Often you must have heard about Fashion Pageants and Fashion Shows in Second Life. You might have noticed Pageants being held every year by different organizations to bring in new talent to the Fashion Industry. You might have also attended a fashion show that showcased high ended brands. Throughout the year we see women being crowned. Recently the results of Miss SL were out. AviStars and Mr SL applications will open soon. Miss Globe Universal is accepting applications for this year. Miss Virtual World will open its applications in June-July. Have you ever wondered what if this was me?
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| SoulCrack3r Resident, Model- GiaBlossom, Location- Backdrop City |
Men and women alike there are two ways to enter the Runway world of Fashion Industry in SL. Either you participate in a few of the pageants or you can join a Modelling House. A modelling school teaches you the intricate details of how to be an Editorial Model and a Runway Model. And there after you are either recruited directly or you enter the Pageants to be recruited. This article can not be a substitute for a modelling school. However, to the very least, if you are trying to participate in the pageants in future; this will help you as a guide to follow.
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| Petr Denis, Model- GiaBlossom, Location- AviStar ♛ 2019 Grand Finale |
Last year I participated in AviStar ♛ 2019 as Miss Afghanistan and bagged the 2nd Runners Up position. It was my first time walking as a Runway model and also participating in a challenge as Editorial Model. Runway modelling as the name suggests are the models who walk the runway. Editorial modelling is taking still images. More like what fashion bloggers do with photography and image editing skills. These images could be used by designers on their vendors. This time I will only focus on the Do’s and Don'ts of Runway. Here are a few things I learned during the pageant.
Apart from your fashionable outfit, there are three things you will need for the walk -
Pose Hud - The most used by runway models is the “Strut It Model Hud” by Mango. It’s fairly easy to configure. It can hold 3 sets of 10 poses and a walking pose in each set.
Animation Overrider for the modelling poses - Any modifiable AO can be used and configured. I used Zhao II MB Hud and configured with my own default standing pose and walking animation.
Private Chat Channel Hud - You could use a relay chat Hud as well or Virtual Private Chat Hud. This helps to follow the queue as directed by the Runway Director.
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| Theme Kattaca Challenge in FASHICON 2020 |
When the show begins, you are expected to have judges and an audience. This means that not only you are wearing scripts but the guests who have dressed up for the event are also wearing scripts which might affect the show. Things to remember before the show begins which will help reducing the lag-
Derender every object other than the stage. You can do this in Firestorm (FS) Viewer by going to Area Search. I usually blacklist decor and seats before the show. To know-how to watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53qIM0lyw4I
Reduce Avatar Complexity. I keep the maximum complexity to 30. Anyone beyond that will appear as jelly beans in my FS. It’s important to keep the avatars in jelly beans state or you will not know who is in front of you in the queue. To know how to do this follow this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxWrqd0o3dc
Make a copy and remove all scripts from all the wearables, attachments and body. The more scripts you are able to remove from yourself, the less you will lag during the show. The only scripts you are wearing are the Huds.
Freeze eye blinking and any facial animations, hand movements. This is because when the audience takes a picture, it will be without any imperfect movements.
Remove all other Huds or chimera that are not useful on stage.
Choose or make an AO that has a walk animation and a default pose stand only. These animations must not interfere with what you are wearing.
Check for spayed hands and your attachments, double check for possible mesh glitches. You do not want to be viewed naked due to such glitches.
Most pageant organizers will tell you that poses are not important. However, it is as important as your ensemble itself. You must be ready with 10 poses batch and change them every 10-15 seconds. Runway poses are more realistic and the transition from one pose to another is very smooth. It's best to choreograph a set from one creator. Runway poses can be used for editorial needs as well. However, editorial poses can not be used on a Runway. The pose set you choose should say a story to enhance your ensemble. For example Geisha styling poses can’t be used for hip hop styling. Try not to repeat the poses. Always face the audience, unless your storyline has a reason to look either up, down, right or left. Unless told otherwise, make sure you are doing a 360 degrees choreography.
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| Petr Denis, Models - AviStar ♛ 2019 Finalists, Location - AviStar ♛ 2019, Image has been cut to meet image requirements. |
Lastly, your ensemble must follow the rules of a challenge. It is good to ask if you do not understand a theme. Research about the theme. Never give a modern look to a traditional wear, you might affect the sentiments of the viewers from that country. Your accessories must have a reason to be worn. For example, you can't wear a digital cord with a primitive camera. All attachments must fit correctly. None of the layers of should be overlapping or embedded with each other.
The next time you are participating in a pageant, follow the above guidelines for the runway. Be polite, be helpful, be beautiful and good luck in your future fashion endeavours.
Additional Information -
Strut It Model Hud by Mango- https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Strut-It-Model-Hud-by-Mango/152487
Virtual Private Chat Hud - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/VPC-V10-Virtual-Private-Chat/152402
Zhao II MB Hud - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Free-ZHAO-II-MB-HUD-sD-Look/729885
YouTube video tutorials - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53qIM0lyw4I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxWrqd0o3dc
Miss Globe Universal - https://missglobeuniversal.com/
Miss Virtual World - https://boslmvw.wordpress.com/
Miss SL Organization - https://missslorganization.com/
Backdrop City Landmark - https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Backdrop%20City/176/37/21
Well Done Gia!
ReplyDeleteThank you Melinda
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