[Cissia Cosplay] Zenless Zone Zero: Behind-the-Scenes Industrial Studio Shoot

I tried recording some behind-the-scenes clips with the DJI Pocket 4 Pro, but failed miserably at operating it. After wrestling with it forever, I ended up with unfocused, lopsided footage; glancing back at P1 where I'm slumped in a chair checking my phone felt so bittersweet—getting older really makes everything feel like an uphill battle. I was totally clueless about the DJI's wireless connection and stabilization modes, and despite reviewing the manual multiple times, nothing stuck. I eventually just left it on auto-record, ending up with clips where I look completely frozen in place.

The blooper in P1 looks so comical because I was perched on an industrial iron chair trying to shift weight and check phone notifications; restricted by the tight leg garters and skirt, I couldn't sit comfortably and looked awkward and stiff. Flanked by two crooked yellow hazard poles, I looked like an unlucky worker trapped on a construction site—a wild contrast to the poised, staff-wielding pose in P2. Friends joked that I looked like a slacking laborer lounging with her phone to kill time, when in reality wearing this gear was just utterly exhausting.

Regarding the shoot itself: portraying Cissia from Zenless Zone Zero was thrilling, but this was undeniably my most grueling ensemble. The extra-long blonde twin tails and headgear took ages to style and constantly caught on wire mesh fencing. The cropped red top was cinched by a diamond-patterned black corset that was so tight eating was out of the question and breathing felt restricted. The leg styling was equally intricate: Black stockings cosplay paired with garters that required endless micro-adjustments to avoid digging in, rolling down, or distorting leg proportions. The white-and-red shoe ribbons also kept unraveling after just a few steps.

The most fatiguing element was the gnarled wooden staff—it was immensely heavy, and hoisting it during takes caused searing forearm fatigue. I had to set it aside to rest mid-shoot, which is why in P1 I was slumped checking messages rather than posing. The venue offered a gritty, hardcore ambiance packed with steel trusses, chains, and mesh fences, but the dim cyan-green lighting required the photographer to constantly tweak angles to keep my red outfit from drowning into the backdrop or washing my face out.

I initially brought the DJI Pocket 4 Pro to capture vlogs, but struggling with settings only ate up precious time. Returning home with aching limbs, peeling off the tight stockings and shoes felt like absolute liberation. High-effort Cosplay photography is never an easy pursuit, especially when wrestling with unfamiliar gadgets. Yet seeing those polished, character-accurate selects in that gritty industrial backdrop made every ounce of sweat worthwhile.