Document-to-Video Source Preparation Guide

Build a small source package, not a pile of files

Before making a document-to-video explainer, collect the materials that establish the actual question, the current facts, and the visual evidence. A PDF, Word file, public URL, image, spreadsheet, or PPT can all be useful when each has a clear purpose.

Copy this source-to-video handoff sheet

The one outcome

• Viewer: ______________________________
• After viewing, they should understand, decide, or do: ______________________________
• Where or when they will watch: ______________________________

The source package

What must remain true

• Required terminology or labels: ______________________________
• Numbers, thresholds, units, dates, or URLs to check: ______________________________
• Prerequisites, warnings, or exclusions: ______________________________
• Required sequence or decision boundary: ______________________________
• Information that should stay in the canonical source instead of the video: ______________________________

Match the visual to the job

• Use a diagram or component map for relationships and dependencies.
• Use a process flow for a sequence that changes state.
• Use a decision tree when normal and exception paths differ.
• Use a chart when one comparison or trend needs to be read.
• Use a real object, document crop, or interface state when a visual detail changes the next action.

Before you create

Remove duplicate drafts, label the current source, and separate private or access-controlled material from anything intended for a public explanation. Write one sentence about the viewer outcome; it will make the resulting narrative more specific than a generic request to “summarize this document.”

For a source-led public example, see the Riverford Recycling Guide. Start with a document, PDF, Word file, or URL when your source package is ready.