# Three layers per line

People and places / Expression / Direction rules. Checked 2026-10-13.

Spoken lines with subtext, not flat readings.

- Use when: Any scene with dialogue.
- Phrase: he glances over quickly, as though the other man is overreacting, and says the line dry, leaning on the word NOW
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/expression/three-layers-per-line
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/expression/three-layers-per-line.json

## Watch out

- The as-though clause rides on a visible action; it never replaces one. (practitioner; Rourke Heath (25 Sep 2026) via Director Chair field notes on video prompting)

## Prompts

### Seedance 2.5

```
Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].
Shot 1 (0:00 to 0:05): the subject glances over quickly, as though the other man is overreacting, and says the line dry, leaning on the word NOW
```

### Seedance 2.0

```
Scene: [your subject] in [your setting].
Shot 1: the subject glances over quickly, as though the other man is overreacting, and says the line dry, leaning on the word NOW
```

### Kling 3.0

```
[your subject]. The subject glances over quickly, as though the other man is overreacting, and says the line dry, leaning on the word NOW. The scene is [your setting].
```

### Veo 3.1

```
[your subject] in [your setting]. The subject glances over quickly, as though the other man is overreacting, and says the line dry, leaning on the word NOW. Framing and subject stay as in the start image.
```

## Goes well with

- The listener acts too: https://directorchair.ai/expression/listener-acts
- Accent in five fields: https://directorchair.ai/expression/accent-five-fields

## Source

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.