A live photoshoot, staffed by its students
Most introductions to creative work happen from the audience: a talk, a portfolio review, a finished image on a screen. 3Live Productions wanted the students in its summer camp to see the whole process, from first idea to final frame, and asked Commune to run a production live with the students on the crew.
Production is hard to teach in the abstract. Concept, casting, styling, direction, and capture each depend on the decisions before them, and a student who sees only the finished photograph never sees those dependencies. The brief was to show that chain as it happened, in real time, with young people responsible for parts of it.
Commune ran the session as a working shoot with a real crew structure. Students were assigned the roles a production depends on: stylist, creative director, camera operator, and video operator. Shablé directed the day and talked through each decision as it came up, so the reasoning behind a choice was as visible as the choice itself.
The creative premise came from the children’s book Country Mouse, City Mouse, a story already built on contrast between two worlds. That gave a group of first-time crew members a shared reference. Two models, each styled to one of the two worlds, carried the concept across two to three looks.
The shoot moved through the same stages a professional production does. It opened with the concept, where the students worked out how each world should look and feel. Styling followed, with students making and defending wardrobe choices for each look. On set, they directed the models and operated photo and video equipment under Shablé’s guidance. The session closed with finished images, so every student left having contributed to something complete.
15 students, ages 13-17, participated in July 2025, studio in North Miami, FL. Photography by 3 Live Productions and Rezia Hayes.