THE RAT

Anyone can cook. You just need the recipe.

This is the exact process we use in Studio for every video, starting from "I have no idea what to post" to hitting publish. It's seven steps, done in order. Don't skip any. Skipping a step is how you end up with a Linguini video.

Orange = the steps and what to do · Yellow = taste test before you move on · Brown = rules to live by

Before you cook: know the dish

Although Remy didn’t always know what he was making before he turned on the stove. Before you make a single video, finish this sentence and keep it somewhere you'll see it:

"I want to be known for [thing you’re good at], by [ideal customer], so that [dream outcome.]"

That's your mantra. Every video should connect back to it, and if a video doesn't, it's a snack, not a meal. Write it once, then move on. You'll sharpen it as you go.

Step 1: Pick your ingredients (the idea)

Most videos fail here. A great edit can't save a bad idea. I throw out about 10 ideas for every 1 I actually make.

Do this:

1. Find 10 outliers. Look for videos in your niche doing 5–10x the creator's normal views (or 1M+). For each one, write down the hook, the value, and the format. These tell you what your audience is already starving for.

2. Get bored on purpose. Spend 20–45 minutes with no phone, no music, and no content. Write down a problem you keep thinking about, then turn it into a question. That question is a video.

3. Remix, don't copy. Take what worked in the outlier and make it yours with your story, your angle and your taste. "If you change something 3%, it is new." (Virgil Abloh)

Taste test (V.A.S.T.): Would someone send it to a friend? Can they act on it within 24 hours? Is it about one specific thing? Will you still like it in 3 months?

Step 2: Taste it first (the hook)

You have 3 seconds to prove your video is worth more than the hundreds of others someone just scrolled past. The hook's whole job is to promise a payoff so clearly that they need to see it.

Do this:

1. Write 3 hooks, not 1: one that breaks the pattern (a shocking stat or a strange visual), one that names a relatable pain, and one that opens a curiosity gap or makes a bold promise.

2. Say "you." Make it about the viewer, not about you.

3. Your first draft will be mid, and that's fine. Write the script, then come back and sharpen the hook so it matches everything after it.

Taste test: Does it make you feel something (curiosity, fear, a laugh)? Is the value obvious? Is it true? Would a stranger care? Does it say "you"? Is there movement in the first second?

Step 3: Write the recipe (the script)

When a video feels "off," the script is almost always the reason. It's also why a plain talking head can go viral with zero fancy editing.

Start with a log line. Before you write the script, write one sentence under 25 words: problem → what you wanted → what got in the way → what fixed it. Every line of the script has to push this sentence forward, and if a line doesn't, cut it.

Then build it in this order:

1. Hook: from Step 2.

2. Backstory: 2–4 lines, specific, with real pain in it. No sentence over 20 words. If you're stuck, start with "X months ago…"

3. The turn: 2–3 lines that flip it ("…until I realized," "then I tried").

4. The value: 1, 3 or 5 tips. For each one, say what it is, how it helps and why they need it. It should be something they can use within 24 hours.

5. The CTA: one clear ask, tied to the value (e.g. "comment ___ for the full guide").

Keep it moving. Every few seconds something should shift: setup, then a problem, then a result. Use "so," "then," "turns out" and "until." Nothing in a good movie goes smoothly, and your 45 seconds shouldn't either.

Taste test: Read it out loud. Would a 5th grader get it? (Try hemingwayapp.com.) Does it sound like you, not a robot? Now cut 20% of it. Seriously.

Step 4: Plate it on paper (the storyboard)

This is the step everyone skips, and it's the biggest difference between content that looks cinematic and content that looks like everyone else's. Take 20–30 minutes and draw your video out in boxes. Stick figures count.

Do this:

1. Hook = 3 quick shots from different angles (wide, medium, close) with movement in each.

2. Mix up the rest: talking head, then a prop, then b-roll, then something unique. Change distance and angle as you go.

3. Start every shot with movement: walk in, turn, move a hand. It adds up to a video that feels alive.

4. Plan the loop: what comes right before your hook? End on that, so the video replays seamlessly.

Taste test, line by line: When did the camera last see me talk? Would a prop explain this better than my face? How does this shot flow from the last one?

Step 5: Cook (filming)

You don't need a fancy camera. I managed to hit 20K followers in 100 days on my phone. The best videos come from planning, not gear. (Use the free Blackmagic Camera app if possible.)

Do this:

1. Light from the side and film toward the shadow side of your face, which gives it depth. Window light between 8–10am or 3–5pm is free and beautiful.

2. Shake it out first. Loosen up, make noise, get the nerves out.

3. Talk to the lens like it's your best friend. Go about 1.5x your normal speed and slow down for the heavy lines. Don't let your voice trail off at the ends of sentences.

4. Say every line 3 times. Future-you in the editor will be thankful.

5. Leave room at the top of the frame for captions.

Taste test: Is your face lit? Is the audio clean (phone 6 inches from your mouth works)? Did you get every shot on the storyboard?

Step 6: Season (editing)

If you storyboarded, the hard part is already done. Editing is five passes, always in this order:

1. Sequence: color first, then crop, then cut every extra breath and pause. No clip longer than 5 seconds.

2. Polish: add subtle zooms in and out so nothing feels static, and clean up your unique shots. Less is more.

3. Captions: 1–3 words at a time. Don't cover your face. Use your bold font for the words that matter.

4. Sound: change the music every 5–10 seconds to match the mood, and keep it quiet (around -20db) under your voice. Add sound effects only where something would naturally make a sound, or on key words.

5. Revise: watch it 3 times in a row. Write down everything that feels off, then fix it. Viral videos live in the annoying details most people don't bother fixing.

Export: 4K, then shrink it with HandBrake (free) and make sure "Upload at highest quality" is turned on in Instagram.

Step 7: Serve it (posting)

Captions take 5 minutes: a one-line hook, the CTA from your video (expanded a little), a few sentences with your keywords in them, and 3–5 hashtags. That's it. Nobody's reading the essay.

Post 3 great videos a week, not 7 mid ones. Three videos at 50K views beat seven at 1K.

Then check your retention graph in the Edits app after 24–48 hours:

Whatever you learn goes into the next video. Then back to Step 1.

The whole recipe on one card

Want a rat under your hat?

Linguini didn't get good alone. He had someone who knew what good tasted like, steering him in real time.

That's Studio. Every week you bring your videos to live hot-seat reviews and office hours, and we tell you exactly what to fix: your hook, your script, your shots. You also get the full A–Z lessons on everything in this recipe, and a community of people cooking right next to you.

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