Bringing out Hu Tao from Genshin Impact this time actually took quite a lot of thought during the pre-shoot preparation phase. Starting with the costume, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor uniform looks simple, but it features plenty of details. The jacket is a deep brownish-black with wide cuffs, featuring Chinese knot buttons on the chest and a red bow tie at the neckline. The lower half consists of black shorts with golden long back panels hanging at the waist. Because I wanted to present that agile, jumping sensation, the fabric chosen was relatively lightweight and had a great drape, ensuring the clothing would have a gorgeous fluttering arc when posing.
The wig is a long brown style that needed layering trimmed into it, with the twin-tail styling paired with the hat and red ropes—especially the plum blossoms and tassels on the hat, which required careful fastening, otherwise, big movements would cause them to tilt off. Makeup focused heavily on the eye area, with red eyeshadow matching the character's playful yet somewhat mysterious temperament.
Hand gestures and postures were also areas I heavily practiced. The airborne posture in the pictures wasn't casually struck; to make the frame look light and buoyant, I tried wire-work and multiple jumping candid captures. Hand movements needed to be extended with a sense of strength in the fingers, and the gaze had to carry the composure of a Wangsheng Funeral Parlor director. The lower half was paired with White stockings and buckled black leather shoes; when shooting this set, the airborne poses took a long time to adjust in order to properly showcase the leg lines.
That white ghost beside me was added during post-production, but during the on-site shoot, I also made many interactive expressions facing a green screen or empty air. The yellow question mark on top of its head is extremely cute, breaking the slightly serious temperament of the frame and adding a relaxed, entertaining atmosphere. Hu Tao's line 'Eat your fill, get a good meal, and off you go' actually carries an open-minded attitude toward life and death, so in my expression management, I didn't deliberately try to act cute, but rather wanted to convey a confident and calm attitude.
Regarding special effects and post-production compositing, because I wanted the flames and golden butterflies to look natural, I communicated extensively with the post-production editor. The trajectory of the flames is wrap-around style, which needed to be composited according to the line of motion of my body. Those glowing butterflies and star bursts were intended to serve as visual guidance, concentrating the viewer's gaze onto my extended body posture. The first picture, featuring a realistic post-production style, preserves the material texture and light-and-shadow of the clothing. The second picture is a secondary creation in an illustration style; although the art style differs, the poses and background elements are completely identical.
The entire shooting process was quite physically demanding, especially having to maintain balance mid-air while wearing this outfit. Since there was no point of force application in the air, core strength had to be tightly tensed while keeping facial expressions natural—sometimes after finishing a set, my legs would be trembling. But seeing the finished photos successfully present this effect of wrap-around flames accompanying ghosts, I felt every drop of sweat was totally worth it. I hope this share lets everyone feel the unique charm of the character Hu Tao.