Masquerade Awards?

[Anonymous No.8606701]

Can we have a thread on the judging and awards for masquerades? For example:

>What do you think are appropriate categories for masquerades?
>Should the cosplay contest/walk-ons be a separate event from the Skits?
>What should the cap be?
>What should be the qualifications of being invited as a judge in the first place?
>What kind of awards should there be that's worth the chance of winning for the craftsmanship of a costume, skit, and time dedicated to spending an entire day prepping for the convention's masq.?

In terms of awards, I know from experience that from this past weekend at Sac Anime, from the 8 hour shitfest that was spent participating in the masquerade, one of my friends won in a fairly big category, and their award was

>a box of green tea pocky, the same shit that was given away for free in the con bag
>a bottle of ramune
>a sac anime pin
>a sac anime T-Shirt
We were laughing about it but at the same time, we're both pissed that this was the level of bullshit being handed out for winning, especially after all the time we wasted prepping for it. I'm still curious to know what best in show got

[Anonymous No.8606715]

>>8606701
It's hard to say because it depends on your locale, the community, the con itself, and using the results of the previous year (if new, the results of similar in the area).

[Anonymous No.8606720]

>>8606701

better than getting postcards for the buffy the vampire slayer box sets "going on sale soon" from like 1999 at 2011 Fanime I think it was that year

[Anonymous No.8606761]

>>8606720
Try DBZ volume 3 en español

[Anonymous No.8606765]

A category I never liked was "Best male/best female". I always got super confused whether that actually meant my gender or my character's gender.

[Anonymous No.8606786]

>>8606701
>>8606720
>>8606761
Damn, and I thought my shelfwarmer Tenchi Muyo Ayaka scale that my ex ended up taking was bad.

[Anonymous No.8607071]

>>8606765
Here we go again

[Anonymous No.8607220]

>>8606786
I once won a big cosplay contest and didn't get anything. Well, I got the cheap ass trophy, but otherwise nothing.

At least give me a bottle of ramune and a pack of pockys...

[Anonymous No.8607229]

>>8606701
I hate the bullshit mentality of how if you're a seamstress, you're automatically a good and qualified judge. Or when you're some other experienced anime translator/whatever you'll make a good judge because of your knowledge of anime characters. Even though half of the time they're thirsty geek guys looking for cleavage costumes or full body armors. Judges should only be experienced cosplayers because they're evaluating a cosplay, not clothes or a character. Seamstress judges tend to be really fucking nitpicky about everything and reward a fellow professional seamstress despite their unbelievably shitty props/wig work and proportions. I'm sorry I can't afford factory-quality tools and don't know all the best construction ideals for clothes nurtured by years of studying clothing design, but at least my suit looks like the reference image and is fucking balanced with props I bothered to sand. //salty

[Anonymous No.8607593]

I want to enter a masquerade. Is acting in character worth it? My costume is the Elite Knight from Dark Souls; will mimicking the movements, gaits, and gestures of the video game model score extra points with judges?

[Anonymous No.8608676]

>>8607593
nope

[Anonymous No.8609040]

>>8607593

It depends on the contest and who the staff head brings in to judge. I have participated in contests that bring in a professional actor/director (not nessissarily convention guests) where their only job is to judge your stage presence if you're just doing runway or judge skits. It was actually really nice.

[Anonymous No.8609043]

>>8607229
This

I wish the judges would also give feedback to the people entering

[Anonymous No.8609215]

>>8606720

The only good thing I ever got from Fanime's masq was a copy of Newtype from Nov. 1994. They literally gave us plastic grocery bags full of flyers and magazine inserts. I once got a Fanime 2002 t-shirt in extra small.

[Anonymous No.8609224]

>>8609040
The acting judge has always bugged me a little because I can't think of a single skit/walkon where it wasn't clear that the acting/audio was meh, good or cringy as fuck.

I gave up on contests finally because they are such bullshit. The most recent was one where I knew I wasn't getting anything but then a ton of great people got snubbed for a good cash award because a couple dressed as Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze had body paint and one of the judges was an special FX makeup artist. Tehy were okay at best and Freeze's pack was clearly made of 2L soda bottle. This was also one of those contests where they judge you while on stage, no pre judging which is always a warning sign.

There was another tiny con where one of the walk-ons got the Best Performance award that was supposed to go to skits because she did a really good cackle as the Great Fairy. Okay sure I get bumping people from Novice to Journeyman for awards but none of the skits were so bad that they should have been snubbed by a fucking walk-on cackle.

[Anonymous No.8609267]

>>8606701
These opinions are coming from someone who has run contests, judged contests, and won ~$6K in competitions the last two years. So I have a lot of experience with this stuff.

>What do you think are appropriate categories for masquerades?
Depends on the masquerade. High level competitions should have three different divisions: novice, journeyman, and master. Small conventions with young and inexperienced competitors may not need skill divisions because nearly everyone competing will be novices, but good judges will ask everyone what sort of experience they have and take it into account when assigning awards.

>Should the cosplay contest/walk-ons be a separate event from the Skits?
No. A good walk-on can win Best in Show if the stage presence is good enough. I will and have given high awards that take both presentation and craftsmanship into account to walk-ons. There is skill involved in being able to entertain an audience for only 30 seconds.

>What should the cap be?
This has to be made on a case by case basis depending on how much time the Masquerade has allotted in the performance hall.

>What should be the qualifications of being invited as a judge in the first place?
Obviously the judge should be skilled in at least one major area of cosplay craft, but IMO the first qualification is not to be an asshole. You're dealing with young, inexperienced, socially awkward people and even if their costume is terrible you still want them to enjoy their time. In a perfect world, every contest would be able to select one judge good at sewing, one good at wigs, another good at armor, etc etc. But it usually doesn't work out that well, and most judges end up being good at sewing and not as experienced at armor building. I'm a stitcher too, but I know enough about armor building theory that I know when I'm looking at good work.

I'm running out of room, to be continued.

[Anonymous No.8609278]

>>8606701
>What kind of awards should there be that's worth the chance of winning for the craftsmanship of a costume, skit, and time dedicated to spending an entire day prepping for the convention's masq.?
If your only motivation for entering Masquerades is to win a cool prize, quit right now. Most don't have great prizes. I've had to fight tooth and nail for every $20 gift certificate or unpopular plushie I managed to scrape together for smaller contests I ran. Even with big competitions with large cash prizes, unless you're one of the top 3 you're not going to get much beyond a trophy or certificate. If you don't like competing just for the sake of meeting other cosplayers and having a bit of fun on stage, don't do it.

>>8607593
Acting in character is only worth it on stage. If you come into the craftsmanship judging area in character, just stop.

>>8609043
Most judges won't give you feedback unless you ask them for it, and even then, they're not going to give it to you in the middle of the contest. Find them after the contest. Most judges will appreciate that you want the feedback.

[Anonymous No.8609313]

do y'all think con staff members should be able to enter the masquerade?
asking because this happened at a con recently and I'm still salty about it.
Wasn't even in the masquerade, but the 40 year old director of the fashion show/director of cosplay who has been sewing all her life won the big award (an embroidery machine) which I wish would have gone to one of the younger contestants trying to get a start in the industry.

[Anonymous No.8609367]

>>8609313

A department director shouldn't be competing in her own department. If she entered and won a Brawl tournament that's one thing, since she isn't the boss of the organizers, but everyone judging her in that costume contest basically worked for her.

[Anonymous No.8609371]

>>8609043
In our country we have a clause where the judges are not allowed to give feedback. It's because of people's feelings being hurt with getting told the truth. Which yes I understand, but if they want to get better the people you expect aren't able to do so.

I judge and help write rules for cosplay comps in my local area. For a while there was no such thing as prejudging for everyone due to the craftsmanship award. Now we are pushing for every event to have it because it is easy to miss details or look over a meh paint or sanding job. Some smaller cons are worried about posting judges on the page to promote in fear of it scaring away competitors but really if they're that negative to a judge you don't want that attitude in the competition. And all it does is reflect poorly on the cosplayer who bailed for being a bad sport. Personally I find knowing who is judging is great because if they're fellow cosplayers or skilled in a select field you can push to appeal to them in your outfit/skit/makeup skills/characterisation on stage.

[Anonymous No.8609372]

From what you guys have been saying about judges I'm really pleased with a lineup I sorted out lately.

Friend asked me to judge at their con because I'm well known for sewing. I've made armour before, 2 costumes of worbla and one of foam. So I feel I know enough of both to have a go. Also my makeup and wig skills are say a 7/10 too.

So I got asked to pick the others and I got a guy who is really good at props though has little experience sewing. I figured all the things I'm bad at, he's good at and visa versa.

The third guy is a character performer who is good at staying in character all day, who can judge performance well.

And the last guy is a TV star who's got little to no skill, but will a normies opinion on the costumes.

[Anonymous No.8609621]

>>8609372
>And the last guy is a TV star who's got little to no skill, but will a normies opinion on the costumes.

Why the fuck do you need a judge like this? Normies will just go for the elaborate costume with a shitty construction and have no fucking idea what putting a cosplay together is like. I hate this "b-but we need a normie!!" thing I've seen lately, how the hell are they going to contribute to a contest that's about construction and presentation relying heavily on past experience?

[Anonymous No.8609652]

>>8609267
>I will and have given high awards that take both presentation and craftsmanship into account to walk-ons. There is skill involved in being able to entertain an audience for only 30 seconds.
>>8609278
>Acting in character is only worth it on stage. If you come into the craftsmanship judging area in character, just stop.

I'm still a bit unclear on this:

1) Do most convention cosplay contests judge on both presentation and craftsmanship? Are they separate competitions with different awards?

2) What is involved in the presentation contest exactly? Who is watching, both the judges and an audience? Is this the same thing as the skits I hear about sometimes?

[Anonymous No.8609659]

>>8609278
>Find them after the contest. Most judges will appreciate that you want the feedback.

This. But dont be a bitch about it. Do it when you are not emotional over losing. I judged for a while and was more then happy to give people con crit on why they were marked down but the last year I judge some sore losers threw a huge public shit fit. Tried to pull the "winners are friends with the judges' card. Which was hilarious as I had never met any of the contestants before except the ones who threw the fit.

The losers didnt even show up for pre judging and what I saw of their costumes was averagely sewn, serged hems and their skit was some dance lip singing skit.

And then another person who's costume was 90% purchased from goodwill thought they should win a craftmanship award over this other girl who had beautifully sewn her whole costume.

I dont think I would ever judge again because it is not worth the drama and time wasted. Sorry for the mini rant. I just hate when it is just assumed that the judges are evil. Give some the benefit of the doubt.

[Anonymous No.8609717]

>>8609652
It's >>8609267 again. At most conventions, they are not separate competitions, but two different types of competitions that are factored in together for your total score. You are judged for craftsmanship prior to the Masquerade, and judged for presentation during the Masquerade. I like using the term presentation rather than skit, because presentation encompasses everything that you can see on stage - walk-ons, dances, monologues, musical performances, comedy routines, and of course skits. Hope that makes it a bit clearer.

>>8609659
Ouch. Sorry that happened to you. I hate sore losers. I had something similar happen once...the judging panel I was on gave no award to one of the most popular acts of the night. Many people screamed about it on the internet in the weeks that followed. What they didn't realize is that that group 1) never came in for craftsmanship judging, and 2) performed the exact same dance they had done the year before, just in different costumes. No one in their right mind would give them an award knowing that!

[Anonymous No.8609734]

>>8606701
Categories: beginner, journeyman and master.

They should separate craftmanship from performance. Those who can't move due to the cosplay should go only for craftmanship prize.

The judges need to be a high level cosplayer. Someone who makes their own cosplays and has costumes of a high quality. And they shouldn't be friends/family/partners of any contestants.

Awards? Money. Depending on the category of course, they should give more or less money. Any other prize is an insult to the cosplayers. I have been in carnivale costume contests and the prizes are like 1000 euro in the individual category.

[Anonymous No.8609853]

The local con I work for I made the decision to eliminate the novice, journeyman, master categories because they weren't actually working well at that con. Nearly all the entries ended up in novice which included "this is my first costume I've made" to "I've entered masquerade before a couple times but didn't win." A couple of entries would enter as journeyman, and if anyone entered master no matter how crappy their stuff was they'd win by default. It really wasn't working.

[Anonymous No.8610069]

>>8609621
Because they won't be biased towards a certain technique

[Anonymous No.8610073]

>>8609224
I hope everyone now remembers to never enter any contest where you're judged while on stage.

[Anonymous No.8610077]

>>8609267
2 years still isn't really enough to get a full picture and you're still going to make mistakes.

I got 15 years.

[Anonymous No.8610080]

>>8609313

No, too much conflict of both interest and time.

[Anonymous No.8610083]

>>8609621
>>8610069

They will be, but there's a way of using them and instructing them to the benefit of a fair competition.
I just don't want the power hungry micromanaging convention CEOs to know or they'll try to fuck up masquerade even more.

[Anonymous No.8610200]

>>8606701
Should a "brave" and "unique" cosplay skit win best in show (lets assume the performance had good costumes and was well executed) despite the fact most of the crowd did not "get it"?

See the "seasons" skit for Comic Con as an example

[Anonymous No.8610205]

>>8609224
These two? (or is Mr Freeze/Poison Ivy a more popular couples cosplay than I knew?)

[Anonymous No.8610290]

>>8609717
>2) performed the exact same dance they had done the year before, just in different costumes. No one in their right mind would give them an award knowing that!

So what's the feeling on repeat costumes then? Within a year, no one should care if I use a single costume to compete in multiple cons, but what about the 2nd year?

[Anonymous No.8610305]

>>8610290
Generally the accepted rule is "if you win at a bigger con, don't enter it at a smaller con." Different cons have different rules about it though: some don't care at all, others want everything to be totally new to their contest.

[Anonymous No.8610317]

>>8610290
General rule "if it's competed marks will be lowered and if won don't enter another comp". It's to stop people comp sweeping. It used to be a huge issue where someone popular would make one really great cosplay and enter statewide to smaller cons without the rule in place and win the awards.

When cons don't have that rule, judges chosen usually do and they do take into account who's worn what. It just makes it look like they're finding fresh new talent to boost up and encourage people to do more instead of taking the lazy route. Basically most judges I know work full time/2 jobs AND can produce cosplays for every event so people claiming to be "great cosplayers" by rights should be capable of doing the same

[Anonymous No.8610340]

>>8610305
>>8610317

Do most judges at medium to larger sized cons take their job seriously enough so that there isn't any bullshit? I'm planning to win and I don't want to waste my time if I lose because of judge favoritism and then cannot compete again because my costume was already in a previous contest.

I believe my costume will win based on previous winning costumes I've seen, but now I'm discouraged by the possibility of judging bullshit and stories I hear about seamstress judges favoring sewn costumes. Especially at Youmacon where I've heard that the judges are all sewers.

[Anonymous No.8610363]

>>8610200
It depends the circumstances. There is no solid answer that is correct across every single convention.

[Anonymous No.8610365]

>>8610340

lmao, you're cute and so ignorant.

[Anonymous No.8610367]

>>8609734
>friends/family/partners of any contestants
sure, it would be nice if the judges didn't know anyone entering, but this just isn't possible....you realize we have a small as fuck community, right? family and s/o of the contestants i can understand, but with such a small community there's no way i'm not going to know people after cosplaying as long as i have. and in fact, if i know someone's work, i'm going to judge them a lot more strictly than someone whose work i've never seen.

>prizes
i really wish more cons would do cash prizes. i don't want random DVD sets of the 3rd season of some anime i've never heard of.

[Anonymous No.8610395]

>>8610365
Say that to my cosplay not online and see what happens.

[Anonymous No.8610399]

>>8610395
Damn, I didn't even save that macro of Black Luigi.

Oh well, FIGHT ME ON FB LIKE A MAN!

[Anonymous No.8610425]

>>8610290
That would be sandbagging. You can do it if you like, but don't expect to keep winning especially when you have before. This happens a awful lot in my state.

[Anonymous No.8610460]

>>8607229
This so much
I've judged some shit and have gotten over ruled by seamstress cosplayers that ended up picking a Cosplay for best in show that sewing wise was fine but literaly had close pins holding on to the armor parts for dear life. She didn't even make an effort to hide them and didn't style her wig but they didn't care because she lined and surged the seams on her dress and cape.

[Anonymous No.8610505]

>>8610460
This^.
I've been disappointed so many times during pre-judging when I'm trying to explain my props, material choices and the costume in general to the judges and they don't even understand what I'm talking about, all they're staring at is my costume's clothing and flipping seams.

And when I've been the judge, I've had fellow sewing-oriented judges gasp over costumes that have great, elaborate sewing work included but the props have been so unbelievably shitty I wouldn't award them. Seriously fuck one-noted people in cosplay.

[Anonymous No.8610513]

>>8610460
that kinda happened with me, i was in a group at Anime California's Masq this year, the best in show was to some burlesque eevee group and while their skit was kinda neat (costume changes are always kinda cool) the costumes themselves were not very impressive at least to me (making espeon a belly dancer? wow original) there were for sure better groups and cosplayers.

The prizes were also garbage, i knew the grab bag would be but the award was a printed out paper that looks more like a label then an award.

[Anonymous No.8610524]

>>8610077
I have 15 years of experience as well. What I meant was that just in the last 2 years I have won that much. Sorry if I worded it confusingly.

[Anonymous No.8610691]

>>8610425
I just want to win only once, then I am done.

>>8610460
>>8610505
>>8610513
Oh jesus christ this sounds horrible. I wish cosplay would start exploring other materials and techniques outside of 1) sewing and 2) fucking worble. This sort of mentality completely stifles that creativity.

But they do have more than one award right? I know some of my friends may not have gotten the best overall, but they got some other stuff like "best fabrication," "judges favorite," or something similar. Do these count?

What do awards even count for aside from personal accomplishment? Is there some kind of national or international league or something?

[Anonymous No.8610725]

I got best in show at a con' a couple years back and I got gum, DVD Vol 2 of an anime I've never seen, and a hippo plushie from America. WTF?

CONVENTION HAD 20,000+ ATTENDEES AND I GOT GUM.

[Anonymous No.8610733]

>>8610395
>>8610395
You're going to get 3rd or a Judge's award at most unless people know what's up. People don't tend to favor dude bro armor costumes unless they are armor people, and even then most people think metallurgy is bought/commissioned because they are worbla fags. In order for this to win, you need to weather it properly, don't fuck off on your leather parts, and do something about your likely dude bro as fuck appearance. Do some batman style eye make up and wear contacts even if it's not appropriate for this outfit because if not people will focus more on your unpolished appearance than your underpolished armor.

[Anonymous No.8610803]

>>8610733
Okay thank you for the tips.

>do something about your likely dude bro as fuck appearance. Do some batman style eye make up and wear contacts even if it's not appropriate for this outfit because if not people will focus more on your unpolished appearance than your underpolished armor.
This is a good point and something I didn't really consider before. My armor has a tinge of rust, the leather is scratched, and the fabric was dragged through the dirt. I'm not so sure about the batman eye make up stuff, but I think if I cut my face a little and rub a bit of dirt around it should match the rest of the armor's worn down appearance.

[Anonymous No.8610882]

>>8610725

>DVD Vol. 2

I got Best in Show at ALA a few years ago and I got Vol. 2 of the Kuroshitsuji dub. At least give out Vol. 1???

Could be worse tho. I won in a group the next year and they only gave us one prize. It was a fucking drinking horn and I don't even SCA, so my partner got it.

[Anonymous No.8613004]

>>8610505
>>8610513
>>8610691
Same anon who posted about judging. Favoritism also plays a huge roll. The girl I mentioned who won best in show was also friends with the other two judges, and they wanted to wait for her even though she came in 15 minutes after prejudging was over ( which I stated was unfair) .
Unfortunately a lot of costumes get overlooked because of favoritism so dont be offended if you dont get something. I'd like to think I judge pretty fairly ( like many do) and wish I had more than one judges award to give to the people whose costumes were as a whole constructed better than other judge's friends.

My advice to you anon is that even if you dont get anything at this con, try at another one with different judges. You might be surprised.

[Anonymous No.8613007]

>>8610803
Also you look more impressive the more progress pictures you have and the more passionately you talk about your creation. it helps the judges remember you.

[Anonymous No.8613033]

I bitch about contests a lot and they are fucked up but if you are going to compete and you're lucky enough to have judges who know what they're doing remember:

Try not to talk shit about any part of your costume no matter how much you hate it

Point out any hidden pockets or compartments or little things you did to make your costume more convenient for con going

They WILL ALWAYS find safety pins if it's an up-close judging.

Talk about any unusual techniques you might have used

Try to have variety like sewing, wig work and prop work in your costume. Even if one of those isn't "Your thing" just look it up and try. I saw a really great armor for one of the KH keyblade masters who then had a really shitty cape made from the worst wrinkly quilting cotton. Things like that can take your points way down.

[Anonymous No.8613076]

>>8613004
My local con scene recycles the same judges all the time and when I was taking part in contest they were judging, I never placed. After taking part in one that had a different team of judges, I placed 1st. Judges like to think that favoritism doesn't exist and they are objective with their choices, but when two people who are judges' friends win with crappy costumes, it doesn't take a genius to figure out they're full of shit.

[Anonymous No.8613104]

>>8613033
Also

If you have a reasonable amount of experience, but have never entered a contest before, consider entering at Journeyman rather than Novice. The Novice tier is always PACKED with entries and you're less likely to be considered. That being said if you're really good you'll probably be bumped up out of Novice and get an award in an upper tier.

[Anonymous No.8615158]

>>8610882
>>8610725
Most cons don't actually spend money on masquerade prizes, instead everything is donated by dealers or industry, so it ends up being a lot of random stuff to clear out for new merchandise. Some cons are better at reaching out and negotiating for prize sponsorship, while others tend to forget and you end up with really weird crap if anything. If cash is ever offered as a prize, that's usually the convention's money (though some cons are notoriously bad at paying out). The reason most cons don't offer cash is that masquerade is a relatively cheap event to run, and a single cash prize will often double what they're spending on the event.

[Anonymous No.8615267]

>>8607229
At least it isn't a fucking SCA bitch. The main judge for the last eight or so years in my state's con masquerade has been some shirt SCA bitch who knows nothing about anime at all, can't sew her way out of a paper bag, and awards based on what sort of embellishments you add to your cosplay. She also refuses to be called anything bit her douchey persona name.

[Anonymous No.8615407]

>>8615267
>awards based on what sort of embellishments you add to your cosplay.

I don't get it, what does her SCA background have to do with embellishments? SCA people tend to know stuff about costuming, sewing, and armor at least. I don't know what you mean by embellishments either.

[Anonymous No.8615414]

>>8615158
cons would be smart to give better awards, as the quality of entries goes way up when awards are decent. if they can't afford to do a cash prize, some nice looking trophies for the big awards is fine, or free tickets to their next event.

[Anonymous No.8615449]

>>8615414
>free tickets to their next event.

Fucking this. It would barely make a blip in their revenue to give away a handful to anyone who places in a contest.

If I ran a con I would have every dealer and AA person donate at least one item that could be put towards prizes for the masq.

Small items would be fine because then there would be more to split for groups. AA stuff could be sorted into packs.

[Anonymous No.8615464]

>>8610395
lololol "p2p me in rl bro"
Doesn't matter how "omgsoawesome" your armour is, if you're this much of a buffoon you don't deserve to win shit.

[Anonymous No.8615479]

>>8615464
It's a meme joke.

[Anonymous No.8615487]

>>8615407
The year I decided to never enter again if she judges, a guy wearing an off the rack pirate coat won because he had essentially bedazzled the thing. Said judge even SAID it was off the rack and won because he added all those gems to it.

[Anonymous No.8615497]

>>8615487

She must like pirates I guess. You should try steampunk with her next time as an experiment.

[Anonymous No.8615540]

>>8615158
I'm the cosplay show organizer at my tiny-ass local con and I have never had problem getting cosplay companies to sponsor us. You just need to ask and be willing to be turned down by some businesses. The cosplay show is probably our best attended event so it pays to drive more people to enter. It's cheap advertising for some of the companies. 40 bucks split between three prizes is equal to one wig in cost to them and they're getting their name out there.

[Anonymous No.8615800]

>>8615414
Fucking this. Near my scene there used to be a cosplay contest that had cash prizes worth like $500-$2000 and it always got big entries because people took the risk to put all that effort into their costume in case they would win. Free tickets to the next event would be great too, or just a small gift card to a cosplay-related store or fucking something. Most cosplayers are young and tight on money so even a $50-$100 gift card would be helpful and it would barely even make a scratch on the con budget.

[Anonymous No.8615802]

>>8615479

[Anonymous No.8615804]

>>8610395
kek, I know exactly where this is going and the judges just already saw your big headed attitude. So, good luck with that, bruh

[Anonymous No.8615809]

>>8610513

What else can you expect when it's run by someone who doesn't know what they're doing? That's both the owner and the masquerade manager.

[Anonymous No.8615811]

>>8610395
>Using Dark Souls 2 Elite Knight for references

Kill yourself m' man

[Anonymous No.8615814]

>>8610882
>It was a fucking drinking horn

So much for ALA trying to "get rid" of the party con image and their precious "family friendly" con.

[Anonymous No.8615815]

>>8615497
You didn't read a word.

[Anonymous No.8616050]

>>8615804
I don't think there's anything wrong with ambition. If you don't plan to win something, you cannot expect it to just fall in your lap.

>the judges just already saw your big headed attitude
That's not what the judges are supposed to be judging.

[Anonymous No.8616147]

I've won a few hall costume contests, but never have entered in a masqu do to lack of cosplay friends and stage fright.

>What do you think are appropriate categories for masquerades?
Beginner, Novice, Journeyman, Master. Judges awards and runners up are nice since it gives people who weren't *quite* good enough to win, a prize.

>Should the cosplay contest/walk-ons be a separate event from the Skits?
YES YES YES. Again, I have stage fright and no cosplay friends I trust to come through on a group costume so I always enter alone in the Hall Contests. I've met a lot of people in the same boat as me while waiting to be judged.
Honestly I think that the Hall costumes are almost always better than the stage ones from what I've seen. You aren't relying on a skit to make up part of your score so your costume and props have to be 100%.

>What should the cap be?
For Masquerades 15 Skits. Sitting through these 20+ skits in the Masquerade is terrible. There needs to be some sort of quality control also.

For Hall Contests it depends on how many days the judging is and how well it is organized. A well organized judging takes a lot of strain off the judges and they can see more people. Most larger Hall contests I've been in have had a cap of 100-175.

>What should be the qualifications of being invited as a judge in the first place?
You should have won awards in the Master Category of large cons and be a relatively prominent cosplayer. People shouldn't be able to look up your cosplay page and see that your costumes look lower caliber than what they are entering for you to judge.


My post is getting too long, I'll post the last bit in another post.

[Anonymous No.8616155]

>What kind of awards should there be that's worth the chance of winning for the craftsmanship of a costume, skit, and time dedicated to spending an entire day prepping for the convention's masq.?
A trophy of some sort is #1 for me. It's something that looks great on a shelf and I can be proud of. I

My first contest was at a tiiiiinnny local con and I won a craftsmanship award, got a certificate and a few random cat-girl prints.
My second costume I won a judges award at Katsu and it was a cool wood and glass engraved award.
My third contest I got runner up Novice at Katsu and that was a certificate.
My fourth contest I was bumped up from Novice to win Best Journeyman at Otakon and that was a nice glass award and the first time I got some cool swag. A XL Otakon t-shirt (I'm a small), a LoL hat I gave to a friend, Random Dragon Ball dvds, a red rupee necklace and an awesome box of Bioshock Vigor pins.
And my fifth contest I won Best Journeyman at Katsu and got a big glass award.

So I've only gotten actual goodies one time, DON'T enter contests for the prizes!
I enter to get validation and hopefully a cool trophy.

[Anonymous No.8616160]

>>8616147
>>8616155
Also I want to add that gendered categories like "Best Female Hero", "Best Male Villian", etc are bs. Contests with these categories will not be based on skill from what I've seen.

[Anonymous No.8616180]

>>8607229
Armor cosplays win 95% of the time so I don't really feel too bad for you tbh. Finish your seams.

[Anonymous No.8616189]

Ok, so to everyone claiming that "Armor costumes always win" you're just salty about losing out to an armor costume.

From my experience, a variety of techniques and materials will always impress judges.
Being able to say, I sewed these things, hand carved these things, molded these parts, dyed this fabric, tried this new technique etc....

I very rarely see perfectly fitted costumes, fully lined with rolled hems and invisible zippers while standing in line at judging so it's no surprise an armored costume is going to beat a sewn costume a lot of the times if it is well painted and fixed to the body well.

[Anonymous No.8616217]

>>8616189
Way to miss the point. I agree with the other anons that an average armor costume is way more likely to win than an average sewn costume that took the same amount of effort. Most judges who aren't super experienced will immediately assume that "bigger costume = better/more effort" so the only sewn costume that can compete with armor is one that is huge, like a ballgown. Having a costume that lights up/moves will also immediately trump your armor, even if the rest of it is shitty.

At my local con, the judges are all older sca women who have no idea how to make props, and the most recent best in show was a novice who'd made big honking dragon wings and armor. Even from the audience you could see how shitty they were and all of the raw edges where the joints connected, but she won anyway because omg BIG COSTUME.

[Anonymous No.8616221]

>>8615267
>SCA bitch
>>8616217
>sca women

Are you the same person with the SCA judges, or is this some kind of trend in cosplay judging?

[Anonymous No.8616228]

>>8616217
I guess because I have NEVER seen this happen I can't wrap my head around it. All the contests I've entered had fair judges and the people winning deserved to win.

Why do you keep entering costumes into shitty contests? The judges should be on the website.

[Anonymous No.8616278]

>>8616221
Must be a trend unless we're talking about the same idiot.

[Anonymous No.8616301]

>>8616217
This is what I was getting at. I guess it's just a fact of life, but it can be frustrating that visually impressive costumes very frequently win over well-made ones.

[Anonymous No.8616348]

>>8616221
different anon, but I was in costume judging with SCA judges as well. I think it's a common thing. And yeah, same problem, they were heavily biased towards 'historical' outfits and really bad armor.

[Anonymous No.8616353]

SCA?

[Anonymous No.8616477]

>>8616353
Society for Creative Anachronism. Its a historical reenacting group all over the world. They take their costuming and crafting very seriously (in order to be respected in the group, you have to research historical techniques, and provide documentation for your stuff). There's a lot of overlap between SCA people and general geek/nerd culture, but being in the SCA doesn't necessarily mean you know how to sew (especially non-historical stuff).

[Anonymous No.8616576]

>>8616180
You know we're in the same boat actually. I hate it just as much as others when a badly constructed armor wins just because it's a full body armor. So many times I've worked my ass to make props and take care of the finest details and sand them to perfection, only to lose to some shitty mess of worbla or unsealed foam monster. Judges inexperienced with propmaking have no fucking idea how time-consuming it is to make the simplest thing look good and often overlook the effort put into it.

[Anonymous No.8616579]

>>8616477
I hate it when SCA assburgers demand all armor and clothing to look historically accurate when it's nothing like that in the reference image. Fuck off, this is a shiny anime take with unrealistic bullshit.

[Anonymous No.8616617]

>>8616576
That's legit and I agree. I'm primarily a seamstress, but I bust my ass to make sure all my props are well sanded, painted, and sealed because it's just the saddest thing when the sewing is beautiful but the props are gross. Vice versa too -- well made armor with terrible sewing (see a lot of Kamui's early work for example) makes me very sad.

[Anonymous No.8617176]

Should cosplayer(s) who have won in costumes that paid for them to go to another convention to compete against other countries be able to then go to another convention that same year with said costumes and win Masters in Craftsmanship?

[Anonymous No.8617221]

>>8616189
I feel like there needs to be separate categories at some point. I can't make a suit of armor, but can the person in that armor sew their way out of a paper bag? You never know. It's a completely different skill set and pretty hard to compare.

[Anonymous No.8617230]

>>8617176
Probably not, but how do the judges know if you paid for your costume or made it yourself?

>>8616477
>They take their costuming and crafting very seriously
Psh, whatever. I originally wanted to join the SCA, but after taking one look at one of their fighting tournaments I just fucking left. Knights wearing hockey equipment and wearing fucking carpet for armor. These guys aren't any much better than your average cosplayer when it comes to accurate portrayal.

[Anonymous No.8617318]

>>8610395
Nooo metal anon you seemed so cool in the wip thread

[Anonymous No.8617553]

>>8617318
Does no one remember that meme anymore? (>>8615479)

[Anonymous No.8617655]

>>8617553
Even though it's a meme, you're still acting like an entitled ass in this thread.

[Anonymous No.8619450]

>>8617230
Some require progress photos I'm Not sure what others do

[Anonymous No.8619454]

>>8609313
Only if they're in a completely different department and have the time to do so without shirking duties.

[Anonymous No.8619459]

>>8609278
Personally I could take or leave the extra prizes. The trophy/certificate is more than enough for me on the occasions I've won one.

[Anonymous No.8619472]

>>8610340
>cannot compete again because my costume was already in a previous contest

You misunderstand. Simply BEING in another contest with a costume doesn't disqualify you from ever competing with it again. It's only if you WIN with it, and even then only if the other con you plan on competing at even has a "no sandbagging" rule.

That being said, competing at the same exact con two years in a row with the same exact cosplay (whether you won or not) is generally seen as tacky.

[Anonymous No.8619501]

>>8616155
>My fourth contest I was bumped up from Novice to win Best Journeyman at Otakon

Was that Otakon 2014, by chance? I think I might remember you.

[Anonymous No.8619512]

>>8617230
>>8617230
>Probably not, but how do the judges know if you paid for your costume or made it yourself?

The wording is awkward, but the other anon meant costumes that were used in international competitions (like WCS) and the con where you won your qualifier paid for your trip.

And like other anons have said, cons either have rules about that or they don't. Check before you compete.

As for your misunderstanding...

>Probably not

Lol no, that would be a DEFINITELY not. Don't fucking enter costumes you bought in their entirety, not unless they have an exhibition category that's specifically for that sort of thing.

[Anonymous No.8619540]

>>8619472
Except I think they kind of hold you to the honor system on. Unless you're very well known or the judges are at multiple cons I don't think anyone will stop you. This person made huge bank going to all the Bay Area cons and events. Yes cool idea (the moon lights up too) but after I saw them win something for a 5th time in the same year I almost felt like being that person and speaking up.

[Anonymous No.8619808]

>>8619540
Is this for real? This costume is representative of the quality it takes to win? Please tell me these were very small conventions that the costume competed at, or that this was at some kind of novice level. I'm not trying to be a prick here, but I really have no sense of what the general skill level of the cosplay community is compared to my own.

[Anonymous No.8619830]

>>8609313
I was at that convention too. I think she shouldn't have been allowed to compete, but even so, the judges should've considered that this lady is already established and honestly doesn't need an embroidery machine. I still think the kid who won Best in Masters should have gotten Best in Show instead.

[Anonymous No.8619836]

>>8607229
>>8616180

This is why seamstresses shouldn't be judges.

They are too easily impressed with shitty armor because they don't know how the fuck to make it, but they'll nitpick the seams/stitching to death. There is no middle ground.

[Anonymous No.8619837]

>>8619808
Have you been to any convention in NorCal? I've considered moving there just so I'll look like a pro in comparison. Their standards are much lower.

[Anonymous No.8619839]

>>8619540
What were they winning though? "judges choice" I can understand, as long as they're not getting "best in show".

[Anonymous No.8619853]

>>8619836
But like, why can't you just finish your seams?

[Anonymous No.8619960]

>>8619808

see this

>>8619839
No huge prizes but weirdly enough the smaller event the more likely they are to have good cash or giftcard prizes for all tiers. Two were cosplay day events at SF Japantown that were just walkons, three were small cons, two of which I was in and there was no up-close prejudging. Probably won something at SacCon or SacAnime but I generally avoid Sacremento. Next weekend's Krakencon seems to have included pre-judging this time but we'll see about that.

If you do enjoy cosplay though NorCal isn't a bad place to be because there's tons of little events and cons to keep you busy. Some of my friends murder themselves by having every weekend from Memorial to Labor day booked with some cosplay event without even leaving the state.

[Anonymous No.8619970]

>>8619960
Only move to NorCal if you can afford it. Unless you have someone willing to take you in as a roommate good luck with that rent.

[Anonymous No.8620001]

>>8619837
i used to think fanime would have really great judging since it's so big and well known. then i moved here and entered in 2013. judging and masq organization was shit. i won something, but was so unhappy with the experience that i refuse to enter again unless things change drastically.

[Anonymous No.8620019]

>>8620001
2011 the head of the masq retired and afterwards the whole thing fell to shit. It sort of recovered slowly over the last few years. We're probably never going to get anything like this ever again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC-kHODhTBk

[Anonymous No.8620375]

>>8606701
Not even a medal or an award badge or something?

[Anonymous No.8620390]

>>8620375
Nope.
AOD had printed certificates and huge gundam buidling kits + merch bags for placed winners, and I'm pretty sure AOD is smaller than Sac Anime at this point. It should not be that difficult to get small donations from dealers for prizes or something.

[Anonymous No.8620398]

>>8620390
I've been to plenty of small cons that at least give out a "you're a winner" ribbon for the winners to display at home.

[Anonymous No.8620451]

>>8620390
AOD also gives out money.

[Anonymous No.8620481]

>>8610395
>>8610803
If I can be honest with you, armor bro, your craftsmanship is amazing but you chose a very boring looking design. I'm not sure if you'll be able to stand out with a generic-looking armored knight costume unless your judges are really into Dark Souls.

Anyone remember that libra/episilon guy who made Saint Seiya armor out of metal? I don't seem to recall him ever winning anything substantial in the US but maybe I'm wrong.

[Anonymous No.8620549]

>>8620481
I hate to say it, but they kinda have a point. It's a common player armor, not a cosplay of a character.

Oh well, someone's gotta be the PC in a convention full of NPCs.

[Anonymous No.8620794]

>>8620481
I'm not sure if you'll be able to stand out with a generic-looking armored knight costume unless your judges are really into Dark Souls.

Really? I feel like there's a ton of variety in materials, textures, and designs going on here. It doesn't seem generic to me, but maybe that's just my own bias.

I don't feel like I will have a problem standing out because the convention I am competing at doesn't seem to have had a lot of this kind of stuff lately. This costume's impact isn't entirely a static visual either. It has a physically imposing walking gait, it creates a variety of sounds when walking, there's a lot of dynamism with the separately moving joints and flowing surcoat.

>a very boring looking design
What would be examples of costumes / designs that stand out then, and what makes them stand out? Is it their size, quality of construction, variety of details, colors, familiarity with the reference material?

Do cosplays from popular material tend to do better? I know the judges try to remain objective, but it's hard not to be excited when you see a costume from something you like. And of course, it's difficult to get the appeal of something you aren't familiar with.

[Anonymous No.8620812]

>>8620794
>Do cosplays from popular material tend to do better?
not necessarily. i do 90% old shit or really obscure characters like villains from live action toku films, and i've won plenty of awards for them. but everything i make is pretty visually exciting so even if they don't know the character right offhand, it's already interesting to them. "interesting" varies from judge to judge though.....but i usually pick things that have a big standout thing (giant wig, big prop, etc) to grab you and pull you in.

[Anonymous No.8620827]

>>8620812
Ok thanks. Let's hope I get a bunch of SCA bitches then.

[Anonymous No.8621796]

>enter masquerade
>all is great at the pre-judging, friend and I are top of our category, we are prepared
>Not enough in the category above us so a few of us get booted up
>Oh no
>Masquerade is a mess, no music on stage and awkward spokeperson that interfered with a skit
>Said group was super upset after getting off stage
>We go on stage
>Super awkward since no music and slient crowd
>We never placed even though they booted us up a category
>No one was happy that year

Also when I do win an award I am cursed with only getting judges choice. Out of a number of awards I have won I have ever only got one prize which was a crunchyroll premium. Which I guess was worthwhile since I still have it.

[Anonymous No.8622117]

About to enter for the first time. What does the judges look for in each level? (Beginner, Journeyman, Masters)

[Anonymous No.8622459]

>>8619501
Yeah it was! :o

[Anonymous No.8622610]

>>8622117
No matter what stage you are finish your hems. Especially if you're in a higher category, you'll be damned if you're entering higher than novice and have raw edges exposed. Fit is also a big part of the sewing construction for the higher categories. If you have a prop/armor, seal it, prime, and sand.

[Anonymous No.8623253]

>>8622117
Press your seams. I'm flabberghasted at the amount of puffy seams I see in these things.

[Anonymous No.8623314]

>>8622610
This

As a judge if I see raw seams or unfinished worbla, you'll get an [x] by your name on the list. Because in my mind you've not finished the costume.

[Anonymous No.8623355]

>>8619472
Actually MCM in the UK says if you've entered it before you can't ever again. Stupid rule, especially since their comps aren't even big

[Anonymous No.8623358]

>>8616617
>early work
She still can't sew for shit now. Just look how messy her symettra was, and she was paid to do that costume

[Anonymous No.8623368]

>>8623355
But do they ever fucking follow it? I've seen some costumes in their comps about 3 times.

Also they do have a few loopholes, say you every as a group costume display, you can still enter again as solo, because it's just you, and you can all enter again as a performance.

But seeing the same costume doing the same thing 3 times and Joe hasn't clocked it... just... dude

[Anonymous No.8623595]

I just got back from a small con this weekend and one of the cosplay guests who was listed as having made their own stuff for 5 years now 1) was able to compete despite being a guest and 2) was put in the "novice" category. Is there any end to the bullshit at these things?

[Anonymous No.8623613]

>>8623314
what kind of finishing techniques are seen as good, short of serging? I'm trying to get more polished with my sewing, and all I did on my early work was pinking on the insides.

[Anonymous No.8623626]

>>8619837
>just to look like a pro

That isn't how this works. This isn't how any of this works.
So, you'll deserve to go bankrupt.

[Anonymous No.8623628]

>>8623613
overcast (if you don't have a serger), french or flat felled seam, hong kong finish, lining.

[Anonymous No.8623632]

>>8623613
>Bias Tape
>seam tape
>french seam
>hong kong seam

When in doubt use any that hides hte edge completely. Pinking or zigzag on the edge is a little sketch unless you have a TON of seam to cover. Like a long skirt with a lot of panels. Or if it's thin and a full finish would add bulk. Like anything sheer should be a really good french seam or an overlock.

[Anonymous No.8623633]

>>8619540
Why are there 2 watermarks on this

[Anonymous No.8623678]

>>8623633
tog and cos each have a watermark

[Anonymous No.8623682]

>>8623678
What is English for $200.

[Anonymous No.8623685]

>>8623628
Also rolled hems, invisible hems, fuck wonder web your hem up just make sure I don't see raw edge.

ONLY EVER time raws are acceptable is say on ruffles or flowers made of poly chiffon where an edge would have killed the piece, and the edge has been done with a hot knife or soldering iron.

[Anonymous No.8624026]

>>8622610
>>8623314
So are there actually people over 15 who don't fucking finish their hems? I thought that was like one of the most basic rules everyone takes for granted.