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Created February 17, 2026 00:40
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Video Script Developer - AI skill for developing short-form social media video scripts
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SKILL.md
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video-script
Develop short-form social media video scripts for Indy Hall. Use when the user shares a video idea, topic, or story and wants to shape it into a ~60-second script with a hook, story beats, and lesson/landing. Guides through clarifying questions to develop the concept, then outputs a structured script matching proven Indy Hall video patterns.

Video Script Developer

Collaborative script development for Indy Hall's short-form social media video series. Each video is ~60 seconds, anchored by a lesson/takeaway, supported by a story, and opened with a hook.

Success Examples

Before starting, read references/success-examples.md for the four scripts that define the series quality bar and patterns.

Script Structure

Every script follows this structure:

  1. Hook (5-10 sec): A surprising statement, warm visual moment, or direct question that stops the scroll
  2. Story/Setup (20-30 sec): 2-4 concrete bullet points building a narrative arc
  3. Lesson/Landing (10-15 sec): Universal takeaway that connects back to the hook

Target duration: ~60 seconds spoken. Scripts should be speakable in a natural, conversational tone.

Development Process

When a user shares a video idea:

Phase 1: Find the Lesson

The lesson is the anchor. Everything else serves it. Ask:

  • "What's the one thing you want someone to take away from this?"
  • If the user gives something broad, push for specificity: "What would you want someone to do differently after watching this?"

Do not move forward until there is a clear, specific lesson. A good lesson is one sentence and actionable or perspective-shifting.

Phase 2: Find the Story

The story is proof the lesson is real. Ask:

  • "What's a specific moment or example that shows this in action?"
  • Push for concrete details: names, years, places, sensory details (what did it look like, sound like, feel like?)
  • If the story is abstract, ask: "Can you tell me about one specific time this happened?"

The best stories in this series have: a specific person or moment, a change/evolution over time, and something unexpected.

Phase 3: Find the Hook

The hook earns attention for the story. It works backward from the lesson. Ask:

  • "What's the surprising or counterintuitive part of this?"
  • "If someone only heard the first sentence, would they want to hear the rest?"

Hook patterns that work:

  • Challenge conventional wisdom: "When most people talk about X, they think Y. We found more success with Z."
  • Unexpected juxtaposition: "How a competitive game taught me about collaboration"
  • Warm visual moment: "The other day, a member walked up to me with a big smile..."
  • Direct question: "Do you have an idea for X but don't know how to get started?"

Phase 4: Assemble the Draft

Once all three pieces are solid, output the script in this format:

# [Working Title]

**Hook:** [Opening line(s)]

**Bullet points:**
- [Story beat 1]
- [Story beat 2]
- [Story beat 3]
- [Story beat 4 if needed]

**Lesson:** [Closing takeaway]

Keep bullet points as brief directions, not full sentences. The speaker (Alex) will deliver them naturally. The script is a guide, not a teleprompter.

Phase 5: Pressure Test

After assembling the draft, check against these criteria:

  • Three-act structure? Setup, evolution/conflict, moral
  • Concrete details? Names, dates, places, sensory moments (not abstract concepts)
  • Speakable? Would this sound natural said out loud in ~60 seconds?
  • Single lesson? One clear takeaway, not two or three crammed together
  • Hook earns attention? First sentence creates curiosity or surprise

If something is weak, name it and suggest a specific fix rather than asking an open question.

Audience Awareness

These videos serve two audiences simultaneously:

  1. Current Indy Hall members - Education about culture, philosophy, best practices. The more pointed scripts (like Caretaking and Dave's Reading Club) speak directly to members about what they can do.
  2. Prospective members / general audience - Showcasing what makes Indy Hall different. The more general scripts (Speed Chess, IKEA Effect) work as social proof and philosophy.

When developing a script, identify which audience is primary. This shapes whether the lesson ends with an invitation to act (member-facing) or a universal insight (general-facing).

What to Avoid

  • Starting with the lesson instead of earning it through story
  • Abstract concepts without a grounding story ("community is important")
  • Multiple lessons in one video
  • Scripts that read like marketing copy instead of spoken stories
  • Hooks that explain instead of intrigue
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success-examples.md

Success Examples

Three completed Indy Hall social media video scripts with analysis of what makes each one work.

Example 1: Speed Chess (Beat the Board)

Hook: "Let me tell you about how a competitive game actually taught me more about collaboration than most other things in the last 20 years of running Indy Hall."

Bullet points:

  • Simple two-player game of chess evolved quickly at the Indy Hall clubhouse
  • Speed chess with a clock, then heckling spectators trying to get in players' heads
  • Favorite evolution: chess puzzles where players set up end-state pieces and work together to win

Lesson: "We think the game we're playing is one where we're supposed to compete with one another, when in fact the best version of the game is where we're working together to beat the board."

What works:

  • Clean three-act structure: Game started simple, game evolved, moral emerges
  • Strong visual hook that's unexpected (chess → collaboration?)
  • Concrete sensory details: tapping the clock, spectators heckling
  • Universal lesson drawn from a specific, small story
  • Duration: ~45 seconds

Example 2: The IKEA Effect

Hook: "When most people talk about communities, you hear words like 'engagement' and we found so much more success over the years at Indy Hall by focusing less on engagement and more on inviting different levels of participation."

Bullet points:

  • Learned this in 2007 when first founding members signed up
  • Next order of business: IKEA for desks
  • Could have assembled themselves, but invited founding members to show up with screwdrivers and power tools
  • The effect: relationship with the place and each other transformed - went from a place to go to a place of connection and belonging

Lesson: "Years later, Harvard actually coined a term for this. They called it the IKEA effect. So if you're building a community or even thinking about joining one, think about those levels of participation and focus on helping people build things together. Maybe even literally."

What works:

  • Hook challenges conventional wisdom ("engagement" vs "participation")
  • Origin story with a specific time anchor (2007)
  • Emotional pivot: furniture assembly → transformed relationships
  • Authority validation (Harvard coined the term) without leading with it
  • Dual audience: speaks to community builders AND potential members
  • Duration: ~60 seconds

Example 3: Watering the Plants (Caretaking)

Hook: "The other day, a member walked up to me at the Indy Hall Clubhouse with a big smile on their face. And they told me that they had noticed another member watering the plants and how much that little act had made their day."

Bullet points:

  • This is all very intentional
  • Whether it's washing your own dishes or trading extra coworking days to help open up in the morning
  • The key: always looking for ways to make contributions more visible to other members
  • It's not about credit or pride - it's that even when you want to help, you might not know you can until you see somebody like you doing it

Lesson: "So the next time you've got an idea to make Indy Hall better in some way, or maybe you've got a particular kind of caretaking that you're drawn to, let us know. 'Cause we'd love to find some way to make you a part of this virtuous cycle."

What works:

  • Opens with a warm, visual moment (member with a big smile)
  • "Let me explain" creates curiosity gap after the hook
  • Most pointed/educational of the three - directly tells members what they can do
  • Specific examples of participation (dishes, opening the clubhouse)
  • Ends with an invitation rather than just a moral
  • Duration: ~50 seconds

Example 4: Dave's Reading Club (Not Yet Filmed)

Hook: "Do you have an idea for an event, but don't know how to get started? Well let me tell you about Dave."

Bullet points:

  • Dave wanted to start a reading club in 2024, no event experience
  • Around the same time, a New York company wanted to run their own reading club at Indy Hall
  • Major difference: NY company ran a generic playbook with no heart, quit after 3 events
  • Dave cared about creating a good experience, was willing to put in the work
  • The team worked with him every step - RSVP pages, getting the word out, formats and structures

Lesson: "After a year and a half, Dave's idea for a reading club is our biggest member event at Indy Hall. Your idea could be next! So if you have an idea for an event that you'd like to run at Indy Hall, we're here to help you get started and put you on a path to ongoing success."

What works:

  • Direct question hook targets a specific audience (people with event ideas)
  • Character-driven story with a named person (Dave)
  • Conflict/contrast: Dave vs. the New York company (heart vs. playbook)
  • Fullest script - merges culture, philosophy, and practical best practices
  • Ends with both proof and invitation: "Your idea could be next!"
  • Duration: ~60 seconds (estimated)

Pattern Summary

Across all four scripts, the consistent elements:

  1. Hook (5-10 seconds): Either a surprising statement, a warm visual moment, or a direct question
  2. Story/Setup (20-30 seconds): 2-4 concrete bullet points that build a narrative
  3. Lesson/Landing (10-15 seconds): A universal takeaway that connects back to the hook

The progression from general (Speed Chess) to pointed (Caretaking, Dave) shows the series evolving toward more direct education for Indy Hall members while maintaining the storytelling foundation.

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