Stage 1: Writing the Script with Claude

Everything starts with the story. In this stage you take a one-line idea and turn it into a full script — not by asking Claude to write one for you, but by making Claude interview you about it.

The starting idea

The whole film grew out of a single premise: a guy gets trapped in his little sister's AI generations — and every time he dies, he wakes up in a new world. That's it. One sentence. No scenes, no dialogue, no structure yet.

Don't say "write me a script"

Here's the key move: the idea went to Claude, but the request was not "write me a script." That kind of one-shot request always turns out terrible — Claude fills every gap with generic choices, and the result feels like it. Instead, ask Claude to expand your idea. That single change of phrasing flips the dynamic: instead of guessing, Claude starts asking you questions.

The Q&A that shapes the script

Claude's questions pin down exactly the details a lazy request would skip:

• What runtime are you aiming for? — 2 minutes.
• Which settings do you want? — picked together: pirates, desert, jungle.
• Want a couple of plot twist suggestions? — yes, please.

Each answer narrows the script toward your film. Once the details are locked in, Claude delivers the script — built step by step through that dialogue rather than dumped out in one guess.

Why this works

Nothing good comes out of one lazy request. The details are what make it work — runtime dictates pacing, the settings define your scenes and assets, and the twist gives the story a spine. That's how you get a script that gets millions of views.

Steal it

Two ways to use this lesson:

1. Steal the method — bring your own one-line idea to Claude, ask it to expand the idea, and answer its questions about runtime, settings, and twists.
2. Steal the script — the full text of this film's script is shared with the course, so you can follow along with the exact same story.

Next up: turning this script into assets — characters, locations, and props.