Find Where the Performance Breaks Down
| What you observe | Method and check |
|---|---|
| The character reacts before hearing the news | Check first: Does the prompt establish the order? Revision to try: State which line they hear before the action changes |
| Calmness jumps straight to sobbing | Check first: Is there a sufficient trigger in between? Revision to try: Keep the reaction proportionate to the information, or add a receiving beat already present in the script |
| The eyes are said to change, but the shot cannot show it | Check first: Do framing or occlusion hide the cue? Revision to try: Choose a visible hand or body cue; if framing must change, revise the storyboard |
| Everyone shows the same expression at once | Check first: Are positions and who-knows-what being ignored? Revision to try: Give a change only to characters who need one, based on what each receives |
| The expression changes, but the character makes no choice | Check first: Does the reaction affect what happens next? Revision to try: Land the change in an action or decision already established by the script |
Before there is an output, use this table to check the design. After viewing a video, identify what actually happened; do not describe a predicted issue as an observed failure.
Choose Performance Cues for the Character and Shot Size
A character trying to hide disappointment, get an answer, preserve authority, or test someone will show different behavior. Set the goal first, then choose a small number of cues that can express it.
- Gaze: follow a sound source, look away briefly, or check an object again. The face and direction of the gaze must be visible.
- Voice: lower the volume, change the pace, or pause within a line that is already settled. Keep the dialogue in the script’s exact wording.
- Body and hands: pause an action already underway, shift weight back, or move a hand away from an object. Establish the action or held object before changing it.
- Decisive action: offer a seat, leave an object in place, keep closing a door, or stop blocking someone. The choice must fit the script; do not change the character’s position just to create a new expression.
A wide shot relies on the character’s whole body and its relation to the space; a close shot can carry smaller changes. If the decisive reaction is only in the eyes but the planned shot cannot show the face, revise the storyboard instead of adding more adjectives.
Original Example: A Dance Teacher About to Close the Registration Book
Assume the script is already set: no one attends the adult dance class’s first trial session, so the teacher decides to close for the day. A cleaner changes into the dance shoes they brought at the doorway and asks to enroll. The teacher has been hiding disappointment but accepts the new student after hearing the request. The storyboard holds a medium shot: the teacher sits beside a desk, with face, hands, and an empty chair visible; the speaker outside the room stays offscreen for now.
The original direction was only: “The teacher feels deeply disappointed, then surprised and moved, and smiles happily.” It does not say when the teacher receives new information or how the emotion changes an action.
Use the following performance passage with the already planned still frame and sound:
Starting state: The teacher looks down at the registration book, left hand holding the back cover, right hand about to close the front cover.
The cleaner at the doorway asks, “Is it still possible to sign up?” After hearing the question, the teacher stops the right hand before the cover closes; the gaze shifts from the page to the doorway.
Looking toward the doorway, the teacher’s tightly pressed mouth relaxes slightly. “Yes, you can.”
After the line, the teacher leaves the book on the desk, moves the right hand to the back of the empty chair, and pulls it a little toward the doorway. End with the chair offered.
The trigger is the clearly audible enrollment request, not a detail about the shoes that the camera cannot show. In a medium shot, the stopped hand, lifted gaze, and offered chair can read; the mouth change is secondary, not the only information. Adjacent shots establish why the cleaner changed shoes and when they sit. This shot does not assume the offscreen person has already taken the chair.
The teacher does not need to burst into tears for the audience to read a softening after the request is answered. A director could choose a broader comic performance, but the causal link between the request, receiving it, and accepting the student must still hold. This is an original storyboard-writing example; no generated result is reported.
Turn an Emotion Note Into a Performance Passage
Answer these questions first, then connect the answers into a continuous action. Remove any item that does not help.
| Question | Fact to establish |
|---|---|
| What is the character trying to maintain right now? | Their goal or an action already underway |
| What information reaches them? | A visible or audible trigger; they cannot know it from nowhere |
| How do they receive it? | Look toward the source, stop a hand, or check an object |
| Which cue can the current shot show? | The useful part of gaze, voice, or body |
| Where does the reaction land? | An established choice or maintained state |
If there is no attempt to hide something, do not invent a “suppression-to-leak” arc. If a character merely hears a door and stops turning a page, that need not become a complex emotional journey. Maintaining a state can be an effective performance—for example, continuing work at the same pace after a provocation—but the trigger and the act of holding steady must be legible.
After Generation, Revise Only What You Actually Observe
When reviewing a result, separate observation from explanation: “the character turns before the question ends” is a timing observation; “the model does not understand disappointment” is only an interpretation. Revise the relevant trigger or action order, then compare whether the output still preserves the script’s meaning.
- Expression is too strong: reduce the visible action while keeping the decision; do not erase the whole emotional beat.
- The reaction is invisible: check occlusion and framing first; revise the storyboard if needed.
- The character performs too many gestures: remove decorative movements and keep the cue for receiving the trigger and the landing.
- The ending does not fit: request a split shot or more duration instead of making the chair or character jump into place.
- Dialogue changed: restore the script’s exact line; send wording changes back to the writing stage.
Judge whether a performance feels natural in context: the character, directorial style, and actual footage all matter. Fixed emotion percentages, escalating every shot by one level, or enforcing a universal verb count cannot replace that judgment.
FAQ
Should an acting prompt avoid emotion words entirely?
No. Keep an emotion word when it helps describe the performance, and add a visible channel. The same “unease” could mean hesitating before speaking or being unable to steady an object; the character, trigger, and shot size determine which cue fits this shot.
Does a group shot need a reaction cue for every character?
Only write one for characters whose visible state needs to change. Onlookers can remain as they are. When a reaction is needed, specify what each person receives instead of copying the same surprise, step back, and turn for everyone.
Do it with the skill
With an approved storyboard, frozen keyframe, and relevant visual references ready, use /short-drama-video-prompts (or $short-drama-video-prompts in Codex) to revise this shot’s performance. Preserve the script’s exact dialogue and start/end states; specify the trigger, visible reaction, and landing. List missing references before drafting, and send framing or duration changes back for storyboard revision. This step writes prompts only; it does not generate media.
Read the method: Triggers, visible channels, and acting landings · Acting within start/end boundaries
About Drama SkillsThe short-drama-video-prompts skill on GitHub