Turn Any Idea Into a Shoot-Ready Script

---
name: short-form-script-engine
description: >-
  Turn any raw idea into a shoot-ready short-form video script. Drop in a topic,
  event, insight, prompt, or concept and get the full format: text hook, spoken
  hook, line-by-line script with on-screen notes, CTA, and a five-part self-audit.
  Built on the short-form principles taught by Kane Kallaway at Short Form Academy.
  Picks the format, names the desire the idea targets, decides the reveal, then
  grades its own draft on the two-second rule, one-move rule, and
  demonstrate-don't-explain before handing back. Does not ask questions; takes the
  idea and runs, flagging any assumption. Use when you say "write a script,"
  "script this," "run the script engine," "turn this into a video," drop an idea
  and want a video from it, or need the beats for a short-form video.
---

# Short Form Script Engine

Drop an idea in. Get a shoot-ready script out. Text hook, spoken hook, line-by-line script with on-screen notes, CTA, and a self-audit that grades the work before it reaches you.

**A note on where this comes from.** This is my process, packaged so I can hand it to people I care about instead of explaining it every time. The scriptwriting principles inside are what I learned from Kane Kallaway inside Short Form Academy (https://shortform.academy). I did not invent this doctrine. Kane did. I built a skill that executes on it consistently so I stop leaving the wisdom on the shelf. If this helps you, the real credit goes to Kane and SFA, and the program is worth every dollar if you want to go deeper than one skill can take you.

This is not a rigid one-way template. These are principles for writing scripts that crush, and the skill executes on them. A script is usually 5-6 lines, sometimes more when the idea earns it, never a book. The outcome is the point: get the payoff across in two seconds and hold the viewer to the end.

**This skill does not ask questions.** It takes the idea and runs. When a critical piece is genuinely missing (the demo, the proof, the outcome), it fills the gap with its best judgment and flags the assumption in a short note at the end, so the writing never stalls.

---

## The procedure (run this every time, in order)

The doctrine below is the raw material. This ordered sequence turns it into a great script. Walk it every time, silently, then produce the output.

1. **Name the format.** Which of the 20 (see menu) is this? Format is the brick you pick first. It's the vehicle; the idea carries the video. The workhorses are Breakdown, Tutorial, Problem-Solution, and Personal Learning. Name it before writing a word.
2. **Lock the idea = topic + angle.** The topic is the subject. The angle is the specific POV or claim on it. This is the only real needle-mover. If the angle is obvious, find the surprising one: "What's the interesting thing about this that nobody has heard, but the second I say it they're intrigued?"
3. **Name the desire (silently).** Which of the Four Horsemen does this idea serve — money, time, health, or access? Never state it directly in the script. Step it one standard deviation into a proxy that means the same thing without tripping the BS detector.
4. **Decide the reveal first.** What's the one thing they walk away knowing? Then build the shortest story that lands there. One move per video. If a second move wants in, it's a second video.
5. **Build the hook stack.** Text hook (most important), then spoken hook. Outcome in two seconds. Tie to the result they want or the pain they feel, never to you. If the topic is common, anchor on what they believe, then crack it. If the topic is complex, use the money-printer sequence (universal outcome first, concept as the answer second).
6. **Write the script line by line.** Line one is the spoken hook. Every line after answers the question the previous line raised. Mind the lock-in zone (lines 2-4 are what actually hold people). Show proof on screen, never describe it. Say the key point twice — as a rule, then as an example (2x framework).
7. **Write the CTA.** Tie it to the outcome. Attach your lead magnet. Logical bridge from video to magnet. No dollar-amount language.
8. **Self-audit.** Grade the draft against the checklist at the bottom. Fix what fails before handing it over.

---

## The output format (locked)

Produce exactly this shape every time.

```
Text hook:
[one line — outcome-driven, ≤10-12 words, no mid-line comma]

Spoken hook:
"[one line — outcome in two seconds, a single swing]"

Script:
1. "[the spoken hook, verbatim]"
2. "[answers line 1's question]" [ON SCREEN: ...]
3. "[answers line 2's question]" [ON SCREEN: proof — shown, not described]
4. "[re-hook / qualifier / stakes]"
5. "[the one move handed over]"
6. "[clean close — the payoff lands]"
   (5-6 lines typical; more only if the idea earns it)

CTA:
"[Comment KEYWORD and I'll send you the (system/skill/guide)]"

---
Pain Point we are addressing: [the friction/fear before they hit play]
2 second time to value: [quote the words that land the payoff fast + why]
Non-obvious insight: [the thing nobody else is saying]
Topic: [one plain line — does this accrue trust with the buyer?]
Angle: [the specific POV / claim — the lens no one else brings]
```

---

## THE DOCTRINE — Short-form principles (Kane Kallaway / Short Form Academy)

*This is the wisdom the skill writes from, in the language it was taught. Learn more at https://shortform.academy. Read it as the standard, not a checklist to recite.*

### The Creed
1. **Views do not equal dollars.** On-target views plus an aligned offer equals max dollars.
2. **Trust accumulation at scale is the only thing.** Every video accrues trust in the domain you sell in, measured in content minutes.
3. **Clarity is the 10x lever.** Outcome known in two seconds or the video flops. Content is a math comprehension game — of 100 who start at second one, how many are still with you at second five. Every soft, amorphous line sheds people the feed gives no room to define terms for.
4. **Marketing is saying the same thing that works 100 times.** Ignore losers, triple down on winners.

### Ideas — topic + angle is the alpha
- **An idea is topic + angle.** The format is scaffolding; the idea carries the video. A winning idea plugs into any format and crushes. The reverse is never true. Spend the creative energy here.
- **The surprising-angle question.** "What is the interesting thing about this that nobody has heard, but as soon as I say it, they'll be intrigued to hear more?" Don't open the rocket video with "aliens exist." Open on the rocket, then hit "it's not jet fuel, it's volcano fuel."
- **Target the most painful pain points.** Buyers hunt solutions to pain. Pain points are disguised questions. When stuck, look straight at the buyer's most painful problem.
- **A genuinely new concept is contrarian by definition.** If you introduce something that didn't exist, the contrast is to it not existing. Go straight at it, no forced contrarian frame. Novel frames from client work are contrarian by default — just reveal them.

### Hooks — the two-second discipline
- **The two-second rule.** Outcome in line one. Two seconds ideal, five at worst. Any longer and the video flops.
- **The anxiety guard.** The viewer loops one question: what's in this for me? Once they opt in, the guard drops and they watch longer. Tease the pain you're solving inside the hook so the promise of relief is clear.
- **The lock-in zone.** The hook is sentence one, but the hook is not what holds people. Sentences 2 to 4 are the real retention mechanism. Introduce an unfamiliar term after buy-in so it reads as a shiny question mark and their own curiosity carries them.
- **Tease the why, deliver the how.** "Here's how long to rest between sets" becomes "...if you want to double your muscle in 30 days." The most powerful copy is tied to the outcome.
- **Fewest words possible.** Every word cut raises absorption. 10-12 word ceiling — the viewer is Pac-Man, only so many dots before the mouth closes. Never a comma in the middle of line one.
- **The hook effort-priority: text > spoken > visual.** Put nearly all the effort into text and spoken.
- **Declarative beats interrogative.** "Stop reaching for Advil if you have back pain. Do this instead" beats "how many of you grab Advil?"
- **Cut filler second sentences.** If line two doesn't build comprehension, delete it. A strong line two is a second hook.
- **The Four Horsemen of Desire.** Everything a viewer wants maps to one of four: more money, more time, more health, more access. Name which one before you write. Never state it directly — the direct hit trips the alarm ("here's how to make $100K in AI" reads as scam).
- **One standard deviation away.** Step the raw desire back a notch into a proxy that means the same thing without saying it. "Grow your following faster using AI workflows" signals money without the smell. The disguise is the skill: same desire, different surface.
- **The common-topic reframe.** For a topic everyone has heard of, announcing it fails. Anchor on what they believe, then crack it: "AI skills exist, but you've never seen one do this."
- **The complex-topic wrap (money-printer formula).** Sentence 1: broad outcome they already want, tied to something respected or a person they recognize. Sentence 2: reveal the concept as the answer (now a shiny question mark because they bought in). Section 1: what it is and how it works. Re-hook: reveal there's an easy way. Section 2: the easy way. CTA.
- **The three hook buckets, ranked.** Outcome signaling (best), pain-point signaling, embedded contrast. Subject + Outcome/Pain/Novel-Fact is the combo. Save contrast for line 2-3 if it takes too many words to set up in line one.
- **TAM expansion.** Lead with a broad, universal outcome and a narrow who. "If you're a woman in your 50s and you want to feel happier" — narrow demo, near-universal desire. Naming a narrow condition few have felt is TAM restriction, and so is any technical term a beginner won't know.
- **Create intrigue from nothing.** Set the frame without the answer, then add it. Like hiding the stuffed animal behind your back before pulling it out.

### Scriptwriting & Storytelling
- **Decide the big reveal first.** Then build the shortest story that gets there. Payoff at second 20 means re-architect.
- **The sequential question framework.** Line one opens the loop. Every line after answers the question the previous line raised.
- **The 2x framework.** Say every point twice: first as a named rule, then as an example or metaphor. Stickier, easier to absorb.
- **Pacing is comprehension per sentence.** Dripped at a rate the viewer can absorb. Visuals click words into place.
- **Trim the fat.** Refined beats off-the-dome for 999 of 1,000, because most ideas are good and delivery rambles.
- **Tactics, not platitudes.** Obvious or non-actionable content is procrastination in disguise.
- **Explain like they know nothing.** State the problem, the solution, and why it works. The standard: impossible to misunderstand.
- **Huge perceived reward, small perceived effort.** The golden rule in content. Position it as a small tweak, big payoff.
- **The listicle test.** Lists accrue no trust without your perspective. A fast-cut list with no POV is a blog post with no writer.

### Speed to value
- **Speed to value is speed to promise.** The viewer places a time bet in the first second. Speed to value means hinting the payoff is coming, not delivering it up front. Start dripping it out; the real payoff lands when the video wraps and they think "now I know what to do." The failure mode is delaying any hint of value while the first five or six sentences are fluff.

### CTA & lead magnet
- **Get their email and you win.** Content aggravates a pain, the lead magnet solves it for an email.
- **Tie every CTA to money, time, health, or access.** The feature is one degree away from the want.
- **Alignment is the juice.** Tighter video-to-magnet fit = more clicks.
- **Hide behind the shield of the brand they already want.** Show the AI tool's interface, never your website.
- **No dollar-amount or investment-return CTAs.** Platform filters ban accounts that trip the financial-promise flag.

### Demonstrate, don't explain
- **Show prompts typed on screen, never describe them verbally.** The visual fails when you describe it instead of showing it.
- **A video is worth a thousand pictures.** Overlay a graphic whenever it reinforces the spoken point.
- **You're the vehicle, the insight is the product.** A dialed hook removes the need for visual gimmicks.

---

## THE 20-FORMAT MENU (pick one first)

**Educational (build trust fastest):**
1. **Breakdown / Explainer** — a topic to explain. Be first or be unique.
2. **Case Study** — a success to dissect. Tie an input to a result.
3. **Problem Solution** — a specific problem. Create emotional pain transfer for a specific avatar.
4. **Common Trap / Mistake** — a mistake they're making. Mistake, why, what to do instead.
5. **Tutorial** — a skill step-by-step. Build for the save; flash instructions on screen. "Comment X and I'll send the guide" crushes.
6. **Listicle** — a numbered list. First item must be extremely non-obvious.
7. **Scenario / Hypothetical** — a hypothetical to explore. The gap between expected and actual builds trust.
8. **A vs. B Comparison** — two or three things compared. Contrast is why people watch.
9. **Q&A / Interview Clip** — a question answered, framed on purpose.
10. **Ranking / Tier List** — a category rated. Weigh in with your opinion.
11. **Levels / Three Levels** — ascending beginner to expert.
12. **Reaction** — react to a validated outlier, add genuine perspective. Low-value; use sparingly.

**Storytelling (first-person POV):**
13. **Skit / Humor** — rarely accrues trust. Only for low-price/vibe strategy.
14. **Hero's Journey** — a transformation arc. Make them feel the pain, then prove you solved it.
15. **Personal Learning / Epiphany** — led with proof before the teaching. "I achieved something big, and the way I did it was a non-obvious simple solve."
16. **Day in the Life** — mostly vibe. Show something unexpected.
17. **Personal Update** — mostly vibe, but a hard CTA works here. Tie to a launch.
18. **About Me / Origin Story** — ~1 in 100 videos. Pin it.
19. **Episodic Series** — an ongoing narrative.
20. **Challenge** — a real mission completed live. Grand objective, lots of roadblocks.

---

## VOICE RULES

Set these to match how you actually talk. These are the defaults I write with, and you can swap them for your own:

- No semicolons.
- No hyphenated conjunctions.
- No contrastive framing: no "this isn't X, it's Y" and no "instead of X, try Y."
- No tension-based setups or dramatic juxtaposition. No starting ideas through negation.
- Banned words: delve, unlock, craft, foster, tapestry, embarking, unleash, unveil, realm, boasts, revolutionize, tenets.
- No anaphora — don't start consecutive sentences with the same word in a rhythmic pattern.
- Text hook is one line, not two.
- Conversational, direct, certain. Lead with the truth of the message. Let it stand on its own.

---

## SELF-CHECK before handing it over

Grade the draft. Fix anything that fails, then ship.

- **Two-second value:** Does the outcome land in the text hook and spoken hook within two seconds? If not, rewrite line one.
- **One move:** Does the script carry exactly one concept? If a second snuck in, cut it or split into two videos.
- **Sequential logic:** Does each line answer the question the previous line raised? Any line that doesn't build comprehension gets cut.
- **Demonstrate, don't explain:** Is the proof shown on screen, not narrated? Every describe-the-visual line becomes a show-the-visual note.
- **Desire proxy:** Is the desire one standard deviation away, never named directly?
- **Hook TAM:** Broad universal outcome, narrow who? No beginner-unfriendly term in line one?
- **CTA bridge:** Does the CTA logically follow the video's promise, and is the lead magnet attached?
- **Voice:** Matches your voice rules, text hook one line.

If the idea was thin and an assumption was made (the demo, the proof, the outcome), note it in one line under the output. Never stall to ask.

---

## Notes

- Line count serves the reveal and the one-move rule, not a fixed number. Simple move, fewer lines. Complex topic needing the money-printer re-hook, more. Never a book.
- When the topic is trending, anchor line one on the trending subject so it lands instantly, then reframe.
- The self-audit section is a scorecard, not decoration. All five fields ship every time.
- The principles here come from Kane Kallaway's Short Form Academy (https://shortform.academy). If short-form is a serious game for you, go learn from the source.