February 2026. I start writing. The original plan is a short drama plus a stage reading — small scale, manageable solo.

The script keeps growing. By early March it’s 120 pages. Feature-length. The story is getting better, so I refuse to scale down. (I will deeply regret this decision.)

March is consumed by casting. Once I start being picky, I can’t stop. The main cast isn’t locked until early April. Meanwhile the script keeps expanding — final draft lands at 140 pages.

Coordinating availability for a large cast, securing locations, and figuring out how to break 140 pages into shootable blocks — all of this has to fit into a single scheduling document called a “koban” (the Japanese equivalent of a stripboard).

I settle on 10 shooting days. The story is an ensemble drama with constant scene intercuts, so building the schedule feels like solving a jigsaw puzzle.

Then there’s the costume schedule. With this many actors and this many crosscuts between timelines, tracking who wears what in which scene is a nightmare. Doing it solo is honestly beyond my capacity.

Two weeks between the read-through and Day 1. I’m rewriting scenes based on the cast’s feedback while simultaneously booking locations, coordinating with the city for PR, and confirming schedules with talent agencies.

Normally I draw storyboards before shooting. This time there’s no time for that.

Blackmagic Design kindly lends me a PYXIS 6K for this project. The night before Day 1, I mount it on the RONIN RS5 and run camera tests until 3 AM. I go to set having barely slept.

Blackmagic PYXIS 6K mounted on DJI RONIN RS5. RODE Wireless PRO and Samsung Portable SSD also attached.

The real hell starts once the camera rolls. I’m fighting a brand-new camera system while directing a feature-length ensemble cast. Every day demands 100% of my physical and mental capacity.

Wrap doesn’t mean the day is over. Back home, I build the next day’s final schedule, send updates to every agency, check all the gear, back up the footage. Sleep is almost nonexistent. The next morning I load the car and drive to set again.

Daily gear load. I carry all of this in and out by myself.

PYXIS 6K, RONIN RS5, and a DIGITALFOTO THANOS gimbal support vest. 6–7 kg of camera rig on my body at all times while I shoot and direct simultaneously.

DIGITALFOTO THANOS vest. DJI Osmo Action 4 mounted on the chest for BTS footage.

Break time isn’t rest. It’s swapping lavalier mics, charging wireless units, ordering lunch, adjusting lights. There is no actual downtime.

I’m sweating constantly under the heavy rig but barely drinking water. I notice something is wrong in the bathroom. A cast member tells me my eyes are turning yellow. Back home, the nausea is so bad I can’t sleep.

At 2 AM I run to a convenience store and chug OS-1 (an oral rehydration drink). It tastes sweet and delicious. Apparently, when it tastes good, you’re in serious trouble.

Every day I’m on the verge of collapse. But the cast is genuinely wonderful, and the energy on set keeps me going.

No matter how brutal things get, the moment I capture a beautiful shot, the exhaustion vanishes. That’s what I do this for.

Ten days of shooting, complete. No thrown-out back. No hospital visit. I’ll take it.

Here’s a summary of the main equipment used on this production.

Camera

Blackmagic Design PYXIS 6K

Lens

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Gimbal

DJI RONIN RS5

Vest

DIGITALFOTO THANOS (Gimbal Support Vest)

Audio

RODE Wireless PRO

Power

SmallRig VB99 (V-Mount Battery)

Storage

Samsung Portable SSD

Sub Camera

DJI Osmo Action 4 (BTS footage)

Detailed gear reviews coming in a separate post.