over 5 years ago - PlayOverwatch - Direct link

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4s Cosplay is... it's a journey really.
7s And it's not just trying to make
9s whatever you're making look exactly like the character that it is.
13s It's also coming up with creative ways to fabricate as well.
17s So whether you're using foam, or thermoplastics such as Worbla,
21s the technique that goes into it is substantial.
24s I've seen people improving. I've seen all the techniques improving.
27s Cosplayers have access to 3D printing technology now,
30s which blows my mind.
31s They're really starting to bridge the gap between, you know,
35s the physical world and the digital world, in my opinion.
38s The Overwatch Cosplay Battle is unique
40s because we wanted to show the whole process
42s and really celebrate from start to finish
44s what it takes to make these incredible costumes.
52s I thought it was a really exciting idea.
55s First of all because it's a team effort,
57s so we have the opportunity to take advantage
60s of all the different skills that each of us bring.
64s I've never really been in a group project in which
68s we made a costume between more than one person.
72s So it's my first time working as a team, really.
76s It's really nice to involve all three of us into the build
78s and not just have one person sort of go "look at me!"
83s Usually in cosplay, cosplayers work alone
86s and it's not as easy because you have to accept how other people work,
91s what are their standards...
92s And you also have to trust them on materials you don't know.
96s We have different techniques, we have different
98s ways of crafting, of working...
100s And it was very fun to actually see all these
102s different personalities merging in one project
104s and making this project come alive.
106s I think... Yeah, I'm very happy, and I'm very proud of our work.
110s I love my team. I love my teammates and I'm very happy to represent Russia.
121s We had the chance to incorporate many many different techniques in Symmetra.
126s Obviously there's some sewing to do
128s for the pants and the under suit and the gloves.
131s Then there's foam work.
133s We did some things with thermoplastics.
136s We also tried casting some things.
139s You know, we really learned something.
141s We had the chance to work on our own skill set.
144s I think that almost everything in MEKA is absolutely unusual for cosplay.
151s Because usually cosplayers use plastic, they use EVA foam...
155s We didn't use any of this.
157s We worked with fiberglass, we worked with real metal.
161s It was a huge challenge from the beginning.
163s I think for this costume everything we did
166s and decided was out of the box
169s from everything that we all did before.
171s Well, I like the movement of the backpack. It's very funny.
176s I've been painting with a brush all my life.
179s And for this costume I wanted to try something new
183s and started using the airbrush.
186s The airbrush gives you a wider range of shading and paint variation.
198s Time was our biggest enemy
201s and there's like a vaccum and it sucks it all up
203s And you're like: "Where did the days go?"
205s And it just vanishes...
207s A special challenge for the costume has been
210s making it in a way to have great mobility,
213s in order to have flexible poses or be able to walk properly and run,
219s and have a good-looking costume at the same time.
223s
230s For me, I think it is important to win.
233s I'm a competitive player in general, that's who I am.
237s It's people being like "oh she's Team Germany"
240s and “they are team Germany”
242s and “we are supporting them because they are Team Germany,"
244s and that just, you know, gives a little push as well.
247s I think the full nature of this contest,
251s which is also a performance, an exhibition of, you know,
255s of crafting skills or artistic view.
259s I think it's been pretty interesting to see all of us coming here
263s and seeing it come to life.
265s Cosplay is fun and it doesn't matter that we all represent our countries
269s or that everyone wants to win.
271s For me, it's amazing teamwork and we just share what cosplayers can do.
277s So I think this is the idea.
279s It's not to compete, it's to share the experience.
282s To share the amazing work of everyone.
285s I'm really excited to see the other teams' costumes
288s because they’re all great cosplayers,
290s and I just hope I get to see it in real life
293s one day and we can all go to an event
295s and catch up and talk about their experiences.
298s There are so many things going right with these costumes.
301s We've got incredible painters getting all of the details and the colors right.
305s We have wonderful armor makers that are making these not only functional
309s but they look exactly like the in-game model.
312s So there's so much fitting to the person that's wearing the costume
316s as well as paying homage to what's happening in game.
319s It's one-to-one and it's incredible.
327s Classic D.Va by Team Russia...
330s absolutely insane!
331s The main thing that I love about that cosplay
334s is the scale... like, talk about a ratio!
336s I think that this is the first time I've seen
339s anything cosplay-related that retranslates the relationship
343s between the pilot and the mech so accurately.
349s Dragon Symmetra...
350s I think I'm most impressed with this costume
353s because it's one of our more fantasy-oriented Overwatch skins,
358s which isn't the norm for us.
360s But I loved that they took it and made it so iconic.
364s Everything about this cosplay just… is Overwatch.
367s In and of itself.
372s Baihu Genji... that one was actually a challenge even internally.
376s I remember us looking at the chainmail and thinking
380s "okay, I hope it's gonna work," you know?
382s But at the same time, "it's a video game,
383s so hopefully we should be fine."
385s And when I saw that team picked that skin,
389s I was really interested to see how
390s they would translate that specific component.
392s And they did it beautifully.
397s So we have Team UK doing Forest Spirit Orisa.
403s Man! This cosplay is incredible. I'm speechless,
406s I'm bumbling over my words just talking
408s about it right now, but they're incredible!
410s The detail put into all of the little spirit guys on the head…
416s every little leaf is exactly where it should be,
419s it's colored exactly as it should be.
422s Team Italy and Blackwatch Genji... Oh my god!
425s The reason why I find it absolutely mind-blowing is because,
429s you’ve got to remember that when we pitched that skin
432s and we actually did that skin in-house,
435s the pitch was that the guy was supposed to be
438s half robot and half human.
440s It was never meant to be fully human,
442s so seeing that actual cosplayers decided to run for it
446s and also managed to keep all the proportions perfectly aligned
450s with what we had in mind when we created that skin for the game
453s is absolutely mind-blowing.
458s So we have Team France with Magni Torbjörn.
461s It is such an incredible costume!
463s The sheer weight of that beard has to be just...
467s I can't even imagine.
468s It looks so good though!
476s As an artist, I really like cosplay because
480s it gives me a chance to look at the details of the character.
482s No matter the character you're doing,
484s you're really looking at it under a magnifying glass.
486s I think that it is kind of in the back of our minds
489s each time that we create new characters,
491s “how's the cosplay community going to take over?"
495s and "how easy or hard is it going to be for them?"
498s So we try to keep that in mind.
500s There is no greater feeling
503s Than watching somebody work months, weeks, hours
507s on a character that you help to create
509s and then seeing it in person it's such an incredible feeling.