> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.framelane.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Text Behind the Speaker

> A z-depth sandwich — giant title text sits behind a cutout speaker, karaoke captions float on top, and a logo sting opens the clip. The viral motion-graphics format that looks like it required rotoscoping.

The effect that makes people stop scrolling: text that appears physically behind the presenter, as if they're standing in front of it. Stack a full-frame background video, place oversized title text underneath, and composite a transparent speaker cutout on top — no manual rotoscoping required.

**Features used:** [`z_index` layering](/renders/elements), [`word_animation`](/renders/examples/word-animation) (`color`), [`fade` motion preset](/renders/examples/motion), [text stroke & shadow](/renders/elements#text)

***

The layer order is the whole trick:

```
z: 0  — background video (full clip with audio)
z: 10 — giant title text  ← TEXT LIVES HERE, behind the person
z: 20 — speaker cutout video (transparent WebM, volume 0)  ← person on top of text
z: 30 — karaoke captions (word_animation)
z: 40 — logo sting (fades out at open)
```

```json theme={null}
{
  "width": 3840,
  "height": 2160,
  "duration": 8,
  "elements": [
    {
      "type": "image",
      "id": "logo1",
      "source_url": "https://cdn-assets.framelane.io/shared/images/logo.png",
      "duration": 1,
      "z_index": 40,
      "motion": [
        {
          "type": "fade",
          "time": 0,
          "duration": 0.5,
          "reversed": true
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "type": "text",
      "id": "t1",
      "text": "BOMB!",
      "font_family": "Poppins",
      "text_color": "#D9FF00",
      "stroke_color": "#000000",
      "stroke_width": 0.1,
      "shadow_color": "#000000",
      "shadow_x": "5%",
      "shadow_y": "8%",
      "font_size": 320,
      "x": "20%",
      "y": "50%",
      "time": 2,
      "duration": 6,
      "motion": [
        {
          "type": "fade",
          "time": 2,
          "duration": 1
        },
        {
          "type": "fade",
          "time": 5,
          "duration": 1,
          "reversed": true
        }
      ],
      "z_index": 10
    },
    {
      "type": "video",
      "id": "vid2",
      "source_url": "https://cdn-assets.framelane.io/shared/videos/clip4.mp4",
      "z_index": 0
    },
    {
      "type": "video",
      "id": "vid1",
      "source_url": "https://cdn-assets.framelane.io/shared/videos/clip4.webm",
      "volume": 0,
      "z_index": 20
    },
    {
      "type": "text",
      "id": "t2",
      "text": "I'm s— What? What are we all thinking? A bomb, Alvarez. A bomb.",
      "font_family": "Poppins",
      "text_color": "#FFFFFF",
      "stroke_color": "#000000",
      "background_color": "#D9FF00",
      "stroke_width": 0.1,
      "shadow_color": "#000000",
      "shadow_x": "5%",
      "shadow_y": "8%",
      "font_size": 120,
      "z_index": 30,
      "x": "50%",
      "y": "75%",
      "duration": 8,
      "word_animation": {
        "style": "color",
        "words": [
          { "text": "I'm", "start": 0.1, "end": 0.56 },
          { "text": "s—", "start": 0.56, "end": 0.78 },
          { "text": "What?", "start": 0.78, "end": 1.14 },
          { "text": "What", "start": 1.14, "end": 1.28 },
          { "text": "are", "start": 1.28, "end": 1.38 },
          { "text": "we", "start": 1.38, "end": 1.48 },
          { "text": "all", "start": 1.48, "end": 1.6 },
          { "text": "thinking?", "start": 1.6, "end": 1.9 },
          { "text": "A", "start": 3.08, "end": 3.18 },
          { "text": "bomb,", "start": 3.18, "end": 4.8 },
          { "text": "Alvarez.", "start": 4.8, "end": 6.68 },
          { "text": "A", "start": 6.68, "end": 7.1 },
          { "text": "bomb.", "start": 7.1, "end": 8.0 }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}
```

### How the z-depth sandwich works

`vid2` (`clip4.mp4`) is the full background clip at `z_index: 0` — it carries the audio. `vid1` is the same footage as a transparent WebM at `z_index: 20` with `volume: 0`, so only the speaker silhouette composites on top. The giant `"BOMB!"` title sits at `z_index: 10` between them, which is why the speaker appears to stand in front of the letters.

The title fades in at second 2 and fades out at second 5 using paired `fade` motion presets — the second entry sets `reversed: true` to dissolve out instead of in.

### Karaoke captions on top

The bottom caption line uses `word_animation.style: "color"` with per-word timestamps from transcription. `background_color` on the text element sets the highlight color for the active word. At `z_index: 30` it sits above the speaker cutout so captions stay readable.

### Tips

**Font size matters.** The title needs to be large enough that the speaker visibly overlaps it — `font_size: 320` at 3840px fills the frame. Scale down for 1080p or vertical formats.

**Two video layers, one clip.** Use the full MP4 for background + audio and a pre-matted WebM for the foreground cutout. Set the cutout layer to `volume: 0` so audio isn't doubled.

**Logo sting.** A short-lived image at the highest `z_index` with a reversed `fade` motion (`reversed: true`) dissolves the logo out in the first half-second without a hard cut.

**Don't have a pre-matted cutout?** Run the clip through the [remove-background task](/tasks/remove-background) first (`POST /v1/tasks/remove-background`), then use the returned transparent WebM as the foreground layer at `z_index: 20`.