[Jingri Guming cosplay] Golden Light Puppetry dual-person studio shoot, the visual collision between Prince Jingri and Canglang

The biggest feeling of shooting Golden Light Puppetry is that this is not just wearing clothes and striking poses, but more like engaging in a comprehensive physical contest. This time, partnering to cosplay Cangyue Guming, our outfits are truly heavy. Beijingwang's large golden robe paired with heavy fur is basically a mobile incubator when worn on the body. To match the studio lighting, we had to maintain specific postures amidst artificial smoke and strong light. The sword is not light, and holding it while performing actions while balancing expression control is truly a test of core strength.

The character Jingri Guming is actually quite difficult to grasp. The unique performance system of puppetry places extremely high demands on his movement range and facial expression tension. To restore that temperament emanating from his bones, we put a lot of effort into the makeup, where elongating the eye makeup and embellishing the outer corners of the eyes were key points. Combined with the layered combing of the wig and the fixing of the hair crown, the heavy load on the entire head was intense. The interaction actions with Canglang were also rehearsed several times, aiming to both showcase the complex bond between an elder and a junior and balance the visual tension in front of the lens.

Photographer Lingmo is extremely professional in scene layout and light/shadow control. Screens, birdcages, chessboards, maple trees, and that huge moon—every detail helps tell the story. Especially the two scenes of supporting the chin in a cage and confronting each other with swords, we tried many angles in the studio. The intervention of the smoke machine gave light and shadow a concrete shape, and also covered up some background clutter, making the frame more focused on the character interaction. The metal accessories and bead strings on the clothes had great texture under the lights, and we spent a lot of time adjusting the placement of these details because puppetry costumes inherently carry a very strong handmade feel.

Although studio shooting in Guangzhou doesn't require exposure to the sun, wearing so many layers of clothes, plus the wig and props, left my entire body drenched in sweat after a session. Makeup artists Qianhe and Qiyue did such exquisite makeup that basically no major post-processing changes were needed; the direct output images looked stunning. During shooting breaks, we would also discuss how to restore more classic actions. Although the process was hard-going, gathering together to study how to shoot the work well made the process itself extremely addictive. Meeting many fellow fans on this Guangzhou trip made me very happy.

Shooting this set of photos truly confirmed the saying "lacking in skill yet high in passion." Although every time we challenged our physical limits, seeing the moment of eye contact between the two in the final photos made all the fatigue feel worth it. The shooting process of this set of photos was actually very smooth; everyone had great tacit understanding, and the photographer's emotional guidance was also spot-on. Every moment the shutter was pressed, you could feel the frame gradually taking shape. Next, I want to try more classic segments of puppetry, and continue to put more effort into action design and atmosphere creation.