What a wonderful experience this was, despite its MANY downs. I haven’t been told when it’s set to air yet, but I’m very excited to see the final product. Last time I checked, the producer (Jess) had taken over 7 hours of film…and that was BEFORE my costume’s debut. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about:

*Please take the time to listen to my story.*

Last year, I was contacted over Myspace by a producer from MTV. She told me that she was putting together a special on Guitar Hero 2 and had seen my picture on the top friends of the “Guitar Hero Army” page. They wanted me to create Pandora’s newest costume from Guitar Hero 2 and debut it somewhere (a convention, a gathering, etc.) and allow them to follow me through the process. They basically wanted someone who loved Guitar Hero and made it a part of their life. Considering I went to the trouble of actually dressing as a Guitar Hero character, they thought I was a good candidate. Though very skeptical at first, I decided it wouldn’t hurt to investigate. Sure enough, it was all legit and soon began to feel very positive about it. She informed me that Korn, New Found Glory, and Panic at the Disco were interviewed as well for the special. For the “fans” section of the program they chose myself, a competitor who participated in the CPL’s Guitar Hero contest, and a couple who themed their wedding after the Guitar Hero game.

*Please note, from here on out, I’ll be referring to Guitar Hero as just GH.

A few months later and after many phone conversations to New York, Jess and fellow cameraman William arrived at my house to shoot me doing “normal things”. They wanted to see what I do at school (I’m a photography major), what I did to prepare for the costume, how I put on makeup, what I do with my friends, what my family thought about it, what my boyfriend Paul thought about it, ETC ETC ETC!! XD The angle on my story is basically a showing my “girl-next-door” looks and attitude juxtapositioned against my cosplay of Pandora, a rocker chick with a rocker attitide. Jess was A LOT nicer than I thought any producer would ever be. Sure, she was nice on the phone, but I thought spending some time with her may bring out a different side. I was wrong, she was amazing. William was kind too. I was never asked to do anything I didn’t want to do, nor provoked to “dramatize” any situation I was in.

So they film two days at my house just over 9 hours each day and we make plans to “debut” my costume at a convention called “Anime Tour for the Cure” in Las Vegas. I chose this venue because of the convenience with MTV’s schedule and the fact that my family owns a home in Vegas. Skip ahead= We arrive at the convention only to realize that the founder Jeff Borncamp is nowhere to be found and had been rumored to left earlier that day with everyone’s money in hand. I was devastated. All of my time, effort, creativity, money, and excitement had gone into this and within an instant my heart was shattered. The dealers were shutting down as I walked in and all of the poor attendees were wandering around as confused as I was. Dealers, attendees, and cosplayers who’d spent their hard earned money and time to be there were frustrated, confused, and some were in a state of rage. I did my best to keep from crying and did what I could with the situation at hand. My boyfriend Paul, by the way, is the #1 most supportive boyfriend I could ever ask for. I am so incredibly fortunate to have him. I was also lucky enough to meet some very kind people who helped me out including cosplayers Erin, Heather, and the very nice founder of the convention “Anime Vegas”, Richard Stott. *Thank you all for your help!*

Fast forward= I rode the emotional rollercoaster ride home and ended up making plans to attend Anime LA. Working against strict MTV budgets, conflicting schedules, my job, my managers, and my ever-close Spring school semester was one of the most difficult challenges I’d ever faced. I contacted Hazel Chaz (ALA founder) about allowing us to film at his convention. I explained my situation and MTV’s intentions with the GH special. After numerous messages he ended up saying “No”. Though I did not agree with his decision or reasoning, I respected his wishes and did not attend the event.

So now I’m depressed. A wonderful opportunity has just knocked on my door, and now it’s starting to slip away right in front of me. There were no conventions I could attend, there were no gatherings my schedule would allow, I truly thought I was screwed. Jess informed me that the upcoming weekend was the very last weekend they could shoot with me and if I couldn’t make that, my segment would be forced off the show.

Finally, Paul suggested we take a trip down to Highland Blvd. in Hollywood and mingle with the crowd in costume and see what happens. I knew that Highland was a popular place for tourists to visit and for other costumers to congregate. I had never been out in public (besides a con) in full costume before and I thought it would be a great experience. Nervous, scared, and worried I’d be the only person in costume, we made our way down to Hollywood.

James, my new cameraman, joined us as we filmed in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theater, near the Kodak theater, and along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was relieved when I saw others in costume including a Jack Sparrow (quite good too), a Star Wars Storm Trooper, and other various characters.

*I’d like to take this time to note that I had not been on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since I was very young, hence I was unaware of any “tipping” etiquette that was enforced by the costumers down the street.

So Paul and I take pictures with some famous stars embedded in the walkways, some famous handprints, some tourists, and some people dressed in costume. It was drizzling and cold, but I did not care, so far I was having a blast.

And then…it happened…

I approached a man dressed in a Darth Vader costume (not a very good one I might add) and asked if I could take a picture with him. He responded positively and came near me for a shot. Paul took a picture, I thanked him, and walked away. Before I knew it, he’s calling out after me “I DO work for tips YOU KNOW!” I decided to ignore him best I can and tried to walk further away. He pursues. He is now yelling “I told that lady I worked for tips now ya gotta pay up!” Suddenly, he’s right behind me and rips off his helmet and begins laying into me about “being an adult” and being “legally responsible for giving him a tip”. Mind you, I had left my purse in the car, and even if I hadn’t, this man had no right to harass me for money. He continued to yell at me and told me “I ain’t signing no release for that video you took of me, you can’t use me without a release.” I try to get a word in here and there, but he wouldn’t let up. He kept going and going. Paul takes a step between us and tells him “Don’t step up to the lady”. Vader gets even more pissed and almost puts a hand on Paul’s chest proclaiming “DUDE DUDE! Don’t come up to me dude! I’m out here everyday…” Etc Etc. After a heated exchange, James -with camera in hand- calms down Vader, telling him “We’re all just trying to have a good time out here, there’s no need to get hostile. I have a tip for you.” and proceeds to hand him five dollars. Vader snatches the money from his hands and sarcastically exclaims “Thank you! See? It isn’t so hard when we all play like adults is it?” and storms off.

……………WTF?

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding for about 10 minutes after that. I was so angry and so confused why no one came to our aid. He had accosted us in broad daylight in a HUGE crowd, and for what? FIVE DOLLARS?!?!?! This man, apparently, dressed in costume for a living on these streets and this is how he gets his pay. I was appalled that he was allowed to get away with it. He’s not the first one in costume either, nor the last, to have caused a public disturbance in order to collect what they are “due”
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/03/headbutt.wookie.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

We later got a release from him to appear on camera, I guess he wasn’t THAT mad about appearing on a national TV show.

Soon after that, I was happily surprised by two teenagers who actually recognized not only the game where I was from, but my character’s name Pandora. It really really REALLY made my day. I gave him a huge hug and told him how happy they had just made me. I took some pictures with them and as they caught the bus home, I waved them goodbye and moved on with much higher spirits. As daylight was dying down, we headed over to the Chinese Theater for one last shot. As I stood there posing, I looked to my right and saw the excited faces of 15-20 Chinese schoolgirls staring at me, apparently on vacation. Every single one of them had a camera in hand and smiled at me as I approached them for a picture. I stood in front of them, struck my pose, and Paul snapped one of my favorite pictures of all time.

I was suddenly being ask for pictures left and right by these little girls. A swarm of parents, fellow students, and teachers clicking away with their high tech tiny cameras. It was so much fun. While posing with me, each little girl would grab onto my waist like I was a friend. They laughed and smiled with me and thanked me for the picture. It really touched my heart.

So those two “post-Vader-attack” events made the day worthwhile. I went home happy, but exhausted. Now that it’s all over, I’m replaying moments over and over in my head. I’m wondering if it was all worth the stress, tears, anger, and frustration I felt. My answer?

Absolutely.

It was an eye opening experience not only into the world of television production, but to the kind hearts of people who were willing to help me out during my toughest spots. Paul and I have been through an intense bonding experience and I couldn’t be happier. I’m confident that my cosplay experience, as well as the entire cosplay community, will be presented in a positive, creative, and uplifting light. Besides, isn’t that what being a cosplayer is all about? Having fun while being creative? This cosplayer thinks so.

As soon as I hear when the show is set to air, I’ll post it. Until then, I’m going to bed! XD Goodnight!

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