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

```text
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

```md
## 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
```