3 simple movement tools for your cosplay arsenal

The light is getting closer in the tunnel to getting cons back up and running in person.

SOOOO EXCITED!!!

Which means, my fellow cosplayer, you’re probably, let’s be real, you’re definitely planning (or have already gone) your post-covid debut con. 

To be clear, regardless of your investment, both time and finances, all cosplays are awesome cosplays. No elite, gatekeeping here, no thank you, nope!

Alright, just had to get that off my chest.

Now, when planning a cosplay, there’s a great deal to think about:

(Which is kind of the point, right, planning and prepping is for some the best part.)

Costume is key which probably goes without saying, but there’s other things like hair/wig, props, makeup, I’ve got brown eyes, but my character has blue; should I wear contacts? Kind of stuff. 

I’ve mentioned in the past that I believe movement is an important aspect of cosplay to think about when you’re researching to get to know a character.

But, that doesn’t mean it has to be a crazy intensive thing.

You don’t have to figure out how to climb walls if you’re gonna be Spiderman. 

Although, it’d def be a perk, lemme know how that works out!

Alright, without further adiu, here’s my 3, go-to, simple tools for cosplay movement. 

Posture

So as far as posture goes, a way I like to think about it is in regards to body language. 

Someone with good posture can appear more confident and open.

Whereas a character with more closed body language may slouch more because it can be a way of turning in on oneself. 

Does Captain America slouch when he’s suited up? (either of them, of course) 

Perhaps they have a time or two, they are human after all. But their overall stance? Open chest=straight posture. 

Adjusting your posture to better represent the character you’re cosplaying can be a great place to start.

Poses

How do they positon their hands? Where’s their center of gravity?

Would you say Scarlet Witch’s hands are more important than, Loki’s?

I’m clearly on a Marvel kick, go with it 🙂

It’s in the way Scarlet Witch moves her hands that is iconic for her, perhaps Loki too, just not as pronounced. 

Study how this character holds themselves, how they pose, and that way you’re ready to go for photo ops!

Path

Sticking with my Marvel theme today, let’s look at Black Widow and Hulk.

Now, Hulk is pretty direct with the way that he moves, right? I mean, he is a tank, and Hulk must smash, so why would he take anything but a direct path?

Black Widow, on the other hand, can certainly be direct if she needs to be. However, she can also exist in space more indirectly, more allusive, and calculating with her movements. 

Something to think about: how does this character of yours exist in space?

Do they move quickly or slowly, directly or indirectly?

How do they walk the path they’re on?

So, there you have it!

Posture, pose and path.

3 Quick, short, sweet, simple tools to aid you in your cosplay movement journey. 

There are, of course, many ways your could dive deeper into your research, many a rabbit hole awaits you, but if you’ve got these, you’re pretty good to go!

If you are interested in a deeper dive into cosplay character movement work, check out my post introducing Labanotation.

It’s basically a scientific breakdown of movement and how you can apply different building blocks to construct a character’s movement signature.

Let me know how you get on!