{
 "slug": "caption-chips",
 "name": "Phrase captions on a chip",
 "category": "effect",
 "group": "Captions",
 "media": [
  "video"
 ],
 "checked": "2026-11-13",
 "effect": "The muted viewer follows word for word, and the captions never cover the face or the board.",
 "use_when": "Talking heads and split layouts.",
 "phrase": "captions of two or three words, white bold sans on a dark box, timed to the words",
 "pitfalls": [
  {
   "text": "Six of the nine measured reference edits use phrase captions of two or three words per chunk. More than three or four words in a chunk is a listed failure in the board styles.",
   "evidence": "measured",
   "source": "Director Chair measurements of published shorts (nine entries, measured 22 and 23 Oct 2026)"
  },
  {
   "text": "On a split layout the chip sits on the seam between the two zones, so the eye moves between face and board without crossing either.",
   "evidence": "practitioner",
   "source": "Director Chair measurement of a published short, Oct 2026"
  },
  {
   "text": "An automatic edit shows captions per chunk. A word that pops or colours on its beat needs an animated layer.",
   "evidence": "practitioner",
   "source": "Director Chair field notes on editing"
  }
 ],
 "per_model": [],
 "external_refs": [],
 "licensed": [],
 "site_names": [],
 "related": [
  "caption-keyword-colour",
  "stacked-speaker-board",
  "caption-safe-zones"
 ],
 "rights": "own-work",
 "evidence": "measured",
 "source": {
  "url": null,
  "note": "Own words from our measurements of published shorts and Director Chair field notes on editing"
 },
 "body": "",
 "shown_with": null,
 "url": "https://directorchair.ai/effect/caption-chips",
 "markdown": "https://directorchair.ai/effect/caption-chips.md",
 "prompts": {
  "chat": "Give me an edit brief: where it goes on the timeline, the exact settings, and what to check before export, for a short video about [your product], for [your audience]. The technique is phrase captions on a chip: the muted viewer follows word for word, and the captions never cover the face or the board. How it works: captions of two or three words, white bold sans on a dark box, timed to the words. It is right for: talking heads and split layouts. Six of the nine measured reference edits use phrase captions of two or three words per chunk. On a split layout the chip sits on the seam between the two zones, so the eye moves between face and board without crossing either. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing."
 },
 "licence": {
  "code": "MIT",
  "text": "CC BY 4.0",
  "third_party": "Clips and card texts inside a \"licensed\" block belong to their makers and are shown with permission and credit."
 }
}