Riri Inoue began with a concept that the creation of a photo could simulate the production of a play and movie. In the third year of college, In 2002, she organized a group of artists to work together to create fine art photography. Her group was named "Geki- Shashin-Dan" and ran for two years. "Geki" means "drama". "Shashin" means "photograph". "Dan" means group.
This group is an eclectic mix of individuals who contribute their time and talents to the projects. Members are contacted on a project-to-project basis and agree to collaborate subject to their availability. When an idea is presented to the group, a meeting is called to discuss the main theme of the photo, imagery, models needed, set design, props, and technical details. They then recruit volunteers to help with specific projects and models to work with the members in fashioning the picture setup.
The creation of just one picture involves an incredible amount of work and forethought. For instance, they spent six full months preparing one piece and took three days to shoot the photo. For the background, they either design the set or choose a suitable place to shoot. Props are donated, borrowed, rented, or made by a member. Although everyone working on the project contributes their ideas, the director has the final say. The final developed print is generally very large. For example, one photo measured 5 meters by 1.2 meters.
Group members can contribute money to the projects and are refunded when profits are made from exhibitions or artwork sold or from donations. Any leftover funds are carried forward to the next project.
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