# Dramaturgy, detail, montage This is the mandatory layer. A beautiful frame without dramaturgy is wallpaper. Every prompt built by this skill must pass the dramaturgy check before it is sent to the user. ## Contents 1. Core law. Scene formula 2. Second law. Details intensify emotion 3. The three-jobs rule (what every shot must do) 4. Walter Murch Rule of Six 5. Blocking as choreography of desire 6. Staging controls subtext 7. Camera must have a reason 8. Spatial clarity beats montage hysteria 9. Environment plays 10. Three-layer storyboard method 11. Shot card template (14 fields) 12. Rhythm ladder 13. One-anchor principle 14. Worked example 15. Dramaturgy check before sending any prompt --- ## 1. Core law. Scene formula A scene exists only when all five elements are present. ```text Scene = hero's desire + obstacle + space geometry + controlled gaze + editing rhythm ``` If any element is missing, the scene collapses into decoration. - Desire. What does the character want right now in this specific second. - Obstacle. What blocks them. Object, person, fear, distance, rule. - Space geometry. Who stands where. Who has the power position. Which direction is threat, which is escape. - Controlled gaze. Where the viewer's eye is forced to look, one focal point per frame. - Editing rhythm. How long each shot lives, where the pause lands, where the cut bites. Before writing a prompt, name each of these in one sentence. If you cannot, the scene is not ready. ## 2. Second law. Details intensify emotion. Laziness kills the prompt. The scene formula tells you **what a scene is**. The Details Law tells you **how every shot must be written**. Skip it and even a perfect dramaturgical structure produces mush on screen. > Every shot owns three concrete physical details: one environmental pressure, one physical micro-action, one sound or visual motif anchor. ### The three-detail rule For each shot in the storyboard or prompt, before it is sent, the writer commits to: 1. **Environmental pressure.** A physical fact about the space that carries the emotion. Cold refrigerator light. Wet asphalt. Flickering ceiling tube. Steam from the kettle. Rain on one specific windowpane. A buzzing AC unit. Tight corridor walls. Mirror reflection. (See §9 — Environment plays.) 2. **Physical micro-action on the body.** The emotion translated into the actor's body. Jaw locks. Knuckles whiten. Lips press flat. Eyes drop a quarter-inch. He swallows hard. Fingers curl against the doorframe. The actor's body is the only place where feelings render — names of feelings do not. 3. **Sound anchor or visual motif.** A recurring perceptual hook tied to the spine of the piece. Stomach growl repeated three times. Reflection in dark glass on every transition. The same musical sting at every Crack beat. The clock's second hand. Footsteps in an empty corridor. A shot with zero of these is filler. A shot with one is thin. Strong shots carry all three. The writer's job is to do this work — the model cannot infer it. ### What is banned Words that mark a writer being lazy. Each one is a placeholder for absent detail. - "cinematic", "professional", "high quality", "masterpiece", "stunning", "epic", "amazing" - "beautiful lighting", "dynamic camera", "intense moment", "powerful scene" - "he is sad", "she is angry", "he is afraid" — emotions named without a body Replace each with concrete physical facts. If a writer cannot do that, the scene is not yet thought through. ### How details map to dramaturgy Each layer of dramaturgy has a default detail register: - Scene formula → environmental pressure (the geometry and atmosphere of the obstacle). - Three-jobs rule → physical micro-action (the body shifts when emotion / action / pressure shifts). - Five anchors → sound and visual motif (the motif is the anchor, the final image carries the motif). If a shot's detail set does not match its dramaturgical function, the function will not land on screen. ## 3. The three-jobs rule Every shot must do at least one of three things. If it does none, delete it. - Change emotion (in hero, viewer, or the dynamic between characters). - Advance action (new physical event, new information, new position). - Increase pressure (stakes rise, clock ticks, space tightens, witness appears). "Beautiful establishing shot" is not a job. "Beautiful hero shot of product" is not a job. Either the frame works for one of these three, or it is a fantik (wrapper without candy). ## 4. Walter Murch Rule of Six From the editor of Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part II, and The English Patient. The priority order when deciding where to cut. Each item is weighted heavier than the sum of everything below it. 1. **Emotion (51%).** Does the cut honor the emotional truth of the moment. What does the viewer feel now vs. what they should feel next. 2. **Story (23%).** Does the cut advance story or reveal character. 3. **Rhythm (10%).** Does the cut fall on a musical beat of the scene. 4. **Eye-trace (7%).** Where is the viewer's gaze at the moment of the cut. Does the new shot receive that gaze naturally. 5. **2D plane (5%).** Does the cut respect the axis of screen direction. 6. **3D space (4%).** Does the cut respect the geometry of the real location. Practical consequence. Cutting for "динамика" (pace for its own sake) sits at item 3. If you cut there without serving items 1 and 2, the result is TikTok-ad for the attention-deficit. ## 5. Blocking as choreography of desire Blocking is not "where the actor stands." Blocking is a visual answer to "what does the character want and from whom." For every character in the scene, name. - What they want now. - Who or what they move toward. - Who or what they move away from. - Whom they corner. - To whom they yield space. - What gesture reveals the hidden desire. Bad. "He stands near the window." Good. "He edges toward the window but his shoulder stays angled back toward her, as if the conversation still holds him." ## 6. Staging controls subtext Staging is the arrangement of people, objects, and camera inside the frame. Before dialogue, staging already tells the conflict. Power signals in staging. - The standing character dominates the seated one. - The character in the doorway controls the room. - The character behind glass or in reflection is psychologically distant. - The character in shadow carries threat or grief. - Negative space around a character signals isolation. - Tight framing signals suffocation. - Shared frame without eye contact signals broken intimacy. Spielberg, Kubrick, Iñárritu often build entire scenes where the staging states the conflict before a line is spoken. Before writing a prompt, name the power dynamic the staging reveals. ## 7. Camera must have a reason Fincher rule. Every camera movement answers "what changed?" If the answer is nothing, the camera is static. Reasons for camera movement. - A character made a decision and the camera follows the shift. - New information arrived in the frame. - Pressure escalated and the camera tightens. - The character looked, and the camera reveals what they saw. - A gesture pulled focus, and the camera rack-focused. - The space changed (door opened, someone entered). Bad. "Cinematic gliding camera movement." Good. "Push-in starts on 'I don't know' and stops on her jaw locking." ## 8. Spatial clarity beats montage hysteria Spielberg principle. Even in chaos, the viewer must know. - Where the hero is. - Where the threat is. - Which direction is escape. - Which direction is decision. High craft means fast, nervous, and still readable. Random whip-pans and strobe cuts without geography destroy drama. The fastest action scenes in cinema (Spielberg, Miller, early Bay) are built on a clear geometric map maintained through every cut. Before writing a fast-cut sequence, sketch the geography in one sentence. "Hero moves left-to-right. Threat enters from the top of the frame. Exit is off-camera right." ## 9. Environment plays Kurosawa principle. Weather and environment are characters. They amplify state. Translate this to a short video by leaning on one environmental pressure. - Flickering fluorescent light signals decay, bureaucracy, dread. - Rain on a window signals grief withheld. - Steam from a kettle signals suppressed anger. - A buzzing air conditioner signals dissociation. - Wet asphalt at night signals guilt. - A tight corridor signals the walls closing in. - A mirror or glass surface signals self-reckoning. - Overhead cold office light signals judgment. Pick one environmental pressure per scene and let it carry the emotion. ## 10. Three-layer storyboard method Build storyboards in three layers, in this order. Skipping a layer produces pretty but empty output. ### Layer 1. Dramatic beats For a 60-90 second piece, a reliable beat map. ```text 0-5s Hook. Hero already in tension. No setup. Problem on screen. 5-15s Context. Where we are. Who is near. What is at stake. 15-30s Pressure. Hero tries to hold control. 30-45s Crack. A detail appears that breaks the hero's position. 45-60s Acceleration. Cuts shorten. Breath tightens. 60-75s Impact. Decision, break, confession, or action. 75-90s Aftermath. Brief silence or visual residue. ``` Adjust for 30s or 15s by compressing proportionally. Never skip the Crack or the Impact. This map assumes the story has a causal spine. If the shape of the story is not settled yet — a turn without an opponent, a single culminating moment, a deliberately open ending — choose the arc first in `patterns-and-genres.md` §4, then come back and lay the beats on it. ### Layer 2. Shot functions Tag every shot with a function. Same taxonomy as in role-modes.md, expanded with Power. - **Establish.** Where we are. - **Power.** Who controls the scene right now. - **Pressure.** What is pushing down on the hero. - **Detail.** Object, hand, phone, eye, drop, receipt, door. Macro anchor. - **Reaction.** Face after the event. - **Shift.** Inner change made visible. - **Impact.** The decisive frame. - **Aftermath.** Emptiness after action. - **Exit.** Final image the viewer carries out. This is cinema grammar. Everything else is decorative wallpaper. ### Layer 3. Editing rhythm Not random mincing. A rhythmic staircase. ```text long - shorter - shorter - pause - impact ``` Example internal structure of an 8-10 second montage. - 4s. Wide. Hero enters. - 2s. Medium. Hero notices the object. - 1s. Close-up. Eyes. - 12 frames (0.5s). Macro insert of the object. - 8 frames (0.33s). Hand. - 6 frames (0.25s). Detail / sound cue. - 2s. Sudden silence. - 1s. Decision. Rule. The pause before the impact is more important than the speed of the cuts. Without a pause, speed becomes visual meat grinder. ## 11. Shot card template For each shot in a storyboard, fill every field. Missing fields reveal missing direction. - **Shot ID.** 01, 02, 03 - **Beat.** What changes in the story here. - **Emotion.** Fear, shame, anger, guilt, resolve, relief, etc. - **Frame.** wide / medium / close-up / macro insert - **Composition.** Center, edge, negative space, reflection, silhouette, foreground obstruction. - **Camera.** Static, push-in, handheld, tracking, whip-pan. - **Movement reason.** Why the camera moves here. Answer "what changed?" - **Action.** Exact physical event. - **Eye trace.** Where the viewer's gaze should land in the first 0.3s. - **Duration.** 0.5s, 1s, 3s. - **Cut type.** match cut, smash cut, cut on action, J-cut, L-cut. - **Sound.** Breath, bass hit, street noise, phone ring, silence. - **Light / color.** Cold, contrast, flicker, shadow, specific palette. - **Production note.** Prop, location, actor direction. If a shot card has empty fields, fill them or drop the shot. ## 12. Rhythm ladder Drama rhythm is not uniform. It is stepped. ### Slow-burn drama 4s, 4s, 3s, 2s, 1s, pause, 2s. ### Commercial product arc 3s, 2s, 1.5s, 1s, 0.5s (product macro), 2s (hero shot). ### Anxiety build 2s, 1s, 1s, 0.5s, 0.5s, 0.3s, pause, 1s. ### Impact scene pause, 0.2s (flash), 2s (aftermath in stillness). Always insert at least one pause before the biggest cut. ## 13. One-anchor principle For any short dramatic piece, commit to exactly five anchors. No more. - One main emotion. - One visual motif. - One anchor object. - One break. - One final image. Example. - Emotion. Guilt. - Motif. The hero keeps being reflected in glass surfaces (window, phone screen, elevator door). - Anchor object. A phone with one unread message. - Break. The hero deletes the message. - Final image. The hero's face stays reflected in the darkened phone screen. This set can be storyboarded, prompted, and cut together into something that carries real weight. It beats stacking "cinematic, professional, high quality, masterpiece" forever. ## 14. Worked example. Guilt, 30 seconds ### Five anchors - Emotion. Guilt. - Motif. Reflections in glass. - Anchor object. Phone with unread message. - Break. He deletes it. - Final image. His face ghosted on the dark phone screen. ### Layer 1. Dramatic beats - 0-3s. Hook. Phone buzzes on a dark desk. His face lit from below. - 3-10s. Context. Small office after hours. Empty cubicles. Cold fluorescent. His reflection in the monitor. - 10-18s. Pressure. He stares at the message preview. His jaw tightens. Hand hovers. - 18-22s. Crack. He starts to type. Stops. Deletes character by character. - 22-26s. Acceleration. Tight cuts. Finger. Screen. Eye. Breath. Window reflection. - 26-28s. Impact. He taps Delete Conversation. One tap. Silence. - 28-30s. Aftermath. Screen goes black. His face remains reflected in the dark glass. ### Layer 2. Shot functions (selected) - Shot 03. Establish. Empty office. - Shot 05. Power. He is alone. The room looms. - Shot 07. Detail. Phone screen close-up. - Shot 09. Reaction. His face, jaw tightening. - Shot 11. Shift. Hand hesitates over keyboard. - Shot 13. Impact. Thumb taps Delete. - Shot 14. Aftermath. Dark screen, his ghosted reflection. ### Layer 3. Rhythm (final 10 seconds) - 2s. Finger hovers over Delete. - 1s. His face. - 0.5s. Thumb. - 0.5s. Screen confirmation prompt. - 1s. His eyes. - 0.5s. Thumb taps Delete. - 3s silence. Screen goes black. - 1.5s. His reflection on the dark phone. Now each beat can be translated into a model-specific prompt using `references/seedance.md`, `references/kling.md`, or `references/veo.md`. --- ## 15. Dramaturgy check before sending any prompt Run this six-point check before returning the final prompt to the user. 1. Is the scene formula complete? (desire + obstacle + geometry + gaze + rhythm) 2. Does every shot pass the three-detail check? (environmental pressure + physical micro-action + sound or visual motif) 3. Does every shot do one of the three jobs? (change emotion, advance action, increase pressure) 4. Is there a motivated reason for every camera move? 5. Is the spatial geometry readable? 6. Are the five anchors named? (emotion, motif, object, break, final image) If any answer is no, fix before sending. Step 2 is the most violated. --- *Author: Serge Shima ([t.me/aimastersme](https://t.me/aimastersme) · [sergeshima.com](https://sergeshima.com) · [aimasters.me](https://aimasters.me)) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: [smixs/visual-skills](https://github.com/smixs/visual-skills)*