Writing better acting directions

Write for performance

Short natural-language notes work well. Describe what the actor is doing with the line, not what the line means in general.

What the AI actor knows

In this app, the AI actor has scene context up to the beginning of the current scene. It does not know its character name or the names of other characters when performing this field, so there is no benefit to writing names into the acting direction.

Instead of "John is angry at Maria," write the playable direction: "angry, but trying not to show it."

Useful things to control

• Emotion: excited, ashamed, devastated, relieved, suspicious.
• Subtext: pretending to be fine, covering fear, testing the other person.
• Pace: rushed, hesitant, slow and deliberate, stumbling.
• Volume: whispered, under the breath, calling across the room.
• Style: dry, sarcastic, sincere, theatrical, deadpan, intimate.

Keep it concise

A few focused words are usually better than a paragraph. Avoid contradictory instructions unless that contrast is the point.

• Good: "bright, teasing, trying to get a laugh"
• Good: "slow, controlled, barely containing rage"
• Less useful: "say this exactly like the last scene but also different"

Pauses and regeneration

Use the pause control in the edit modal when you need silence after the line. Use the acting direction field when you need the performance of the spoken words to change. After editing an acting direction, press Regenerate to create a new audio version.