Kuleshov effect

Watch as an animation →

In plain words

The same blank face reads as a different emotion depending on what you cut to next.

When to use it

When the facial acting is weak, or when you want to reuse the same shot with several meanings.

Example videos

Hitchcock Explains the Kuleshov Effect to Fletcher Markle. 1964 — Explainer: Hitchcock himself explains how the same expression reads differently depending on the scene it is joined to.

The Kuleshov Effect - Everything You Need To Know — Explainer: See the experiment that joined a blank face with other shots.

Create more emotion in your AI videos with the Kuleshov Effect — AI: See an example of building emotion with the Kuleshov effect in AI video.

In AI video, like this

AI facial acting tends to be exaggerated, so make one calm reaction shot with "neutral expression, subtle". Build the emotion with what you cut to afterward (the product, the price, scenery), which also saves credits.

One-click prompt

Four-shot sequence: Shot 1, close-up of a man with a calm, neutral, expressionless face, 2 seconds; Shot 2, a steaming bowl of soup on a table, 2 seconds; Shot 3, the exact same neutral face again, 2 seconds; Shot 4, an empty swing moving in the wind, 2 seconds. The same face reads as hungry, then sad.

See it in real films and ads

Hitchcock Explains the Kuleshov Effect (1964 interview)

AI-made examples

Not verified

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