# Stage Deadpan Chain Failure

> Generate a 10s 16:9 hyper-real cinematic absurdist comedy short in a luxury circus big-top, starring ONE male ostrich as the only character — a dominant runway strut that escalates into controlled chaos (fanning a spotlight sideways, knocking a mannequin off stage) and ends in a deadpan "shed-the-cape mic-drop" that breaks the audience. Use when the user wants a single-joke runway-comedy scene, a one-character absurdist stage bit, a "confident model who wrecks the show without reacting" comedy, or a circus/ostrich gag — T2VA (pure text generation, no reference image). Locks the ostrich's proportions, style and features consistent throughout; only one ostrich, one tent, one main joke.

- Skill: `gordonlu/stage-deadpan-chain-failure` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add gordonlu/stage-deadpan-chain-failure`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/gordonlu/stage-deadpan-chain-failure/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: gordonlu (https://skillmd.com/u/gordonlu)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/gordonlu/stage-deadpan-chain-failure

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# Stage Deadpan Chain Failure — Circus Ostrich Runway Comedy

Use this Skill when the user wants a **10-second hyper-real cinematic absurdist comedy short** inside a luxury circus big-top, built around a single escalating joke: a male ostrich who owns the runway with unshakeable confidence, wrecks the show in passing, and ends with a perfect deadpan mic-drop.

Core principle: **one scene, one main joke, one character — keep the ostrich's proportions, style and features identical from first frame to last; the comedy comes from controlled chaos delivered with total nonchalance, not from cartoon exaggeration.**

The prompt follows the three-part H3 structure (core concept → timecoded phase description → hard negative rules). T2VA: pure text generation, no reference material.

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## 1. Trigger

- A runway-walk comedy: a model strut that degenerates into show-wrecking chaos
- "Confident performer causes a scene without ever breaking character" — deadpan comedy
- A circus / ostrich gag, single joke, single character, absurdist stage bit

Do **not** use this Skill when:

- The user wants a multi-character story or dialogue
- The user wants cartoon / anime style or slow-motion spectacle
- The user wants gore, horror, or a serious wildlife documentary

## 2. Inputs

- Text only — no reference image (T2VA, pure text generation).
- Duration 10s, aspect 16:9, hyper-real cinematic absurdist comedy.
- Subject: one male ostrich, the only character, with an exaggerated feathered cape, oversized top hat and sparkling jewelry.

## 3. Shot Phases (timecoded, 16:9)

- **0–3s (Dominant entrance)**: establish the luxury circus big-top — a circular red-carpeted performance stage, rotating colored lights, dramatic curtains, glittering audience. The male ostrich bursts onto the stage draped in an exaggerated ornate feather cape, oversized top hat and sparkling jewelry, strutting with unshakeable arrogance, striking noble model poses, clicking and snapping his big toes as if the whole place belongs to him; the audience is stunned.
- **3–6s (Chaos escalates)**: he fans his wings hard and knocks a follow-spot sideways; he whirls around and bumps a mannequin off the stage, then keeps walking as if it was always part of the act; camera flashes, he strikes increasingly absurd runway poses. No cartoon style, no slow-motion.
- **6–10s (Finish)**: he reaches the end of the stage, holds a perfect supermodel freeze pose, then casually flings the feather cape off behind him — a dramatic "shed-the-cape mic-drop" — and the audience completely loses it.

## 4. Hard Rules

- Only one male ostrich, one circus big-top, one main joke — no second ostrich, no extra characters.
- The ostrich's proportions, style and features must stay consistent from beginning to end.
- No text, no subtitles, no logo anywhere in the frame.
- Hyper-real cinematic absurdist comedy — not cartoon style, not slow-motion.
- No gore, no horror, no celebrity faces, no recognizable actors.

## 5. Negative Rules (Do Not)

Gore; horror; text; subtitles; logo; cartoon style; slow-motion; celebrity faces; recognizable actors; star look-alikes; a second ostrich or any extra character; inconsistent ostrich proportions, style or features; any deviation from the single-main-joke structure.

## 6. Generation

- Mode: T2VA (pure text generation) — no reference image.
- 10s, 16:9, hyper-real cinematic look, H3 native audio.

## 7. Verified Output

A 10.13s / 1056×608 / 24fps MP4 was generated end-to-end with MiniMax H3 from the packaged prompt. Preview: `assets/preview.mp4`, poster: `assets/poster.webp`.