creative_studio/backend/skills_storage/user_skills/script-adapter/SKILL.md

name, description

name	description
script-adapter	Adapt novels, stories, or concepts into professional screenplay format (film/theater/TV). Use when user needs to transform narrative text into scripts, including scene breakdown, dialogue conversion, visual storytelling, and standard industry formatting.

Script Adapter

Transform source material into professional screenplays using industry-standard formatting and visual storytelling techniques.

Core Principles

• Show, Don't Tell: Convert internal monologues and descriptions into visible actions and subtextual dialogue.
• Visual Narrative: Prioritize actions that can be seen and heard over abstract descriptions.
• Economy of Words: Keep action lines concise and dialogue sharp.

Adaptation Workflow

1. Analyze Source Material

Identify and extract:

• Core conflict and theme
• Protagonist's arc and motivation
• Key plot points (inciting incident, climax, resolution)
• Essential characters (combine minor characters if necessary)

2. Structure the Narrative

Map the source material to a standard structure:

• Three-Act Structure: Setup, Confrontation, Resolution
• Scene List: Break down the story into specific locations and timeframes
• Pacing: Ensure the flow works for visual media (faster than prose)

3. Draft the Scene

For each scene:

1. Slugline: INT./EXT. LOCATION - DAY/NIGHT
2. Action: Describe what happens visually (present tense).
3. Character Name: Centered, uppercase.
4. Dialogue: What the character says.
5. Parenthetical: How the character says it (use sparingly).

4. Refine and Format

• Check standard margins and spacing.
• Ensure all scenes drive the plot or reveal character.
• Remove exposition-heavy dialogue; replace with action.

Standard Format Guide

SLUGLINE: INT. LOCATION - DAY

Action lines describe what the audience sees. Be specific and visual.

CHARACTER NAME
(parenthetical direction)
Dialogue goes here.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

More action.

Key Adaptation Techniques

• Internal to External: Convert "He felt sad" to "He stared at the floor, shoulders slumped."
• Compression: Merge multiple conversations from the book into one impactful scene.
• Subtext: Characters should rarely say exactly what they mean. Use silence and action to convey true feelings.
• Enter Late, Leave Early: Start scenes at the last possible moment and end them as soon as the main point is made.