Week 2: Pitch Perfect and Production in Motion
- annaekgoodwin
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
Week 2 brought the intensity we anticipated - and then some. After laying our creative foundation in Week 1, it was time to prove our GENTLE MONSTER x GEMINI concept could translate from vision board to viable production. This meant presenting our pitch to industry mentors from Harbor Pictures, Electric Theater Collective, and Calling All Talent, then immediately pivoting into the logistics.
The Pitch: Proving the Vision
Our team walked into the pitch armed with Bua's storyboards, our meticulously curated mood boards, and Robyn's shot guide video that blended Midjourney explorations with Gemini-generated content. The core concept remained razor-sharp: Korean avant-garde eyewear meets cutting-edge smart-glass technology, all filtered through the bold, quick-cut aesthetic of K-pop visual culture.
The mentors were receptive but rigorous. Their feedback became our roadmap for refinement, pushing us to commit harder to our vision while solving for the practical realities of the XR stage.
Coordinating the Chaos: My Week as Air Traffic Control
As Production Coordinator, Week 2 transformed me into a human switchboard. My days became a carefully orchestrated dance of emails, Slack messages, and phone calls, ensuring every moving piece of our production machine knew where the others were heading.
My primary objectives:
Crew and Talent Booking: Securing our on-camera talent and essential crew members for the XR stage shoot
XR Stage Logistics: Booking both our load test and official shoot day—critical for a project relying on virtual production technology
Communication Hub: Acting as the central coordination point, making sure Robyn, Bua, Danci, and Sheng could focus on their creative and technical work without losing sight of the bigger picture
Beyond logistics, I dove deep into art direction for the live production. GENTLE MONSTER is the brainchild of Jennie, the South Korean singer, rapper, actress, and BLACKPINK member. Her brand DNA is unapologetically bold, minimal, and architecturally precise. I styled our model's wardrobe, hair, and makeup to channel that aesthetic while ensuring every choice would integrate seamlessly with the team's Unreal Engine environments. The goal was cohesion: the live talent needed to feel native to the digital world we were building around them.
Lighting the Vision: Pre-Vis in Unreal
One of my key technical contributions this week was lighting the close-up pre-visualizations of Sheng's glasses model in Unreal Engine. These weren't just renders, they were proof-of-concept tests for the XR stage. Every lighting decision had to consider optimization: how the virtual LED wall would render these elements in real-time, how our live camera would capture them, and whether the aesthetic would hold up under the technical constraints of virtual production.
It's a unique challenge, balancing artistic intent with the reality that the XR stage has specific performance limitations. Too much complexity and the frame rate tanks. Too little and the image feels flat. Finding that sweet spot will continue to require iteration and close collaboration with the team.
lighting in Unreal Engine
K-pop Culture as Creative North Star
Our product concept—Gemini AI technology integrated into GENTLE MONSTER eyewear—demanded a visual language that honored its Korean heritage. We leaned heavily into K-pop music video references, particularly the frenetic editing style, choreography that highlights facial features (perfect for showcasing glasses), and that distinctive blend of futurism and high fashion.
Robyn was instrumental here, creating a reference mashup that combined our live test shots, AI-generated content, and Meta smart glasses visuals. This hybrid edit became our stylistic blueprint, a living document showing exactly how our pre-vis elements would integrate with live footage in the final piece. Next week, we begin merging the two.
previs style edit
Mentor Feedback: The Turning Point
The mentor notes from our pitch review were direct and invaluable. Kyle, Billy, Hailey, Beck, and Jaymin delivered feedback that both validated our direction and sharpened our focus:
Commit to monochrome: GENTLE MONSTER's brand language is black, white, and silver. No color distractions. This simplifies our palette and strengthens brand coherence.
Eliminate realistic lighting: Real-world lighting cues would break the futuristic illusion. We need to embrace artificiality.
Simplify the futuristic city: Our virtual environment needs to be achievable before shoot day, with graphic shapes that complement rather than compete with the glasses.
Embrace the weird: GENTLE MONSTER stores are experiential, almost surreal. We should lean into robot mechanics, unexpected elements, and the brand's avant-garde strangeness.
More cuts, more K-pop energy: Quick cuts reinforce the branding language and match the rhythm of K-pop visuals. We need to fragment our existing shots, using different sections rather than adding more coverage.
Lens effects and iridescence: Introduce mylar, lens flares, and other optical treatments to enhance the "tech" feeling.
Lighting is everything: Hard shadows, strong directional lighting. This is what gives GENTLE MONSTER campaigns their edge. Sunset vibes are out.
Choreography over acting: Plan face-forward movements that showcase the glasses, drawing from K-pop dance references.
The Action Plan for Week 3
Strip back the city environment to a simpler, more graphically driven futuristic backdrop
Go full monochrome—no color, no realistic lighting
Lean into GENTLE MONSTER's inherent weirdness by researching their physical stores and campaigns
Fragment our pre-vis shots to create the rapid-fire editing rhythm of K-pop
Refine lighting on the XR stage to prioritize hard shadows and dramatic contrast
Finalize choreography that keeps the glasses front and center
The Momentum Builds
Week 2 was a masterclass in iteration under pressure - which will continue through week 9. We pitched, absorbed critical feedback, and immediately began adapting our approach. My role as Production Coordinator has expanded beyond logistics into creative problem-solving—ensuring that our artistic ambitions remain tethered to what's actually achievable on our timeline and within our technical constraints.
The XR stage shoot is on the horizon and the pieces are moving into place.
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