Zavis Video OS
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Skill

zavis-hook-engineer

Craft and review the first 3 seconds of any video. The hook decides whether someone keeps watching. Load this skill whenever writing the opening of a script, reviewing why a video isn't performing, or auditing a draft template. Triggers on phrases like "hook," "intro," "first 3 seconds," "stop the scroll," or any video-opening work.

skills/zavis-hook-engineer/SKILL.md

Zavis Hook Engineer

You are responsible for the first 3 seconds of every video. Nothing matters more.

The brutal truth

  • Average attention on a social feed: 1.7 seconds before scroll
  • 65% of viewers who don't engage in the first 3 seconds will never finish the video
  • A great body with a weak hook is a wasted production
  • The hook is not the intro. The hook IS the video, compressed.

The 5 valid hook patterns

1. Visual surprise

A frame the viewer has never seen before. Counterintuitive. Disorienting. Stops the scroll because the brain can't predict what comes next.

Examples:

  • Split-screen: empty hospital chair on left, swarming chaos on right, captioned "23 patients no-showed. Same day."
  • A dollar bill on fire with the caption "$500 per no-show, every week."
  • A robotic arm gently handing a coffee to a human, no context.

2. Bold first-second statement

A claim so direct it forces an emotional reaction (agreement, disagreement, curiosity).

Examples:

  • "The robots are not coming. They're here."
  • "Your front desk is the most expensive employee you have."
  • "This video was written by an AI you've never heard of."

3. Specific number

Numbers feel like proof. Make them surprising and specific. Round numbers feel made up; specific numbers feel real.

Examples:

  • "67% of patients prefer WhatsApp over phone calls."
  • "In 2017, eight researchers wrote eight pages that changed everything."
  • "It took ChatGPT five days to reach a million users. TV took 13 years."

4. Question loop

A question whose answer is the entire video. The viewer must keep watching to close the loop.

Examples:

  • "Why did 47% of dentists quit in 2024?"
  • "What happens when you give an AI a calendar and a phone?"
  • "Could one paper from 2017 explain everything happening today?"

5. Pattern interrupt with rapid cuts

Cut between 4-6 unrelated frames in 2 seconds. The lack of pattern IS the pattern. Brain interprets as "novelty," watches longer.

Best for: topics where no single visual is strong enough on its own (e.g. broad subjects like "the rise of AI," "the future of work").

Example for "Evolution of AI":

  • Anchor 1 (0.0-0.5s): "...artificial intelligence..."
  • Anchor 2 (0.5-1.0s): "...AI..."
  • Anchor 3 (1.0-1.5s): "...AI..."
  • Anchor 4 (1.5-2.0s): "...AI..."
  • Anchor 5 (2.0-2.5s): "...AI..."
  • Anchor 6 (2.5-3.0s): "...AI..."

The viewer has heard "AI" 6 times in 3 seconds. They are now committed.

What hooks must NEVER do

  1. Never start with a logo animation. Logo at the START of a video is the universal scroll signal.
  2. Never start with "Hi everyone" / "In this video we'll" / "Have you ever wondered..." These are training videos for the algorithm to deprioritize you.
  3. Never start with slow build-ups. Music fade-in + slow zoom on a city + soft narration is a hook only for documentaries longer than 10 minutes.
  4. Never start with text alone, unfilled, motionless. Text should arrive WITH a visual. A static title card at frame 0 is a slowdown.
  5. Never explain what the video is about. The hook should make the viewer FEEL what the video is about.

How to write a hook

When asked to write a hook, follow this process:

  1. State the topic in one sentence. What is this video about?
  2. State the emotion the viewer should feel by second 3. Curiosity? Awe? Anger? Validation?
  3. Pick the pattern from the 5 above that best produces that emotion.
  4. Draft the first 3 seconds with: (a) what the viewer sees, (b) what the viewer hears, (c) the on-screen text if any.
  5. Test it against the cold-start question: "If I had no context and saw only this 3 seconds, would I watch the next 3?"

If the answer to step 5 is anything other than "yes, immediately," rewrite.

How to review a hook

When asked to review an existing hook, check:

  • Does the first frame have a visual element that wouldn't appear in 99% of other videos?
  • Does the hook contain a verb or noun the viewer doesn't expect?
  • Could the hook stand alone on a billboard and still make sense?
  • Is anything happening between frame 0 and frame 30 (the first half second)?
  • Does the audio have content (word, sound, beat) within the first 0.5 seconds?
  • Does the hook open a curiosity loop the body of the video closes?

If any answer is "no," surface it as a critical issue.

Hook duration enforcement

In @zavis/remotion-kit/brand:

PACING.hook = 3.0  // total hook duration
PACING.hookCutMin = 0.4  // fastest cut allowed in a hook
PACING.hookCutMax = 1.2  // slowest cut allowed in a hook

Templates should validate that the first 3 seconds contain at least 1 cut (most should have 3-6).

When the topic is "boring"

Boring topics (B2B SaaS features, compliance, technical specs) make weak hooks if you describe them. Strong hooks come from:

  • The CONSEQUENCE if the topic doesn't get attention
  • The COST of doing it the old way
  • The PERSON whose life changes when the topic is solved
  • The SURPRISING fact most people don't know about the topic

Never hook with the topic itself. Hook with what the topic does to people.