A statistic can become less accurate when it becomes more exciting. A number that grows on screen may lose its unit. A fast moving line may imply that the change happened in twelve seconds. Build the motion around the complete claim, not the isolated number.
Below is an original, finished 12-second vertical example. It has no narration or music. The on-screen text carries the whole explanation; this is an editorial sample, not a ShortsFast product export or a published video with measured results.
Watch the sourced-stat animation
The number comes from NASA Science's January 18, 2024 Moon-laser article. It says lunar laser retroreflectors revealed that the Moon moves away from Earth at 1.5 inches, or 3.8 centimetres, per year. We use about 3.8 cm per Earth year in the example. The word “about” makes the rounded explanatory rate clear. NASA does not give an error bar or a start and end measurement period in that paragraph; we do not invent either.
What each beat does
| Time | Text and motion | Accuracy check |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 seconds | The Moon drifts away from Earth. Two labelled circles separate slightly. | 'Diagram not to scale' stays visible. The gap is not an astronomical distance measurement. |
| 3–8 seconds | How fast? About 3.8 cm per Earth year. A separate scale fills from 0 to 3.8 cm. | The number, unit and year remain on screen together. The scale is an illustration of the rate, not time-lapse footage. |
| 8–12 seconds | Keep the whole claim: about 3.8 cm / Earth year. NASA Science and its article date appear with the measurement method. | The final card holds the source for four seconds. The full NASA URL sits in this article and belongs in a published video's description. |
The first scene poses a question. The second answers it. The last shows where the answer came from. The motion never tries to make Earth and Moon move a literal 3.8 centimetres apart on a screen. That would confuse a rate with a drawing scale.
Make one for a different statistic
- Lock the claim. Copy the exact passage from a primary source into your notes. Write the number, unit, population or object, time period, and words such as “about,” “at least,” or “on average.” If a field is missing, do not fill it with a guess.
- Choose one visual relationship. A rate can use a growing ruler or line with a time label. A comparison can use two labelled bars with one shared scale. A percentage needs its base: “of what?” Select the diagram that answers the viewer's question.
- Place text before animation. Reserve readable space for the full claim and the source name. Do not let a moving object cover “per year” or a qualifier halfway through the clip.
- Time the holds. Let a viewer inspect the number and unit after the motion ends. Keep the source on the final card long enough to read. Our example uses five seconds for the main fact and four for the source; adjust for your actual wording and phone test.
- Export and review. Play the file at phone size, with sound off, then pause at the first, middle, and final frames. Ask: does any frame show a misleading claim on its own?
Copy the structure, not the Moon claim
- Do not animate from 0 to 3.8 and call that a newly measured 12-second change. The line represents a yearly rate.
- Do not write “3.8 centimetres” alone. Without “per year,” it is a distance, not a rate.
- Do not project the rounded current rate unchanged over millions of years. The cited NASA paragraph does not support that forecast.
- Do not use an unrelated space image as measurement proof. The circles in this clip are original diagram shapes.
If your statistic is a survey result, label the surveyed group and fieldwork date. If it is money, name the currency and period. If the visual needs more than one claim, make a second scene or a longer explanation instead of shrinking the type.
Final source and publishing check
For a published YouTube Short, put the full source title and URL in its description and show the concise name beside the claim. YouTube says URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments are not clickable, so avoid saying “tap the link.” Our script fact-checking guide covers checking a script claim against its source. This article handles the separate editing job: turning one verified claim into accurate motion.
ShortsFast can help produce a recurring faceless series for YouTube Shorts and TikTok. The creator still needs to check each number, visual, source card, and final export. The sample video above was made for this guide; it is not a claim about ShortsFast's output.