Short-Form Script Skill

Short-form lives and dies in the first 3 seconds, then by whether each beat earns the next. This skill writes a script engineered for watch-time and re-watches — tight hook, momentum, a payoff worth sharing — not a talking-head ramble.

Working from a brief

Given a topic or a long-form source, write the full script anyway, inferring the angle and the single takeaway. Keep total spoken copy to ~30–45s (≈80–120 words). Never pad to fill time — short and re-watchable beats long.

Required Inputs

Ask for (if not already provided):

• Topic / the idea (or a long-form video/post to cut down)
• Platform (TikTok / Reels / Shorts) and rough length (15/30/60s)
• Creator voice (or pull from a [[creator-brand-kit]]) and the CTA (follow, link in bio, comment)

Output Format

The one takeaway

The single thing a viewer remembers. Everything serves this.

Script (timed)

Time	Spoken (VO/on-cam)	On-screen text	Visual / B-roll
0–3s	Hook	bold hook caption	the visual that stops the scroll
3–8s	setup / stakes
8–25s	payoff beats (1–3)	key words	demo / cuts
25–35s	recap + CTA	CTA caption

• Hook line: spelled out separately (it's the most important line — make it pattern-breaking and specific).
• Pattern interrupts: note where to cut, zoom, or change the frame to hold attention.

Caption & hashtags

A caption that adds context or a second hook, plus 3–6 relevant (not spammy) hashtags.

On-screen text list

Every text overlay in order, so it's ready to drop into CapCut/the editor.