video-workbench/docs/cases/science-video-page-style-case.md

Science Video Page-Style Case Pattern

This pattern is for PPT-style science videos: a deep article or model is reduced into a short public-facing video made of page-like shots, narration, and visual assets.

It is extracted from the old 30_CASE video storyboard case. The original topic, prompts, Codex JSON, output paths, and global text prohibitions are not carried forward.

Use When

Use this pattern when the target is:

• a 3-10 minute public-facing science, cognition, AI, product-thinking, or method-explainer video;
• a PPT-style video with page/shot images plus narration;
• a video that explains a mechanism, risk, contradiction, method, or model through metaphors and staged visual pages;
• not a drama short, not a full video-editing workflow, and not a character-continuity MV.

Core Pattern

source point
-> public-facing concern
-> controlling metaphor
-> video outline
-> shot/page list
-> shot/page deep spec
-> narration
-> visual asset brief
-> review and iteration

The case value is not the original topic. The reusable method is "page-style explanation": each shot behaves like a compact visual argument, not like a literal filmed scene.

Granularity

Default unit size:

• 6-10 units for a short explainer;
• 25-70 seconds per unit;
• about 90-260 Chinese characters per unit;
• one unit carries one logic function;
• one high-density method unit may be longer, but it still needs one clear governing frame.

Common unit functions:

function	purpose
hook	create urgency or recognisable public concern
story anchor	give the viewer a concrete person, situation, or conflict
controlling metaphor	make the whole mechanism memorable
mechanism reveal	explain the hidden process or failure mode
practical frame	turn the concept into methods, checks, or choices
closing elevation	return to the larger judgment or changed mental model

Local Unit Spec

For Video Workbench, put this in slides/sNN/sNN-unit-spec.md or use it as the basis for that file:

field	purpose
unit_id	sNN identifier used by local files
source_anchor	source paragraph, GPT V2 stage-5 row, or accepted intake note
narrative_function	hook, story anchor, metaphor, mechanism, method, or closing
core_message	one sentence the viewer should retain
page_copy	short overlay text or subtitle-layer copy, if needed
voiceover_intent	what narration must explain beyond page copy
visual_task	what the visual asset must make visible
asset_layers	background, metaphor object, human element, diagram, overlay, audio
continuity_link	how this unit connects to the previous and next unit
review_focus	the two or three things to inspect first in iteration

This is a local execution spec, not a final image prompt. Final prompt files remain Codex-owned sNN-vN-prompt.md artifacts when image generation is actually performed.

Page And Asset Layering

Separate layers before prompting or generating images:

layer	owns
source logic	the concept, contradiction, risk, or method from accepted input
page text	the few words that may be rendered by PPT/video page layer
visual asset	metaphor scene, background, figures, diagram base, mood, composition
narration	full explanation, transition, examples, and punchline
review notes	whether the visual asset really carries the logic

Do not treat "image contains no readable text" as a global rule. Decide per unit:

• If text must be editable or frequently revised, keep it in the PPT/video page layer.
• If labels, formulas, UI snippets, or diagram words are essential to the visual explanation, allow them only with explicit review criteria.
• If the image model is likely to garble precise wording, keep precise wording outside the generated image.

Shot/Page Design Method

For each unit, answer in this order:

1. What is the viewer supposed to understand or feel at this moment?
2. What is the simplest visible metaphor or situation that makes it concrete?
3. What page text is useful, if any?
4. What must narration explain that the image should not carry alone?
5. Which part of the unit is high risk: logic, metaphor, composition, text placement, or visual generation?
6. What would make the unit fail review?

The visual should not decorate the narration. It should do at least one of these jobs:

• compress an abstract mechanism;
• expose a contradiction;
• make a risk feel real;
• separate similar concepts;
• hold attention while narration explains a dense idea;
• signal a transition in the argument.

Review Dimensions

Review generated or drafted units against these dimensions:

dimension	pass condition
logic clarity	one unit maps to one clear logic point
metaphor fit	the metaphor explains the point instead of becoming a side joke
public accessibility	a non-specialist can understand the visible situation
narration fit	voiceover adds explanation, not redundant caption reading
composition	image leaves safe space for page text if page text is planned
asset feasibility	the image can be generated or assembled without fragile exact text
continuity	the unit advances from the previous one and sets up the next one
medium fit	it remains a science/explainer page, not an accidental drama scene

Small-Batch Strategy

Do not generate every unit first. Pick representative high-risk units:

• one hook or opening unit;
• one controlling-metaphor unit;
• one mechanism-explanation unit;
• one practical-method or dense information unit;
• one closing or elevation unit when tone is uncertain.

Record the selected batch in execution-plan.md, then track unit-level facts in slides/slides.md.

Abstracted Example Shape

## s03 Unit Spec

- narrative_function: controlling metaphor
- core_message: The tool is useful only when matched to the weight of the real-world problem.
- page_copy: two short lines, rendered outside the generated image unless the execution plan says otherwise
- voiceover_intent: contrast everyday low-risk use with high-stakes decision use
- visual_task: make the mismatch between lightweight confidence and large external risk visible
- asset_layers:
  - background: large-scale risk environment
  - metaphor object: small helpful tool that looks insufficient at scale
  - human element: ordinary user facing the environment
  - overlay: optional page text layer
- review_focus:
  - risk scale is obvious
  - metaphor does not become comic noise
  - composition supports 16:9 page use