# How to make the AI shadowboxing trend

> A deadpan dandy leaves his espresso on a Paris café terrace to box the camera. Where the AI shadowboxing trend comes from and how to make yours.

Published 2026-10-01 · eroq.ai — canonical: https://eroq.ai/blog/ai-shadowboxing-trend


The AI shadowboxing trend is the clip that took over feeds at the end of September 2026: a man in an impeccable suit sits on a Paris café terrace, finishes his espresso, stands up and throws a clean combination straight at the lens, without a flicker of expression, while passers-by walk on as if nothing happened. Then he does it again in a gallery of old paintings, and again over a plate of oysters. This guide covers where the format comes from, why it spreads so fast, and how to make your own version in eroq with a character you made, using the ready-made Shadowbox in Paris template.

## The original: a Parisian dandy who never existed

The format comes from an AI-generated persona known as Jean Phil, whose first Instagram post went up on September 17, 2026. The clips all follow one beat: a quiet, elegant moment in Paris (an espresso and a croissant on a terrace, a painting in a gallery, a plate of oysters), then he shadowboxes at the camera with a perfectly straight face. One TikTok of the routine passed 5.6 million views in its first three days, and one clip has been watched 35.9 million times.

Within a week the character was everywhere. Know Your Meme catalogued it and put it in the running for its September 2026 meme of the month, and copycat personas arrived within days: other impeccably dressed Europeans, an English rival among them, each boxing the air in their own city. That is what makes it a trend rather than one account's gag: the joke belongs to the format, not to a face.

## Why this format works so well as a trend

- **The contrast.** Tweed, espresso and Haussmann facades on one side, a boxer's combination on the other. The gap between the two is the whole joke.
- **The straight face.** He never smiles and never explains. A deadpan clip leaves the laughing to the comments.
- **Nobody reacts.** Passers-by walk on as if a man boxing the air at breakfast were the most normal thing in Paris, which makes it funnier.
- **One beat, any setting.** A calm moment, then the combination. The structure survives any city and any character, which is why the copycats arrived so fast.

## How the trend versions are made

The original and its copycats are generated from scratch: a persona, a café and a few punches, rolled again for every version. eroq's template takes the other road. We made our own 8-second version of the trend: Ivo, one of our fictional characters, sits at a Paris café table in a brown tweed three-piece suit, throws a jab, jab, cross and uppercut straight at the camera, then straightens his jacket as if nothing happened, while passers-by walk on. [Replace](/studio/video?mode=replace) swaps Ivo for your character and keeps the rest of the shot: the punches, the timing, the camera and the street. And since eroq is a Paris studio, we kept it on a Paris terrace.

## Make it in eroq with the Shadowbox in Paris template

1. **Open the template.** Click **Use the template** on the card at the top of this page, or in the studio go to Video, then the Replace tab, and click **Use template** on Shadowbox in Paris under Trending templates. You can also [open it directly](/studio/video?mode=replace&template=shadowbox). The 8-second vertical clip loads from eroq: nothing to download, nothing to trim.
2. **Cast your character.** The composer shows one slot, the lead. Pick a character and the instruction writes itself: Ivo becomes your character. No character yet? [Create one](/studio/characters/new) from a few photos and a description; it opens in a new tab, so the template stays loaded.
3. **Choose the engine.** Replace reads your character's description and costs 64 credits for the whole clip. Replace Pro paints your character from their look sheet into the first frame, so the face really matches, and costs 592 credits, from the Creator plan.
4. **Click Replace.** The edit takes a few minutes and lands in Creations. The punches, the timing and the deadpan come from our clip: every jab lands exactly where Ivo's did.
5. **Post it.** Like the template clip, the edit comes back vertical and silent, ready for TikTok, Reels or Shorts and whatever sound you add there.

Prefer to write your own version from scratch? [Video](/studio/video) generates a new shot from a prompt: describe the terrace, @mention your character and ask for the combination.

## Getting a good result

- **Give your character a look sheet** if you use Replace Pro. It only paints characters that have one; without a sheet, the edit falls back to their written description and the face can drift. [Consistent characters in AI video](/blog/consistent-characters-ai-video) explains how sheets hold a face.
- **Say what they wear.** Your character keeps their own face, hair and outfit by default. For the trend look, add a suit to the instruction: tweed, a navy double-breasted, a camel overcoat. The text stays editable after the template writes it.
- **Keep it deadpan.** Ivo never smiles in the clip, and the edit follows his performance. If a take cracks a grin anyway, add "deadpan, never smiling" to the instruction and run it again.
- **Shorter is cheaper.** The trim bar under the clip keeps only part of the eight seconds, and the price on the button follows the length. The punches fill the first five seconds and the jacket the last three: trimming saves credits but loses the deadpan ending.

## What it costs

| Engine | The whole clip | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Replace | 64 credits | Reads your character's description |
| Replace Pro | 592 credits | Plus 10 credits for the painted first frame, Creator plan |

Trimmed to the five seconds of punches, the same edit costs 40 credits on Replace. Credits come with every [plan](/pricing), and an edit that fails is refunded.

## Who you can put on the terrace

The original stars one creator's persona, and our clip stars Ivo. On eroq you cast characters you made: an original character, yourself, or a friend who agreed to it. The [usage policy](/legal/aup) asks for characters who are 18 or older and rules out real, identifiable people without their consent. Borrow the format, not someone else's character: give yours their own face, name and style.

## More trends, same idea

Shadowbox in Paris sits in the Trending templates row of Replace, next to [Save yourself](/blog/save-yourself-ai-trend) and [Hotel Lobby](/blog/migos-hotel-lobby-ai-trend). The idea carries to any clip with a steady frame and a clear performer: bring your clip into Replace, @mention your character, keep the shot. Every format is collected under [Trends](/blog/category/trends), and the [TikTok and Reels pipeline](/blog/tiktok-reels-ai-shorts-pipeline) covers vertical formats and captions.

## FAQ

### What is the AI shadowboxing trend?
A short vertical format: an impeccably dressed character sits somewhere elegant in Paris, then shadowboxes straight at the camera with a perfectly straight face while passers-by ignore it.

### Is the man shadowboxing in Paris a real person?
No. The persona that started the trend is AI-generated, like the copycats that followed it, and the man in our template clip is Ivo, one of eroq's fictional characters.

### Can I use my own face?
Yes. Create a character from your own photos, give it a look sheet and cast it in the slot. Real, identifiable people need their consent, so cast yourself or someone who said yes.

### Does it have to be a man in a suit?
No. Ivo in tweed is the template's starting point: any character who is 18 or older can take the slot, and the instruction says what they wear. The deadpan and the combination are what make it the trend.

### How long is the clip?
Eight seconds in vertical 9:16: a jab, jab, cross, uppercut, then the jacket straightened as if nothing happened. The trim bar keeps less if you want, and the price follows.

### How much does the shadowboxing template cost?
The whole 8-second clip costs 64 credits on Replace and 592 credits on Replace Pro. Trim it in the composer to pay less.