Paid work in armor

[The Anonymous Egyptian]

Hey everyone,

I was curious as to whether I would be able to do paid work in armor, for example party hire. Obviously, while doing so, I'd have no affiliations with the 501st, but would I be able to still be part of the 501st and do paid jobs on the side? Thanks

[Pretzel]

I wouldn't go near that...personal opinion.

 

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[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Generally, paid events have to be cast by LFL, as they own the IP... However, I would advise you to check with your Garrison Leadership, because there may be different situations that exist locally that make it easier or even more of a taboo there.

[Colin1138[TK]]

Personally speaking..I wouldn't. I troop as a hobby.

As soon as cash enters the equation..it becomes a job. And I don't wanna think of trooping as work. It'd change the dynamic too much for me..don't think I'd enjoy it as much.

 

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Personally I have not unless requested by Lucasfilm, all of our local costume clubs and performers understand that Star Wars is looked after by Lucasfilm and they do not supply their own performers in Star Wars costumes.

 

In saying that it is your costume and if you don't advertise you are 501st or have any connection to Lucasfilm then really nobody can stop you, but I think you will find even though you won't say 501st people will just presume

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

I would steer clear of doing this for several reasons, Omar.  First, if it is for a kid's birthday party you have no idea what you are in for.  Let's say for instance you are getting paid for a 1 hour "appearance"...  kids have notoriously short attention spans, and after taking the obligatory photos and getting whacked a few dozen times with plastic light sabers they will forget you are there.  This takes about 15 minutes.  After that, you spend 45 minutes standing there as scenery. I haven't done this, but I have heard the horror stories.

For adult themed gigs, you have to consider one main thing.... alcohol.  I have heard of Troopers having their buckets yanked off, being punched, ridiculed, put in headlocks, having their TD stolen, etc.  Again, after 15 minutes they forget you are there.

No one can tell you what to do in your armor, but I highly recommend sticking to trooping as a group with at least one handler.

[Pretzel]

I would steer clear of doing this for several reasons, Omar.  First, if it is for a kid's birthday party you have no idea what you are in for.  Let's say for instance you are getting paid for a 1 hour "appearance"...  kids have notoriously short attention spans, and after taking the obligatory photos and getting whacked a few dozen times with plastic light sabers they will forget you are there.  This takes about 15 minutes.  After that, you spend 45 minutes standing there as scenery. I haven't done this, but I have heard the horror stories.

For adult themed gigs, you have to consider one main thing.... alcohol.  I have heard of Troopers having their buckets yanked off, being punched, ridiculed, put in headlocks, having their TD stolen, etc.  Again, after 15 minutes they forget you are there.

No one can tell you what to do in your armor, but I highly recommend sticking to trooping as a group with at least one handler.

 

[The Anonymous Egyptian]

Thanks for the advice guys! To Joseph I have listened :')

Edited March 27, 2017 by The Anonymous Egyptian

[The Anonymous Egyptian]

 

 

No one can tell you what to do in your armor, but I highly recommend sticking to trooping as a group with at least one handler.

Actually, what is a handler? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

 

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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

There are no dumb questions, Omar.  A handler is a person (or persons) that take care of the small things that make a troop possible.  Here is my "official" description:

 

  Handlers-  Handlers are an absolutely integral part of a troop, and make our lives much easier.  They take photos for the public, warn us of obstacles, escort us to the restrooms/break areas, pick up fallen armor pieces, protect us from kids smacking us with toy lightsabers, guard our stuff, bring us water, keep us informed, and a myriad of other things.  After your troop, be sure to thank them for all they do to make an event possible and allow those in costume to have a better time.

[Pretzel]

Actually, what is a handler? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

 

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A handler or squire is someone who comes a long when you are trooping. Handlers/Squires are cadets or members of your garrison who do not dress up to help look out for your safety! They warn you of potential hazards, like a crack on the sidewalk. or if a small child is in your blind spot. (us troopers have a lot of those spots) lol They also help you get suited up! They are part of the team! 

[Burnhard22]

A handler is someone that would assist you during a troop. Keeping you safe and out of harms way so to speak. Assisting u thru crowds, maybe helping you down or upstairs, etc. Letting you know who people are, where to go, etc. Safety in numbers. Good Luck.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

We call ours wranglers but same job. I have done some troops in the past without a wrangler/handler, just depends on what type of troop and who is attending, younglings with foam sabers can be quite aggressive

[The Anonymous Egyptian]

We call ours wranglers but same job. I have done some troops in the past without a wrangler/handler, just depends on what type of troop and who is attending, younglings with foam sabers can be quite aggressive

A handler is someone that would assist you during a troop. Keeping you safe and out of harms way so to speak. Assisting u thru crowds, maybe helping you down or upstairs, etc. Letting you know who people are, where to go, etc. Safety in numbers. Good Luck.

A handler or squire is someone who comes a long when you are trooping. Handlers/Squires are cadets or members of your garrison who do not dress up to help look out for your safety! They warn you of potential hazards, like a crack on the sidewalk. or if a small child is in your blind spot. (us troopers have a lot of those spots) lol They also help you get suited up! They are part of the team!

Ooooh okay I see. So, considering I'll be with a group of close friends for my first full armor "troop" (I still won't be 501st!) at LFCC this year, I've got my handlers sorted?

 

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

This is a great read http://databank.501st.com/databank/TrooperSurvivalGuide

 

 

Handler

 

The handler or Imperial Support Staff is a vital part of any successful troop. You are the eyes and ears of your fellow troopers. It is your job to keep everyone safe, on time and damage free. You will likely be asked questions about the Legion and be asked to take photos of people with the troopers.

◾Be the eyes and ears of the armored troopers:

◾Watch out for children that get underfoot easily, so they don’t get stepped on or whacked with a blaster or backpack. Children are a big part of any event, since they love stormtroopers, and are usually a little too overjoyed to see them. (Some adults act the same way too)

◾Stop the troopers when someone wants a picture and you have time, if not try to play ambassador and let them know you’re in a hurry to get somewhere.

◾If the event has specific times and places for things “herd” the troopers to where they need to be when.

◾Be the time keeper, keep the troop on schedule. Often troopers will need to be somewhere specific at an event. If the troops need to be somewhere keep an eye on the time, at a reasonable time before they need to be there, politely inform the people around the troops that they need to go and escort the troopers to their new destination. You might want to add some extra time because invariably they will get stopped along the way for “just one more picture”

◾Remind the troops of breaks and make sure they take them. From time to time, about every half hour or so, check in with your helmeted characters to make sure they are doing ok, this can be a simple as a look and a “thumbs up sign” or discreetly stepping up and asking how they’re doing. If the troops need a break politely let the public know that your trooper needs to go for a few minutes and escort them back to the pre-event staging area / dressing area.

◾Act as a buffer / body guard for the troop. (Someone always wants to push Vader’s Buttons or try to “steal” a nice E-11 Blaster, hijack a thermal detonator, or stick stickers on the armor.)

 

This is when a handler is really needed. They should step in between the costumer and the child and the costumer should then turn their back and walk away. You don’t want to touch the child if you can avoid it, but you want to become a barrier between them and the costumer.

 

First Aid Note You should only be providing medical care in certain situations. ◾You are a family member of the afflicted individual and you know what their condition is, and are authorized to assist.

◾You are a qualified individual, i.e. First Aid/CPR certified.

◾Some of our members are military corpsmen/women, police officers, or firemen/EMT’s. These folks are qualified to assist.

◾If you are not a qualified individual, please stay with the injured member and immediately send another bystander for help.

 

◾Street Sweeper / Pack Mule: ◾Pick up various random pieces of armor that may fall off during the troop.

◾Carry look after, wallets, watches, cell phones etc.

◾Purveyor of Water (giver of life)

 

◾Act as “official” garrison photographer: ◾Take lots of trooping shots.

◾Offer to help take shots for the public. “hey would you like to get in the picture too?”

 

◾Dresser: ◾Help people armor/de-armor if needed.

◾Carry a fix-it kit.

 

◾Garrison Ambassador

◾Answer questions on the Garrison / Legion, why we are there, etc so the people in costume can act that character...

◾Hand out PR stuff like stickers, temporary tattoos, business cards, flyers, etc.

 

One part of being a handler, beyond all of the standard helping out here and there, is to be mindful of where you are at. When we make an appearance, those in costumes should be up front and center. You want to make sure when your a handler your not “in the shot” when people take photos of video. Group shots for us are different obviously. However, when walking in parades or mingling at events, you want to stay behind those in costumes so you’re not blocking someone’s shot or having someone try and figure out why that trooper is hanging out with someone in civilian attire

Edited March 27, 2017 by gmrhodes13

[humperdingle]

In the UKG, you'll most likely hear the term "Spotter", being used instead of "handler".

[Locitus[Admin]]

The primary reason the 501st legion still exists is because it's non-profit. That's why we donate to charities because we're not allowed to keep the money by orders from LFL.

 

 

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[PGHtoolman]

Generally, paid events have to be cast by LFL, as they own the IP... However, I would advise you to check with your Garrison Leadership, because there may be different situations that exist locally that make it easier or even more of a taboo there.

If you submit you costume to the LFL Outer Rim Directory you could be hired by Disney to do work.

There are no dumb questions, Omar. A handler is a person (or persons) that take care of the small things that make a troop possible. Here is my "official" description:

 

Handlers- Handlers are an absolutely integral part of a troop, and make our lives much easier. They take photos for the public, warn us of obstacles, escort us to the restrooms/break areas, pick up fallen armor pieces, protect us from kids smacking us with toy lightsabers, guard our stuff, bring us water, keep us informed, and a myriad of other things. After your troop, be sure to thank them for all they do to make an event possible and allow those in costume to have a better time.

 

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