Materials Value Form |
The sole reason for the cost form is to prove that the cost limit has not been exceeded. The staging area judge will look at the form and check that the cost is under the limit. If so, the form will generally be ignored unless it is obvious that the team could not have made their solution using those materials under the cost limit.
How to write the form The best way to write this form is to have a copy of the script in front of you. Every time a new character or setting is introduced, write every part of the costume, setting, or prop on each line. Yes, this will take up a lot of space (my cost form is generally 3 pages long) but it ensures that you don’t forget about certain items. Save frequently used materials for the end of the form and do that in bulk. “Tape, $10, paint, $5, wood, $30” etc. |
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Tips and Tricks
First off, expensive items are probably just $5. All musical instruments, computers, projectors, speakers, drills, or anything else that you would generally spend ~$50 or more is 5 bucks. Check the OotM guide for more information as to what actually falls under the umbrella.
Only items that directly contribute to the solution need to be on the form. If none of the team has shoes that directly contribute to their costumes, for example, those don’t need to be on the form. Ideas that you have scrapped (it doesn’t matter that you spent money on them), if they aren’t in the final performance, they don’t need to be on the form. If you spent $50 on paint and repainted the set 5 times, you’ll probably only need to put down $5 on the cost form for the last layer of paint.
Don’t forget about labeling items as trash. Items that you have repurposed, old 2 liter bottles, cans, etc., don’t need a price. Just write trash in the blank for cost.
Garage Sale cost: Many items you get will be expensive, but you can list them at garage sale prices. Be reasonable, but oftentimes items like wood will be donated to teams, you don’t have to list each 2x4 as $5.78 or however much they cost at Lowe’s, just put “wood, $5” which covers all the wood in the performance.
I would do this form on the computer, because it takes a long time to write out and you can just reuse most of the same items for state and world competition as long as your solution stays the same. It will probably take an hour or more to do this form, which is valuable time wasted the night before competition, when everybody inevitably does their forms.
If you are a team who saves all their receipts and wants to turn them in with the form, that’s great! Just photocopy the receipts so you’ll still have them, and the judges won’t have to deal with tiny scraps of paper.
First off, expensive items are probably just $5. All musical instruments, computers, projectors, speakers, drills, or anything else that you would generally spend ~$50 or more is 5 bucks. Check the OotM guide for more information as to what actually falls under the umbrella.
Only items that directly contribute to the solution need to be on the form. If none of the team has shoes that directly contribute to their costumes, for example, those don’t need to be on the form. Ideas that you have scrapped (it doesn’t matter that you spent money on them), if they aren’t in the final performance, they don’t need to be on the form. If you spent $50 on paint and repainted the set 5 times, you’ll probably only need to put down $5 on the cost form for the last layer of paint.
Don’t forget about labeling items as trash. Items that you have repurposed, old 2 liter bottles, cans, etc., don’t need a price. Just write trash in the blank for cost.
Garage Sale cost: Many items you get will be expensive, but you can list them at garage sale prices. Be reasonable, but oftentimes items like wood will be donated to teams, you don’t have to list each 2x4 as $5.78 or however much they cost at Lowe’s, just put “wood, $5” which covers all the wood in the performance.
I would do this form on the computer, because it takes a long time to write out and you can just reuse most of the same items for state and world competition as long as your solution stays the same. It will probably take an hour or more to do this form, which is valuable time wasted the night before competition, when everybody inevitably does their forms.
If you are a team who saves all their receipts and wants to turn them in with the form, that’s great! Just photocopy the receipts so you’ll still have them, and the judges won’t have to deal with tiny scraps of paper.