ReelHow to make an "Every X Explained" video with Claude Code
To make an "Every X Explained" video with Claude Code, give it the five beats of the ladder format and ask for a shot list before it builds any scenes. You promise the full set and the running time up front. Then you go through the set from the easiest level to the strangest, the last level pays off the promise, and you end on a recap ladder. Claude writes the scenes in HTML and JavaScript, a renderer such as HyperFrames records them to MP4, and you pick a title with the time stamp in it.
This post builds on the [Every [X] Explained ladder](../formats.html#every-x-explained) entry on my formats page. It covers the beats, the length, the hook, the title and thumbnail pattern, and a prompt you can copy.
What the format is
You take a set of things (levels, orders, types) and explain every one of them in order. The set is what you promise. People keep watching because they want to see the whole ladder, and the last level is the one they really came for.
Length
These videos run 8 to 26 minutes. Decide on the length first and tell Claude, because it decides how many levels you can fit and how long each one gets.
Step 1: the five beats
Give Claude these beats in this order:
- Promise the full set and the time.
- Level 1, the easy one.
- Each level a bit stranger than the last.
- The last level is the payoff.
- A recap ladder on screen.
Step 2: the hook
The hook is the time stamp in the title. "Every [X] Explained in 13 Minutes" tells viewers how much time they're signing up for before they click. So the first seconds of the video should say the promise again: the whole set, in this much time.
Step 3: the title and the thumbnail
Title pattern:
Every [X] Explained in [N] Minutes Every Level of [X]
For the thumbnail, use a ladder or a grid of the set with 1 to 3 words on it. Ask Claude to make the ladder or grid as one still frame in the same style as the film, so the thumbnail and the video clearly belong together.
Step 4: the prompt
Paste this into Claude Code and fill in the brackets:
Make a [N]-minute "Every [X] Explained" video, 1920 x 1080. Follow these beats in order: 1. Promise the full set and the time. 2. Level 1, the easy one. 3. Each level a bit stranger than the last. 4. The last level is the payoff. 5. A recap ladder on screen. The title will be "Every [X] Explained in [N] Minutes". Show me the list of levels and the shot list first, with the time for each. Then build the scenes, and also one thumbnail still: a ladder or grid of the set, 1 to 3 words.
Read the shot list before you let it build. The levels should get stranger one at a time, and level 1 shouldn't take up the biggest chunk of the video.
Step 5: pick a style
A ladder video needs a look that shows a set of things clearly. These ReelStyles kits are a good place to start:
Each kit is a set of plain files that Claude Code or another agent can follow. The pricing page has the one-time licence.
Sources
The beats, length, hook, and title and thumbnail pattern come from the Every [X] Explained entry on my formats page, which is based on my scan of YouTube outlier videos. If you want to build it with a tested style, get the kits.