Opening hooks

Earn attention with a clear idea, not a borrowed preset. Build the opening from the source's strongest promise, tension, proof, surprise, or unanswered question, then author the typography and motion specifically for that idea.

Find the hook

Identify what the viewer should want to know after the first beat. Useful structures include:

• result first, followed by how it happened;
• a credible contradiction or unexpected claim;
• problem, consequence, and promised answer;
• striking proof before explanation;
• a visual transformation or incomplete action;
• a direct question with real stakes.

Keep enough context to remain truthful. Do not manufacture urgency, remove a necessary qualifier, or promise a payoff the edit does not deliver.

Compose the opening