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In “Create a video”, the “How it works” tab takes apart the secret of an everyday object in one minute: 3D renders on a black background, diagrams, numbers and a mascot that reacts.

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What the app does with it

  • One object, one mechanism per video. The first words set up a paradox everybody has lived (“Every key is smaller than your thumb. And you still type accurately.”), then the question “So how is that possible?”.
  • A fixed writing plan: the sentence that flips the obvious, the mechanism in simple steps, a lived example, the proof (a number, a date, a patent), a bonus about two thirds in, a payoff that talks about the viewer, then a call to share and subscribe.
  • No characters: objects, devices and anonymous hands in close up, in a schematic world that comes back from one shot to the next. No cast to set up.
  • A voice over alone, speaking to “you”, with sentences of 10 words at most and a new hook every 2 to 3 seconds. Each video stands on its own: never a vote or a sequel.
  • Default length: 70 s, one part. About one shot in three is animated, the others are images the camera moves across.
  • Overlays are automatic: progress bar, title, black number cards, labels, banners, keywords boxed in the voice.
  • Subtitles at the top of the frame, discreet music under the voice.

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The form that works

Name ONE object, then the question the viewer asks themselves without having thought about it. The facts are written to be true and verifiable: choose a subject you can source.

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Before / after

No object, no question: no paradox to set up, no mechanism to show.

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Writing your own script

If you paste a script, it is followed as is, markers included. The markers specific to this format:
  • [PROGRESS]: the progress bar at the top. Steps in one or two words, the current step between asterisks.
  • [MASCOT]: the mascot’s pose, when it changes. The mascot only exists in a series that generated it: see voice, mascot and jingle.
  • A word between asterisks in the voice is a keyword: it is not said any differently, it is boxed on screen.
The full syntax is in on-screen overlays.

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Common mistakes

  • Two objects: one video, one mechanism. For two subjects, make two videos.
  • No question: “the keyboard” is not enough. Say what intrigues.
  • Asking for characters: the format has none. If you want a hero, use Explained story.
  • A subject nobody experiences: pick an object the viewer touches every day.
  • Imposed numbers without a source: the writing only keeps what is verifiable. A doubtful number is said without a number.

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Settings that go with it

  • Length: 70 s by default, enough to unfold paradox, mechanism, proof and payoff.
  • Style: isometric diagram by default. Change it only if you want a different look.
  • Voice: a lively, friendly voice over. Pick it in “Voice”.
  • Music: discreet. Turn it off if it covers the voice.
  • Series: reserve a series for this format to keep the mascot and the style from one episode to the next. See creating a series.

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Before launching

Test short: a reduced length and a single part tell you whether the subject fits in one question. A good subject sums up in one sentence that starts with “How”. See the rules of a good prompt.
To tell a situation lived by a hero rather than a mechanism, see Explained story.