# Awe People and places / Expression / Joy. Checked 2026-10-13. 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. - Phrase: 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 - Page: https://directorchair.ai/expression/awe - JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/expression/awe.json ## 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) ## 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 ## Reference: Awe / Wonder (Medium) > 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. Credit: Emotion Direction (seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app). Source: https://seedance-emotion-media-2.vercel.app/videos/15-awe.mp4 Clip: https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 Poster: https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.jpg ## Prompts ### Nano Banana Pro ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. 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. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ### Nano Banana 2 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. 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. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ### GPT Image 2.5 ``` A photograph of [your subject] in [your setting]. People and framing: 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 Exclusions: no extra text, no watermark, no logo. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ### Seedream 5 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. 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. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ### Seedance 2.5 ``` 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 ``` ### Seedance 2.0 ``` Scene: [your subject] in [your setting]. Shot 1: 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 ``` ### Kling 3.0 ``` [your subject]. 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 scene is [your setting]. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ### Veo 3.1 ``` [your subject] in [your setting]. 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. Framing and subject stay as in the start image. Reference clip (Awe / Wonder): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/15-awe.mp4 ``` ## Look further - https://seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app/ : a clip of this emotion performed in Seedance 2.5 (link only) ## Goes well with - Realisation: https://directorchair.ai/expression/realisation - Laughter: https://directorchair.ai/expression/laughter ## Source 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 Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.