# Type behind the head

Edit / Edit effect / Type and emphasis. Checked 2026-11-13.

One huge word between the speaker and the background turns a talking head into a poster.

- Use when: Emphasis on one word; the hook line on the first frame.
- Phrase: one word in a large serif placed between the background and a cut-out of the speaker, so the head overlaps the letters
- Page: https://directorchair.ai/effect/type-behind-head
- JSON: https://directorchair.ai/api/effect/type-behind-head.json

## Watch out

- Type over footage is split light and dark against the picture, never outlined; no gradients, glows or glass. (practitioner; Director Chair notes on Reel Kit (Justyn The AI Guy) (the kit's own craft rules))
- The effect fires on the word that names it. In the measured list reel an effect more than 0.2 seconds off its word is a listed failure. (practitioner; Director Chair measurement of a published short, Oct 2026)

## Prompts

### Any chat model

```
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 type behind the head: one huge word between the speaker and the background turns a talking head into a poster. How it works: one word in a large serif placed between the background and a cut-out of the speaker, so the head overlaps the letters. It is right for: emphasis on one word; the hook line on the first frame. Type over footage is split light and dark against the picture, never outlined; no gradients, glows or glass. The effect fires on the word that names it. Be concrete: numbers, seconds and settings, no theory. Ask me one question first if something you need is missing.
```

## Goes well with

- Frame 0 is the thumbnail: https://directorchair.ai/hook/frame-zero-is-the-thumbnail
- Word drop: https://directorchair.ai/effect/word-drop
- Ticking effects list: https://directorchair.ai/preset/edit-ticking-effects-list

## Source

Definition from Director Chair field notes on reading published videos; use from Director Chair notes on Reel Kit (Justyn The AI Guy) (described from the frames of two clips; no result per effect was measured)

Text CC BY 4.0, Director Chair (directorchair.ai). Reference clips and their card texts belong to their makers.