Thread by @LeonAquitaine

A short GPose Guide: Action & Narrative

Eorzea is a living, breathing world, and our WoLs' stories are part of it. Here are some tips - some, borrowed from real-life photography - that'll help convey their actions and stories!

#ffxiv #gpose #gposeguide

1 - Narrative Shots

Susan Sontag, in her book On Photography, said: "There is the surface. Now think - or rather feel, intuit - what is beyond it, what the reality must be like if it looks this way."

A narrative shot tells a story at a glance.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Photog…

In gpose we have several resources that can help us with that. The basics are expressions (a subgroup of emotes), gaze control, and lip movements; they can bring a character to life by turning the default doll-like expression into something truly expressive.

In the following sequence, we can see what that means. From just standing around to walking and to a directed gaze with mid-sentence labial capture, you can see how a more complex expression can be achieved with simple details.

For more information on gpose controls for expressions, gaze, and lip movements, check out this thread:

Next, we have animations - and, more to the point, keyframes. In gpose, you can pause an animation (say, for an emote or a class skill) at any given time, and use it to compose a scene.

A detailed description on how to do this can be found here:

Now, let's borrow a real-life concept: narrative lighting. As the name implies, we can use light placement to help tell a story.

Take a look at this scene. The shadowed, silhouetted characters tell about their emotional state; the hazy, faded blue communicates solitude, and the ruins contribute to the sense of abandonment.

Now let's try the same lighting approach, but for a polar opposite: This is a moment of elation, the vanilla sky and the sun communicating intensity and innocence. The scene is clear and warm, but not overly bright.

2 - Action shots

In addition to the principles of narrative shots, action shots convey *motion*. Not only there's something going on, but the shot captures an instant where the subject is on the move.

Take a look at this composition. Several elements contribute to the sense of movement: Louise's NIN keyframe is moving *fast*. With a resolute expression, her closed eyes convey a thought. Leon's NIN keyframe conveys an impact so powerful he's flying away.

But we want more. Let's add a radial blur centered at the door to impart direction to the movement. the particles hints at a turbulent wind, and the floor and walls create leading lines, helping with the sense of motion.

Have you ever heard of the term Dutch Angle? It's a technique to convey tension or uneasiness by tilting the camera in its roll axis:

It's also a misnomer: according to Wikipedia, the name is a corruption of 'Deutsch', and refers to the origin of the technique.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_ang…

Now some quick samples! A super bright shot, with golden and white tones conveying divinity and apotheosis. She's not paying attention to you. =)

Dutch angle for uneasiness, DNC keyframe for fluidity and grace.

MOAR dutch angle! Something disturbing is happening. Leading lines from the floor and ceiling provide direction and framing to the character.

They're focused on whatever is happening in that direction. Nevertheless, they must press on.

Seems you arrived too late. Do you *really* want to know what's going on here?

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive guide, but I hope these simple tips help you create more expressive shots!

Oops, I forgot the references! If you want to learn more about narrative lighting, check these links:

Storytelling Through Light, Emotion and Composition
clickitupanotch.com/storytelling-t…

Narrative Lighting 101