Week 6: The Shoot

annaekgoodwin
4 days ago
3 min read

After five weeks of concepting, building, refining, and optimizing, we finally had our shoot day on the XR stage...

Stage Day: Controlled Chaos

Shoot days have a particular energy - equal parts adrenaline and precision. My role as model handler meant being hyper-vigilant about every detail that could break visual continuity between takes. Hair, makeup, wardrobe all needed to be absolutely perfect to make our work in post simple.

Violetta, our model, was a last-minute casting substitution, which added an extra layer of complexity to an already demanding shoot. But she committed fully, matching the choreography references we'd pulled from K-pop videos with impressive accuracy. Between takes, and with Robyn's support, I'd pull up the reference clips on the Ipad, we'd review the movement beats together, then she'd nail it on camera. Given the circumstances and timeline, the execution was impressive.

Beyond keeping Violetta camera-ready, I coordinated shot execution with Robyn, cross-referencing her meticulously crafted shot lists to make sure we were capturing everything we needed in the time we had. The XR stage runs on the clock, and every minute costs. No room for "we'll figure it out in post" or "let's just grab one more take." You get what you get, so you better know exactly what you need.

Violetta, our shoot-saving model

Violetta, Model

Anna, Hair Shannon, MUA

The Technical Gauntlet

Unreal Engine threw us some curveballs mid-production - render hiccups, lighting discrepancies between what we'd tested at load and what was happening live, the usual digital gremlins that appear when you're under pressure.

Danci kept us moving. While the rest of us focused on camera, performance, and shot execution, she was troubleshooting in real-time, adjusting engine settings, tweaking materials on the fly, making sure the environments stayed stable and looked right through the camera. It's the kind of problem-solving that doesn't always make it into the highlight reel but is absolutely mission-critical.

While shooting was stalled, Robyn grabbed a rented Black Magic camera to grab back-up handheld shots which ended up saving us massively! These were some of the mentors favorite shots.

Bua handled DP duties and lighting, with Sheng providing crucial support throughout the day. Sheng also took on the equally important role of keeping the crew caffeinated and fed—never underestimate the impact of timely coffee and snacks on a long shoot day's morale and energy levels.

Danci at the brain bar

Camera Crew

One of the smartest calls we made was reaching out to Ben and Julian, two SCAD seniors with extensive XR stage experience, to operate the Raptor camera system. Without their expertise, we would have been stuck with static shots - functional but utterly unable to capture the dynamic, kinetic energy that K-pop visual language demands.

They brought not just technical skill but efficiency. No time wasted figuring out the rig, no learning curve eating into our shoot window. They knew the system, understood what we were trying to achieve, and executed.

The Color-Coded Command Center

Coordinating shoot day felt like conducting an orchestra while also tuning the instruments. So many moving parts: talent, camera operators, technical directors, lighting, engine optimization, shot lists, timing, continuity. The project plan I'd implemented for both load test and shoot day became our shared navigation system for clear task delegation, visible accountability, real-time status updates.

It's the kind of organizational infrastructure that only reveals its value when things get hectic. When someone asks "who's handling X?" and you can immediately point to the answer, when a task falls through the cracks or bottlenecks and you catch it before it becomes a problem, when the crew knows exactly what they're responsible for and what everyone else is doing...that's when the system proves itself.

Herding cats is an apt metaphor, but I'd add: herding cats while keeping them all moving in the same direction, at the same pace, toward the same goal, without anyone getting lost or distracted or stressed into paralysis.

Project Plan in Trello

Wrapping the Physical, Entering the Digital

By the end of shoot day, we'd captured everything on our shot list. Three environments, multiple setups, dynamic camera work, performance that matched our vision. The virtual and physical had merged successfully.

Now came the next phase: taking all that raw footage and transforming it into the 30-second spectacle we'd been building toward since Week 1. Post-production, compositing, color grading, sound design, final assembly. The XR stage gave us the pieces. Now we had to put the puzzle together.