Cosplay Briefings

Today I attended a briefing for a Japanese event held next week, which will include a cosplay competition in the form of a cosplay walk or parade. I'm already set to bring my Pokémon cosplay to the event, so I might as well sign up for the competition and test my skills. And to sign up, I could do so as I attend this briefing and obtain information on the competition as well. In any case briefings (or what people around here like to call "Technical Meetings", TMs for short - not the ones for moves, mind you 😉) are useful, even bordering on important, for cosplay and its associated competitions.

One obvious benefit of these briefings is knowing what the ground rules are for the competition. For this one, it's nothing offensive, no sharp weapons, nothing that makes a mess, and no dangerous maneuvers (e.g. leaping off the stage), which basically boils down to "keep it appropriate", something I should have no problem doing with the Pokémon costume I plan to use. Another benefit is knowing the cues for the competition - when to be ready, when to appear, how long to appear, and so on. This will allow me to structure my performance (or at least give a semblance thereof) when I go to appear. These are all helpful, even vital information for such a competition.

Even when these tidbits are not given at a briefing, they are in any case helpful and necessary to be explained at least during the course of the event (especially for those who missed or couldn't attend a briefing for some reason). I've been at quite a few events where this didn't happen and some entrants missed some crucial pieces of information regarding the competition, perhaps to their detriment. The staff also needs to know these as well so they can "keep their word" in addition to keeping things orderly. All these tidbits can shape or guide performances, so it would be better to understand and make use of them.

That said, now I know what I think I want to do for next week's competition and I can start to prepare for it while staying within these guidelines. The event staff gave all the options and guidelines needed for the performances, and I'm free to exercise quite a few of them while working within their limits. I can already see my performance happening, and I'm sure it will be a memorable one.