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Video and audio for your cosplay performance
Video and audio can be a great tool to raise your cosplay performance to the next level. It is important that the audio and/or video you provide works well with the equipment at Chateu Neuf, which is why it’s crucial that you follow the advice and requirements in this guide.
All media must be submitted by the end of day on the 23rd of May. Participants unable to do so will be disqualified.
Audio Guide
Most cosplay performances have some form of backing audio. Be it music, dialogue, sound-effects, or a combination of all three. Making the audio sound good can take a bit of work, but it’s worth the effort.
Can I use a pre-existing audio (like an audio from a tv-show, a video or an audio drama)?
Yes! If you don’t need to make any changes to the audio (such as adding dialogue), a pre-existing audio is no problem at all.
Test your audio with different devices (headset, stereo, your phone and so on). Headphones won’t tell you if the audio will sound good on a speaker. Listen to the audio on all your devices and ask your friends to listen to the audio too. If it doesn’t sound how you want it to be, try to get the audio from a different source.
Can I make my own audio or add something to an existing audio?
Yes! If you make the audio yourself, you have full control, but it’s more work. Look at the guide below to learn how you can compose the file in Audacity (https://www.audacityteam.org). It’s free and relatively easy to use.
Test your audio with different devices (headset, stereo, your phone and so on). Headphones won’t tell you if the audio will sound good on a speaker. Listen to the audio on all your devices and ask your friends to listen to the audio too. If it doesn’t sound how you want it to be, try again and adjust the levels of your file, then export the file again.
Mixing your own audio
1: Start by adding all the tracks (such as the dialogue recording and the background music) to the workspace as separate tracks. The easiest way to do this is to use “Import > Audio”. Remember to save frequently to not lose any of your work.
2: Adjust the volume of each track. Every track has a button to Solo or Mute the track. Press solo on each track in turn, and adjust the volume using the +/- slider below.
3: When playing the track, keep an eye on the volume-meter. Especially the blue line, which shows the peak value. Keep normal dialogue at the -12 mark. This leaves room for loud dialogue like shouting and laughing. Loud sounds should not exceed -3.
4: After adjusting the volume for the separate tracks, drag each clip left or right to get them into the correct position.
5: Play the tracks together frequently as your work on the audio. As you listen to your track, make notes of things you need to adjust. Is the background music making it hard to hear the dialogue? Is some parts of the dialogue overpowering other parts? Go back and adjust the tracks until you’re happy with the mix.
And lastly – remember that louder isn’t always better! The audio equipment has limitations, and if we don’t work with those limitations, then the result will sound “not great”. A classic mistake is to make the dramatic music loud to emphasize the drama, which then makes the dialogue difficult to hear.
Exporting the finished project
Make sure to save your project before exporting it. In the File menu, choose Export Audio.
Use these settings on your export:
Format: WAV
Channels: Stereo
Sample Rate: 44100Hz
Encoding: Signed 16-bit PCM
The exported file will be big, but that is not a problem. This quality is the best for our sound-technicians to work with.
If you have trouble with sending the file because it’s too big you can zip/compress it before sending it to us.
Video Guide
Having a backing video is not a requirement, but can help take your performance to the next level. This can for instance be to use video as a simple backdrop, add extra some movie-magic to your performance or as a storytelling device.
How to send your file to us
1: Export the video and save it on your computer/tablet.
2: Open the relevant competition form.
3: Upload the video into the form.
4: Submit the form after filling in all the mandatory fields.
Settings for video exporting
Format: MP4
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 / 16:9. We can only accept horizontal video formats
Framerate: 24-60 frames per second. Keep in mind that the equipment on Chateu Neuf has limitations and a higher frame rate won’t always translate.
Maximum file size: 1GB
File name: Your name + name of cosplay competition.mp4. Example: Kari Normann – Cosplay performance competition.mp4
Recommended free video editing software
You can use any video editing software that you want to, but here are some that we recommend using if you don’t have a preferred software. We provide a tutorial on how to do this in ClipChamp (PC), iMovie (Mac) and CapCut (mobile and tablet) at the bottom of this page, which will be a good choice if you don’t have a lot of experience with editing videos.
PC / MAC
Microsoft ClipChamp (free on PC)
iMovie (free on Mac)
Apps for mobile phones or tablets
CapCut
iMovie (only available on iPhone or iPad)
Recommended paid video editing software
Da Vinci Resolve
Adobe Premiere Pro
Final Cut pro
How to export your video through ClipChamp (PC)
1: Set your video preset to 1920 x 1080 / 16:9 when creating your video project.
2: Click on the export button at the top right corner of the video editor.
3: Export your video as an MP4-file in the video resolutions you choose. Select 1080p (HD). Your exported video will be an MPEG 4 (.mp4) file. The frame rate will be 30fps.
4: Remember to name your file with your name + name of cosplay competition.mp4. Example: Kari Normann – Cosplay performance competition.mp4
5: Your video will automatically start exporting and you’ll see a progress bar.
6: Send the video to us
After your video has finished exporting, it will automatically save to your computer. The file will usually be saved in your downloads folder.
How to export your video through iMovie (Mac and iPhone/iPad):
Mac
1: Set your video preset to 1920 x 1080 / 16:9 when creating your video project.
2: Click the share button. Look to the top-right of the iMovie interface. You will see the Share icon, which looks like a square with an upward arrow inside it.
3: Click the export button. To export as an MP4, click the “export video” button, and set the video and audio output format to MP4. You can also adjust the resolution quality. Select 1080p.
4: Export the video by clicking Next… and the video file will be exported to a folder of your choice. You’ll see a small progressmeter at the top-right of the iMovie interface.
5: Rename the file to your name + name of cosplay competition.mp4. Example: Kari Normann – Cosplay performance competition.mp4.
6: Send the video to us
iPhone/iPad
1: Set your video preset to 1920 x 1080 / 16:9 when creating your video project.
2: Click the share button. After saving your video, you’ll be able to access it in the projects folder. Click the Share Icon in the middle, which looks like a square with an upward arrow inside it.
3: Click the export button. To export to MP4, click the “share video” button. This will allow you to download the video to your device.
4: The video will save to your iPhone/iPad. Transfer the file by AirDrop or e-mail to see it on your computer.
5: Rename the file to your name + name of cosplay competition.mp4. Example: Kari Normann – Cosplay performance competition.mp4.
6: Send the video to us
How to export your video through CapCut (mobile and tablet):
1: Set your video preset to 1920 x 1080 / 16:9 when creating your video project.
2: Export your video when you finish editing it. Tap the “Export” button.
3: Choose “Video” as the output format and “MP4” as the video output in the export settings. This is also where you can select the video’s preferred resolution and frame rate. Select 1080p (HD).
4: When you’re done selecting your preferred settings, tap the “Export” button again. The video will be downloaded to your tablet. Transfer the file by AirDrop or e-mail to see it on your computer.
5: Rename the file to your name + name of cosplay competition.mp4. Example: Kari Normann – Cosplay performance competition.mp4
6: Send the video to us
