SyFy's Heroes of Cosplay

[James Kenobi 1138]

Before the show aired, we were all so excited.

Then we read the early reviews, and we took out the pitchforks.

After the first episode, we thought it was going to tear our hobby apart.

Now we know the only thing tearing us apart is ourselves.

What a rollercoaster ride.

 

[Sandman0077]

Before the show aired, we were all so excited.

Then we read the early reviews, and we took out the pitchforks.

After the first episode, we thought it was going to tear our hobby apart.

Now we know the only thing tearing us apart is ourselves.

What a rollercoaster ride.

If people would stop agreeing to be on reality shows then we wouldn't have this problem and Hollywood would realize how stupid it is and it would die out.

But for whatever reason those people keep agreeing to do it, so it will never go away.

 

[Kerr Avon]

If people would stop agreeing to be on reality shows then we wouldn't have this problem and Hollywood would realize how stupid it is and it would die out.

But for whatever reason those people keep agreeing to do it, so it will never go away.

Yup. It's garbage. And the people who appear on them in some pathetic attempt for fame who sell themselves out to portray something they aren't on 'reality' shows are the real problem here.

 

[Alpha Proto]

Wow, this thread started off in the Face off section, and got a lot of activity!
I have enjoyed dissecting this shows elements each week with everyone in this thread.
It is going to be sad to see it go.

There are only a couple of shows I watch on tv every week. WWE Raw, and Face off.
Surprisingly Heroes of cosplay has been one of those shows for the past 6 weeks.
Yeah, the show embarrassed me a lot at first, but I came back for more every week.
I can not argue I was entertained.

 

[Art Andrews]

As someone who has been on the RPF as long as I have I haven't seen any of the HoC cast here except Jinyo (who posts somewhat often) and Victoria (who used to post more then she does now).

For the rest, what is their RPF screen names?
I don't think I've seen any posts from Yaya Han, Monika Lee, Jessie Langers, Riddle Cosplay, Chloe Dykstra, or Becky Young.

Jessie is here and has been since 2010. His user name is NeobiZero.

 

[EyeofSauron]

not sure he wants his name out on the forum tho

 

[spacebat]

just go to any shop that still runs warhammer and wait for the "it's in the rules" guy to do something then have to break out his 3 books and then spend 20 mins arguing about the rules because the new army book contradicts the rule book and they haven't gotten around to releasing the new rule book yet while someone else is questioning if the army should be fielded because he's not sure if they were all painted with only citadel paints.

Funny story, my first experience with D&D was my last experience as well. I was invited at random to play a D&D game because the game was missing a party member. So I sat down and the story teller helped me make a character. I knew some of the character creation rules as I used to love reading D&D and Vampire the Masquerade books for fun; yes I read rule books for fun...

Anyway, I unintentionally got two of the players characters killed and one guy literally vaulted over the table and grabbed my shirt screaming "You killed my (insert vulgarity) character you (insert vuglarity)!" From an outside observers perspective it was hilarious, I was a bit flummoxed, laughed, apologized and walked away.

But ya, awkward scenarios like that are great entertainment.

 

[Astrokid248]

To be frank, we lost a lot of women posting regularly because of the environment here.

I can certainly see why. It's kind of embarrassing how many times on this thread alone the guys have gone HUBBA HUBBA over the scantily clad ladies, but at the same point I'm not gonna leave just because they enjoy ogling. I'll never cosplay that way, so I may not get as much attention, and that's okay. I'd rather be embarrassed occasionally than miss out on the incredible work the very same guys put out, and the opportunity to learn from them that comes with it.

I agree. It's really strange but up until yesterday I really hadn't come across anything like the vitriol I saw in the earlier posts on this thread. This may be because I tend to read mostly build or WIP threads. As Abby pointed out, the folks on Heroes of Cosplay are in many cases members on here. Just because they happen to be on a TV show dealing with our hobby shouldn't make them targets. After all, would you walk up to someone at a Con and start berating them?

I don't think there's anyone amongst us that hasn't at one time or another had their "Prima Donna" moment, or said/done something not too clever. Fortunately, most of us don't have a camera pointed at us when we do! My "moments" would give the censors a fit if they were! Let's just keep in mind that there are people on the other side of the screen. People worthy of the same courtesy and respect we give anyone we cross on the street in our daily lives.

(Split into two quotes because those are the bits I want to respond to) The problem is that the filming of this show has completely ruined the experiences of many cosplayers at several conventions, including the beloved and seemingly invincible DragonCon. (Granted, the ones who got displaced there were Homestucks, but as with all things, just because I don't like them doesn't mean they too aren't allowed a good time.) You know that saying about observations, how by simply observing something you are in fact altering it? Well, it applies here. You want to have a scripted, overly dramatic "reality" show with cosplayers we all know playing caricatures that we know aren't real? Unfortunately, that means some people who don't want to have anything to do with are going to become a part of it, whether they like it or not. By agreeing to be on the show, they implicitly agree to take the blame for whatever they or the producers do to other cosplayers, and if anyone calls them out for it, they need to be aware of that.

I mean, if Yaya Han came up to me and asked me to be on a reality show, I'd agree in a heartbeat. I'd probably even sign whatever awful contract was handed to me. But I'd acknowledge the fact that this show completely screwed up several conventions, and I'd understand why people are mad at me for being on the show. It's just one of those things. We as members of this board need to be mindful of where they're coming from, but they too need to be aware of the consequences of the show.

 

[spacebat]

I mean, if Yaya Han came up to me and asked me to be on a reality show, I'd agree in a heartbeat. I'd probably even sign whatever awful contract was handed to me. But I'd acknowledge the fact that this show completely screwed up several conventions, and I'd understand why people are mad at me for being on the show. It's just one of those things. We as members of this board need to be mindful of where they're coming from, but they too need to be aware of the consequences of the show.

Did this show really screw up several conventions? My experience with conventions has been that the costume judging is a small subset of the actual convention itself. And from what I've heard from the megacon judges SyFy had no influence on the judging other than supplying a cash reward. Again, still new to the convention scene so I completely plead naivete and totally accept I might just be wrong.

 

[AbbyDarkStar]

Yup. It's garbage. And the people who appear on them in some pathetic attempt for fame who sell themselves out to portray something they aren't on 'reality' shows are the real problem here.

I find this funny. Debates on the "real problem".

I thought we were here to make props....costumes...stuff?

Don't let reality TV ruin your experience in the hobby, because if you take that tack, anything at any given day can ruin your "hobby".

- - - Updated - - -

Jessie is here and has been since 2010. His user name is NeobiZero.

Pretty sure Riddle is, and I think the others use the forum regularly for research. I think also, that they wouldn't want their names published right now. Would be kinda disheartening having a great wealth of knowledge, and feel like these are "your people" and then find a thread trashing you.

I do agree that people bear responsibility for their actions- but just like was said, we wouldn't walk up to someone at a convention and just berate them...at least I hope not!

I know that if I was on reality TV the things they could edit together LOL LOL

 

[Sourdoh]

Several points to make:

If women are leaving this site because the "guys" are insensitive and boorish, then they need to decide what the emphasis is. Do they want to take part in the discussions and show their work, or do they just want to gripe about the guys comments? A truly dedicated member, regardless of sex, will just dive in and ignore everything but the good stuff. I mean, most insensitive comments come under the heading of "consider the source" anyway.

All "reality" shows are faked. How could they be real if there is a camera/sound crew and a producer and other crew watching everything? Plus, I have known people who were on these shows. One good friend of mine was the "weapons expert" on Pawn Stars for a while and he said a lot of the items are not even owned by the individuals who are supposedly selling them on the show; plus the appraisals are not correct. Of course, the wrap-around for each episode (the dumb stuff with the Old Man and Chumley, etc.) is totally scripted. Let's face it; the producers are not going to shoot all day long hoping for a few minutes of "accidental" gold to turn up at editing time.

As far as the filming of HofCP disrupting a convention goes: How can you disrupt a convention more than the attendees are doing to begin with. In my experience, a lot of convention attendees are just looking for something to whine and gripe about to their friends anyway. The experienced Con-goers just go with the flow and enjoy the serendipity of events as they play out.

I'm still not watching the show, and I haven't heard anything to change that. Even the "let's just all get along" comments are not helping me.

Also, I don't see that just being a member here exempts anyone from criticism when they are in a show as bad as this one has been.

 

[Ozymandius]

But I'd acknowledge the fact that this show completely screwed up several conventions, and I'd understand why people are mad at me for being on the show

.

To be fair, that is not something that H.O.C. has a monopoly on. A good half of the location sites I've ever been on swore that they would never let another movie or production anywhere near them. Even a small TV crew will descend on a location like locusts and completely take over with no regard to the locals. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[Alpha Proto]

Astrokid248 , I did not know you were female! :eek
Not that it would matter or anything :rolleyes

 

[JMChabot]

Did this show really screw up several conventions? My experience with conventions has been that the costume judging is a small subset of the actual convention itself. And from what I've heard from the megacon judges SyFy had no influence on the judging other than supplying a cash reward. Again, still new to the convention scene so I completely plead naivete and totally accept I might just be wrong.

I don't think you're naive at all, spacebat. I'm not sure how this show could possibly have screwed up the convention experience for anyone, really. I've enjoyed the show because it has afforded a peek inside the process of the people involved in it, not because it represents the be-all-end-all of what Cosplay is or should be. I think you're of a very similar opinion from what I see in your posts.

I mean, if Yaya Han came up to me and asked me to be on a reality show, I'd agree in a heartbeat. I'd probably even sign whatever awful contract was handed to me. But I'd acknowledge the fact that this show completely screwed up several conventions, and I'd understand why people are mad at me for being on the show. It's just one of those things. We as members of this board need to be mindful of where they're coming from, but they too need to be aware of the consequences of the show.

Being participants in the show shouldn't make them scapegoats for the producers' skewing of the subject matter to "generate drama." The show was made for a general audience, not for one made up of Cosplayers (although that's probably who's been watching it most...), so they made it the way they did with that in mind. What's changed in Cons because of the show being aired? I really don't understand.

 

[Astrokid248]

Did this show really screw up several conventions? My experience with conventions has been that the costume judging is a small subset of the actual convention itself. And from what I've heard from the megacon judges SyFy had no influence on the judging other than supplying a cash reward. Again, still new to the convention scene so I completely plead naivete and totally accept I might just be wrong.

Anime Matsuri's competition definitely doubled in length, to the point where the audience wasn't actually there for the last couple of hours. That happened at most of the rest too. Megacon's was actually improved by the presence of Heroes of Cosplay, but that's because they really didn't have much of a contest before. Oh, and promising to give $1800 to the winners and then not paying up is pretty crappy. That's $1800 Anime Matsuri can't use for 2014's convention now.

As far as the filming of HofCP disrupting a convention goes: How can you disrupt a convention more than the attendees are doing to begin with. In my experience, a lot of convention attendees are just looking for something to whine and gripe about to their friends anyway. The experienced Con-goers just go with the flow and enjoy the serendipity of events as they play out.

I've already posted all the ways that the cons got disrupted, but I don't think I posted the DragonCon incident. A huge group, close to 100 or so Homestuck cosplayers, had one of the floors reserved for a photoshoot for three hours, and got kicked out of their own reserved spot by the HoC cast and crew, who also proceeded to violate several hotel safety regulations. I mean, there's whining and griping, and then there's legitimate concerns. The show's caused plenty of both. I just want the legitimate concerns acknowledged so everyone can move forward.

.

To be fair, that is not something that H.O.C. has a monopoly on. A good half of the location sites I've ever been on swore that they would never let another movie or production anywhere near them. Even a small TV crew will descend on a location like locusts and completely take over with no regard to the locals. It's just the nature of the beast.

Fair point.

Astrokid248 , I did not know you were female! :eek
Not that it would matter or anything :rolleyes

Yup, that's me in my picture, crossplaying as Link.

Edit: ninja'd.

I don't think you're naive at all, spacebat. I'm not sure how this show could possibly have screwed up the convention experience for anyone, really. I've enjoyed the show because it has afforded a peek inside the process of the people involved in it, not because it represents the be-all-end-all of what Cosplay is or should be. I think you're of a very similar opinion from what I see in your posts.



Being participants in the show shouldn't make them scapegoats for the producers' skewing of the subject matter to "generate drama." The show was made for a general audience, not for one made up of Cosplayers (although that's probably who's been watching it most...), so they made it the way they did with that in mind. What's changed in Cons because of the show being aired? I really don't understand.

Read the above. As for whether they should be scapegoats or not? That depends almost entirely on what was in their contract, but I get the feeling they had to know about the producer-controlled editing before they scribbled their Hancocks.

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Would be kinda disheartening having a great wealth of knowledge, and feel like these are "your people" and then find a thread trashing you.

I agree a lot of what has been said in this thread is negativity and hurtful and unnecessary.

I agree with your point that the RPF is a place to make props and costumes, but it also has a dedicated area where members are encouraged to talk about TV shows, movies, games, and entertainment.

We want to discuss the show, and we can only discuss the show that was presented to us.

I think the problem comes in deciding if this is a scripted show, where the actors are playing characters who read lines and follow direction, or if this is a documentary where these are real people doing something and being filmed.

If they are actors playing a character then talking about the characters on HoC would be no different than talking about Han Solo and Darth Vader in Star Wars. We're not talking about Harrison Ford and David Prowse, we're talking about the characters they play. We love them, we hate them, we can't believe they did this or said that, whatever.

If HoC is a documentary, unscripted, and these are the real people then heck yes a lot of what has been said in this thread is across the line and uncalled for negativity.

How would we, the viewer, know the difference? How could we know if we're talking about a person or a character?

I think the show is a mix of both. Some are genuine people and others are either playing a part or edited into a character.

I would never blame anyone who is friends with any of the HoC people on real life because you know them in real life, you know who they really are- what kind of person they are. We only have small bites of them handed to us edited into characters. We don't have months or years of friendship with them to dispell what HoC has shown us of them. It's really an unfair playing field for us to be talking about the characters on the show instead of the actual people.

I guess it's like if there is an actor you hate, and you're going on-and-on about how terrible he is, and then all his friends pop up on the RPF defending him. You don't know that actor personally, you're not friends with him in real life, so you have formed your perceptions and opinions of him through his work and what you have seen of him on TV.

You should be able to have an opinion and be able to express it on the RPF as long as it's respectful. I agree some comments in this thread were uncalled for and disrespectful *if* you're talking about a person and not a tv show character. I wish we knew more about the show so we wouldn't have to guess what was going on behind the scenes.

 

[Clutch]

not sure he wants his name out on the forum tho

Don't become a celebrity then.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

Don't become a celebrity then.

Uh that's not a cool way of thinking, I doubt thats the message theRPF wants to give to people.

 

[JMChabot]

Anime Matsuri's competition definitely doubled in length, to the point where the audience wasn't actually there for the last couple of hours. That happened at most of the rest too. Megacon's was actually improved by the presence of Heroes of Cosplay, but that's because they really didn't have much of a contest before. Oh, and promising to give $1800 to the winners and then not paying up is pretty crappy. That's $1800 Anime Matsuri can't use for 2014's convention now.

I've already posted all the ways that the cons got disrupted, but I don't think I posted the DragonCon incident. A huge group, close to 100 or so Homestuck cosplayers, had one of the floors reserved for a photoshoot for three hours, and got kicked out of their own reserved spot by the HoC cast and crew, who also proceeded to violate several hotel safety regulations. I mean, there's whining and griping, and then there's legitimate concerns. The show's caused plenty of both. I just want the legitimate concerns acknowledged so everyone can move forward.

Thanks for that, I now have a better understanding of what you meant. But wouldn't the show (i.e.: the Production company) be responsible for those disruptions? How does it help anything to make hurtful comments about members of the cast? Did the show represent reality? No. Was it scripted/contrived? It has to be to be viable as a product. Does it take away from the skill, dedication and enthusiasm of the cast members: I don't think so. I'm not expecting to win anyone over to my POV, nor am I trying to say that HoC was a great/accurate/definitive work on what Cosplay is or should be. It was entertainment, it let me look into people's process and watch a show about my hobby. That's about it. There were parts where I rolled my eyes at what I saw or heard, some parts I thought looked a little more obviously scripted, and some parts where I wanted to throw something at the TV set. But at the end of the day, I enjoyed it more than a little and I got some ideas and motivation, too.

It sucks that those disruptions made things unpleasant for some Con attendees. But once again, I'm not clear on how the cast was responsible for that? Really, since most Cons usually consist of barely contained chaos scheduled over a weekend, there's bound to be disruptions whether a film crew is there or not... Where disruptions become a hazard, well, Con organizers or the venue management should step in to ensure everything remains safe for all... Once again, neither Becky, R1ddle, Holly, Jessica or Jessie (or anyone else in the cast) could have done much to affect that one way or another.

I have no problem with people not liking the show at all. It's a matter of opinion and personal taste. But going around calling someone "psycho" because they were on that show (especially when the comments are about alleged behaviour which did NOT occur on the show) goes well beyond opinion...

I dunno... But I've lurked on here for years before I registered and started posting. The RPF has been a goldmine of ideas and learning opportunities for me, and I've always thought that it was nice that the vast majority of comments seemed to be of the constructive and positive kind. I just find it unusual to see so much muck being flung at these people because they were asked to be on a show about their hobby.

Oh well. Back to building/planning/researching. My soapbox just started to look good for the base of a TARDIS... :cool

 

[AbbyDarkStar]

I agree a lot of what has been said in this thread is negativity and hurtful and unnecessary.

I agree with your point that the RPF is a place to make props and costumes, but it also has a dedicated area where members are encouraged to talk about TV shows, movies, games, and entertainment.

We want to discuss the show, and we can only discuss the show that was presented to us.

I think the problem comes in deciding if this is a scripted show, where the actors are playing characters who read lines and follow direction, or if this is a documentary where these are real people doing something and being filmed.

If they are actors playing a character then talking about the characters on HoC would be no different than talking about Han Solo and Darth Vader in Star Wars. We're not talking about Harrison Ford and David Prowse, we're talking about the characters they play. We love them, we hate them, we can't believe they did this or said that, whatever.

If HoC is a documentary, unscripted, and these are the real people then heck yes a lot of what has been said in this thread is across the line and uncalled for negativity.

How would we, the viewer, know the difference? How could we know if we're talking about a person or a character?

I think the show is a mix of both. Some are genuine people and others are either playing a part or edited into a character.

I would never blame anyone who is friends with any of the HoC people on real life because you know them in real life, you know who they really are- what kind of person they are. We only have small bites of them handed to us edited into characters. We don't have months or years of friendship with them to dispell what HoC has shown us of them. It's really an unfair playing field for us to be talking about the characters on the show instead of the actual people.

I guess it's like if there is an actor you hate, and you're going on-and-on about how terrible he is, and then all his friends pop up on the RPF defending him. You don't know that actor personally, you're not friends with him in real life, so you have formed your perceptions and opinions of him through his work and what you have seen of him on TV.

You should be able to have an opinion and be able to express it on the RPF as long as it's respectful. I agree some comments in this thread were uncalled for and disrespectful *if* you're talking about a person and not a tv show character. I wish we knew more about the show so we wouldn't have to guess what was going on behind the scenes.

I agree- but there was full knowledge that some of the people on this show were on the RPF...and I agree. Disagree all you want, as long as you are respectful. BUT...knowing that, if we want the RPF to grow, or we want to brag about it, or have it frequented by those in the industry...how would this all come across?

Either way- the show will give the RPF a chance to be a source of information, and a source for new people to learn new tricks and stuff. Think about all the people that are now realizing "HEY..I COULD MAKE STUFF?" why yes, yes you can....and look HERE is an awesome RPF tutorial