Long video · 16:9
Science explainers that show the numbers
A good explainer answers one question and shows its working. Heady writes the script around that question, draws the scenes, and uses Motion components for the parts a still image can't carry: counters, charts and step-by-step diagrams.
Chapter 2
What empty space is made of
Example
How does a black hole evaporate?
Chapters
Example outline- 0:00Black holes are supposed to be forever
- 1:05What empty space is made of
- 3:10Hawking's idea, step by step
- 5:45How long it actually takes
- 7:50The last second of a black hole
- 9:30What we still don't know
The hook
“Nothing escapes a black hole. And yet, given enough time, every black hole in the universe will disappear.”
Settings to start from
- Length
- 8–12 minutes
- Look
- A clean cutaway or flat illustration style
- Voice
- A warm, curious narrator
- Motion
- Line charts for scales, stat counters for big numbers, a list for the recap
Tips
Making science explainers that work
- 1
Show scale with motion, not adjectives
“Unimaginably long” means nothing; a counter running up to 10⁶⁷ years does. Ask for a StatCounter or LineChart on the beats that carry a number.
- 2
Use an analogy per chapter
Each chapter should leave the viewer with one picture in their head. Put it in the chapter's first beat, and let the narration build on it.
- 3
End on the open question
Science videos that close on what is still unknown get comments. Make the last chapter about it.
Questions
Science explainers: questions
Can I edit a chart's numbers?
Yes. Motion scenes are built from components with their values in the script, so you change a number or a word and only that scene renders again.
Which length works best for explainers?
Most land between 8 and 12 minutes. Use the free script duration calculator to see how many words that is at your narrator's pace.
More use cases