# Character Anchor Brief V1

## Status

- Document status: pending review.
- Execution status: brief only; do not generate images from this file.
- Source basis: primary character intake files plus approved trial plan.
- Next gated action after approval: create `character-anchor-prompt-v1.md` through the `gpt-image-2` Skill workflow.

## Purpose

This brief defines the project-specific character anchor requirements for `在路上`.

It is not a final image prompt. It is the execution source that the next Skill-based prompt document should use.

The character anchor must answer:

> When the traveler appears as a small side view, back view, or distant figure in later MV shots, can we still tell this is the same person?

## Source Files Actually Used

Primary sources:

- `intake/阶段四-人物锚点板策划说明.md`
- `intake/阶段四-人物锚点板页面结构建议稿.md`
- `intake/阶段四-人物锚点板文案标注稿.md`

Planning gate:

- `visual-system/characters/character-anchor-trial-plan.md`

Not used in this brief:

- User source photo: not read yet. It will be handled in the prompt stage as an identity reference if the file is readable and approved for use.
- `character-anchor-board-v1.md`: treated as a non-generation-ready draft, not as an authoritative source.

## Source Photo Role

The user source photo path is:

```text
C:\Users\wangq\Pictures\照片\photo.jpg
```

Role in later prompt work:

- identity reference;
- face direction and lived-person basis;
- age, facial structure, hair / stubble direction if visible;
- not an edit target;
- not a passport-photo style target;
- not a requirement to reproduce the exact original photo pose, lighting, background, or clothing.

Expected transformation:

> Use the source photo to keep a recognizable human basis, then translate the figure into the `在路上` traveler identity: weathered, restrained, road-worn, and usable across distant landscape-led shots.

The prompt stage must explicitly label this input as `identity reference`.

## Character Role In The MV

The traveler is not the visual protagonist in a portrait-MV sense.

He is a moving coordinate inside a larger world:

- world before face;
- road before pose;
- silhouette before expression;
- continuation before victory.

The character anchor must support wide shots, back shots, side shots, muddy-road shots, city-edge shots, and night-fire shots.

## Identity Definition

### Core Identity

- 50-year-old male traveler.
- Based on the user's self-image direction, but translated into a road-film character.
- Worn by life and systems, but still walking.
- Not a celebrity, fashion model, homeless figure, drunk figure, or hero-poster protagonist.

### Temperament

- weathered rock feeling;
- warm but tired;
- lonely but steady;
- silent, not defeated;
- tired but not broken;
- rugged but not collapsed;
- road-worn dignity.

### Body And Presence

- body should feel capable of continuing forward;
- neither frail nor gym-styled;
- not an inspirational heroic body;
- posture may be slightly weighted, but not defeated;
- gait should be real, slow, and stable.

## Appearance Anchors

These features should remain stable across views and later shots.

### Head / Face

- dark, slightly messy hair;
- visible stubble;
- middle-aged weathering;
- warm tiredness;
- no polished grooming;
- no fashion portrait expression;
- no dramatic heroic stare.

### Clothing

- dark gray / dark khaki / coal-black long traveler's coat;
- dark restrained inner layer;
- coat has light use traces but is not torn or theatrical;
- coat length and silhouette must remain stable enough for later back-view recognition;
- clothing is practical and road-worn, not branded outdoor fashion.

### Props

- old practical backpack;
- used but not broken;
- medium volume, not oversized, not tactical-fashion, not luxury gear;
- stable enough to identify the traveler from behind.

### Boots

- old walking boots;
- can carry mud;
- durable and road-appropriate;
- not new fashion boots;
- not shoe-ad closeup styling.

## Required Main Board Scope

The main anchor board should be one 16:9 horizontal page on a clean shallow gray-white or very light warm-gray background.

The main board should prioritize identity consistency and execution usefulness over decorative beauty.

### Required Visual Cells

| ID | Cell | Purpose | Priority |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A1 | Front full body | Establish age, body proportion, coat front, inner layer, and overall temperament. | Required |
| A2 | Side full body | Establish side silhouette, jaw/stubble profile, coat fall, and backpack volume. | Required |
| A3 | Back full body | Establish back-view recognition, backpack placement, rear hair outline, and coat hem. | Required |
| B1 | Half-body state | Confirm face age, hair, stubble, eye mood, tired dignity. | Required |
| B2 | Walking side | Confirm gait, coat movement, body weight, and forward motion. | Strongly recommended |
| B3 | Walking back | Confirm the most important later MV silhouette. | Strongly recommended |
| C1 | Coat / inner layer detail | Lock clothing system and color range. | Recommended |
| C2 | Backpack detail | Lock the back-view identity prop. | Recommended |
| C3 | Boots detail | Lock the road / mud / walking identity prop. | Recommended |

### MVP Board If Generation Capacity Is Limited

Minimum acceptable first board:

1. front full body;
2. side full body;
3. back full body;
4. half-body state;
5. short boundary notes or empty annotation zones.

If the model struggles with a full 9-cell board, the next repair strategy should be split generation rather than forcing all requirements into one overloaded image.

## Layout Guidance

Preferred structure:

- top: title / board identity area;
- left: three-view core;
- middle: state views;
- right: clothing and prop breakdown;
- bottom: compact rule / boundary area.

The board should look like a practical film pre-production reference sheet, not a colorful character poster.

### Background

Use:

- shallow gray-white;
- very light neutral gray;
- very light warm gray.

Avoid:

- landscape background;
- city background;
- muddy road background;
- campfire background;
- strong gradient;
- dramatic studio shadow;
- promotional poster background.

Reason:

The background must not interfere with silhouette, coat color, hair shape, backpack form, or boot details.

## Text And Label Strategy

Labels matter, but generated readable text is not reliable enough to carry the source of truth.

For this trial, use this split:

### Image Model Responsibility

The image may include:

- simple visual zones;
- small label-like blocks;
- thin annotation lines;
- empty callout zones;
- minimal non-critical labels if the model can render them cleanly.

The image must not be trusted as the only source for exact Chinese text.

### Document Responsibility

This brief and later prompt/review files carry the authoritative labels:

- age;
- temperament;
- clothing anchors;
- prop anchors;
- allowed drift;
- forbidden drift;
- review checklist.

### Later Layout Responsibility

If a final readable board with exact Chinese labels is needed, add or repair labels in a later page/layout step rather than relying only on image generation.

## Allowed Drift

These variations are acceptable if identity remains stable:

- mild mud or dust;
- wind-worn texture;
- slightly messy hair;
- tired eyes;
- used clothing traces;
- restrained ruggedness;
- small pose variation between views.

## Forbidden Drift

Avoid:

- homeless stereotype;
- drunk stereotype;
- collapse or spiritual defeat;
- fashion model styling;
- polished travel blogger image;
- luxury outdoor gear;
- heroic poster pose;
- arms-open inspirational posture;
- celebrity portrait look;
- glossy game concept art;
- anime / cartoon styling;
- fantasy armor or costume;
- cyberpunk / neon / sci-fi clothing;
- passport-photo style;
- direct front-facing glamour portrait;
- shoe advertisement framing;
- background scene becoming more important than the character.

## Review Questions

Use these questions after the first generated board.

1. Do front, side, and back views clearly look like the same person?
2. Does the back view work without relying on the face?
3. Does walking side / walking back look natural, not posed?
4. Is the traveler tired but still dignified?
5. Are coat, backpack, and boots stable enough to guide later shots?
6. Does the board avoid homeless, drunk, fashion, hero, and travel-blogger drift?
7. If the figure is mentally scaled down to 1/8 or 1/12 of the frame, does the silhouette still read?
8. Is this board useful for later `s01/s10/s46/s47/s51` prompt work?

## Trial-Specific Validation

This brief should support the next prompt-stage validation:

1. Can the `gpt-image-2` Skill template be adapted from generic character-sheet logic to a documentary road-film character board?
2. Can a source photo be used as identity reference without turning the output into a portrait?
3. Can the board preserve identity while keeping the character subordinate to future landscape-led composition?
4. Can the model handle a 9-cell board, or should future workflow prefer split boards?
5. Should exact labels be kept out of image generation and handled later?

## Gated Next Step

After this brief is approved, create:

```text
visual-system/characters/character-anchor-prompt-v1.md
```

That prompt document must:

- run and record the `gpt-image-2` mode check;
- read and record the relevant Skill template/reference files;
- include this brief as a source;
- include the source photo as an explicit identity reference if readable and approved;
- separate image-model output from text annotation responsibilities;
- wait for user approval before generation.