‘Behind the Curtain’ is an advice column written by masquerade judges answering anonymous questions from the community. These columns are written with the perspective of how Guild run competitions are, and may not apply to non-Guild run contests. Our column is built on your questions, there is a form to submit your question anonymously at the footer of every column!
So you’ve decided to enter a competition, and you finished your cosplay- how else can you prepare? Pre-Judging is a major aspect of craftsmanship based competitions, it’s your chance to show off you cosplay to the judges up close and tell them all about it. We’ve got a separate article coming soon that’s all about pre-judging, but for now lets focus on how to prepare your cosplay for pre-judging and the stage!
Step 1: Planning
If you are entering a competition with a skit component, it is normally a good idea to work out what your skit will require before you start making the costume. This isn’t always possible (maybe you made the costume and only wanted to enter it after the fact), but if possible it is good to think of the performance and craftsmanship side by side! Our four top things to consider would be:
- Movement: You need to make sure that the costume you are making can take the stress of the movements you plan on doing. If you want to do a fight or do a dance in a costume, you need to make sure the pattern you use is not restrictive!
This can be as simple as your stride length, or working out how high you can lift your arms, but there might be other considerations. For example, can you swing your prop the way you want to without anything falling off? Can your armour handle repeatedly sliding across a stage floor?
It’s also worth considering things like additional height, and the safety of your footwear with elaborate movements. We once planned a handstand type motion for a skit which we had to cut when we realised the headpiece was so tall that it would hit the ground!
- Comfort: Think about your fabrics before you start. If you plan on doing something on stage that requires a lot of exertion, using heavy and warm fabrics might make you very uncomfortable for the length of time of the skit. Stage lights can make you even warmer!
Also, remember that most competitions will film/photograph stage performances and that movement can change what your costume is covering. If you are wearing fabrics that tend to cling, make sure you’re happy with what is/isn’t showing during the performance – the line for this is a very personal decision, but also remember some conventions have rules regarding what is considered appropriate for their audience. It might be worth consider wearing additional layers under your costume if, for example, that high kick you want to do reveals a little more than you’d like it to!
- Aesthetics: Some fabrics will look better under certain lights. For instance, if you are doing an idol performance with flashing lights, a sparkly fabric or a shiny fabric is going to pop a lot better on stage than a block colour. On the flip side of this, if you have something to hide (e.g. a battery pack for your LEDs), using flat, dark fabrics can make then less obvious on stage.
- Attachments: Movements will jostle your costume pieces, so you need to think about what you are using to hold your costume together. Magnets are amazing seamless connectors, but if you have several layers of fabric between the magnets the force can become significantly weaker. Make sure your attachments hold with the level of activity of your performance, and leave yourself enough crafting time to swap them if you need to!
Step 2: Preparing for Pre-Judging
For many competitions, judges will see your costume up close before the stage performance. This is called pre-judging. We have a separate article about what actually happens in the room coming soon, but here are our top tips for making sure your costume itself is ready!
- Try everything on before prejudging. Make sure you have time to make any adjustments to how things sit! You don’t want to put the whole thing on for the first time on the morning of the con only to realise that amazing work you did on your skirt waistband is hidden under your top etc. Give yourself the time to inspect the costume as a full piece, on you, and make any necessary changes.
- Iron your costume. It doesn’t take very long, and it can really help with presentation! Everything from smooth panels to sharp pleats just pop better when the costume has been ironed.
- Do a final tidy of the cosplay. Get rid of flyaways in your wig, cut off any loose threads and get rid of any glue strands! Things like this are a really easy thing to miss but can make your costume look far less finished. We all know you can cut loose threads, so when it hasn’t been done it can make a bad impression.
Guild Tip: If you’re attending a convention like MegaCon Live, where there are changing rooms for cosplayers available, consider changing into the cosplay at the show to avoid wrinkles or dirtying the cosplay up on the journey to the convention.
Step 3: Preparing for the Performance
Last but not least – you’re about to go on stage!
- Make sure your wig is properly secured. We’ve seen many a wig fly off mid-performance! It happens to the best of us, but do your best to make sure its sitting securely in place before you begin.
- Check the attachments on all accessories (hair, jewelry). Similar to your wig, attachments are also likely to come lose in an energetic performance. You don’t want your handmade brooch lost forever because it flew off and no one sported where it went!
- Have fun! Most importantly, cosplay is a hobby. You’re doing this to have fun! So take a deep breath, remember that, and rock that stage!
