This is the last FanX 2014 post. I have never really recorded a contest before but here you go. FanX pulled out some great judges for this year. We had Russ, Lex, and Evonne from ScyFy's Jim Henson Creature Workshop come and help judge the contest. There was also Aaron Forrestor, a long time cosplay creator and the head judge.
As a note, I will be doing a small series in VFire's Corner on Competitions and How to Prepare for Them. This will be beginning in the next month or so as I continue to collect information. I have left notes about this contest's winners and why they won after the videos listed. FanX did something very cool where the head judge came out and explained exactly why each costumer won. I always find it fascinating to hear what the judges have to say. Sadly I did not record that moment but I did take notes.
I managed to record the entire beginner's class. Beginner class is always the largest class when it comes to the contests I have seen. You also can see a wide range of skills in the Beginner Class. I always love seeing new talent come up in here.
3rd Place
Game of Thrones: Robert Baratheon, Viserys Targaryn, and Milsandre. This group used various materials for their clothing, armor, and awesome gold crown. The use of different materials, both hard and soft, and their effective look on stage are what led to this third place winner.
2nd Place
AT-ST - Sometimes simplicity can be the most impressive work. This costume is made mostly out of cardboard! It is simple yet effective in representing the chicken walkers from Star Wars. The paint job is not complex but works with the lighting on stage and it is not difficult to figure out what this creation is. Plus, it looks amazing!
1st Place
Mandolorian Merc - He was a surprise for first place but the reasons behind it make a lot of sense. Sitting in the crowd attendees do not get to see what the judges see all the time. This young man made his costume without using any of the Merc Guilds patterns or aid. He did not even know about them. When the Guild saw his work they asked him to join. The Mandolorian Mercs are a charity group and they have high standards for how their armor is made, so being asked to join without having their help in the first place is a huge honor. That is how well the armor and costume was made. Not bad for a beginner.
The intermediate class was surprisingly small this time around but the costumes lived up to their class.
3rd Place
Sucker Punch - This team of amazing costumers had quite the challenge in creating these costumes. The references for the samurai were from the movie and difficult to obtain. They used a lot of electronics, a variation of hard and soft materials, and had a fun on stage presence as well.
Second Place
Legend: Lord Darkness and Princess Lilly - As you noticed the Legend cosplayers were in Beginner's class and bumped up to Intermediate. The creator of their costumes was one very talented woman who sculpted the Lord Darkness's face and horns. This woman also made the dress and did the make-up work and airbrushing for the characters. It was very well done and deserving of the award. The skit, as you saw in the video, was amazing and really brought the characters to life.
First Place
Wickett the Ewok - The little Ewok took home first place because of the attention details, like keeping the toes sticking out of the fur. She also used real materials, like her bow for instance. It is a branch of wood made into a bow that was found outside.
Right before the master class came on my camera decided it had no more memory (it was lying!) So I frantically deleted stuff to make room and all it got was 3 seconds of Elrowiel on stage spinning majestically. Best 3 seconds ever! I wish I had her whole stage performance because there are some really cool things that she did.
As a note, I will be doing a small series in VFire's Corner on Competitions and How to Prepare for Them. This will be beginning in the next month or so as I continue to collect information. I have left notes about this contest's winners and why they won after the videos listed. FanX did something very cool where the head judge came out and explained exactly why each costumer won. I always find it fascinating to hear what the judges have to say. Sadly I did not record that moment but I did take notes.
I managed to record the entire beginner's class. Beginner class is always the largest class when it comes to the contests I have seen. You also can see a wide range of skills in the Beginner Class. I always love seeing new talent come up in here.
Beginner Class Winners
Game of Thrones: Robert Baratheon, Viserys Targaryn, and Milsandre. This group used various materials for their clothing, armor, and awesome gold crown. The use of different materials, both hard and soft, and their effective look on stage are what led to this third place winner.
2nd Place
AT-ST - Sometimes simplicity can be the most impressive work. This costume is made mostly out of cardboard! It is simple yet effective in representing the chicken walkers from Star Wars. The paint job is not complex but works with the lighting on stage and it is not difficult to figure out what this creation is. Plus, it looks amazing!
1st Place
Mandolorian Merc - He was a surprise for first place but the reasons behind it make a lot of sense. Sitting in the crowd attendees do not get to see what the judges see all the time. This young man made his costume without using any of the Merc Guilds patterns or aid. He did not even know about them. When the Guild saw his work they asked him to join. The Mandolorian Mercs are a charity group and they have high standards for how their armor is made, so being asked to join without having their help in the first place is a huge honor. That is how well the armor and costume was made. Not bad for a beginner.
The intermediate class was surprisingly small this time around but the costumes lived up to their class.
Intermediate Class Winners
3rd Place
Sucker Punch - This team of amazing costumers had quite the challenge in creating these costumes. The references for the samurai were from the movie and difficult to obtain. They used a lot of electronics, a variation of hard and soft materials, and had a fun on stage presence as well.
Second Place
Legend: Lord Darkness and Princess Lilly - As you noticed the Legend cosplayers were in Beginner's class and bumped up to Intermediate. The creator of their costumes was one very talented woman who sculpted the Lord Darkness's face and horns. This woman also made the dress and did the make-up work and airbrushing for the characters. It was very well done and deserving of the award. The skit, as you saw in the video, was amazing and really brought the characters to life.
First Place
Wickett the Ewok - The little Ewok took home first place because of the attention details, like keeping the toes sticking out of the fur. She also used real materials, like her bow for instance. It is a branch of wood made into a bow that was found outside.
Right before the master class came on my camera decided it had no more memory (it was lying!) So I frantically deleted stuff to make room and all it got was 3 seconds of Elrowiel on stage spinning majestically. Best 3 seconds ever! I wish I had her whole stage performance because there are some really cool things that she did.
Master Class Winners
3rd Place
My Little Pony, Celestia and Luna - Human versions - Hand beading! Very detailed hand beading on those girls. Yes, they were amazing and there are a ton of beads on their costumes. I actually got to talk with Patti, who was Celestia, and get a close up look. She has a lot of patience for that kind of work. Also the wings the girls wore were gorgeous and had a very cool flow to them as they walked on stage.
2nd Place
Maleficent - Another category bump! Amberlee, who I featured last week and will be here again next week with her headpiece, was bumped from intermediate to masters. She used unique materials, like real bone for the horns, and put a lot of work into the detail. For more on her costume check out her feature here.
1st Place
Princess Zelda - I really wish I could share her whole stage performance. It is half the battle when it comes to cosplay and she really did an amazing job. Elrowiel's attention to detail and massive amounts of embroidery, applicae, and armor work are what led her to win the first prize of the competition. She lined the entire costume so it would be stiff and mimic in-game movements as well look amazing and show off the detail of the bottom of the dress. Also, the runes on the purple part of the dress glow in the dark.
In conclusions a use of different materials, challenging costumes, attention to fine detail, and having a good stage presence are key to catching the eye of the judges and really showing off your talent. I hope you enjoyed the videos and the notes I left about why each costumer won. Next time I will be prepared for my wily camera and get all of the Master class category.