Costume modelling video filming issues

For a while, I have occasionally spent the time to film short videos of myself modelling a costume to embed in my costume hire website on the details pages. Below are some of the interesting issues that I encountered.

My costume videos are meant to show the costume and some movement but be short without being too short or too long.
I start the camera, walk into the target area, slowly turn around, sometimes do other movements depending on the character portrayed and then walk back.

1. Lighting
   Having proper lighting is important, but not everyone has the finance or space to set up proper lighting. Having lights behind the object in the video is a major problem. Whenever I try to film in my small space, I tend to get lights causing problems.
   
2. Background
   Having a less colourful background helps to show a costume. Preferably a bright colour. In my case, I only have a dark sheet that I hang up and it does not cover the entire background.
   
3. Bumping into things
   My filing space is small due to costumes and I cannot really film outside at night. Sometimes I bump into things while filming, especially with the big mascot costumes. Keeping the floor clear around the camera helps a lot when you wear a costume with big feet and head.
   
4. Cutting off body parts
   It helps to take photos ahead of filming to test the camera zoom and aim. Even with the photo, there is a chance of cutting off body parts because of location change during movement in the target area. Sometimes, the head is just too close to the picture edge.
   
5. Retakes
   If you need to retake the video, then do so. Last night, I filmed a mascot costume and ended up doing the filming six times. This was because of cutting off parts, bumping into things and messing up a bit during movement. Mascot costumes make this particularly difficult because of the size, heat and lack of sight.
   
6. Time required
   It takes a lot longer to film than you would expect. Starting with setting up lighting, background, camera, test photos and then finally putting on a costume. Just simply switching between costumes takes time. After that, it is a matter of getting the correct zoom setting for the camera again. Editing, uploading and embedding the video also takes time.
   
7. Video editing
   Get a video editor that allows you to mute the sound or replace the soundtrack. Do some of the early editing using your camera. The video quality output is also important. Some editors make it difficult to embed a logo in a corner. For embedded videos, you do not really want an intro or outro.

Several things that have been happening and will happen with costumes

Things have been rather quiet the last few months. Part of the reason is the winter weather, certain times of the year also do not have many birthdays happening and the beginning of the year is usually also an extended empty wallet season. A new factor added is the international finance mess that everyone is suffering from to some extend.

On to the latest changes and updates:

1. The costumes and clothing taken over from a shop in another town will be arriving some time in August as per discussion with the shop owner. Unfortunately the exact date in August is unknown, same with the exact content. There is supposedly quite a bit of variety according to a very reliable source of mine.
   
2. Some costumes have been retired due to age reasons mostly or parts never returned. Unfortunately this is not always understood by some people.
   
3. Due to age, some costumes are now a bit cheaper to rent. Prices have been mostly adjusted on the website.
   
4. Once some finance issues are sorted out, there is a plan to move the website to local hosting in South Africa and an easier domain name. The current website will then be set up to redirect and update the search engines accordingly.
   
5. Advertising for brand awareness has been recently expanded. This is mostly very localised to the Monte Vista suburb and a particular shop in close proximity to the premises.
   
6. A service for posing in costumes with messages has been started. Right now it is limited to very few characters and due to legal reasons, trademarked characters have to be avoided. There should be something appearing on the website soon about this. This kind of service can be used for advertising, birthdays and other events.
   
7. Keep in mind that the annual Halloween season is coming up which tends to be busy. Booking costumes two weeks ahead of time is usually too late for all of the popular costumes.

Public costume events in the first part of 2014

There are at least two events in 2014 near the beginning of the year where the public can show up in costume. The first event will be UCON which takes place at the UCT Upper Campus in the sports hall.
The event will take place on 29 and 30 March starting from 10AM onwards.

The second big event is the annual Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) which Readers Den is hosting as well as other comic book shops like Outer Limits. This is an international event to promote reading. Readers Den had a best dressed competition the last couple of years and had over 70 entries in 2013 as well as various anime performances.
Free Comic Book Day always takes place the first Saturday in May.

Plans to get new costumes

Several of my costumes have been getting a bit old and are in need of replacement. Different sizes for some costumes are also required as well as new styles. This year is going to be a focus to get new stock and more of it to cater for the different sizes of people that come to fit on.

Several needs in regards to this matter have been identified and will be getting more attention. At the moment there are final decisions being made about the first batch of new costumes to get.

The year 2013 was not good for getting new costumes due to the major expense of replacing the premises as well as getting many costumes repaired. Also getting a couple of costumes at 3000 Rand each ended up destroying the rest of the budget.

Major new premises upgrade

The two years overdue major premises upgrade has finally been done and set up. This means far more space, fitting rooms and hopefully less compacting. The new Wendy house is a 3x6m compared to the old one which was 3x3m. The size difference is quite huge.

It took over two hours to get everything out of the old Wendy house, the area in and around the new one is currently still a construction site, but hopefully today it should be sorted out and everything can be moved back in.

Free Comic Book 2013 is coming

The annual Free Comic Book Day is upon us soon. It is a worldwide event and it always happens on the first Saturday of May and many shops in many countries take part. As always, I will be helping out at Readers Den in Stadium on Main in Claremont, Cape Town. Last year the event was a lot larger than previous years and this year it is supposed to be even bigger. The best costume contest is being split into three categories this year because there were too many good costumes last year.

http://www.readersden.co.za/shop/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=15

New locally made costumes in wrong sizes and related delays

At the end of December 2012, I asked a local company to make selected costumes for me. I did mention my height specifically and I was assured that they fill fit. The costumes turned out not to be as good as I was expecting them to be, especially considering the photos were only of other costumes that they were based upon.

Some of the costumes arrived at the end of January 2013 and the rest was supposed to be about two weeks later. Two of the costumes that arrived and had hands, had the hands wider at the tip of the hand than in the middle and I could get my own hands only halfway in. The fact that there were no individual fingers like the original had, also bothered me quite a bit. This mess practically made it impossible for the person wearing the costume to close it up on the zip or buttons because of seriously restricted use of hands. The costumes were basically not scaled properly since the person who made them was a lot smaller.

The second batch of costumes that I had ordered and were supposed to arrive on 9 February are still being worked on and supposedly redone because of the hands. This means they were also stuffed up. Earliest that I will get them is most likely at the end of the month. My repairs lady was also upset about how the seams were done which means lots of issues later on. Sending photos that are not close enough to how the costumes actually look like, plus the scaling issues and hand issues, is going to ensure that I will skip this particular company in future what getting costumes made concerns. I rather spend the shipping costs and 40% import duties to import costumes again since that will be more worthwhile in the long run.

The new flyers are finally printed

The new flyers have finally been printed and have arrived last night. Distribution will be a very interesting issue. Originally there were supposed to be only 1500 flyers printed, they ended up becoming 2300.

The dilemma with getting better premises for costume hire

As many people will have noticed, my space for hiring out costumes is becoming increasingly smaller over time as well as older. As a result I have the following options and issues:

1. Hire the premises across the road for 8000 Rand (ZAR) per month which my income cannot cover during the quiet months and due to the expensive maintenance. This would also include paying a salary to someone to be there during the day as well as electricity and possibly water as well.

2. Get a bigger replacement for my Wendy House which requires 34000 Rand (ZAR) according to one quote. This is not a possibility right now since I do not want to take out a loan.

3. Should my tenants move out then I could use my current flat for the costumes, but it is a matter of time until that becomes too small.

4. Partner with someone and move everything elsewhere which becomes a problem about who is controlling the stock. Recently that nearly happened, then someone else I know did that with that person and lost most of the stock and money.

5. Get another Wendy House for about 9000 Rand (ZAR) and pay that off over a few months.

To afford some better premises, I need to hire out more which means first to spend more money and time on marketing.

Pink bunny photo service

As a minor extension of my costume hire business, I have started advertising services of costumed characters in different poses. Below is such an example where I wear a pink bunny costume with extra padding just to give more character and hopefully a little bit more of a cuteness factor, as well as avoiding that the costume hangs so horribly. This can of course also be extended to have birthday messages or possibly marketing messages, etc.

The service through which I sell this service is very specific in regards to what is being offered, hence this particular service listed is the pink bunny. I have to limit it to generic characters due to copyright reasons.

Do various poses in a pink bunny costume

Starting with costume photo services on Fiverr

A while back, I have started offering costume photo services on Fiverr.com which can be expanded to be videos as well. These services are highly focussed on specific costumes and are more intended for either promotions or birthday wishes or similar things.

At the moment I only offer a pink bunny photo service just to see how this works out. The plan is to add a few more characters to the mix but avoiding any trademarked characters to avoid legal issues. Video will also come in time, but my internet connection needs an upgrade first. Basically anything that fits me of my collection is an option.

Getting ready for Halloween weekend

If this year is anything like the last year, then Halloween weekend will be crazy again. Due to several losses, security problems, thefts and other issues, my finance this year is limited what new costumes for Halloween concerns. The customs import duty of 40% does not help much either.

This year should go smoother due to wireless tablet PC and mobile phone for availability checking and reservations. My website has also date filters to show what is still available for selected dates so that the general public can get their answers quicker. This in turn will save me time to talk with everyone asking questions.

The big problem now is deciding what costumes to get based on requests and hoping that I pick the right sizes and hopefully they will get rented. Finance being the main issue and time is a secondary issue unless I wait much longer. The costume shops also have stock levels and also get busy which causes more delays.

What I will be wearing and where I will end up for Halloween parties this year is another matter. Last year I was about to put on a costume, then someone showed up who wanted exactly that one. In such cases, I let the paying customers have the first pick.

New availability date filters on website

A new date filter for the upcoming two Fridays and Saturdays has been added to the website above the pagination where costumes are displayed. Custom Halloween dates have been added as well. This is mostly to make it much easier to instantly see what is still available for the busy weekends since most people want costumes for Friday or Saturday.

This filter has also been added to the other costume categories to prevent having to select it again. There is of course a disable option.

Losses and price adjustments

Recently there have been too many losses in either costume parts or due to damages or parts never returned. This now finally resulted in a very long overdue price increase. Most costumes are now 150 Rand to rent instead of 100 Rand.

Another recent loss was a costume that came back with large white paint spots. It looks like oil based paint. The costume itself is red and black. Whatever I do except replacing the material will ruin the material even more if I try to get rid of the stains.

What is even more annoying is that people want super cheap prices when my prices are already too low and also much lower than competitors. Last month alone my costs in damages was around 3000 Rand which means I had to rent out thirty costumes that were 100 Rand each to rent if I do not count the washing expenses just to recover that money.

Photos of costume parts on website

Due to certain telephone calls and costume requests it is starting to become important to start showing photos of actual costume parts on my website. For example the chest and waist section of my Cleopatra costume needs actual photos shown. As I was busy getting things in order this weekend, I also took a few photos of costumes and parts, but did not yet put them all onto my website.

Many people make use of the internet these days and also do not have the time during the day due to work or distance to actually go to costume shops to rent something. Several people have mentioned so on the phone, in emails and verbally. These costume photos are especially important for people from other cities where there are no costume shops to rent from. What does not help is that so many people promise photos and do not bother sending.

Sizes do matter a lot when selecting a costume

A lot of people who come for costumes are not always sure what size will fit them. Most people are not models or super fit as used for packaging photos of the costumes. Some people also do not have generic body shapes or age and lifestyle has had their effects. In the end, once theme, availability, personal preference and sizes are applied, the number of costumes that are real options are rather limited.

Many people also prefer no masks and many women prefers skirts and dresses, even if they are at the time wearing trousers. The long suits are not at all popular with women and fit few and look good on even less.

The things that mascot character performers have to worry about

Mascot (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a "short" list to worry about and consider for those that show up as different characters or mascots at birthdays or sports events.

Not event specific:
1. Travel time to and from the venue when you do not live there.
2. Hiding the costume before and after the event to prevent breaking the character illusion.
3. Being able to get into and out of the costume before and after the event without anyone running into the dressing room or bathroom.
4. Storage of clothing or personal items while in costume.
5. Driving in costume is very often not an option, same with getting dressed in the car unless it is a van.

Event specific:
1. Not scaring children since that could have a very long lasting effect.
2. Being aware of your surroundings due to often being wider and taller as well as having less eyesight. Mascot costumes in particular have a size and eyesight problem. Washing lines are evil when they hang too low.
3. Heat while in the costume due to time duration.
4. Children becoming naughty once they get used to a character and they get bored of the event.
5. At birthdays in particular the children tend to follow when the mascot or character leaves to get undressed. This is a problem when being cornered somewhere and sweating a lot in the costume plus time pressure.

Dear clients, a few things you should know...

Dear clients

Below are a couple of interesting details that might or might not occur to some people, but they can be rather frustrating when being repeatedly on the receiving end on a daily basis over years:

1. Please do not assume opening hours: I have one sign on my yard wall and one sign on the gate and a dedicated page on my website with the opening hours.

2. Opening on weekdays in the evening after seven does not mean that I will be there at three in the afternoon or already at six. These opening hours are because I have a main job and costume are my second job.

3. If there are two of the same looking costumes listed on my website, that means that I only have two of them and not thirty just because you happen to need thirty on short notice.

4. Getting costumes either locally made or imported from overseas takes quite a bit of time and is expensive. There is also the issue of getting different sizes which is costly, especially if something is hardly ever requested.

5. The refundable deposit is because some people do not look after costumes and cause damages and lose parts. The deposit of 200 Rand is actually too low due to damages, same with the renting fees.

6. Having to repeat the exact same answer three times on the phone just because you are confusing yourself is not fun.

7. Just because a costume fits and looks good on other people does not mean it will fit you.

8. Packaging photos are sometimes a bit incorrect. Actual photos give you an idea how a costume looks on someone, but it still might not work out well for you.

9. If you promise to send me lots of photos, please do so. Many people want to see how a costume actually looks on someone.

10. My costumes are not the super expensive collectors edition type.

11. Try not to wear costumes that you know will be a bit too tight or too small for you. I end up with stretch related damages and eventually have to pay for repairs and replacement costs. This just happens to usually make a costume not look too good.

12. Asking me five times for the same costume that I do not have will not make it magically available in your size.

13. If someone has a reservation/booking for a date that you want it for, then you are too late and have to pick something else.

14. Collecting a day early is often not an option due to other costume reservations.

15. Please use the search on my website and look at the different costume theme pages before you ask me. You might get lucky and see actual photos.

16. I do have days on which I get home after seven from work. My website states that as well. Unfortunately that is the way it is.

17. Trying to get me to rush to be home on time for costume collection and you being an hour or two late is not nice, especially not when you then suddenly take days to return the costume again.

18. The reservation form is not the enquiry form.

19. Just asking to keep a costume for you and then not showing up and no contact details does not work since many people ask that and it becomes impossible to track phantoms like that over weeks. Just do a reservation if you really want something.

New website update news

The long overdue new version of my website has been receiving some improvements recently. There was a flaw in the date range search when narrowing down results for a date range to list only available costumes using the search filters. For this same purpose the themes navigation needs to get an overview page that is not a specific theme and not everything because of long loading times and duplicate content what search engines concerns. There is also the consideration of applying themes based on season.

Various changes and new costumes

Here are a couple of things to get off my mind:

Two of the three superman costumes were retired due to wear and tear reasons. Someone purchased the Wonder Woman costume which was actually also in need of replacement. Four out of eleven new costumes are still expected. They have to be collected at customs.

Due to repeat computer problems, working overtime and vacation, the new version of the website still has not gone live and this now really starts to bother me. The new site is more mobile device friendly. The site is basically ready, but it needs to be tested once more before going live.

January and February are usually quiet months which is good for availability but not good for trying to finance new costumes.

Due to popular demand, I will try to finance some more mascot style costumes. Prices are slowly being adjusted due to maintenance expenses.