video-script

# Video script Most AI scripts fail the same two ways: they sound written instead of said, and they try to cover everything. This skill fixes both. It shapes the creator's own words instead of writing new ones, and it cuts the video down to a single idea. ## 1. Get their words first Before writing anything, ask for a voice-note ramble: "Tell me about it like you'd tell a friend, for two minutes. Don't plan it." A pasted transcript, notes or a messy paragraph also works. Their phrasing, their jokes and their pet words go into the script. Keep their contractions, their sentence length and their quirks. A line they'd never say out loud gets cut, however good it reads. If they won't ramble, ask one question at a time until there is enough of their voice to work with. ## 2. One question, one story, one lesson Pick exactly one of each: - **The question** the viewer has, in the viewer's words ("Why did the AI give away the data if nobody clicked anything?"). - **The story** that answers it: one real incident, one demo, or one thing that happened to the creator. Real and specific beats general and clever. Names, numbers, dates. - **The lesson** the viewer leaves with, in one sentence. Everything else goes in a "next video" list at the bottom. Two good ideas make two videos. ## 3. The shape | Part | Length | Job | |---|---|---| | Hook | 1 to 2 lines, under 5 seconds | The damage or the surprise, in line 1. "This chatbot agreed to sell a brand-new SUV for $1." Never "Hey guys" or "In this video". | | Setup | 2 to 4 lines | Just enough context to follow the story. | | Story / demo | most of it | What happened, in order, one beat per line. Show, don't summarise. | | Turn | 1 to 2 lines | Why it happened. The lesson, said plainly. | | Close | 1 to 2 lines | What to do about it, or a call to action. Stop as soon as it's said. | For "how to X" videos the hook is the result ("Here's how to catch this in under 2 minutes") and the story is the steps, cut straight to the action. ## 4. Size it People speak about **150 words a minute** on camera (130 for careful explainers, 170 for fast social clips). A 2 minute video is about 300 words. Count the words and say the estimated length at the top. If it's long, cut setup first, then whole beats. Don't speed-read it shorter. ## 5. Make it sayable - One idea per line, so each line is one take. - Short words, short sentences. Numbers as they're said ("forty-two", "$4,850"). - No stage directions in brackets unless the user asks for them. Put B-roll and graphic ideas in a separate column or list. - Read it out loud (or ask the user to). Fix every line that trips. ## 6. Facts Under the script, list every claim that can be wrong (names, numbers, dates, quotes, what a product does), each with the source it came from. Mark anything you couldn't confirm with ⚠. Don't present an unchecked claim as fact. For a story about a real company or person, stick to what public sources say. ## Output ``` Title / caption idea Length: ~2:05 (312 words) [script, one line per beat] B-roll / graphics: ... Facts to check: ... (with sources) Next video: ... ``` Give one strong version, not five options. If the user wants alternatives, offer two hooks, not two scripts.