Hello, my name is Dee DL and I am with Convention of Cosplay. I am with Wayne the Cosplay Medic today.Dee: I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to be interviewed today, Wayne. You're actually my very first interview I've had! I'd like to start off by asking you your name, and where you are from.
Wayne: Hello Dee, nice to meet you. My name is Wayne, and I'm from Toronto.
Dee: Hi Wayne! Pleasure to have the opportunity to interview you today. To start things off, my first question to you is: How long have you been cosplaying and what was your inspiration to start?
Wayne: I have been cosplaying for more than 2 years now. I don't really remember what inspired me to cosplay.
Dee: I have seen some of your cosplays this past year. They are fantastic. Can you tell us some of the cosplays you have done since you started?
Wayne: Well my first cosplay was Steampunk Wolverine, after that was a Steampunk costume. I did Dieselpunk Batman, Captain Canada, King Sombra from My Little Pony, Kamen Rider 1, Kamen Rider Skull and some casual costumes. I also did Rick O'Connell from The Mummy, a dieselpunk adventurer and my personal favourite, Captain Mal Reynolds from Firefly.
Dee: Oh wow! A lot of variety - I have seen a few of them already! Hopefully you will be able to submit a couple photos from your past cosplays. Out of all of these cosplays, which one is your favourite and why?
Wayne: Captain Mal Reynolds is my favourite because I like the character very much. It's also very comfortable to wear and it's very funny too, since I have a mask of Nathan Fillion to go with it.
Dee: So what methods do you use when it comes to putting together a cosplay? Do you have any material preferences?
Wayne: I opt to go with cheaper and easy to use materials like craft foam or cardboard. I’m not really good at masking costumes as putting together costumes. I'm better at making prop weapons.
Dee: I have seen some of the work you have done so far. It is really great, and you are very creative and talented. Have you participated in any costume contests? If so, what was the experience like and did you win any awards?
Wayne: I have been in several costume contests and masquerades. It was fun and exciting as I really enjoy being on stage. I did win several awards from different conventions and cosplay gatherings.
Dee: Anything in particular that stands out as an experience?
Wayne: The most memorable one is when I was Dieselpunk Batman at Unplugged 2013. I made my performance funny, and the audience seemed to like it.
Dee: I would love to have seen that. Despite how much the cosplay community is growing, there is still a lot of negativity surrounding cosplay, so I would like to ask a fellow cosplayer: what does cosplay mean to you?
Wayne: For me, cosplay is for fun. It's nice to be a character you love, and be in character. For me, I also enjoy the satisfaction of finishing a costume, and to feel more confident as well.
Dee: To follow up with your response, what advice would you give to someone who wants to go into cosplay, but isn't sure on how to start. As a follow-up: what would you like to see for the future of cosplay?
Wayne: My advice is to have fun while doing it. There is no right or wrong way to cosplay, there is only the passion you put into cosplay. The most important thing is don't forget the "play" in cosplay. Don't say no, just have fun.
Dee: Indeed! So just a few last questions.
Wayne: Yeah? Dee: If you could cosplay anywhere in the world (including any convention), where would it be, and which cosplay would you wear and why?
Wayne: I would love to make a gigantic Serenity ship costume and wear it at DragonCon in Atlanta. Because I love Firefly and DragonCon has the greatest display of cosplayers.
Dee: That would be amazing to see! Wayne, do you have any cosplayers who inspire you? If so, what is your favourite cosplay of theirs? And if you could leave one message or quote with us, what would it be?
Wayne: I don't really have an inspirational cosplayer, but I do have a couple of favorite cosplayers like Shelle-chi. I like her mostly for her personality and attitude, she's a great person and a very passionate cosplayer.
Dee: Thank you so much for the interview today and for being my first cosplay interviewee. To many cosplays, and many events more!
