[Yanfei cosplay] Bilibili World 2024 Fieldwork Diary

As Yanfei on "field duty" during Day 2 of Bilibili World 2024, the bokeh light spots overhead at the venue actually matched this red-and-white color palette remarkably well. During the process of gearing up, restoring details was the highest priority—especially the signature beret with red and black stripe splicing, along with the white horns on both sides, copper coin tassels, and yellow fringes, creating a rich array of visual color elements. The hair strands were specially styled in light pink, paired with green contact lenses to create a highly recognizable contrast under natural light.

Since the setting is a legal advisor, I practiced expressions and eye contact extensively beforehand, hoping to present a professional demeanor in front of the lens that is sharp, confident, yet slightly playful. During the actual shoot, this midriff-baring top with red and black color-blocking paired with detached wide sleeves required high posture control. The interlaced white pom-poms and black lines on the sleeves make the arm lines look wide and puffy; combined with the thickness of the white fluffy scarf, failing to keep shoulders back at all times would easily look bulky. Fortunately, the entire team coordinated with great tacit understanding. Photographer Honzina grasped the composition precisely, and we specifically utilized top spotlights inside the hall to create a background halo effect, softening the clutter of passersby in the background.

While shooting this set of photos, I placed great emphasis on the communicative feeling conveyed by hand gestures. Simulating actions like flipping through case files, raising a finger to explain, or clasping hands together added an illusion of real communication to the static images. I selected these photos as highlights because they relatively completely showcase the upper body garment tailoring and action coordination. The wooden waist plaque and small blue ornaments serve as embellishments that genuinely demand a detail-oriented eye. Due to heavy foot traffic at the venue, many photos were captured using quick snaps combined with high-angle downward perspectives, utilizing a wide aperture to suppress background noise and highlight foreground clarity.

This shoot happened to coincide with the character's birthday, giving cosplaying her at the convention venue a unique sense of ritual. Walking through the exhibition halls, I was occasionally recognized by fellow fans calling out the character's name; this immersive experience allowed me to face the camera in a more relaxed state. Of course, this outfit and prop setup came with small hurdles to overcome—for example, the top of the hat pressed against my forehead due to its weight, and the oversized sleeves easily slipped off when raising my arms, requiring frequent adjustments. Between takes, I constantly had to smooth out the fabric orientation to ensure no messy wrinkles ruined the frame.

Retoucher Huazhizhi performed very meticulous color grading targeting the convention ambient lighting, preserving the original texture of the skin tone while dampening background highlights to make the face condition and wig layering stand out more. Actually, doing cosplay isn't just about wearing outfit—more importantly, it's about capturing that free-and-easy spirit of the character in motion. This Bilibili World 2024 fieldwork experience was truly unique; it was both fulfilling a shooting task and enjoying the celebration in a different way. Instead of deliberately taking stiff poses, I faced the shutter with an everyday interactive state. Although the red, black, and gold color scheme is common, applying it to Yanfei with the white sleeves as a buffer creates a very comforting overall color depth.

Many captured moments in the final photos reveal the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere of the day, and I am very satisfied with this natural and relaxed state. I hope to continue challenging high-fidelity, highly interactive characters in the future, continuing to explore more performance possibilities for this character across different conventions and lighting conditions.