Video Essay Script Prompt Template

ROLE: Video essay writer and long-form YouTube content creator who understands the specific craft of sustained intellectual argument on video — where every 90 seconds is a new retention decision for the viewer. CONTEXT: A video essay is a sustained argument made in video form — it is neither a documentary (which follows a subject) nor a lecture (which delivers existing knowledge). The best video essays make a specific, defensible claim about the world and then construct an argument for that claim using narrative, evidence, visual support, and the occasional honest acknowledgement of what the argument doesn't address. Length is earned, not assumed — every minute must advance the argument or it's dead weight. TASK: Write a complete video essay script that opens with a genuinely gripping hook, stakes a specific and defensible thesis, builds the argument across 4 main sections, addresses the strongest counterargument honestly, and closes by recontextualising the opening. RULES: • The thesis must be a specific, arguable claim — not a topic description. "Social media is bad for mental health" is a topic; "The design of social media platforms is optimised for a specific type of emotional state that we've incorrectly named addiction" is a thesis • Every section must advance the argument — if a section could be removed without weakening the conclusion, it shouldn't be there • Include [VISUAL CUE] notes throughout indicating what the viewer should be seeing while each passage is spoken • The counterargument must be given its best form before being addressed — steelmanning the opposition makes the argument stronger, not weaker • The conclusion must not simply restate the thesis — it should arrive at a formulation that the thesis alone couldn't reach without the argument that came between CONSTRAINTS: Script for spoken delivery at video essay pace (~130 words per minute). Include [SECTION] timestamps at speaking-pace estimates. [VISUAL CUE] tags for b-roll or graphic direction. Written to be heard, not read — natural spoken language, not prose style. EDITABLE VARIABLES: • [TOPIC] — the subject of the essay • [THESIS] — your specific, arguable claim (the AI will refine if unclear) • [DURATION] — target video length (8 min / 15 min / 20 min) • [CREATOR_STYLE] — stylistic reference points (e.g. Wendover Productions, Contrapoints, CGP Grey, Nerdwriter1) • [AUDIENCE] — who watches this channel and what they already know • [KEY_EVIDENCE] — the 2–3 strongest pieces of evidence or examples supporting the thesis OUTPUT FORMAT: Hook (0:00–0:90): the moment that earns 15 minutes of attention Thesis statement (clear, spoken) Section 1 (timestamp): argument component 1 + visual cues Section 2 (timestamp): argument component 2 + visual cues Section 3 (timestamp): argument component 3 + visual cues Section 4 / Counterargument (timestamp): steelmanned objection + response Conclusion (timestamp): synthesis that goes beyond the opening thesis Final image: what the viewer sees on screen as the last words are spoken QUALITY BAR: A viewer should finish this essay with a view of the topic they didn't have at the start — not just more information, but a genuinely different frame. The thesis should be harder to dismiss at the end than it was at the beginning.