Cats almost always land on their feet.  The question is why?  If you’ve been following along, you’ll recognize this as a great dramatic question, which is answered in a nice video posted on the YouTube Channel “Smarter Every Day”.  Take a look:

The approach used in this video is one that would work well for any science video aimed at explaining a concept or to demonstrate a method.  Let’s break it down:

1. An interesting observation is described (cats always land on their feet) and the narrator asks an obvious question about it (why?).

2. A demonstration is given, filmed from various angles (and shown at different speeds).

3. A split screen is used to allow the narrator to explain what’s happening in the slow motion film of the cat falling.  In other words, something interesting to watch while listening to some less interesting facts.

4. The narrator’s delivery is not preachy; he encourages curiosity about the topic without being pedantic.

5.  Information is gradually revealed….using very different visual examples (old NASA footage, slow-motion photography overlain with text explanations).

6. Video ends with fun footage (of the cat chasing a ball) and a clever way to get people to subscribe to the channel.