Timing

ALEX covers topics that don’t easily make for thrilling cinema, so a video’s pacing needs to be focused and precise. If we do our jobs right, the viewer shouldn’t actually notice time passing; information should be presented in a way that maintains their focus and propels them forward.

Here are some guidelines for editing video, as well as interactive elements that use audio:

General pacing

Pace voiceover (VO) for a conversational feel. Listen for unnaturally long or short pauses and run-on sentences, and edit as needed. The trick is to make the host sound “human”—taking brief pauses where a person would naturally breathe or switch gears—while keeping the pace snappy.

Provide enough time to absorb information. When information retention is the goal, a viewer needs enough time to process what they’ve just seen and heard before moving on.

Usually, adding a beat or two of silence before moving on is enough. Sometimes, it’s best to use transitional VO to wrap up a topic, and give the viewer time to absorb information passively. When we can’t get around presenting a lot of onscreen text at once (a long list, a dense legal footnote, or contact information that the viewer should write down), find a way to hold the screen, and let the viewer resume the experience when they’re ready.

But don’t provide too much time. A viewer’s attention will be strained any time they feel that they’re waiting for ALEX to move on. Removing unnaturally long pauses, especially after animations, will keep the pace moving.

Pacing that’s too fast or too slow makes it difficult to follow along (before). With steadier pacing, the same information is much easier to digest (after).

Edit contextually. Different topics and audiences warrant different pacing. For example, a dense explanation about Medicare may require a slower, more deliberate pace than a comedic moment for a general audience, where the pace can be snappier.

Compare the pacing of ALEX Medicare against Benefits Counselor (in the previous example). The slower pace of the voiceover is mirrored in the way information unfolds: somewhat more slowly, but just as naturally.

Use comedic timing when appropriate. When the VO includes a joke, the timing needs to be just right for maximum effect. If the performance is even somewhat unnatural, the viewer will doubt our authenticity and lose patience.

Text

Show text as the host says the words. We don’t want onscreen text to anticipate VO—it should feel like ALEX is “unfolding” the text in digestible blocks. Have text appear one phrase or sentence at a time; this draws focus to the current sentence being spoken, without distracting somebody with constant motion.

See Onscreen text for more information on working with voice and text.

Timing text so it appears in tandem with voiceover can draw focus to each line, and make a text moment more engaging.

Art and animation

In ALEX, it’s common to use animation to illustrate an idea instead of onscreen text. When working with art moments, consider the following:

Time animations so that each beat has a moment to shine. While VO and text are timed to play simultaneously, timing an animation that way can make the action hard to follow. Often, it’s better to pace animations beat by beat: a line of VO sets up the animation beat, which sets up the next line of VO, and so on. This method is often called “beat timing.”

A good rule of thumb: If an art beat is paired with a sound effect, give it its own beat (beat timing). If the art beat is silent, animate it in tandem with the VO (simultaneous timing).

Timing animations simultaneously (before) can make them hard to follow. Instead, time them beat-by-beat (after), so the animation reinforces each line of voiceover.

Pace the end of an animation to flow naturally to the next moment. Many art moments take place right in the middle of a larger explanation or thought. So, the best pacing depends in part on how the art moment relates to the broader script:

If the art moment represents the end of a thought (i.e. before the host transitions to a totally new concept): Once the final beat or sound effect ends, add 1.5 seconds of silence. 1 second into that, clear the screen, leaving 0.5 seconds of empty space.
If the art moment is in the middle of a thought (i.e. the broader explanation continues after the art has cleared): Once the final beat or sound effect ends, add only 1 second of silence. 0.5 seconds into that, clear the screen.

Interactive elements

Don’t show a question before the voice actually says the question. In a script, it’s common to tee up a question with explanatory text or voice first. Wait for this information to play before bringing the question and answer choices on-screen.

For response audio, hold the screen until it concludes. Audio attached to a button press, called “response” audio, feels most natural when the viewer can see how their button press triggered the audio, and the host feels aware of the button press. So, instead of immediately clearing the screen after the button press and then playing the audio, wait until the response audio has finished playing, then clear the screen.

While often software-dependent, having response audio play before clearing the screen subtly reinforces ALEX’s authenticity and awareness.