Planning · DirectingNO.164 / 166

Watch: First the speaker, then cut to the listener: she doesn't move as the camera slowly pushes in. The audience's emotion doesn't follow the lines; it follows this face.A line-art demo that only illustrates the technique, not finished footage.

Planning · Directing

Reaction Shot反应镜头

Film the listener, not the speaker. The audience's emotion usually follows the reaction shot.

Category: Directing
Group: Basics
Medium: Planning
Library: 164 / 166

This is a step in making a film, not a visual technique. For the whole process, see Make an AI short from scratch.

Prompt templates are written from how generation models usually behave and have not yet been verified one by one with real generations. “Common pitfalls” are judgment from experience, not official limits.

When to use it

Bad news, confessions, the moment a twist is revealed; comedy punchlines.

Prompt template

reaction shot, medium close-up, the character freezes on hearing the news, eyes slowly widening, lips parting, breath held for a beat, locked-off camera, 3 seconds, no dialogue.

Sample prompt · generate a video directly

The technique comes first, followed by the scene, action, performance and duration. Paste it straight into a video model and swap in your own characters and plot.

Reaction shot, close: after the driver says “I'm going your way”, the delivery rider doesn't move, his eyes slowly widen, his lips move without a word, then his nose stings and he looks down with a small laugh. Locked-off camera, 3 seconds, no dialogue, warm headlight glow falling on his face from the left of the frame.

Common pitfalls

An exaggerated, distorted expression, like a meme.
Reacting too fast, with no time for the emotion to land.
The character talks in the reaction shot and steals the scene.

Parameter tips

Spell out the change of emotion (from … to …); hold it 1 s longer than the speaking shot.