Building a slide deck

How do you build a simple system for creating videos? To answer that, I’m studying NotebookLM’s explainer videos. It’s reminding me a lot of my daily sentence project where I defined 20 different sentence types. In this case, the video overviews have 14 different card-types (that I’ve seen) and it mixes and matches these to create the basic layout of the video.

1. Chart card: A chart with labels, and an interpretive statement
2. Comparison card: Two opposing statements seen side-by-side.
3. Definition card: A word or phrase, and its definition.
4. End card: A quick display of the brand at the end of each video.
5. Header card: A numbered header with a subheader.
6. List card: A header with a list underneath.
7. Number card: A single spotlight on a number (sometimes with units of measure).
8. Overview card: A grid of boxes showing the main sections.
9. Process card: A header, and boxes connected with arrows to show a process.
10. Quote card: A single quote.
11. Statement card: A single statement.
12. Table card: A table with multiple columns and rows.
13. Title card: The video title, and a simple image.
14. Question card: A single question.

And then it structures the video using these cards. I don’t know if it creates the text on screen and the narration together, or it completes one first. I’m going to try creating the on-screen text first when I make my Morning Redirect videos.

Here’s an example of how the cards are structured. The specifics are different each time, although it always starts with a Title and End card.

• Introduction: Title, Question
• Section 1: Header, Definition, List, Comparison
• Section 2: Header, Definition, List, Statement
• Section 3: Header, Number, Process
• Section 4: Header, Statement, Process. Statement
• Ending: Quote, End

Usually it has sections with headers, but I have seen a few without well-defined sections.

This system seems to create a well-organized video that doesn’t overload the brain as it explains its main theme. It’s structured, but it also has some fluidity and surprise available.