The Pros and Cons of Group Cosplays

photo by Angelwing

At PAX South 2016 I had the honor of being part of the biggest group I have ever pulled together. This was definitely a mixture one of the most fun and stressful things I have accomplished as a cosplayer. The group consisted of eight people in total, we originally had more, but drop outs happen because life happens. An important truth to accept when forming a group is that people will drop out. Life happens, things get in the way and sometimes those things more important than cosplay. Do not let things like that ruin friendships. We were cosplaying from Animal Crossing and had a pretty good cast of shopkeepers as well as a villager. This group was such a fun and wonderful experience and it is honestly something I would never trade for the world. However, it was also quite stressful. I personally was in charge of painting almost everyone's faces, with the exception of a couple individuals. We constantly clogged up walkways at the con which I felt terrible about. And herding 8 animals people to the photoshoot location was...well difficult is an understatement. 

Photo by Angelwing

That being said, it was such a wonderfully fun experience and we all looked so cute! I have always loved being a part of and bringing together big cosplay groups. I guess I have a knack for dragging people into my crazy hobbies. Being part of a group has always been easier for me as a cosplayer than going solo. As a group you have other people to work off of for pictures. Even if I just have one other person cosplaying with me, I always find it way more comfortable. This is probably because I have amazing friends that are always fun to work with, but I digress. For conciseness, I've put together a table of the pros and cons to group cosplay.

Pros	Cons
Being part of something Awesome photo opportunities SO MUCH FUN Grows bonds of friendship Unforgettable memories Sharing common love of something	Very stressful to organize Drop outs can cause issues Not all photographers like shooting groups  Clogs up con floor Can also test friendships

 

I hope I get to take part in many more group cosplays in the years to come. Would I continue to organize them myself??? Possibly. It is, yes, very stressful, but also an extremely rewarding thing to do. It involves a lot of agreement and communication with your teammates. And yes, I say teammates because the group itself cannot sustain if everyone does not work together. Especially if you're doing a uniform-based group. An import rule if you are ever organizing a cosplay group: always communicate everything. Let everyone know what fabrics you get, what patterns you use, what stores you buy from. Everything. A great way to keep up with everyone and share progress is by creating a Facebook group.

Again, I digress. Being in a big group is fun and everyone should do it at least once. Even if you're not the organizer, it's such a great feeling to be part of something like that.

Go with love,

Koopa