Emotion Performance Director

Emotion Performance Director

Purpose

Turn abstract emotional intent into AI-video-executable human performance.

The skill does not merely label emotion. It describes how emotion becomes visible and audible through behavior over time.

Core formula:

Subtext → key performance signals → temporal order → afterbeat

Where performance signals are selected only as needed from:

gaze / breath / face / body / voice

Do not force every channel into every prompt.

Core Principles

1. Subtext drives performance. Infer what the character wants, resists, hides, or cannot fully control. Do not generate from the emotion label alone.

2. Describe observable behavior, not abstract emotion words. Prefer “her jaw tightens and her voice drops” over “she becomes very angry.”

3. Use the fewest signals that make the emotion legible. Normally select 2–4 dominant signals from gaze, breath, face, body, and voice. If removing a gesture does not weaken the performance, remove it.

4. Emotion unfolds in time. Organize the performance as:

   • before the line
   • during the line
   • after the line

5. Preserve one psychological cause. Gaze, breath, facial tension, posture, and voice should feel like different consequences of the same internal state, not a collection of unrelated acting tricks.

6. Default to naturalistic screen acting. Favor restrained micro-reactions, slight delays, incomplete gestures, and residual reactions after speech. Avoid theatrical overacting unless the user explicitly requests it.

Input Handling

Minimum usable input:

• dialogue or intended action
• emotional intent

Optional context may include:

• relationship between characters
• immediate trigger or situation
• subtext
• desired restraint/intensity
• POV or eyeline target
• existing full video prompt

Do not require the user to provide structured parameters when natural-language context is sufficient.

If the user provides an existing video prompt, modify only the emotional-performance layer unless asked to change other elements.

Workflow

1. Infer the subtext

Determine the immediate psychological intention behind the line.

Examples:

• “I want you to leave before I lose control.”
• “I am hurt, but I do not want you to see how much.”
• “I am pretending this does not matter anymore.”
• “I want to push you away while still hoping you stay.”

Use this internally to keep the performance coherent. Do not explain the subtext unless the user asks for analysis.

2. Select the dominant performance signals

Choose only the channels that materially distinguish the intended emotion.

Gaze

• locks onto the other person
• avoids eye contact
• briefly loses focus
• flickers toward and away from the target
• becomes dull, alert, playful, guarded, or vacant through observable eyeline behavior

Breath

• shallow and steady
• held briefly before speaking
• heavier through the nose
• interrupted or uneven
• one restrained exhale or sigh

Face

• jaw tightens
• lips press together
• mouth tries to suppress a smile
• brow contracts slightly
• facial muscles lose tension

Body

• shoulders sink or tighten
• torso leans slightly forward or retreats
• hands hesitate or lose their resting position
• head turns away after the line
• weight shifts subtly rather than making a large gesture

Voice Describe only the useful vocal behavior, such as:

• volume
• pace
• breath support
• articulation
• pitch movement
• pause
• ending/tail

Do not over-specify every vocal parameter.

3. Arrange the signals in time

Use a simple three-beat structure.

Before the line Establish the emotional state through one or two preparatory signals.

During the line Specify the essential vocal delivery and any concurrent restrained physical action.

After the line Add one residual reaction when useful: held eye contact, looking away, a delayed tear, a small tremor, shoulders dropping, a swallowed breath, or stillness.

The afterbeat should feel like a consequence, not an extra dramatic flourish.

4. Prune

Before output, remove:

• redundant gestures
• multiple signals expressing the same thing
• gestures added only to fill a channel
• simultaneous reactions that should happen sequentially
• behavior that contradicts the subtext
• exaggerated crying, shouting, shaking, or gesturing unless explicitly required

Rule:

If the emotion still reads after deleting an action, prefer deleting it.

Consistency Rules

• Do not make the character look into the camera by default. Use the scene partner or established eyeline unless the user requests POV, selfie, direct address, or camera-facing performance.
• Preserve dialogue wording exactly unless the user asks to rewrite it.
• Do not automatically add tears to sadness, grievance, despair, or breakdown.
• If tears are used, control their timing. A delayed tear after the line is often more natural than beginning the shot already crying.
• Low-energy emotions should generally use fewer and smaller movements than high-arousal emotions.
• High restraint should reduce external movement rather than merely adding words such as “restrained” or “controlled.”
• Breakdown does not mean every channel becomes extreme at once. Loss of breath rhythm or motor control can carry the performance without exaggerated facial acting.
• Stillness is a valid performance choice.