DC Bombshells Halloween Edition (2019)

Every year, I get together a grand photo shoot with a group of my absolutely amazing and talented cosplay friends. With the help of Anthony H. Nguyen Photography - my vision for this year came to light. We transformed into the Halloween DC Bombshells. For those who don't know, the DC Halloween Bombshells are part of DC Comic's line of collectibles featuring female characters in "bombshell" style outfits, but with a Halloween theme. Here's an example of their Bat Girl statue. With that as the theme of this year's shoot, here is how we pulled it off:

How to Easily Create a Successful Cosplay Collaboration

Pick artwork/ characters/ theme that comes from one source

It’s easier to form a cosplay group around artwork from a particular artist in a specific genre or fandom. This eliminates a lot of confusion and makes your group really look cohesive and “together”.

I wanted to keep with the Halloween theme in this shoot. So what better to represent Halloween than to incorporate the colors black and orange. Luckily, most of the pictures that we have for our references already has this color scheme. Liz, who was cosplaying as Katana didn't have a Halloween-themed statue to work off of, since there is only a regular Katana bombshell statue. She had to do some work to make hers match the theme, so she incorporated an orange belt and changed the mask in the original artwork into a pumpkin. And the result is beautiful!

Establish a communication platform

When forming groups, communication is key! I love using Facebook Groups because not only can you post updates, pictures and inquiries – you can even tie in an event to the group page and it automatically invites everyone in the group. This also gives an easier way for you to pin important information and it’s a lot easier to navigate compared to FB Messenger. I like doing polls and group discussion to answer unresolved questions, and of course showing off each others’s progress on the costumes you’re making. We also love using the group page to ask each other for help or advice creating cosplays.

Set realistic deadlines for making costumes

This is very important because every cosplayer has different skill levels, schedules, techniques, and budgets. Exercise good judgement on how much time, effort, and money each costume will take to complete.

Coordinate colors and materials used in making your group cosplay

This ties a bit to the first section on the list, but this also helps a lot in identifying the group as a whole. Even if each member has a different skill set, having the same fabric, style of painting, accessories and small details can make a huge visual impact and make your group very identifiable.

Plan logistics and set up an official event for your meetup

Use a platform to create an official meetup event. This is especially important when you have photo shoots with a large group. Be sure to make everyone aware of the venue and the time constraints your other members and your photographer have. Make sure to coordinate payments to the photographer ahead of time, so during the shoot day, all you have to do is smile and pose.

Always have a backup

Always be prepared and have a plan “B” on what to do when something doesn’t go as planned. Be prepared when there's inclement weather or if some minor touch-ups are needed while in the shoot. Do you have enough safety pins? Do you have food and water in case the shoot goes long? Also, while we're planning ahead, it might be nice to come up with future plans for the costume if you want to use it to cosplay at another event.

Pick people who are fun and professional

Photo shoots can take all day. So it's best to pick people who can bring a bit of fun to the set. Professionalism is also key. Because even if you're doing the shoot just for fun, keep in mind that the photographer is being booked for time and time is money.

And lastly, it is always important to have reliable people to be a part of the group. What I love about this particular group I'm working with is that I can trust that they will complete the cosplay in a timely manner, and their costumes will look amazing. Just like with any group project, everyone trusts each other to do their part and it makes it really easy if everyone is on the same page and able to coordinate to get things done.

Here's some behind the scenes photos from our shoot.

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