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blackmask6793 Profile
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Apprentice

Registered: 10-2009
Posts: 237
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Convention Advice


Hey guys, I have just got the tickets to a local con and will be wearing my batsuit for the first time there. I've never really done anything like this before and I was wondering if you guys had any advice/tips that could help me out ? feeling a little intimidated getting the train there in a batsuit too :embarassed

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My Prop Building Blog: http://primepr0ps.blogspot.co.uk/
6/24/2011, 6:36 pm Link to this post Send Email to blackmask6793   Send PM to blackmask6793
 
GothamsGuardian Profile
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Dark Knight

Registered: 12-2006
Location: The Rooftops of Gotham
Posts: 655
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Re: Convention Advice


Man, I wish I'd been smart enough to post a thread like this before my firt Con. Here's a couple things that I wish I'd known:

1. Get used to not going anywhere fast.
People want pictures, and depending on the crowd, it can make it so you take an hour to cross a room. The attention is nice, unless of course you need to actually get somewhere, like the bathroom, or to go get some food.

2. Prepare a couple cool poses.
My biggest mistake is having been caught unprepared for this. Don't just stand there (or at least, not all the time). Pose with your fists out ready to fight, or a batarang ready to throw or cape spread or something, but alternate, switch it up. Most of my early pictures were just of me standing there, which is good to have in the mix, but make sure there's a mix to choose from.

3. Scout a location early where you can have some privacy and take off the cowl for a while.
My suit hurts after a couple hours, so every once in a while I just need to find someplace out of sight so I can take some of it off without some little kid walking up wanting pictures with Batman only to find me half in, half out of costume. It's tough to explain to them, hey if you can just wait like a half hour I'll be ready but right now I can't. So it's best just to avoid people when you need to take off the cowl.

4. Check your suit frequently.
If you have a friend coming, or can find a mirror, make sure that everything's still in place, zipped up, closed, positioned right, etc. Last year I went to the Con and didn't think to check if my belt was centered, so half the pictures people got with me have me looking like I'm wearing a bandolier across my middle instead of a utility belt. The Batsymbol on it was a good foot to the left of center and it looked awful!

5. Make some rules about pictures.
This was by far the biggest surprise for me. You're standing there, someone comes up nicely and asks for a picture with their son/daughter. You reply in your Bat-voice: "Certainly." Then, as the parent goes back to get the kid ready, someone jumps in, without asking and just sticks the camera in your face and takes a couple shots. The parent is standing there with their kid waiting.
This happens way too often and there are many other rude things people will do when they want a picture but can't seem to muster the courage just to wait their turn and ask nicely.
So you need to set yourself some rules. Will you only take pictures with those who ask? Will you insist on those who ask first get pictures first? These seem pretty standard, but in the thick of things, its good to know exactly where you stand. Don't be afraid to enforce these rules. It's your suit, your presentation. People need to respect you and how you want to be photographed.

Go get 'em Bro! It can be a wonderful experience.

Last edited by GothamsGuardian, 7/1/2011, 2:38 pm


---
Dark Knight
Evil Planets Vigilante

I.N.W.T=In Nolan We Trust
6/29/2011, 12:22 am Link to this post Send Email to GothamsGuardian   Send PM to GothamsGuardian
 
batty999 Profile
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Caped Crusader

Registered: 09-2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 2018
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Re: Convention Advice


That is the best advice thread I have ever seen. Every piece of advice is valuable and well worth considering. I only have to add, when having pics taken, Don't smile, wear good, non smudgy eye black and most of all, enjoy it. The attention you will recieve is amazing.

And post pics here when you have them, please

Paul

---
"I'm no hero. GOTHAM"S FINEST, they're the real heroes!" Harvey Dent, Gotham City District Attorney.

http://gothamsfinest.org
6/30/2011, 6:04 am Link to this post Send Email to batty999   Send PM to batty999
 
EchoSix Profile
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Caped Crusader

Registered: 08-2004
Location: Occupying Gotham
Posts: 9853
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Re: Convention Advice


Great advice Walter! Seriously.


A private place is absolutely essential! Most of the time I need to get away from everyone, when in my Batman costume for a long period, it mainly because of the cowl. The heat, the sweat, the irritations, the pain, black eye makeup smearing... It's bad sometimes.

Depending on what kind of eye makeup you use, bring whatever you may need to clean or touch up. Put a wipe in your utility belt to use in a pinch.

For sweating, get a box of the thicker/more absorbent panty liners and line the inside of your cowl. Yes... Women's panty liners. Use as many as you think and locate them appropriately. Up top is okay, but right above the eyes and even down at the neck area.

I can't tell you how often I've seen fellow Bat buddies in costume, with a torrential waterfall dripping down the front of their suit, because all that sweat drains under the cowl and on top of the emblem and chest armor. If it's a cloth suit, the entire front is soaking wet.


NOT. ATTRACTIVE! :fright


I've found that I need to take a couple of Advils as a preventative measure, along with a few glasses of water, because of all the dehydration from sweating. But I would only recommend that if you're sure you're prone to dehydration headaches. I'd hate for you to drink a few glasses of water, only to find that you soon need to head into a public men's room to take a squirt and you don't have an emergency escape hatch built into your suit to whip things out to take a leak.

Dealing with people is the most difficult part. For me, anyway. I don't have a lot of patience for stupidity and ignorance. And when adults exhibit that behavior, I find it very hard to put on the show I normally reserve for the kids. It's easier to respond to a shy kid who really doesn't know how to react to seeing Batman and will pretty much go with the flow you set for them. But when a teenager or cocky adult starts giving you sh*t... That's when it's time to either give it back to them or clam up and walk away.

Rehearse, just as Walter says. try out all sorts of poses, but also plan on different scenarios of how people would respond. The first time out is weird and intimidating.

But have fun with it.


Oh, and practice a good Batman voice. It brings out more smiles.







---
"An error doesn't become a mistake, until you refuse to correct it."

6/30/2011, 10:30 am Link to this post  
 
Jedi Magnum Profile
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Registered: 07-2004
Location: Southeast USA
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Re: Convention Advice


Awesome advice guys...keep it rolling...

I would highly recommend having a partner, or "handler". You will find that you often, inadvertently bump into people and things, and get your cape snagged easily. In the cowl your vision is limited and your hearing is muted.

You can also miss photo ops with kids because you quite honestly don't hear or see them. Your handler can position you, and keep people from jumping in your photo.
6/30/2011, 2:49 pm Link to this post Send PM to Jedi Magnum
 
GothamsGuardian Profile
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Dark Knight

Registered: 12-2006
Location: The Rooftops of Gotham
Posts: 655
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Re: Convention Advice


Quote:

EchoSix wrote:

Great advice Walter! Seriously.



Thanks! ;)

Quote:

EchoSix wrote:
Dealing with people is the most difficult part. For me, anyway. I don't have a lot of patience for stupidity and ignorance. And when adults exhibit that behavior, I find it very hard to put on the show I normally reserve for the kids. It's easier to respond to a shy kid who really doesn't know how to react to seeing Batman and will pretty much go with the flow you set for them. But when a teenager or cocky adult starts giving you sh*t... That's when it's time to either give it back to them or clam up and walk away.



Oh man. I hate that. I hate it when some idiot walks up and asks you: "Where's Robin?" in that smarmy, trying to sound cool and fake bravado voice. Or you're walking to the convention and someone yells out of a car:
"It's not Halloween dip-****!"

It's tough keeping up the Batman character, especially if you're someone like me, who was always one of those kids who got teased in school. There's the instinctive urge to say to yourself: "Yeah, they're right, I look silly." and mentally chastise yourself for doing this.
You've got to fight that. They aren't right. What you're doing, you're doing for good reasons. Few people recognize the power of this symbol that we wear on little kids, and how much of a positive impact it can make. It may just be a convention to us, one more picture, but to them, it can change their life.

So fight the instinct to feel shame or humiliation. You are Batman. Channel every movie, every episode of the Animated Series, whatever you have to, to keep up that character and don't doubt yourself.

Something that helps me is to keep an ear bud under the cowl and when I need to I dip off to the side and listen to some Batman music, usually the Nolan Scores by Zimmer and Howard. That gets me right back into the mindset and it's amazing how it instantly changes your stature, your mood, everything.


---
Dark Knight
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I.N.W.T=In Nolan We Trust
7/1/2011, 2:34 pm Link to this post Send Email to GothamsGuardian   Send PM to GothamsGuardian
 
batty999 Profile
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Caped Crusader

Registered: 09-2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 2018
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Re: Convention Advice


Quote:

Jedi Magnum wrote:

Awesome advice guys...keep it rolling...

I would highly recommend having a partner, or "handler". You will find that you often, inadvertently bump into people and things, and get your cape snagged easily. In the cowl your vision is limited and your hearing is muted.

You can also miss photo ops with kids because you quite honestly don't hear or see them. Your handler can position you, and keep people from jumping in your photo.




This also some great advice. I would be so upset if I didn't have a minder/photographer with me and missed some of the other great suits. Plus, they can photo you with others.

It must be very different in the States than here in Australia with regard to people "queue Jumping" photos. I have personally never had this problem. By the same token though, we don't get the crowd size here that you guys have, so people are probably more in a hurry to get a qwik pic and move on, with limited time, than we do.

Paul


---
"I'm no hero. GOTHAM"S FINEST, they're the real heroes!" Harvey Dent, Gotham City District Attorney.

http://gothamsfinest.org
7/2/2011, 5:30 am Link to this post Send Email to batty999   Send PM to batty999
 
EchoSix Profile
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Caped Crusader

Registered: 08-2004
Location: Occupying Gotham
Posts: 9853
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Re: Convention Advice


Quote:

batty999 wrote:


It must be very different in the States than here in Australia ... people are probably more in a hurry to get a qwik pic and move on, with limited time, than we do.






Actually, it's because a lot of Americans are obnoxious.


Not all of them. But there are a lot of them.













---
"An error doesn't become a mistake, until you refuse to correct it."

7/2/2011, 9:38 pm Link to this post  
 
theHeroYouDeserve Profile
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Caped Crusader

Registered: 09-2010
Location: WV
Posts: 4254
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Re: Convention Advice


Quote:

EchoSix wrote:

Quote:

batty999 wrote:


It must be very different in the States than here in Australia ... people are probably more in a hurry to get a qwik pic and move on, with limited time, than we do.






Actually, it's because a lot of Americans are obnoxious.


Not all of them. But there are a lot of them.




 QFT :ohwell


---
"I know what I'm doing, and on any given day, I could stop doing it. But today is not that day, and tomorrow won't be either."

Chris Myhalsky
[email protected] (emails are always welcome!)
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7/2/2011, 11:34 pm Link to this post Send Email to theHeroYouDeserve   Send PM to theHeroYouDeserve
 
blackmask6793 Profile
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Apprentice

Registered: 10-2009
Posts: 237
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Re: Convention Advice


Thanks for all the advice guys, it has really helped build up my confidence and gave me lots of valuable information from your own experiences. I have a group of friends going with me so I'll have handlers there to help me out and hopefully this con will be the first of many emoticon By the way to any UK bats the event I'm going to is manchester comicon so if anyone lives in the area and is planning on going I'll see you there :)

---


My Prop Building Blog: http://primepr0ps.blogspot.co.uk/
7/5/2011, 5:04 pm Link to this post Send Email to blackmask6793   Send PM to blackmask6793
 


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