Section 1 - Intro and How Capital Cosplay Came To Be
Section 2 - Layout
Section 3 - Cosplay Stage Show Info
Section 4 - Panel Info
Section 5 - Vendor, Displays and Games Info
Section 6 - Photographer Info
Section 7 - Rules and Regulations
Section 8 - Full Schedule
Section 1 - Intro and How Capital Cosplay Came To Be
Welcome to the official guide for Capital Cosplay being held on October 26th, 2014 at Charlotte Street Art Centre, here in beautiful Fredericton, NB. So what is Capital Cosplay, well it was conceived in 2013 from the musings of myself, Larry Holder, Alex Saunders (Port City Kitty) and Phil Vautour (Saint John Iron-Bat, now called Alberta IronMan). Originally it was meant to be a stand alone convention all about cosplay, it is at it's core the same in that respect, but the event is sponsored and very much a branch of Animaritime. The reason for this is simple, Animaritime is an already established non profit organization with charitable ties to the IWK (one of my favorite charities to sponsor) and has a good history in relations with the maritime cosplay world as a major event to display work. Animaritime has been longing to hold smaller side events, so the timing was completely perfect to make something happen. I picked Charlotte Street Art Centre because it's a beautiful, historical community centre of learning and artist expression, and I know the layout well, I volunteer on the Selections and Hanging Committee for the gallery at the centre. It might not be the largest location, but for a first year event, I could think of no better place in town.
Section 2 - Layout
Here's a handy layout of the centre and I few images of the auditorium interior where the event is primarily being held.
This is the official final layout of the floor.
As you can see, we are using the stage and floor for multi-purposes. The stage is in fact where the Cosplay Stage Show is being presented but it is large enough that it is also serving as a photo area.
Section 3 - Cosplay Stage Show Info
Speaking of the Cosplay Stage Show, what is it exactly? Well it's basically this event's version of a Cosplay Contest but with a much more excepting and less competitive vibe to it. It's open to all skill levels and they won't be a skill level structure and no 3 tier placing prizes. Instead the judges will be giving out certificates for things they like about the various cosplays. Basically this Stage Show is more about the fun and showing everyone your cosplay, less about the competition. That being said we do have some seasoned and celebrated judges for the show that will be there to pick out what they think deserves that little extra praise. I'll take a few sentences to talk about each one.
Port City Kitty - Cosplaying since 2003 she fell in love with the idea after making a costume based of Seifer from Final Fantasy VIII for a Halloween theme party. When doing the research she found images of Ginny McQueen's version and became smitten with the convention life. Cosplay has given her lots of friends and fun times and well as developing skills in sewing, wig crafting and makeup. Her favourite characters to cosplay are Harley Quinn and Phoenix. https://www.facebook.com/portcitykittycosplay
Sara Nycole Couture - Sara has been making costumes since 2005 when she started attending LARP's. She is an award winning fashion designer and a graduate from NBCCD in Fashion Design. Her original style leans toward an cross between a bohemian pirate with a victorian corset and she is also a talented prop maker. Sara is currently working toward a career in designing for period themed movies and also does commissions for costumes. http://saranycole.blogspot.ca/
Rhetorical Cosplay - Both have been cosplaying since 2007 and have similar tastes so it was natural for the pair to work together, Brody's speciality lies in props and Jenn's in styling and skit design. In 2013 they officially started Rhetorical Cosplay, to quote Jenn "We both want people to have a "rhetorical" outlook when cosplaying. You are doing it for fun, you shouldn't ask anyone for their opinions. It was a a rhetorical question." There goal is to spread this idea through the community while helping people through commissions and just hanging out and having fun. https://www.facebook.com/RhetoricalCosplay
2Cosplay - This couple started cosplaying in 2011 at Animaritime for fun as a couples activity. Both are highly skilled in building and very detailed in their work and were rewarded with first and second place ranking in the costume contest at Hal-Con 2013. There detail in prop and armour making and constant updating of cosplays makes for some true master work to behold. https://www.facebook.com/2cosplay
The registration for the show will take place from 9:00am till 1:15pm and is done by filling out a form at the admission table. The Stage Show starts at 2:00pm. I should mention, there won't be any special sound or lighting equipment at the event, so musical acts won't be permitted sadly.
Section 4 - Panel Info
Of course the Stage show is the main attraction, but there's so much more! There is a series of expert panels running the course of the event, most are being run by our judges and one by another highly notable figure in our maritime cosplay community, S. Leonhart. I'll take a few sentences to talk about S. Leonhart and then post the entire panel line up.
S. Leonhart - She is a well known Canadian cosplayer, known for traveling, making and modelling her own cosplay creations. She does commission work for others and heads the Think Pink Super Heroes, a cosplayer group that is part of the anti-bullying movement and supports charitable organizations.
Panel Schedule with descriptions:
10:15am - 11:00am - Cosplay Mishaps - The team of Rhetorical Cosplay recounts some mishaps of past cosplays and how they dealt with them and how to avoid them yourself.
11:15am - 12:45pm - Cosplay/Consent - Self Defense - S. Leonhart runs down the issues surrounding consent while in cosplay and gives some helpful self defense tips in case of an emergency situation.
3:00pm - 3:45pm - Designing Cosplay - S.Leonhart discusses how she designs cosplay for both personal use and commission, lots of helpful tips for beginners to pros!
4:00pm - 4:45pm - Basic Cosplay Make-Up - Port City Kitty gives helpful make-up tips that beginners can use to put that extra shine to their cosplays, seasoned cosplayers might even pick up some helpful tips too!
5:00pm - 6:00pm - The Art of Prop Making - 2Cosplay run down some helpful tips of how they construct their expert props using materials like Worbla, styrofoam and resin. This one is for people who want that extra bit of epic detail in their cosplay.
Section 5 - Vendor, Displays and Games Info
We have a whole section of awesome going on in the main auditorium beyond just cosplay, but also including it in some ways. We had a few vendors attending and sadly one had to drop out due to a last minute schedule shift, so sadly Hodder Designs will not be at this show, but I still highly recommend her products. The group filling her spot will have some info below in the display section. The one vendor we have left which is K&M Comics, here's a little about them.
K&M Comics - K and M Comics, Games and Hobbies is a Facebook group
devoted to all things nerdy. It is a
great place to chat about all things geek and we have items for sale and trade
as well. Feel free to post any items that you are looking for or any extra
things that you would like to sell or trade. We encourage trading and buying
used whenever possible to help the environment and your own wallets. We love to chat about our collections, what's
new, and give our opinions about plenty of things that we love (if you asked
for it or not) and hope that you do to.
The more the merrier! We have
even had several fun contests and have given away great prizes and plan on
doing many more.
Who are we? Kale Harding & Mark Mason and between us we have nearly 60 years of comic collecting experience, gaming, and geekery under our utility belts.
Where are we? Kale resides in Saint John and Mark near Fredericton and we both make trips all over so if you'd like to arrange a meet-up drop us a line. We do buy stuff and love to trade so don't be shy. K and M have been setting up at various conventions and events slinging our wares and spreading word of our growing community.
Not on Facebook? K and M can also be found on Twitter! Follow us @kandmcomics for even more geeky tweets...and the occasional political dig for good measure:). We can also be reached by email (kaleharding1@gmail.com) and can mail out lists of what we have in stock and help put you in touch with other collectors looking for their own Holy Grails.
As for groups on display we are going to have local members from the Mandalorian Mercs Star Wars Costume group - http://mercs.firespray.net/forum/index.php and also from the 501st Legion Star Wars Costume Group Canadian Garrison - http://501st.ca/ . Both groups of people should provide lots of fun for the Star Wars fans and fans of armored cosplays. We also have East Coast Comic Expo on display promoting their very awesome annual convention in Moncton, NB - http://www.eastcoastcomicexpo.com/ . Filling Hodder Designs' space is East Coast Sabers, here's a little about the group and what to expect from them -
East Coast Sabers is an all ages club for Lightsaber enthusiasts to study and learn the Art of Lightsaber Choreography. With classes structured around the fictional Jedi from the Star Wars films, students perform and practice the many forms involved in lightsaber combat, in a fun and safe enviroment. For more info visit - http://www.eastcoastsabers.ca/
The group will be holding a stage show after the Opening Intro at 10:15am and a longer show before the Cosplay Stage Show at 1:00pm. They will also be doing demos in the Vendor/Display/Games area.
Now on to games! Cause what a geeky event without some fun games! We have Deborah Smith from the Pathfinder Society running games all day long for the most part. Here's a bit of what you can look forward to at the games table:
The Silverhex Chronicles
(Quests for 1st Level Characters)
Can you recover hidden wealth and claim the powerful weapon Silverhex before an assassin finds your friend?
Be one of a group of new Pathfinder agents in a series of 1-hour adventures that will take you to a graveyard in Gralton, a mist-choked forest in Ustalav, a brainwashed village in Razmiran, an ancient crash site in Numeria and the perilous city of Daggermark.
They can be played in any number and order, but play all six for Silverhex to be yours. This is a great introduction for new players who want to learn how the Pathfinder Society works and a fun change of pace for experienced players.
Sounds like super fun!
East Coast Sabers is an all ages club for Lightsaber enthusiasts to study and learn the Art of Lightsaber Choreography. With classes structured around the fictional Jedi from the Star Wars films, students perform and practice the many forms involved in lightsaber combat, in a fun and safe enviroment. For more info visit - http://www.eastcoastsabers.ca/
The group will be holding a stage show after the Opening Intro at 10:15am and a longer show before the Cosplay Stage Show at 1:00pm. They will also be doing demos in the Vendor/Display/Games area.
Now on to games! Cause what a geeky event without some fun games! We have Deborah Smith from the Pathfinder Society running games all day long for the most part. Here's a bit of what you can look forward to at the games table:
The Silverhex Chronicles
(Quests for 1st Level Characters)
Can you recover hidden wealth and claim the powerful weapon Silverhex before an assassin finds your friend?
Be one of a group of new Pathfinder agents in a series of 1-hour adventures that will take you to a graveyard in Gralton, a mist-choked forest in Ustalav, a brainwashed village in Razmiran, an ancient crash site in Numeria and the perilous city of Daggermark.
They can be played in any number and order, but play all six for Silverhex to be yours. This is a great introduction for new players who want to learn how the Pathfinder Society works and a fun change of pace for experienced players.
Sounds like super fun!
Section 6 - Photographer Info
But wait there's more! What's a cosplay event without photographers to capture all the awesome work put into the costumes? The answer is one that no one sees afterwards! Luckily we have 3 highly talented professionals in house to capture your cosplay in all it's glory. Each photographer is handling their time and prices a bit different so I would suggest you contact them directly for any such information. I can tell you they will all be present during the entire event and maybe a bit before and after. let's get to the info now.
Firstly there's myself, Point of Light Productions (Larry M. Holder), I'll be set up in the back right side of the stage area for shoots - http://www.pointoflightproductions.com - I'll also be providing a video of the Cosplay Stage Show
We also have Hillary McCorrmack Photography (Hillary McCorrmack), Hillary will be based on the left back side of the stage - https://www.facebook.com/hillarymccormackphotography
And last but not least we have Gold Photo(Jeffrey Joseph Bowden), Jeffrey will be based on the lower left side of the stage area - http://goldphoto.ca/
Of course these are just the official invited photographers, you are more then welcome to come do your own shoots around the event, but we wanted to provide you with a great selection of the best of the best at your service.
Section 7 - Rules and Regulations
We are just about done done with this little guide, all
that's left are the rules and regulations and the master event schedule, so on
to the rules and regs.
We all want to have the best fun, but these rules insure
that everyone has a good experience. Firstly, since this an Animaritime
sponsored event, we will be following all of the main convention's policies
found here http://www.animaritime.org/policies
. One exception is that prop weapons, including realistic gun shaped weapons,
will be allowed on the inside of the building. I repeat, the inside of the
building. Of course you are permitted to transport the props in and out, but do
so with a covering or case if possible, or hold the prop in a way that
expresses it's benign nature. The CSAC is located in a residential area and we
don't want to cause any panic with the public.
Now, what Animaritime doesn't cover in it's policies are
related to the location we will be in. CSAC is a functioning art gallery,
commercial space and community centre. Therefore we would ask that the
attendees respect others using rooms outside of the area we will be holding
most events in, some of these other rooms are businesses and classrooms, please
to not disrupt others from their regular activities. Please respect the artwork
on display in the public galleries, you will be held responsible for any damage
to the work, the centre monitors these spaces and you held accountable if
anything happens to the pieces by your hand. The main event area is away from
the other spaces, but the areas in the centre are open to the public during all
operation hours.
Feel free to look around but please keep these rules in mind
for the sake of all involved in this event. We want everyone to have fun, but
we would like to have courtesy and respect for others be part of the enjoyment,
thank you.
Section 8 - Full Schedule
Well now that that's been discussed let move on to the last
section, the schedule.
9:00am - Registration for Stage Show and Bracelet
Sales Begin
10:15am - 10:30am - Main Stage - East Coast Sabers
Lightsaber Duel Display
10:15am - 11:00am - Panel Room - Cosplay Mishaps
That should answer most questions, but feel free to pose any more to the official group page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/273394489518675/ and I look forward to seeing you all there, should be a great time!
PS. - One more small detail, there will be an admission limit based on the building code of 350 people, hopefully we won't need to enforce it, but I just want people to be aware before hand.
-Larry M. Holder
