[Sonny Boy] DIY Glowing Cube Studio Set: Recreating an Abstract World in the Studio

Completing a whole studio set design and prop fabrication independently for the first time, the overall presentation exceeded my expectations. Looking back to when I first received this shoot planning, I was actually a bit unsure because the narrative and visual language of this theme are quite abstract. There are no clear, specific scenes to reference, so it relied entirely on set construction and lighting to recreate that atmosphere.

The effort spent on the studio set this time was much more than imagined. For example, those suspended colored discs might look randomly scattered in the photos, but when actually fixing them in the studio, we went back and forth adjusting the height and spacing of the suspension lines for several rounds, repeatedly testing with different lengths and materials of fishing line before finally achieving that staggered feeling of weightlessly floating in mid-air. What took the most thought was actually those glowing cube DIY props—one was pieced together with semi-transparent white acrylic, hiding color-changing LED beads inside; the other surface was wrapped in colorful sequins and textured materials, which could refract tiny but rich colored light spots under strong light, forming a wonderful echo with the discs suspended in the background.

The lighting adjustment on the actual shoot day also brought many surprises. Both cool-toned and warm-toned softboxes and spotlights were used simultaneously in the studio. When the light source illuminated those cubes and suspended objects, the semi-transparent materials and the light spots refracted by the discs hit the model, forming a soft and dreamy light and shadow atmosphere. Many on-screen preview snapshots even had a stronger sense of storytelling than expected. At that moment, I truly felt that the hard work of making props facing the blueprints was all worth it.

Although I wrote a very long and detailed shoot proposal in advance, because the design was too abstract, everyone still had to stop frequently during on-site execution to communicate angles and actions repeatedly. When doing dynamic action captures, to catch that "frozen" yet dynamically tense frame, the cooperation between the shutter and the model's movements was tested many times. You can also see some hilarious bloopers in the behind the scenes, such as me almost falling into the set while trying to find my center of gravity, or expressions of failed facial expression management because the lights were turned up too bright. Looking back at them now, I can't help but laugh out loud.

Special thanks to photographer Yansi, who was willing to put in full patience to grind through this abstract theme with me bit by bit. From building the studio set to lighting arrangement, and then to continuously adjusting actions and perspectives on-site, this collaboration was truly delightful. Without his patient cooperation, these stunning visual records would not exist. Photography is inherently a process of materializing vague imaginations in the mind. This attempt gave me a deeper understanding of combining sets with light and shadow, and I also mastered many little tips for prop making and lighting coordination. The final product hides many traces of our hard work. This first experience of making a studio set is truly precious.