Awe

Wonder at something bigger than the person; the viewer wants to see it too.

Use when: Reveals, landscapes, a first look at a product or space.

Prompt instructions

Scene: [your subject] in [your setting]. Shot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): The gaze lifts, the eyes open wide with a relaxed brow, the mouth falls slowly open, the chin rises and the body leans in, the open look does not fade. The eyes widen gradually without tension in the brow, the mouth opens little by little, the head tilts upward, and the body leans forward. The open, reverent expression never drops. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4

Download reference

Seedance 2.5 reads labelled blocks with timecodes.

Reference clip by Emotion Direction, shown with permission.

Your subjectYour setting

Say it like this

The gaze lifts, the eyes open wide with a relaxed brow, the mouth falls slowly open, the chin rises and the body leans in, the open look does not fade.

Watch out

Never ask for a smile or for an emotion by name; describe the muscles. Asked-for smiles come back generated and forced.measured: Director Chair field notes on video prompting (client feedback, Aug 2026)
Put the trigger first (the door slams, she reads the message), then the performance. Without a trigger the reaction has no timing.practitioner: Dan Kieft and Higgsfield's tested prompts via Director Chair field notes on video prompting

Notes

Three intensities

Subtle: the eyes widen a little, the blinking stops, the lips part without a sound
Medium: the gaze lifts, the eyes open wide with a relaxed brow, the mouth falls slowly open, the chin rises and the body leans in, the open look does not fade
Explosive: a step forward without meaning to, one hand rises toward the thing, a sharp breath in that is held, the eyes glisten

The maker's card

The eyes widen gradually without tension in the brow, the mouth opens little by little, the head tilts upward, and the body leans forward. The open, reverent expression never drops.Medium. Emotion Direction (seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app)

RealisationPrompt

LaughterPrompt

Sources

Families, intensities and emotion names from Emotion Direction (names and structure only, read 13 Oct 2026); the directions are our own words in its grammar: body parts in the order they move, ending on what holds. Rules from Director Chair field notes on video prompting Checked 2026-10-13.

Emotion Direction: a clip of this emotion performed in Seedance 2.5 (link only)

For agents: this card as markdown, as JSON.

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Awe