Video & Scriptwriting / Scene Direction
Specify where characters look and what it communicates — visual relationship mapping for professional scene direction.
Why This Prompt Exists
Where a character looks tells the audience who has power, who is hiding something, who is in love. Most scripts ignore eye lines entirely — leaving actors to guess.
You get:
- characters staring at each other for entire scenes (static, unnatural)
- eye lines that don’t match power dynamics (confusing)
- no avoidance or intimacy cues (relationship unclear)
- actors looking at nothing (no intention, no subtext)
- missed opportunities for non-verbal storytelling
But eye lines have specific meanings:
- direct eye contact: confidence, intimacy, confrontation, honesty
- avoiding gaze: submission, guilt, hiding, discomfort
- looking away/down: shame, sadness, thinking, lying
- looking up: hope, prayer, thinking, pleading
- glancing (quick, repeated): suspicion, attraction, nervousness
- watching from distance: power, observation, threat, longing
Without eye line direction, non-verbal storytelling fails.
This prompt specifies character gaze for emotional meaning.
The Prompt
Assume the role of a director who specifies eye lines for emotional storytelling. Your task is to determine where characters look and what it communicates. Generate: 1. EYE LINE CLASSIFICATION | Gaze Direction | Emotional Meaning | Power Dynamic | Best For | |----------------|-------------------|---------------|----------| | Direct eye contact | Confidence, intimacy, confrontation, honesty | Equal or dominant | Arguments, confession, connection | | Avoid eye contact | Submission, guilt, hiding, discomfort | Submissive | Lying, shame, nervousness | | Look away | Distraction, rejection, thinking | Avoidant | During argument, when hurt | | Look down | Shame, sadness, submission, thinking | Submissive | Apology, defeat, grief | | Look up | Hope, prayer, thinking, pleading | Vulnerable | Desperation, inspiration | | Glance (quick) | Suspicion, attraction, nervousness | Uneasy | Sneaking a look, checking | | Watch (sustained) | Power, observation, threat, longing | Dominant or distant | Villain watching hero, longing | 2. POWER DYNAMICS THROUGH EYE LINES | Power Configuration | Dominant Character Gaze | Submissive Character Gaze | |---------------------|------------------------|--------------------------| | Clear hierarchy | Direct eye contact | Avoids or looks down | | Equal | Mutual direct eye contact | Mutual direct eye contact | | Contesting | Staring contest (holds gaze) | Breaks first, looks away | | Secret power | Looks away (hiding) | Looks away (unaware) | 3. GAZE PATTERNS BY RELATIONSHIP | Relationship | Primary Gaze Pattern | Secondary | When to Use | |--------------|---------------------|-----------|-------------| | Lovers (happy) | Mutual direct, soft | Glances | Intimate moments | | Lovers (conflict) | Avoidance, looking away | Quick glances | Fighting, tension | | Strangers | Avoid eye contact | Brief glance | Public spaces | | Rivals | Staring contest | Glances when other not looking | Competition | | Boss/Employee | Employee looks down/away | Boss direct | Power imbalance | | Suspicious | Repeated glances | Watching from distance | Uncertainty, danger | 4. EYE LINE PROMPT TEMPLATE `[Character] looks [direction] at [target]. Emotional meaning: [meaning].` **Example:** `Jamie looks down at the floor. Emotional meaning: shame, cannot face Alex.` 5. EYE LINE SEQUENCE PATTERNS | Pattern | Sequence | Emotional Arc | |---------|----------|---------------| | Avoid → Direct → Avoid | Hiding then confronting then retreating | Fear to courage to shame | | Direct → Look away → Direct | Confident then defeated then resolute | Overconfidence to crisis to determination | | Glance → Direct → Hold | Sneaking then confronting then committing | Curiosity to courage to certainty | | Watch → Look away → Watch | Observing then hiding then observing | Suspicion to avoidance to obsession | 6. CAMERA RELATIONSHIP EYE LINES | Camera Gaze | Emotional Effect | Best For | |-------------|------------------|----------| | Character looks at camera (direct address) | Intimacy, confession, audience as confidant | Soliloquy, documentary | | Character looks just off camera | Conversational, realistic | Dialogue scenes | | Character looks at something off screen | Curiosity, mystery | Reveals, suspense | | Character looks at nothing (empty) | Dissociation, shock, despair | Trauma, grief | 7. COMMON EYE LINE MISTAKES | Mistake | Why It Fails | Correct Eye Line | |---------|--------------|------------------| | Constant eye contact | Unnatural, confrontational | Break gaze naturally | | No eye contact ever | Avoidant, disconnected | Establish when important | | Looking at wrong person | Confusing power dynamic | Match gaze to relationship | | Eye lines that don't match words | Contradiction without purpose | Intentional contradiction only | | Actors looking at camera | Breaking the fourth wall unintentionally | Keep eyeline off camera unless intentional | INPUTS: Scene description: [PASTE SCENE DESCRIPTION] Character relationship: [E.G., "Lovers breaking up", "Rivals competing", "Parent and child"] Power dynamic: [E.G., "Equal", "One dominant", "One hiding power"] Emotional beat (from SD-01): [E.G., "Confession", "Accusation", "Reconciliation"] RULES: - Direct eye contact = confidence, intimacy, confrontation, honesty - Avoiding gaze = submission, guilt, hiding, discomfort - Looking down = shame, sadness, submission, thinking - Looking up = hope, prayer, thinking, pleading - Glances = suspicion, attraction, nervousness - Watching from distance = power, observation, threat, longing - Break eye contact naturally (constant staring is unnatural) - Match eye lines to power dynamics (submissive looks down) - Use eye line changes to show emotional shifts (avoid → direct → avoid) - Rehearse eye lines specifically (actors need precise direction)
How To Use It
- Direct eye contact = confidence, intimacy, confrontation, honesty.
- Avoiding gaze = submission, guilt, hiding, discomfort.
- Looking down = shame, sadness, submission, thinking.
- Looking up = hope, prayer, thinking, pleading.
- Glances = suspicion, attraction, nervousness.
- Watching from distance = power, observation, threat, longing.
- Break eye contact naturally — constant staring is unnatural and confrontational.
- Match eye lines to power dynamics — submissive characters look down, dominant characters hold gaze.
- Use eye line changes to show emotional shifts — avoid → direct → avoid shows fear to courage to shame.
- Rehearse eye lines specifically — actors need precise direction, not general notes.
Example Input
Scene description:
“A manager confronts an employee about missing deadlines. The employee knows they’re at fault.”
Character relationship:
“Manager (supervisor), Employee (reports to manager, feels guilty)”
Power dynamic:
“Manager has clear authority; Employee is submissive”
Emotional beat:
“Accusation, guilt, shame, resolution”
Why It Works
Most scripts ignore eye lines — leaving actors to guess where to look, missing the non-verbal storytelling that reveals power and relationship.
This framework improves outcomes by forcing:
- eye line classification (direct, avoid, look away, look down, look up, glance, watch)
- power dynamics through eye lines (dominant vs. submissive gaze)
- gaze patterns by relationship (lovers, strangers, rivals, boss/employee)
- eye line sequence patterns (avoid → direct → avoid, etc.)
- camera relationship eye lines (at camera, off camera, at nothing)
Failure modes this prevents:
- Characters staring at each other for entire scenes (unnatural, confrontational)
- Eye lines that don’t match power dynamics (confusing relationship)
- No avoidance or intimacy cues (relationship unclear)
- Actors looking at nothing (no intention, no subtext)
This improves on: Undirected eye lines. Strategic gaze direction reveals power, emotion, and relationship.
Related to: SD-02 (Blocking) for movement; SD-04 (Subtext) for what’s unsaid.
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