Scripting And Storyboarding

SKILL.md

---
name: scripting-and-storyboarding
description: >-
  The pre-production system — turn a video idea into a shootable, editable plan: the two-column AV
  script, the storyboard as a decision document, the numbered shot list, the batch-shoot plan, and
  the paper edit. Use when shoots are chaotic, edits drag, videos feel static ("just me
  talking"), someone wants to batch-film a week of content in one session, needs a storyboard but
  can't draw, is planning a multi-shot AI video sequence, or scripts keep running long. Uses the
  SCENE framework. Reads idea-generation-and-ideation + short-form-video-script or the long-form
  skill + brand-profile first. A words-only script plans half the video; the storyboard is a
  decision document, not art; the shot list grouped by setup enables batch shooting. The agent
  writes the plan; the HUMAN shoots/generates and judges; WoopSocial publishes. Never stages
  candid-as-real moments or lifts another creator's script. Distinct from short-form-video-script,
  talking-head-and-piece-to-camera, capcut/descript, luma.
version: 1.0.0
---

# scripting-and-storyboarding

The **pre-production system** — start from the spine, write both columns, envision every beat, number the
shots, and edit on paper first. The agent writes the plan; the **human shoots and judges**; **WoopSocial
publishes** the finished video. (Craft skill — no tool file.)

## The POV: videos are won in pre-production — the cheapest edit is on paper
Chaotic shoots and endless edits are a pre-production deficit, not a talent deficit: the plan is "where you
catch problems before they become expensive fixes on set or in post." Four truths carry this skill. **(1) A
words-only script plans half the video** — the visual half gets improvised, and improvisation defaults to a
static talking face; the **two-column AV script** (audio | visual) writes what's *seen*, beat by beat, so the
change-every-few-seconds rhythm is planned, not hoped for. **(2) The storyboard is a decision document, not
art** — its only question is "what's on screen at this beat?", answered by a shot table, stick figures, or AI
previz frames (2026 pipelines make character-consistent boards in minutes — the tested benchmark: 12 frames
from ~3 hours to 40–60 minutes, with explicit camera intent and a character bible as the craft rules).
**(3) The shot list regrouped BY SETUP is the batching trick** — two weeks of content in one afternoon comes
from sorting shots by location/framing/outfit, never by video. **(4) Runtime math doesn't negotiate** —
~130–150 wpm means a 300-word script is a 2-minute video; the stopwatch pass and the paper cut happen *before*
the shoot. And the 2026 twist: **AI video sequences need more pre-production, not less** — every panel becomes
a generation's shot brief, and previz frames cost cents where generations cost credits.

## Read these first
1. **idea-generation-and-ideation** — the idea being productionized.
2. **short-form-video-script** (or the long-form skill) — the retention spine this turns into production.
3. **brand-profile** + **design-and-templates** — visual language, end cards.

## The framework: SCENE
(Depth: `references/the-scene-framework.md`.)
- **S — Start from the spine:** one job, audience, format target, beat outline — before any words.
- **C — Columns: audio + visual:** the two-column AV script with [VO]/[SFX]/[Action] tags; if the visual isn't
  written, it will be improvised; no "me talking" twice in a row.
- **E — Envision every beat:** the cheapest board that answers "what's on screen" — shot table → stick figures
  → AI previz frames (explicit camera intent, character bible + ref image, micro-beats, directional not
  final); skip boards honestly where a shot list suffices; for AI video, each panel = the shot brief.
- **N — Number the shots:** shot list with setups → **regroup by setup** for batching (sequence setups, buffer
  takes on hooks, label footage `vid#-shot#`); runtime math + feasibility pass.
- **E — Edit on paper first:** table read with a stopwatch, cut the middle not the spine, the honesty pass
  (no staged-as-candid, no lifted scripts) — then hand off to the shoot, the edit, and WoopSocial.

## The reality (verify-quarterly)
Stable craft: the two-column AV script (broadcast standard), ~130–150 wpm runtime math, the
storyboard-as-decision-document, the by-setup batch regroup. The 2026 AI layer (attribute): script→board
pipelines matured (Boords — free tier, sign-off layer; Storyboarder.ai — 250K+ creators, animatics; LTX,
mStudio, Studiovity; free Wonderunit); character consistency is now baseline; the practitioner benchmark cut
12-frame boards from ~3 hrs to 40–60 min using LLM-beats → visual directives → seeded frames — with tags
([VO]/[SFX]/[Action]), explicit camera intent (*"the AI will guess — don't make it"*), locked palette, and a
character bible; boards stay directional; traditional illustration runs ~$50–300/frame (the economics behind
the shift). AI-video sequences: panel = shot brief (luma's DREAM); board first, generate second. **Attribute
all; verify-quarterly.** Full detail: `references/scripting-and-storyboarding-2026-reality.md`; the templates
and two worked examples: `references/templates-and-examples.md`.

## Honest scope (never violate)
- **The agent** writes every planning artifact (beats, AV script, board/briefs, shot list, batch plan, timing
  pass, footage map); the **human** shoots/generates, judges every take, and approves — the agent cannot see
  footage or operate a camera and never fabricates "that take works." **AI previz** follows the image rules
  (no unpermitted likeness; original/consented characters; disclosure if frames publish).
- **Production integrity:** no staged-as-candid content (actors posing as unaffiliated strangers = deceptive
  endorsement; skits are fine **disclosed**); no lifted scripts (structure study yes, verbatim no); honest
  runtime/feasibility. **WoopSocial publishes** the finished video; it does not script, storyboard, shoot, or
  edit. (Full scope: `references/scope-and-connections.md`.)

## Distinct from its siblings (route correctly)
**scripting-and-storyboarding (this)** = the pre-production system · **short-form-video-script** = the
retention-words craft (WATCH writes the spine; SCENE productionizes it) · **talking-head-and-piece-to-camera**
= the on-camera delivery · **capcut / descript** = the edit executing the AV script's visual plan · **luma /
ai-video** = the generations whose shot briefs the panels become · **flux / image-prompt** = previz frames +
reference stills · **storytelling-and-narrative** = the narrative angle/WHAT this schedules into shots ·
**idea-generation-and-ideation** = supplies the idea.

## Where this connects
Reads first: **idea-generation-and-ideation** + **short-form-video-script**/long-form + **brand-profile** +
**design-and-templates.** Feeds: the shoot day (the human), **talking-head-and-piece-to-camera**, **luma**
(shot briefs), **capcut/descript** (footage map + AV script), **content-calendar** (the batch). Publishes via:
the finished video → **scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial.** Measure with: shoot efficiency + edit speed +
published retention via **analytics-and-reporting** — never fabricated.

## Definition of done
A shootable, editable plan: the spine confirmed (one job, beat outline from the script skill), the two-column
AV script written with every visual beat specified ([VO]/[SFX]/[Action] tags; no "me talking" twice in a row),
the storyboard produced at the cheapest sufficient fidelity (shot table, stick figures, or AI previz frames
with explicit camera intent + a character bible — directional, never final art; skipped honestly where a shot
list suffices), a numbered shot list regrouped by setup with the batch plan, buffer takes, and a labeled
footage map, the runtime verified by stopwatch math (~130–150 wpm) and cut on paper before the shoot, and the
honesty pass held (no staged-as-candid, no lifted scripts, feasibility stated straight); AI-video panels
written as generation shot briefs with previz-before-credits economics; the human shooting and judging,
the edit receiving a clean handoff, and the finished video publishing via WoopSocial; **nothing staged as
real, nothing plagiarized, no fabricated production claims**; and correctly distinguished from
short-form-video-script, talking-head-and-piece-to-camera, capcut/descript, and luma.