Entertainment
Spring is all about renewal, so to celebrate the season, why not catch a show where the contestants reinvent themselves again and again and again? Cosplay Melee premieres on Tuesday, March 21 at 10 p.m. ET on SyFy, and this reality competition is challenging some of the world's most talented cosplayers to make the most jaw-dropping creations of their lives. Cosplay Melee is hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown and will feature world-renowned cosplayer LeeAnne Vamp. The judges' panel will also feature Christian Beckman, who is perhaps the person the contestants will most want to impress.
That's because he kind of does for a living what the contestants will do in the competition as they transform themselves into characters from the worlds of entertainment and sci-fi. But Beckman does so on a much grander scale, and when I say "grander," I really mean "blockbuster." Are you picking up what I'm putting down? You know, Beckman is a judge, after all, so you should really expect nothing less of his skills.
The Cosplay Melee contestant that's able to wow Beckman, Vamp, and Brown the most will walk away with $10,000. Not bad for doing something you love.
So who is this man who (partially) has the contestants' fate in his hands? Read on to find out what makes Beckman such a boss among cosplayers.
Costumes & Makeup Are Serious Business For Beckman
Beckman is a costume design and makeup effects extraordinaire in Hollywood. His work can be seen in such films as TRON: Legacy, The Hunger Games, The Last Airbender, Star Trek, Where the Wild Things Are, War of the Worlds, and I Am Legend, according to his bio on SyFy's website. One of Beckman's biggest claims to fame is that he was part of the team that built and puppeteered Doc Ock's (Alfred Molina) tentacles in Spider-Man 2, he said during an interview with Schön!. I mean, just look at those things.
He Longed Dreamed Of Doing Makeup Effects
Beckman has wanted to do makeup effects forever — well, since he was 8 years old, to be exact. "I think when I started watching films such as John Carpenter's The Thing as well as Friday the 13th and Star Wars — this is where I would say the true inception began," Beckman told Schön!. It's pretty amazing that Beckman went on to work on some legendary films himself.
He's Long Called California Home
Beckman attended San Diego State University for college. He also "managed a multi-million dollar retail store with 300 employees" during that time, according to his bio on the website of his company Quantum Creation FX (more on that later). His Twitter profile also puts his current location as Burbank, California, which makes sense when you work in show biz as Beckman does.
He's Not A Big Tweeter
Speaking of Twitter, Beckman is fairly new to the platform. His profile says he joined in March 2017. He has also only tweeted once, retweeting a post from Cosplay Melee's official Twitter account featuring a clip from the upcoming season. But now that Beckman is on Cosplay Melee, I'm sure he'll have a lot of tweeting to do.
He Created His Own Company
After working at makeup effects company Edge FX, Beckman went on to form his own company, Quantum Creation FX, in July 2005. The company's portfolio includes costume work in such films as The Watchmen, makeup effects in Sucker Punch, and animatronics and electronics/lighting in TRON: Legacy, according to the firm's website. But Quantum Creation FX doesn't just stick with sci-fi, horror, and superhero stuff, although it's clearly quite skilled in those genres. The company has also made costumes for all sorts of commercial work, as evidenced by this reel. No matter what Quantum Creation FX is designing, it always turns out looking absolutely impressive.
Clearly, Beckman is going to have a lot of knowledge to drop when Cosplay Melee premieres. You've been warned of his awesomeness.
