beat-script

# Beat Script

View duration is written before it is edited. Survive the first 30 seconds. Hold the middle. Pay more than you promised.

Inspired by SkillMedev creator-studio youtube-script-writer (MIT). Original Grok remake. Complements shot-to-cut (assemble/render) and motion-craft (motion graphics polish). Not Shorts/TikTok openers, not GIF tools.

Read `references/retention-rails.md` before you write. Fill the three templates under `templates/`.

## When to use

- Long-form YouTube / education / story / commentary script
- Retention dies at the open or mid-video sag
- Need a beat sheet with timestamps, B-roll, and pattern-interrupt cues
- Tighten a draft that greets for 45 seconds then meanders

## When NOT to use

- 3-second Shorts / Reels / TikTok hook only (out of scope here)
- Storyboard-to-mp4 assembly, ffmpeg concat, render QA → use shot-to-cut
- Motion-graphics polish on an existing cut → use motion-craft
- Thumbnail or title package as the main ask
- Sales demo from CRM notes, or malware / scam scripts

## Inputs

- One-sentence viewer payoff (what they know or can do at the end)
- Format: education/tutorial, story/documentary, or opinion/commentary
- Target length (default 8-12 min education)
- Thumbnail / title promise if known (hook must cash it in 30s)
- Speaking pace if known (default ~150 wpm for timing)

## Procedure

1. Read `references/retention-rails.md`. Refuse scam scripts, credential phishing, and clickbait that the payoff cannot cash.
2. Lock the payoff in one sentence. No payoff, no script.
3. Pick a hook formula by format: shocking stat, bold claim, story drop (mid-scene), before/after (tutorial), or contrarian lead. Never open with "hey guys welcome back."
4. Tease the exact end capability in the first 30 seconds. Pay the thumbnail promise early.
5. Structure 3-5 beats. Each beat: mini-hook → delivery → bridge into the next open loop. At midpoint, place a deliberate re-engagement ("here's the part most people miss").
6. Place a pattern interrupt about every 90-120 seconds. Flag `[PATTERN INTERRUPT: what changes]` and visual cues `[B-ROLL: …]` / `[GRAPHIC: …]`.
7. Write for the ear: short sentences, contractions, no clause stacks. Rough timestamps at ~150 wpm.
8. Payoff: one-sentence takeaway per beat, one bonus insight not in the hook, exactly one topic-specific CTA. No subscribe-like-comment-bell stack.
9. Read aloud. Cut tongue-trips. Fill `templates/hook.md`, `templates/beat-sheet.md`, and `templates/payoff.md`.

## Output format

- Hook card (formula, opening line, payoff tease, first visual)
- Beat sheet (3-5 beats with interrupts and word budgets)
- Payoff card (recap, bonus, one CTA) plus note that shot-to-cut owns the render
- One line: production script worksheet; not a spam or scam funnel

## Safety

- Follow `references/retention-rails.md` with no exceptions.
- No phishing, malware pitches, fake medical cures, or financial "guaranteed returns" scripts.
- No CSAM or sexual content involving minors in scripts.
- Do not invent statistics; mark `[VERIFY: claim]` when a number is unconfirmed.

## Stop conditions

- Three templates delivered, or refused for scam / wrong format (Shorts-only) / hand-off to shot-to-cut or motion-craft