Imported from gabrielmoreira/agent-skills-mirror (mirrors/repos/rediumvex@ai-video-generator-claude/skills/05-faceless-channel/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add gabrielmoreira/agent-skills-mirror --skill 05-faceless-channel. Copyright stays with the author.

Faceless Channel — No-Camera Content Video Prompts

Input Specs — Seedance 2.0 Format

When generating a prompt, collect or infer:

Seedance 2.0 prompt structure:

[SCENE DESCRIPTION] — [CAMERA MOVEMENT] — [LIGHTING] — [MOOD/ATMOSPHERE] — [MOTION DETAILS] — [SOUND DIRECTION]

Each prompt block should be 15–25 lines covering: scene, camera, lighting, timing breakdown, motion notes, and sound direction.

Three Laws of Faceless Content

1. Never let the screen rest. Every second needs motion — camera, subject, or both.
2. The first frame is the thumbnail. The opening shot must be arresting on its own.
3. Lighting is character. Without a face, emotion comes from color temperature, contrast, and shadow.

2-Second Hook Table

The first 2 seconds determine whether the viewer swipes. Use one of these four proven patterns:

Visual Style Templates

1. Cinematic B-Roll

Best for: Documentary, history, finance, crime, geopolitics

• Color grade: teal-orange or desaturated with selective color pops
• Depth of field: shallow — always keep one plane soft
• Frame composition: rule of thirds strictly, negative space for text overlay
• Motion: slow push-ins and parallax reveals preferred; avoid handheld shake
• Texture: film grain overlay at 15–20% opacity adds perceived production value
• Key rule: never show the same environment from the same angle twice in one video

2. Motion Graphics Hybrid

Best for: Tech explainers, startup breakdowns, tutorials

• Blend live-action environment with floating UI elements, data flows, or particle systems
• Color palette: dark background (near-black), neon accent (electric blue, hot pink, or lime)
• Typography: kinetic text that materializes in sync with narration beats
• Motion: camera orbits around 3D elements; environment rotates slowly in background
• Light sources: internal — glowing elements, screens, holographic panels
• Key rule: every data point gets a visual representation, never just spoken

3. Ambient Aesthetic

Best for: Mindset, productivity, study-with-me, lo-fi, wellness

• Color grade: warm golden hour, cool twilight, or monochrome with single color pop
• Motion: ultra-slow — drift, float, breathe; never rush
• Subjects: coffee steam, rain on windows, pages turning, candle flames, neon reflections in puddles
• Camera: imperceptible push-in or very slow orbit; never a cut under 3 seconds
• Sound design: ambient sound leads, music is secondary texture
• Key rule: every frame should be screenshot-worthy as a wallpaper

4. Documentary Reconstruction

Best for: True crime, history, investigative journalism, case studies

• Color grade: desaturated, slightly green-shifted for "found footage" feel; or high-contrast black-and-white
• Camera: handheld simulation with subtle drift (not shake); occasional security-camera framing
• Subjects: empty locations that imply presence — a chair, a document, a phone screen
• Light: motivated by in-scene sources (desk lamp, phone glow, streetlight through blinds)
• Typography: timestamps, case numbers, location tags in Courier New or mono fonts
• Key rule: never show a face; imply the human through objects and traces

Camera Movement Library

Push & Pull

• Slow push-in (8–10s): Creates building tension. Use for reveals and escalating narration.
• Pull-back reveal: Starts tight on a detail, expands to show scale. Best hook technique.
• Crash zoom: Sudden fast push to a single element. Punctuates a data point or shocking stat.

Orbit & Rotate

• Slow orbit (360°, 10–15s): Best for product shots, architectural subjects, 3D elements.
• Partial orbit (45–90°): Shows depth without disorienting. Use on static subjects in environment.
• Tilt orbit: Orbits while tilting up or down — creates a sense of discovering the full scale of a scene.

Float & Drift

• Horizontal drift: Imperceptible lateral movement across a landscape or interior. Creates the feel of time passing.
• Vertical drift up: Rising slowly through fog, smoke, or a cityscape. Signals hope, scale, or transcendence.
• Vertical drift down: Descending into a scene. Signals going deeper, darker, or closer to truth.

Parallax & Depth

• Layer parallax: Foreground elements move faster than background. Creates depth in flat footage.
• Focus pull: Shift focus from foreground to background element (or reverse). Re-directs narrative attention.

Signature Moves for Faceless Channels

• The slide-and-reveal: Camera moves horizontally to reveal a new scene element. Replaces a cut.
• The breathe: A living still — minimal motion added to a static shot (0.5% drift + subtle zoom). Makes stills feel cinematic.
• The linger: Camera arrives at a subject and holds for 2s before continuing movement. Creates weight and anticipation.

Lighting Playbook

Moody Atmosphere

• 1 key light source maximum, deep shadows everywhere else
• Color temperature: 2700K–3200K (candlelight to tungsten)
• Practical lights in frame (lamps, screens, neon signs) add realism
• Use when: true crime, investigative, late-night aesthetic, conspiracy explainers

Clean Product

• Soft diffused light from camera-left or camera-right, subtle fill from opposite
• Color temperature: 5500K–6500K (daylight to cool daylight)
• High-key but not overexposed; preserve shadow for dimension
• Use when: tech reviews, unboxings, tutorial content, SaaS explainers

Nature Documentary

• Available light only — golden hour, blue hour, overcast diffusion
• High dynamic range: bright highlights, rich shadows; don't crush blacks
• Lens flares welcome at golden hour
• Use when: environment topics, travel, science, wildlife, philosophy channels

Urban Night

• Mixed color temperature — neon, sodium vapor, LED screens
• Highlight color contrasts: magenta/cyan, orange/blue
• Reflections on wet surfaces double the light sources in frame
• Use when: finance, city-life, nightlife, 24-hour news cycle, hustle content

Sound Design: Two Approaches

Narration-First

The voiceover carries all information. Visuals illustrate and punctuate.

• Music volume: 10–15% under narration, swell to 30% at natural breaks
• SFX: subtle ambient beds (room tone, city hum, wind); punctuation SFX only on major beats
• Music selection: no vocals, no strong melody — textural pads and subtle rhythms
• Edit cadence: cut on narration beats, not on music beats
• Transitions: audio crossfade first, then visual cut follows 2–4 frames later

Music-First

The music is the backbone. Narration (if any) drops in between musical phrases.

• Music volume: 60–70% when no narration; duck to 25% under voice
• SFX: layer textural sounds that complement the track (vinyl crackle with lo-fi, rain with ambient electronic)
• Edit cadence: every cut lands on a kick, snare, or musical phrase boundary
• Transitions: whoosh/swipe sounds at cuts; risers before scene changes
• Best for: aesthetic channels, study-with-me, montage-style content, ambient-only channels

Complete Example Prompts

Example 1 — Finance Channel (YouTube 16:9)

Topic: The 2008 Financial Crisis
Style: Cinematic B-Roll + Documentary Reconstruction
Hook: The Visual Metaphor
Sound: Narration-first

OPENING FRAME (0:00–0:02):
Extreme close-up of a single red chess king piece tipping in slow motion, falling onto a reflective black surface, camera follows it down in real-time — shallow depth of field, everything behind it blurred into warm bokeh circles — no sound yet except the faint, growing hum of a low string note.

PULL-BACK REVEAL (0:02–0:05):
Camera pulls back slowly to reveal the chess king is surrounded by dozens of other fallen pieces on an abandoned boardroom table — overhead fluorescent lights flicker once — the color grade desaturates to near-monochrome with a faint green tint, as if seen on CCTV.

ENVIRONMENT ESTABLISH (0:05–0:08):
Slow horizontal drift left along the length of the boardroom table — empty coffee cups, scattered papers, a disconnected phone receiver — camera settles on floor-to-ceiling windows revealing an empty city street below at dawn, golden light creeping in through smoke-hazed air.

MOTION NOTE:
All camera movement under 0.3% per frame — the scene should feel frozen in time, held in suspension. No handheld drift. Parallax only between table edge and the city window.

LIGHTING:
Practical fluorescent flicker inside (tungsten, 3200K, slightly green), counterbalanced by cool dawn light (7000K) from window — the two temperatures collide at the table edge, creating a visible color split line.

SOUND DIRECTION (narration-first):
Narration enters at 0:03 over the pull-back. Music bed: low cello drone with a single sustained piano note that decays slowly. No drums. No melody. Ambient SFX: fluorescent buzz, distant city traffic muffled through glass, the faint sound of paper shuffling once.

Example 2 — Tech/AI Channel (TikTok 9:16)

Topic: How AI is replacing white-collar jobs
Style: Motion Graphics Hybrid
Hook: The Data Reveal
Sound: Music-first

HOOK FRAME (0:00–0:02):
Black screen — then a single white number "0" materializes in the center in 3D, extruded type, floating in dark space — it rapidly counter-spins upward through 10, 100, 1,000 — freezes at "4,000,000" in electric blue, the number glowing and pulsing once — camera begins a slow orbit around the number as particle streams flow out from its edges.

ENVIRONMENT REVEAL (0:02–0:05):
Camera orbits backward and the "4,000,000" integrates into a 3D data visualization — a cityscape of bar charts and flowing data streams — below the number, text materializes in white: "jobs automated in 12 months" — camera continues orbiting at 0.5 degrees per frame.

CONCEPT VISUALIZE (0:05–0:08):
Camera descends into the data cityscape — buildings made of stacked icons representing job categories (lawyer, accountant, coder, writer) — as the camera moves through each district, icons dissolve into particle dust that flows upward, replaced by glowing AI nodes forming connection meshes.

MOTION NOTE:
All 3D elements rotate continuously at different speeds — data streams flow downward in background, job-icon buildings pulse before dissolving, AI nodes expand outward in rings. No static element exists in any frame.

LIGHTING:
All internal — neon blue and violet from data streams, hot white from number display, deep black background. No ambient fill. Hard edge shadows from every element. Color pops: electric blue (AI elements), desaturated grey (human-job icons before dissolution).

SOUND DIRECTION (music-first):
Music: dark electronic with sharp hi-hat pattern — cut lands on downbeat. Counter spin SFX on number reveal (0:00–0:02): mechanical ticker tape sound. Camera orbit has subtle whoosh. Each dissolving job icon gets a brief soft chime. Narration (if used): drops at 0:05 in a musical gap.

Example 3 — Mindset/Productivity Channel (Reels 9:16)

Topic: Why waking up at 5am changes your brain
Style: Ambient Aesthetic
Hook: The Satisfying Loop
Sound: Music-first (ambient)

OPENING LOOP (0:00–0:03):
Extreme macro close-up of coffee steam rising from a mug — perfectly backlit by a single warm desk lamp (2700K) against a dark, blurred background — steam curls upward in a natural looping pattern — camera imperceptibly breathes (0.2% push-in over 3 seconds) — the shot feels infinite, like it could repeat forever — no cuts.

ENVIRONMENT DRIFT (0:03–0:06):
Slow horizontal drift right from the coffee mug across a minimal desk surface — a journal open to a blank page, a single pen resting diagonally, a window at the far edge where pre-dawn deep blue light begins — camera arrives at the window and holds for 1.5 seconds.

DAWN REVEAL (0:06–0:09):
Very slow tilt upward through the window — reveal the first thin line of orange at the horizon beneath a navy blue sky — stars still faintly visible — the camera holds this composition — the light level rises almost imperceptibly during the 3-second hold.

RETURN TO DETAIL (0:09–0:12):
Camera drifts back down to street level view through the window — empty street, single streetlight reflecting in a small puddle — focus pull from the distant horizon to the puddle reflection — the warm orange of the sunrise is now captured in the puddle, concentrated and bright.

MOTION NOTE:
Every movement must be smooth enough to feel like a slow zoom on a locked-off camera. Target: a viewer who screenshots this for a wallpaper. No movement faster than 0.3% per frame. No cuts within the clip — all transitions are camera drifts or focus pulls.

LIGHTING:
Entirely practical and environmental. Desk lamp at 2700K (orange-warm). Pre-dawn sky at 7500K (deep blue). The entire clip lives in the contrast between these two temperatures — warm interior, cool exterior — meeting at the window frame.

SOUND DIRECTION (music-first):
Music: lo-fi piano, slow tempo, no drums, prominent vinyl crackle. Ambient SFX layer: coffee steam sizzle (barely audible, 5% volume), distant birds beginning at 0:06, wind trace from 0:09. No narration. No voice. The silence should feel like 5am — the world not yet awake.

Quick Reference Skeleton

TOPIC: [subject]
PLATFORM: [TikTok 9:16 / YouTube 16:9 / Reels 9:16]
DURATION: [4s / 8s / 10s]
STYLE: [cinematic b-roll / motion graphics / ambient / documentary]

HOOK (0-2s):
[Hook pattern] — [opening frame description]
Camera: [movement + speed]
Sound: [impact layer]

BEAT 1 (2-Xs):
[Scene description]
Camera: [movement]
Lighting: [setup]
Sound: [layer]

BEAT 2 (X-Ys):
[Scene description]
Camera: [movement]
Lighting: [shift if any]
Sound: [layer]

CLOSE (final 1-2s):
[Resolution frame]
Camera: [settling movement]
Sound: [resolution]

MATERIAL REFS: @image1 [what], @video1 [what], @audio1 [what]

Prompt Rules for Faceless Content

Follow these constraints every time you generate a Seedance 2.0 faceless prompt:

Hard rules:

1. Never describe a human face, hands holding objects directly at camera, or anything that implies the creator is on screen.
2. Every scene must have at least one source of visible motion — camera, subject, particle, light, or environmental element.
3. State the color temperature of every light source (in Kelvin or a clear descriptor). Lighting is character in faceless content.
4. Always specify camera movement with a rate descriptor: "imperceptible," "slow," "medium," or "rapid."
5. Always end with a sound direction block — narration-first or music-first — with specific SFX notes.

Quality rules: 6. The first 2 seconds must match one of the four hook patterns. Name the pattern used. 7. Mention depth of field in every outdoor or environmental shot. Faceless content lives in the shallow focus aesthetic. 8. If the platform is 9:16 (TikTok/Reels), ensure key visual elements are centered vertically (they will be obscured by UI at top and bottom 15%). 9. Use specific color temperature numbers (e.g., 3200K, 6500K) rather than vague terms like "warm" or "cool" alone. 10. Never use the word "beautiful" or "stunning" in a prompt — describe the specific visual quality that creates that impression instead.

Platform-specific:

• YouTube 16:9: Leave left-side negative space in opening frames for title card overlays.
• TikTok 9:16: Front-load all key visual energy in the top 60% of frame; bottom 40% is covered by UI.
• Reels 9:16: Same as TikTok; avoid fast cuts in first 3 seconds — Instagram's algorithm penalizes early swipe-away.