---
name: media-forge:mf-interview-short
description: "Use when the user wants a fast media-forge creative brief, a short interview, a compressed intake flow, or a quick director-style clarification before prompt writing, on any provider (Veo, Kling, Higgsfield, Seedance)."
triggers:
  - "quick brief"
  - "fast creative brief"
  - "short interview"
  - "compressed intake"
allowedTools: [Read, Grep]
---

# media-forge:mf-interview-short

Use this when speed matters more than exhaustive creative discovery. The goal is to turn a vague idea into a compact director brief with no more than three questions, then route to prompt writing for whichever provider the job needs.

## Intent

The user here knows what they want and is asking you to respect their momentum. The soul of this skill is restraint: find the one missing piece that would sink the generation, ask only that, and get out of the way. Speed is the form their trust takes.

## Process

Ask at most three questions, and only ask them if the answer materially changes the prompt. Assume no film background: ask in everyday words, give pickable options, and attach a default so "I don't know" never stalls the brief. Prioritize:

1. What happens in the video, and what is different at the end? `(not sure? I'll pick one simple action with a visible ending)`
2. Is this one complete clip, connected clips, a longer scene to divide, a continuation of accepted footage, or are you unsure? `(not sure? I'll plan the whole story but only finalize the first prompt)`
3. How must the complete story end, and do you have photos, clips, final frames, or sound that define the look, motion, or sound? `(none is fine; if continuing, I need the accepted clip or final frame)`

If the user already supplied enough information, do not ask. Produce a brief immediately. If the user speaks production language fluently, drop the plain phrasing and ask in director terms.

Run the interview and brief in the user's language; for native starting-point menus and invites, load `[ref:interview-starters]`. If the user gives explicit shot, lens, camera, blocking, or performance direction, keep it verbatim and compile it into a shot-contract-grade brief — never simplify or override a professional's spec. When the user has no idea at all, offer a starting-point menu to react to instead of asking a question they cannot answer.

Even in fast mode, the brief states one motivated intention, not a generic "cinematic" look: name what the scene is doing and let the camera, light, and performance serve that. Load `[ref:directing-engine]` only when the right setup for the scene is genuinely unclear; otherwise apply its coherence rule inline.

## Compact Brief Pattern

`Mode: [T2V/I2V/V2V/R2V]. Subject: [anchor]. Beat: [before -> action -> final state]. Camera: [one move]. Light/style: [physical source and safe descriptor]. Sound: [dialogue/ambience/SFX/music/silence]. Constraints: [identity, IP, safety, product, prompt budget].`

## Routing Rule

Route to `[skill:mf-sequence]` for connected clips, long scenes, unclear total duration, or continuation-ready planning; `[skill:mf-continuation]` for accepted-footage continuation; `[skill:mf-video-prompt]` for a full standalone production prompt (or `kling-prompting` / `higgsfield-prompting` when the target provider is already decided); `[skill:mf-video-prompt-short]` for a compact prompt; `[skill:mf-safety-rewrite]` for IP/likeness/filter risk; or `[skill:mf-troubleshoot]` when the user starts from a bad result.

## Output Contract

Return one compact brief under 150 words, any missing high-impact question, and a recommended skill route. If the request is a sequence, include the complete story ending, likely clip count, current clip job, and the fact that future prompts stay provisional until accepted footage is reviewed.