Open the operating deckvsl-production-notes.md
# FNC VSL production notes
## Produce slides and voiceover first
Produce script B first: five minutes, black background, white text, one idea per slide, no corner logo and no decorative imagery. It can be recorded this week by a human narrator without Kevin on camera. Haynes says slides, talking head and split-screen perform about equally well; slides are a legitimate choice, not an inferior substitute. This is a production recommendation, not a claim that FNC has measured a conversion advantage.
Script A is the same five-minute argument for Kevin. Record it when he is available. His identity and delivery can establish personal authority, but the framework does not establish that talking head will outperform slides.
## Replacement status
The existing 90-second and 60-second scripts are too short to carry the full seven-step VSL flow, the mandatory summary and the expanded argument. They are being replaced, not retained as the main sales video. `collateral.json`, `COLLATERAL.md`, `/blueprint-vsl` and `/booked-vsl` now use the new main and preparation scripts. The preparation replacement is still 90 seconds because it has a different job. Script D is a 60-second promotional cutdown, not a complete replacement for the main VSL.
All spoken factual claims derive from `_source/brief_v2.md`, with the confirmed firm and team identity added there from the supplied brand record. The research reference is `_source/vsl-method.md`. No jurisdictional rates, invented results, testimonials, media logos, inflated values or guaranteed outcomes appear in the scripts. The report's stated 48-hour target must not become a guaranteed delivery claim in recording or captions.
## Hosting and page setup
Use Wistia as the first hosting choice, or Vidalytics if that is the existing operational account. Both match Haynes' preference for retention analytics. Do not use YouTube or Vimeo for this funnel. No account, hosted video asset or embed identifier was provided; hosting is a production dependency, not an already completed integration.
For `/blueprint` and each future ad landing page, use only:
1. Headline: “A written plan for your international position.”
2. The five-minute video directly beneath it.
3. The application action: “Start the free AI screening call”, visible from the start. The current built page links to the existing AI screening entry at `/#voice`. An inline screening application can replace that link when its integration is available.
Use a plain black page with white text. No navigation, corner logo, institution strip, extra persuasion sections, FAQ or duplicate price stack. Necessary application consent and privacy text belong within the application. The current `/blueprint` build has a truthful video-pending slot until a real hosted asset exists. It does not pretend a placeholder is a playable video. Keep cold traffic off it until the video is installed and the screening action is verified end to end.
Set a muted, inline autoplay preview of approximately 3 to 5 seconds from the opening hook, looping only that excerpt. Starting playback must restart the full video at 00:00 with user-controlled audio. Do not autoplay the entire 60-second cutdown or draw a “press play” graphic. Keep the player's ordinary accessible controls, visible play bar, volume, captions, fullscreen and unrestricted seeking. Where autoplay is blocked or reduced motion is requested, show the opening frame with standard controls. Test these settings in the actual chosen host and on mobile.
Add these chapters to both main formats:
| Time | Chapter |
|---|---|
| 00:00 | Your situation and the full process |
| 01:30 | Consult first, build second |
| 01:48 | FNC's practice |
| 01:53 | Banking, residence and ownership gaps |
| 03:01 | The five steps and prices |
| 03:49 | Your questions |
| 04:40 | Who this is for |
| 04:50 | Start the free AI screening call |
Do not hide the application behind a watch timer. That exception requires a sales-team need for pre-educated prospects and an accepted increase in cost per call; neither has been established here.
`/booked` is a separate post-booking preparation page. Retain its calendar guidance, preparation list and relevant-stage instructions below script C. Do not apply the sales-page reduction there. Use normal playback controls and captions; a sales-oriented looping preview is unnecessary.
## This week's work without Kevin
Build the exact slides in B, record the narrator, time the deck to the voiceover, edit and export a 16:9 master, and create captions. The narrator uses the supplied third-person introduction, not Kevin's first-person identity. Prepare a 9:16 version of D with the same third-person substitution, and the short muted hook excerpt for the player preview. No synthetic imitation of Kevin is needed.
After a hosting account and finished asset are available, upload, configure chapters and controls, replace the pending slot with the real responsive embed, and test the screening action. Check mobile crops, caption accuracy, every price, scrubbing, preview restart behaviour, keyboard operation and the absence of logos. The written scripts and page rebuild do not constitute recorded or hosted videos.
The main script has approximately 779 spoken words, about 156 words per minute at five minutes. Preparation has approximately 209 words at 90 seconds. The cutdown has approximately 133 words at 60 seconds. Timings are approximate. Rehearse and allow natural pauses; trim delivery friction rather than speeding through prices or qualifications.
## Kevin's time
Kevin records A, C and the concise D pickup in one session. Meet the buyer's character expectations: neutral professional setting, clean wardrobe, nothing overdone. Use an eye-level camera, soft light and a close microphone. He should confirm the factual introduction and speak the offer without adding success claims, programme approval promises, tax rates or completion deadlines. C should sound like preparation for a booked conversation, not another sales pitch.
## Measurement after launch
Use host retention data alongside screening starts and qualified calls. Establish FNC's own baseline; Haynes' claims are not FNC results. Investigate a steep initial drop by revisiting the hook, a sharp mid-video drop by identifying an unanswered question at that timestamp, and gradual decline as possible healthy self-qualification. Compare formats only when audience, offer and page conditions are sufficiently comparable. Do not claim a winner from the production format alone.
## Recording the slide player
Run `python3 build_vsl.py` after editing the scripts or chapter table. It reads every slide in script B and fails on missing text, malformed slide headers, numbering gaps or discontinuous timings. Run `python3 build_pages.py` to refresh Kevin's teleprompters and the collateral export. The collateral VSL entries are pointers to scripts A and C, not separate script copies.
Open `vsl.html?mode=manual` for the recommended recording mode. Use the arrow keys to let the narrator set the pace. Manual mode never advances to another slide on its own. Space runs or pauses the current slide's reference clock; it stops at the slide boundary. The resulting recording length follows the delivery, rather than forcing the narrator to match a timer.
Open `vsl.html` for timed presentation mode. It starts immediately and follows the script's 300-second schedule. Space pauses or resumes, arrows move one slide, R restarts and F enters or leaves fullscreen. The thin seek bar can scrub through the full run. The control hint fades after four seconds and returns on mouse movement. Controls and the slide counter remain available.
Open `vsl.html?mode=teleprompter` to show the narrator's exact voiceover beneath each slide line. This mode follows the timed schedule, with the same pause and step keys. Use it for rehearsal or a separate reading display; recording that screen also records the voiceover text. Open `vsl.html?chapters=1` to see the chapter table and jump to a chapter. The chapter view pauses playback while open. It also combines with either mode, for example `vsl.html?mode=manual&chapters=1`.
The canvas is 1600 by 900, scaled to fit and centred. At 1440 by 900 the canvas is 1440 by 810, with 45 pixels of black above and below. Crop that centred 16:9 region for recording. The HTML includes no audio track. Record the narrator separately or through the screen recorder's microphone input. Reduced-motion settings remove the entrance animation without stopping timed playback.
To embed the standalone deck, use `<iframe src="/vsl" title="A written plan" allow="fullscreen" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;aspect-ratio:16/9;border:0"></iframe>`. Click inside the frame before using keyboard shortcuts. The player uses no external scripts; the Google Fonts stylesheet is its only external resource, with Arial and sans-serif fallbacks. This silent HTML deck is a recording and presentation tool. It does not replace the final narrated Wistia or Vidalytics video and its retention analytics on the sales page.