Framtiden för cosplay @ Närcon - translated summary

>1:20
The point of the entire thing
>2:40
Närcons foundation of values
>6:00
Who gets a say in Närcons cosplay comp, and which things are prioritized
>6:45
The history of cosplay at Närcon
>14:45
Current state of affairs
>16:25
Criticism Närcon has recieved in regards to cosplay during the past two years

Key points, because this seems interesting to you guys:
How Närcon deals with master, and the amount of master cosplaypass (How is this best handled? Interest outweighs actual space.)
Care for cosplayers (ex: heatwave NC14)
Performance timespan (see: priorities. Amount of performers vs. length. Also see: TV-cosplay)
Cancelled competition ("Fixed! Now we have a water-safe stage." Tent for the audience is not an option due to money (tent covering 2.5k = 200k SEK, NC counts on audience being ~5k. Compare to a stage for 350k SEK) )
NCC 2015
The scoring weight of craftmanship vs. performance (Sweden historically prioritize craftmanship)
Judges breaking vows of secrecy (Pantzar mentioned by name, where else has this been explicitly discussed? Secrecy vs. openness of the process)
Non-listed point: cosplay Q/A panels. (NO quality control, no control over content (ex. content unsuitable for a family con), convention stands responsible for the panel arrangers shortcomings.)

>22:55
Topics of discussion

Cosplay Classic & esp Master
Length of performance
Level of service for cosplayers
Performance vs. Craftmanship
Control over quality of judges (regardless of standpoint on openness) (ment.: desire for a code of conduct)

>25:50
Discussion begins

>26:50
How do we (encourage the community to) make a good show for the audience? Performances are the weak link in swedish cosplay shows.
Suggestion: offer prizes that encourage performance skill, such as classes in acting.

>28:00
Närcon has not held on to a cosplay OA for more than a year; how much is on the OA, and how much is on Närcon?
COA should not be responsible for EVERYTHING regarding cosplay.

>30:00
Comments from a former COA.
-Lack of follow-up between events
-It is important that the comp. continue to grow in numbers, and that mixed skill levels are respected
-Different categories and applications for these is not elitism
-No good way to communicate w/ former COA, this is needed
-Being COA is a thankless job, ex: request of lesser contestants being rejected, blame for the amount of contestants being too many still being directed at COA
-Re: secrecy between judges: whistleblowing is not a bad thing, we need to talk abt the process (Pantzar mentioned again)
-Master is great and needs to stay
-Performance length is important but needs to be restricted to make the contest enjoyable for the audience

>33:35
Judging and professionalism;
We need to talk abt professionalism within the community, not just among judges but also within the organization and the community at large. Code of conduct is needed.

>34:30
Cosplay Classic
Intermediate is currently the most popular, novice was when categories were introduced. Master sold out, judging interest becomes hard (19 cosplayers applying after the tickets sold out).
Problem: Master is judged in the same way as the other categ., problem b/c different way and reason for competing (performance + qualifying for other comp).

Suggestion: separate master from Classic to make the difference clear. Novice needs to remain open and "safe".
Suggestion: intermediate should be open to everyone, even those who were previously disqualified b/c master qualifiers. Master is a different way of competing.

We need a way to encourage people new to the Master way of competing to actually take the step towards a good performance.
Suggestion: put money and effort into the performance contest, use it as a stepping stone for masters.

>46:30
How do we balance number of contestants with the different categories?
Masters need their space (and time), but taking the amount away from intermediate isn't fair either. Moving contestants from Classic towards Hall Cosplay, Performance, etc.

>48:30
Tangent on pre- vs post-judging.

>49:30
Suggestion on pre-booking pre-judging, to make the process easier and avoid waiting time. Fragile system when competitors are so many.

>52:50
Commentary from online parttakers. Suggestion: economic aid (for repetition venues etc.) towards higher competitors to boost quality. Aid in other resources, such as audio production etc. Making information available.
Team Cosplay is supported by ABF, apparently.
Economic support is not as much of an option as a guide to finding resources. See: Melodifestivalen.

>1:00:00
How do we adjust the number of parttakers, by demand or by what makes for a good show?

>1:03:00
Length of performance

A long performance =! a bad or boring performance. Short timespans might be more limiting than they are useful. Some characters don't need a long performance, other require more space to create buildup and structure. Teaching cosplayers to set their own limits. Would a short performance harm the performers score? Two minutes is a good time for the spectator.
Current time limit is relative to CSM and NCC.

Sketchtävling is a proud swedish tradition and bringing them back will strengthen the comm. Bring it back, but in the same air as the walk-on.
We don't need to enable bad performances by lengthening time, we need to encourage the performances that utilize the time frame that exist. Audience enjoyment > 10min FFX-sketch.
Alt: this only applies to NCC etc. Närcon needs a stage for 10min FFX-sketches.

30 sec +/- makes a big difference for the performer, not as big difference for the audience.

>1:21:00
Treatment of cosplayers.
Swedish cosplayers expect high service, one reason COA get burnt out so quickly. Some basics can be provided regardless of number of participants - locker and changing rooms, etc.
Participants in NCC, CSM, have earned their spots and need and deserve to be served. This cannot be applied to a contest w 200 participants, so what is minimum?
Lots of things Närcon have been criticized for (on-time, no long lines, clear and simple info) are apparently things that should ALWAYS be part of the service.
There is no interest on Närcons behalf to financially compensate COA.
Närcon has tried to re-distribute the tasks of the COA to keep them from being burned out, but people no longer apply for the post. There's a fear among COA that they'll become scapegoats, amplified by past COAs getting the blame for their mistakes, but Närcon taking the shine for their successes.
Samuel talking about how Närcon should take both blame and praise as a collective, which leads to scapegoats being searched out when things go wrong. See: people know who organize the cosplay comp, people don't know who's responsible for finances.

Question: do swedish cosplayers expect too much in terms of service?

>1:48:30
Performance vs. Craftmanship
Intermediate is and remains almost entirely craftmanship (along with stage impression).
Master, CSM are 50/50 performance/craftmanship. WCS does not have a clear split: many of the points are mixed, such as points for mobility.
Suggestion: pre-judging performance scripts, smart writing can be rewarded. Judges need to know what they're judging. On the other hand: impact might be decreased if a unfinished script is read. On the other other hand: if the points are split straight across, equal effort needs to be given to both parts in terms of judging effort.

The swedish cosplay communitys main passion IS craftmanship, regardless of international standards. Question: does this limit the cosplay community? What is the impact of craftmanship vs. performance for the audience, even those who're not involved in the community.
Thought: shifting the focus away from craftmanship for the sake of an audience is an insult to the cosplay community which are mainly nerds and have thus been exposed.
Counterpoint: if we want to make cosplay a household hobby, it's important that people don't HAVE to be able to associate with, say, high level sewing.

>2:16:00
Tangent on different judges having different priorities. Example: lining, inside seams, ral materials. A guidebook is needed. Whether this is within Närcon or as a national standard can be debated.

>2:18:30
Quality control for judges.
It has not been clear which topics have actually been secret. Transparency gives credibility to the judges.
There's a lack of competent judges who're not also competing themselves. We need judges that will stick around for a while. Looking for judges outside of the cosplay community might be a solution, but cannot replace cosplayer judges.
Suggestion: applying for the position of contest judge, as well as a database of past judges.

Samuel states, essentially, that they're not releasing the scoreboard because they don't want to hurt anyone or rank those who did not place. Synnerbom question this from the perspective of CSM and NCC being big, professional competitions. "It might be healthy to start speaking about cosplay, on a professional level, also in terms of what's NOT good." Releasing the scores will also serve as feedback for competitive cosplayers.

Question: should the scores be presented under the judges name or not.

A rulebook is needed, internally if nothing else.

>2:41:45
Who's responsible for making the contest a good show?
In regards to CSM, arrangers went in and helped a lot with providing studio help and stage light. LED animations, etc. If a cosplayer chose to make their own of this, how is that judged?

Framing devices; how does it affect the contest and competitors? A bad framing in the show might harm the contestants, while bad confrenciers might just not make the show GREAT.

Närcon has been intending in-show shows to promote cosplay performance.

>2:58:15
Cosplay panels, quality control etc.
Närcreative is a Thing. It's useful for making sure that schedules work, but less useful for quality control. How do we prevent an avalanche of dickjokes? Standardisation is needed, especially as cosplay panels have been booming. How do you set up rules and pre-controls for something that is based on improvisation? Set panel rules for the audience will make the job easier for the hosts, guidelines for aspiring panelists will raise the bar.
Panel hosts express that they would like more contact with the con. An open discussion with Närcon would open up for more opportunities to create big shows for fans, using sound and screen.

>3:07:40
How not to burn out your COA
Make it fun by making the process simpler for the participants, turning the spotlight away from the COA.
Närcon has avoided written down records between past and new COAs because they've wanted to avoid them playing it safe. Multiple COAs would disperse the workload, but is risky in the sense that shared work often becomes nobody's work.

>3:12:40
Pre-judging vs. post-judging
Pre-judging easily becomes more about showing that you've judges than actually doing judging, the more promising characters often show themselves pretty soon. It is also entirely impossible to do in a 100+ people competition.
Post-judging works well as feedback in a novice setting and might inspire someone who wasn't actively looking for feedback.

>3:15:20
A suggestion of cosplayers wanting feedback turns into Samuel suggesting a judgement room with judge pandas (a better option might be cosplay workshops).

>3:17:20
"Can't we have roasting? One person on stage and five judges in a ring, roasting them!"

>3:20:15
Online observers suggest a person with overarching responsibility for cosplay at Närcon. Synnerbom observes that that is essentially the earlier role which burned out him and another COA, thus the role would need to be an actual hired role at Närcon as a company. Närcons collaboration with ABF might be useful in this aspect as they can provide code of conducts etc.
Samuel brings up that there's lots of work to be done until 2020, and that after that they might actually get down to not working like horses and instead polish the content of the event. But I might've misunderstood him.