Write Cinematic Video Scripts

---
name: write-cinematic-video-scripts
description: "Create professional cinematic scripts for AI video generation with character consistency and cinematography knowledge. Use when the user wants to write a cinematic script, create story contexts with characters, generate image prompts for AI video tools (Midjourney, Sora, Veo), o…"
category: "Media"
author: community
version: "1.4.0"
icon: image
---

# Cinematic Script Writer

Create professional cinematic scripts for AI video generation with character consistency and cinematography knowledge.

## Installation

```bash
# Install via npm
npm install -g cinematic-script-writer

# Or install via OpenClaw CLI
openclaw skills install cinematic-script-writer
```

## CLI Usage

### Context Management

Create and manage story contexts with characters, era, and settings:

```bash
# Create a new story context
cinematic-script create-context --name "My Story" --era "Ancient India" --period "Ramayana Era"

# List all saved contexts
cinematic-script list-contexts

# Get a specific context
cinematic-script get-context --id <context-id>

# Delete a context
cinematic-script delete-context --id <context-id>
```

### Story Generation

Generate story ideas and create cinematic scripts:

```bash
# Generate story ideas for a context
cinematic-script generate-ideas --context-id <context-id> --count 3

# Create a full cinematic script from an idea
cinematic-script create-script --context-id <context-id> --idea-id <idea-id>

# Generate YouTube metadata for a script
cinematic-script generate-metadata --script-id <script-id>
```

### Cinematography Reference

Access camera angles, lighting, and shot type databases:

```bash
# List all camera angles
cinematic-script list-angles

# List all camera movements
cinematic-script list-movements

# List all shot types
cinematic-script list-shots

# Get camera setup recommendation
cinematic-script suggest-camera --scene-type "dialogue" --mood "dramatic"

# Get lighting suggestions
cinematic-script suggest-lighting --scene-type "interior" --mood "mysterious"

# Get color grading suggestions
cinematic-script suggest-grading --genre "action"

# Search cinematography database
cinematic-script search --query "low angle lighting"
```

### Character Consistency

Create character references and validate prompts:

```bash
# Create a character reference sheet
cinematic-script create-character-ref --character-id "char1" --name "Kutil" --visual "Purple rakshasa with golden eyes" --era "Ancient" --style "Pixar 3D"

# Create a voice profile for dialogue consistency
cinematic-script create-voice --character-id "char1" --name "Kutil" --personality "Mischievous, witty" --age "adult" --role "protagonist"

# Validate a prompt for anachronisms
cinematic-script validate-prompt --prompt "Your prompt here" --character-ids "char1,char2" --context-id <context-id>
```

### Storage

Save projects to Google Drive or local storage:

```bash
# Connect to Google Drive
cinematic-script connect-drive

# Connect to local storage
cinematic-script connect-local

# Check storage connection status
cinematic-script storage-status

# Save project to storage
cinematic-script save --title "My Story" --context-id <context-id> --script-id <script-id>
```

Storage implementation details:
- **Google Drive**: Uses Google OAuth2 for authentication. Credentials are stored securely in memory.
- **Local Storage**: Saves to the user's downloads folder as fallback.
- **Library**: Uses `googleapis` for Google Drive integration.

### Export

Export scripts in various formats:

```bash
# Export as Markdown (default)
cinematic-script export --script-id <script-id> --format markdown

# Export as JSON
cinematic-script export --script-id <script-id> --format json

# Export as plain text
cinematic-script export --script-id <script-id> --format text
```

## Features

- **Story Context Management**: Create and manage story settings, characters, and eras
- **Story Idea Generation**: Generate multiple story concepts with hooks and twists
- **Cinematic Script Writing**: Full scripts with camera angles, lighting, and shot types
- **Character Consistency**: Reference sheets and voice profiles for consistent characters
- **Environment Consistency**: Era-appropriate style guides and anachronism detection
- **YouTube Metadata**: Generate titles, descriptions, and SEO tags
- **Storage Integration**: Save to Google Drive or local storage
- **Export Options**: JSON, Markdown, or plain text formats

## When to Use

- Writing cinematic scripts or screenplays
- Creating stories with characters for animation/video
- Generating image/video prompts for AI tools (Midjourney, Sora, Veo, Runway)
- Getting cinematography guidance (camera angles, lighting, color grading)
- Maintaining character consistency across scenes
- Saving script projects to Google Drive

## Cinematography Reference

### Camera Angles

| Angle | Emotional Impact | Best For |
|-------|-----------------|----------|
| Eye-level | Connection, equality, neutrality | Dialogue, emotional moments |
| Low-angle | Power, dominance, heroism | Villain reveals, hero moments |
| High-angle | Vulnerability, weakness, overview | Defeat, establishing scale |
| Bird-eye | Insignificance, detachment, patterns | Epic scale, isolation |
| Worm-eye | Awe, grandeur, overwhelming presence | Monuments, giants, deities |
| Dutch angle | Unease, disorientation, tension | Chaos, dreams, horror |
| Overhead | Omniscience, surveillance | Table scenes, fight choreography |
| Shoulder-level | Intimate, casual, documentary feel | Walking conversations |
| Hip-level | Cowboy feel, casual tension | Westerns, standoffs |
| Knee-level | Childlike perspective, grounding | Children's stories, humility |

### Camera Movements

| Movement | Effect | Use For |
|----------|--------|---------|
| Static | Stability, observation | Contemplation, portraits |
| Pan | Revealing space | Following action horizontally |
| Tilt | Revealing height | Following vertical action |
| Dolly | Immersion, intimacy | Moving toward/away from subject |
| Truck | Following action | Side-to-side parallel movement |
| Crane | Epic scale, drama | Sweeping reveals, transitions |
| Handheld | Urgency, realism | Documentary, action, chaos |
| Steadicam | Smooth floating | Following through space, dreams |
| Zoom | Sudden focus, surprise | Dramatic emphasis, comedy |
| Rack-focus | Revealing connections | Shifting attention between subjects |

### Shot Types

| Shot | Framing | Emotional Impact |
|------|---------|-----------------|
| Establishing | Wide location | Sets scene, geography, time |
| Wide/Full | Subject + surroundings | Context, environment, scale |
| Medium | Waist up | Dialogue, body language |
| Close-up | Head/shoulders | Emotion, reaction, intimacy |
| Extreme close-up | Detail only (eyes, hands) | Intense emotion, symbolism |
| Over-shoulder | Past one subject to another | Conversation, perspective |
| POV | Character's view | Immersion, subjectivity |
| Insert | Object detail | Plot info, symbolism |
| Two-shot | Two subjects together | Relationship, tension |

### Lighting Techniques

| Technique | Mood | Best For |
|-----------|------|----------|
| Three-point | Professional, balanced | Dialogue, interviews |
| High-key | Happy, optimistic, bright | Comedy, commercials |
| Low-key | Dramatic, mysterious | Drama, horror, noir |
| Golden-hour | Romantic, nostalgic, magical | Romance, emotional moments |
| Blue-hour | Melancholic, mysterious | Urban, cityscapes |
| Chiaroscuro | Dramatic contrast | Art films, period pieces |
| Rim/backlight | Separation, ethereal | Silhouettes, divine presence |
| Practical | Realistic, natural | Candles, fires, lamps |
| God-rays | Divine, revelation | Spiritual moments, forests |
| Neon | Urban, futuristic | Cyberpunk, nightlife |

### Color Grading

| Style | Look | Genre |
|-------|------|-------|
| Teal-orange | Blockbuster cinematic | Action, sci-fi |
| Noir | High-contrast desaturated | Crime, mystery |
| Vintage/sepia | Warm, nostalgic | Period pieces, memory |
| Pastel | Soft, dreamy | Romance, coming-of-age |
| Bleach bypass | Desaturated, gritty | War, thriller |
| Cross-process | Surreal colors | Music videos, dreams |

## Image Prompt Format

When generating image prompts for AI tools:

```
[Shot type] [camera angle] of [subject doing action], [visual style] style,
[lighting technique], [composition rule], [color grading],
[era-appropriate details], [mood keywords], highly detailed, cinematic
```

Example:
```
Low-angle close-up of Kutil the purple rakshasa with mischievous golden eyes,
Pixar 3D style, dramatic underlighting with rim light, rule-of-thirds composition,
warm golden color grading, ancient Lanka palace background with ornate pillars,
playful yet mysterious mood, highly detailed, cinematic, 8k
```

## Output Structure

When saving a project, the following files are generated:

```
Story Title/
├── 00_INDEX.md           # Navigation
├── 01_SCRIPT_README.md   # Human-readable script
├── 02_IMAGE_PROMPTS.md   # All AI generation prompts
├── 03_CHARACTER_REFS.md  # Character design guides
├── 04_VOICE_GUIDES.md    # Dialogue consistency guides
├── 05_YOUTUBE_META.md    # Title, description, tags
└── 99_CONTEXT_INFO.md    # Story context and background
```

## Important Rules

1. **Always maintain character consistency** - include character's full visual description in every image prompt
2. **Never include anachronisms** - validate props, clothing, objects against the era
3. **Match cinematography to emotion** - use low angles for power, high angles for vulnerability
4. **Include both image and video prompts** - image prompts are static, video prompts describe motion
5. **Production-ready output** - every script should include enough detail for a team to produce it
6. **Respect the tone** - comedy needs comedic timing; drama needs longer holds on reactions

## License

MIT

## Author

Praveen Kumar