×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
ANNtv - Behind the Masquerade


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
minakichan





PostPosted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:26 pm Reply with quote
WOT WOT. Red Whirlwind cosplayer!!

DUDE, I LOOKED FOR HER EVERYWHERE DURING THE CON TO GET A PIC AND I COULD NOT FIND HER.

(If you're reading this, Red Whirlwind cosplayer, I just want to let you know that I was stalking you very unsuccessfully. Did you end up stopping by an AA table and buying some Romeo X Juliet prints? Because I missed you. I was Odin/Juliet on Friday/Saturday~)
Back to top
Dargonxtc



Joined: 13 Apr 2006
Posts: 4463
Location: Nc5xd7+ スターダストの海洋
PostPosted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:49 pm Reply with quote
Wow, that was actually a lot more interesting than I had thought it would be. I really like how you got several different perspectives from people.

By the way, love the new higher-quality video.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
RMC



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 101
Location: Waco, TX
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:49 am Reply with quote
Hey, this was great! I haven't been to a cosplay yet so seeing a sample of what they're like was informative. I loved the perspectives, like Dargon mentioned. I also liked how you chose a specific group to follow; it gave me a more personal idea of what goes into it. The costume-making bit was also very useful to know. I had no idea they put so much thought, time, and effort into those costumes. Shocked

I look forward to the next ANNtv!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime
Pacific Pikachu



Joined: 20 Jun 2004
Posts: 89
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:02 am Reply with quote
That was great! I think it really captured the spirit and essence of cosplay, and it was a lot of fun to watch. It made me all excited to get back working on my costumes for this year. I've been cosplaying for five years and I have yet to participate in a Masquerade. Maybe this will be the year! Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
rti9



Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 1241
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:14 am Reply with quote
Great show. Really interesting that Anime Boston asks for prerecorded sound. Their website helps understand a bit more the video.

The dropped staff gave such a "real drama" to the video. Poor little girl. On the other hand, it was great footage because it showed a bit of the anxiety and adrenaline that goes on these events. No wonder that about twenty people are always crying in the end.

Another interesting detail was that ANNtv captured Ms. Luther also cosplaying as Edward Elric. Wearing one great costume isn't enough for them. Wow. The years they've been cosplaying also impressed me. Seems addictive.

The female participation on cosplay events is fascinating. Even more when you see this manifested in the organization. The majority of staff members featured in the video are female. Is this a norm?

Hearing all of them reminded me of Kanako Ohno from Genshiken. I wonder what do cosplayers think of her. Does she embody their essence? Is there another anime character deeply involved in the cosplaying world?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
billyarnie



Joined: 03 Dec 2007
Posts: 190
Location: San Antonio, TX
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:22 am Reply with quote
I'm relatively a newbie otaku... since 2005. I've never been to an anime convention yet, but I hope to make my 1st at San Japan 1.5 here at home. Excellent behind the scenes documentary. BTW, the "Duck Hunt" skit is on CollegeHumor.com & proves anime fans can laugh at themselves.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger My Anime My Manga
Murasakisuishou



Joined: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 1469
Location: NE Ohio
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 9:15 am Reply with quote
Finally got my internet to work long enough to watch this. It was a very informative video, and it was fun seeing everything the group went through to perform their skit. I'm sort of a cosplay n00b, but I think as long as you work hard on your costume and get out there and have fun with it, who cares?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Proz512



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 74
Location: Texas, Ya'll
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:05 am Reply with quote
billyarnie wrote:
but I hope to make my 1st at San Japan 1.5 here at home.


That's great to hear Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
RMC



Joined: 29 Mar 2008
Posts: 101
Location: Waco, TX
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:01 am Reply with quote
rti9 wrote:
The majority of staff members featured in the video are female. Is this a norm?


While I can't answer this for every anime convention, I'll be volunteering at A-Kon this year and I can tell you that almost every single one of my supervisors on staff is female, and they've usually been doing this anywhere between 4 to 10 years. Don't ask me why that is, I've no clue.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address Yahoo Messenger MSN Messenger ICQ Number My Anime
jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:18 am Reply with quote
RMC wrote:
While I can't answer this for every anime convention, I'll be volunteering at A-Kon this year and I can tell you that almost every single one of my supervisors on staff is female, and they've usually been doing this anywhere between 4 to 10 years. Don't ask me why that is, I've no clue.


I've noticed that women seem to be much more attracted to the performing arts than men are, in general. In the NYC film and theater acting communities, voice acting, and pretty much every amateur or entry level performing art community I've witnessed, there's usually at least a 5:1 female-male ratio. (Of course, the cold hard reality of professional demand evens things out at the higher levels.)

I don't know why this is either (I'm sure someone with a sociology degree could enlighten us).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Jih2



Joined: 24 Jul 2007
Posts: 403
Location: East coast
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 11:51 am Reply with quote
Enjoyed the video, it spent just enough time on each topic and didn't feel like it was trying to cram info down my throat. I will look forward to the next installment of ANNtv.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 3:06 pm Reply with quote
The masquerade seemed to be intended for those who enjoy variety performances and costume-making than those who simply like anime.
I'm glad that the acts themselves seemed to be light-hearted in nature, as if the players were intentionally taking creative liberties with their short performances so that the fans can laugh at material relevant to their interests. The meticulousness of the cosplay that was exhibited is not essential to such an end however.

That's not to say it's a bad thing, but as someone who's never got involved in such activities I feel it would seem a little superfluous to dress up and act just to show others what I like, unless I also had an interest in arts and crafts or acting.
If people start getting too serious about how they behave in costume with respect to the onscreen characters (which I thankfully didn't see much of on the video) I'd find the whole thing a little obsessive. The Harry Potter phenomenon led me to hold such a view.

Nice to see things from the point of view of the cosplayers though. Kudos to you people with the video cameras.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Tenchi Kaze



Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 28
Location: Alberta, Canada
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 6:07 pm Reply with quote
Wow, I wish the cosplay competitions at my local cons were run the way Anime Boston's is. Not to say that they're bad, but there are two things that the big cons like Anime Boston does that the cons in this area don't do:

1) Having craftsmanship judging done well before the actual cosplay event
2) Requiring skit dialogue to be pre-recorded

The last one is especially annoying not to have. I can barely ever hear anything from the stage unless contestants choose to use a microphone, and some skits are really hampered by contestants having to hold a microphone while they perform. That and pre-recording requires contestants to put at least a minimal planning effort into their skits before the event. On average, even that little bit of commitment to a skit usually makes that skit turn out a teensy bit better than it would have otherwise. Certainly better than some of the obviously-made-at-the-last-minute-before-going-onstage skits that I've seen over the years. *grumble*

And pre-judging for craftsmanship is just plain logical. It allows the judges to go over each costume in more detail without worrying so much about keeping an audience waiting for their results, as is what I have experienced in my area. I don't know if it's changed since, as I haven't attended cosplay for a couple years now, but that's what I remember.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
Deltakiral



Joined: 07 Oct 2004
Posts: 3338
Location: Glendora, CA (Avatar Hei from Darker than BLACK)
PostPosted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:59 pm Reply with quote
I really liked this video, I am not into the Cosplay scene at all. But I still found this video informing and generally lots of fun. Also are there plans to have other feeds available for the VideoTV other then Itunes?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime My Manga
bluethree



Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 12:33 am Reply with quote
I was in a skit last year. I was suckered into it because my friends had a great idea. Unfortunately we didn't get much time to practice before the con and, despite practicing many hours friday night and around noon saturday, we were out of sync on stage.

I got to make a fool out of myself in front of a lot of people and have a piece of paper that says "Judge's Award" out of it though. It was a good time.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group