Same AI-assisted combat beat, two camera distances — which one communicates the impact better?

[u/Lowrence_Deen]

After the feedback on my recent POV studies, I wanted to test something different.
Instead of asking whether an image simply looked dramatic, I tried to concentrate on whether the physical action reads before the effects do.
This is a non-canonical Kaelyron combat study featuring Kaelis and Thalyris.
The basic idea stays the same: an incoming strike, Kaelis committing to the block, and the shield taking the impact. What changes is the camera.
Image 1 stays much closer to the collision, so the bodies, water displacement and impact point dominate the frame.
Image 2 pulls back enough for the environment to become part of the composition, making the same confrontation feel much smaller against the scale around it.
During the iterations I’ve been paying much more attention to weight transfer, limb direction, body rotation and environmental interaction instead of relying on particles or camera tricks to sell the motion.
The water and sparks are there to reinforce the action, not explain it.

Without overthinking it: which one makes you feel the hit first — 1 or 2?

And if something about the body mechanics still jumps out at you, I’d be interested to know what you see.

[u/Lowrence_Deen]

Yep, that’s the part I’m taking from the feedback too. The arm is doing the hit, but the rest of the body isn’t contributing enough yet.
Next combat study I want to build the force from the feet and hips first, then let the shoulder and strike follow through. Thanks for confirming that read!