Determination

Resolve settling in; the person is going to do it.

Use when: Sport, founders, the turn in a story, call to action.

Prompt instructions

Scene: [your subject] in [your setting]. Shot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): The eyes lift and lock on a point ahead, a deep breath fills the chest, the jaw sets at the hinge, the eyes narrow, the shoulders roll back, one firm nod. The eyes lift and lock forward, a deep breath expands the chest, the jaw sets visibly at the hinge, the eyes narrow, and the shoulders roll back. One sharp nod completes the change. Reference clip (Determination): https://directorchair.ai/media/emotion-direction/16-determination.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 eyes lift and lock on a point ahead, a deep breath fills the chest, the jaw sets at the hinge, the eyes narrow, the shoulders roll back, one firm nod.

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 jaw sets, the gaze fixes forward
Medium: the eyes lift and lock on a point ahead, a deep breath fills the chest, the jaw sets at the hinge, the eyes narrow, the shoulders roll back, one firm nod
Explosive: the fists close, a sharp exhale, the body rises from the chair, the first step forward is already taken

The maker's card

The eyes lift and lock forward, a deep breath expands the chest, the jaw sets visibly at the hinge, the eyes narrow, and the shoulders roll back. One sharp nod completes the change.Medium. Emotion Direction (seedance-emotion-direction.vercel.app)

PridePrompt

RagePrompt

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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