*** bring
friends or family members (especially children) backstage, unless they are
also going to be on stage B the Green Room is chaotic enough as it is
without non-contestants milling about! Contestants are grouped in “dens,”
with a Den Mom or Den Dad, who helps the costumers in his or her group. This
may include helping you get into your costume, trying to calm jittery
nerves, fetching water/snacks for you if your costume is bulky or awkward to
get around in, and generally doing his/her best to make sure you are ready
to go on stage and look great! The *Green Room Manager*** is the overall
backstage person who keeps the chaos from getting out of hand. He or she
keeps track of which costumes have checked in (or not checked in yet), and
makes sure that the “dens” go up on stage in the proper sequence.
Also customary in the Green Room (at least at larger conventions) is a
Repair Table. It offers basic equipment to effect repairs to a costume which
has developed problems. It is not there for the purpose of
building/assembling/creating your costume — *it is only for repairs*.
Typically, the repair table offers needles, threads of various colors,
safety pins, bobby pins, hot glue guns, small hand tools such as pliers,
adhesives, tapes, string and wire, etc., and may also include a makeup
mirror and some basic makeup repair materials (again, this is for repairs or
touch-ups, not to create a full makeup job). For
(Over
)
health/sanitary reasons, you should plan to bring your own special colors of
lipstick and eye makeup. Sometimes the repair table person will have some
experience with stage makeup, but you cannot rely upon this for sure. Please
note: the equipment and supplies on the repair table are usually the *personal
property* of the person at the repair table, who has kindly donated the use
of them to the con; you should make every effort to return tools, etc. when
you are finished using them.
*
Stage
**
Aninjas@
**
*
will help you get on and off of the stage safely. If you hear someone out
there in the dark say *ASTOP!@*, or feel a slap on your leg or ankle as you
are about to leave the stage, you should *stop***. It probably means that
you aren=t lined up for the stairs and were about to fall off the stage,
because the lights were in your eyes. When you walk the stage during tech
rehearsal, check to see about how many steps you can take forward (or
backward) safely.
*
What is Workmanship Judging? Do I have to be judged for Workmanship?
*
A: The *workmanship judge* does exactly that. He or she gets “up close and
personal,” looking at the special details, such as applique, beadwork,
leather or metalwork, special design and construction of interest, and the
many other facets that comprise *superior*** workmanship on a costume. You
do not have to present yourself to the workmanship judge. However, if there
is some aspect of your costume that you feel exhibits special workmanship or
ingenuity on your part, this is your opportunity to have it recognized. You
do not need to have your entire costume judged for workmanship — you may
elect to have just a tiny facet of your costume judged — a beaded bodice, a
lovingly-hand-hammered breastplate, the cleverly designed mechanism you
invented to make your wings open and close, or the gloves or shoes you made
from scratch. If your costume is held together with spit and baling wire,
don’t even consider it! If there are bits of detail you are really proud of,
you definitely should give workmanship judging serious consideration.
*
What should I do about a sound track?
*
A: Hopefully, you already gave this some thought before you arrived at the
con. The perfect bit of music can help to “make” a so-so costume, just as a
poor choice of music can be jarring and may detract from an otherwise great
presentation. Preferably, your sound should be on tape, not CD, for ease of
cueing. It should not be recorded in “stereo” (right side different from
left side), as the sound system available may not be able to play both
Atracks@ — you might end up with a vital bit of your sound un-played. It
should be *clearly labeled* with your name and your costume’s title. It
should also be labeled “right side” and “wrong side”, so the tech knows
which side of the tape has your sound on — there=s nothing worse than going
out on stage expecting music or voice-over, only to find that your tape got
put in upside down because of poor labeling. (The easiest way to avoid this
is to record your sound on both sides of the tape.) The tape you hand in to
the masquerade director should be already cued-up (on the Aright@ side) to
the point at which you want it to start. It is best to start with a clean
tape, rather than taping over an old one (which could lead to embarrassing
bits of inappropriate sound-track). Put on it just what you need for your
presentation, rather than an entire song/piece of music, to also ensure that
what you *want* will be played. If your tape is properly labeled, it should
be easy to get it back to you after the masquerade. If you didn’t bring a
tape with you, sometimes “tech” can help you out — frequently, they have a
variety of suitable sound bits that they can play, if you work with them
(see “Tech Rehearsal,” above).
*
What’s all this about “Presentation”?
*
A: How you look and move on stage helps you show your costume to the
audience and judges, and helps to convey the costume
=s mood or story. Yes, you can just walk on stage, and then walk off the
other side, but this won=t show off the work you put into your costume (see
also, Tech Rehearsal – walking the stage). Your movements on stage should be
planned to let the judges and audience see the back of the costume as well
as the front, and show off any special decoration or details. At the very
least, plan to move in a circle on stage, to show the back and sides of your
costume as well as the front. Stay in character: if you’re a warrior, stomp;
if you’re a princess, be regal; if you=re a cat, slink and prowl. Your
movements will set the tone of your costume. Think of it as Amethod
acting.@One more thing — remember that the judges are sitting with
their eyes at
about the level of your ankles or knees B don=t forget to hem your costume
and wear appropriate footgear.
*
Why is there a time limit on stage?
*
A: It may not seem like it, but when you
=re up there on stage, a minute is a LOOONNNGGG time! Unless you have a
sizable group, it only takes half or three-quarters of a minute to do a
little Astage business@ and go off. The longer you stay on stage, the better
a Astory@ you should have your costume and presentation tell; if you bore
the audience/judges, you lose them. Dances or martial arts displays that go
on *forever* are booorrring! One of the sayings in costume fandom is Ashort
is good; funny is better; short and funny is best.@ While that isn=t always
the case (there are plenty of serious costumes), it does express the general
idea.
*
I just saw someone walk up to another costumer and say
**
AI hate you!!@ That doesn=t sound very friendly to me!
*
A: It may seem strange, but that phrase is one of the ultimate accolades in
costume fandom, along with
AYou=re *despicable*!!@ What it really means is AYou=ve got a killer costume
that I can=t possibly win against, and I should be jealous, but it=s SO
great that I love it!@ Costumers enjoy and respect a great costume and great
workmanship, even when it=s not their own B that=s what this is all about!
NOW, most important of all, go out and have FUN!!! Oh, and *don*
*=t forget to eat something and get some sleep!!*
**
*(Pasting this in seems to have introduced a couple of strange line breaks
that weren’t originally there — Tina)*
**
**
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