The described technology is directed towards user interface technology that guides users in making content (e.g., video selection) and also navigating within selected content. A selection menu view uses style changes to indicate focus changes, e.g., including animating opacity values to indicate a focused item view versus those items not in focus. In another view, a subset of filmstrip views are displayed, each representing a chapter location in a video, along with a flipbook view that represents a selected scene within a selected chapter. Interaction with the filmstrip views changes the visible subset. Interaction with the flipbook view changes the selected scene; a play command plays the video based upon the selected scene.