Who this is for: Motion producers writing precise creative and educational briefs.
What to prepare
- Final approved dialogue with speaker names
- Actual speech timing
- Meaningful sound events and protected visual regions
Copyable creative brief
An authored planning example. Replace illustrative details with your approved product facts and assets.
Plan a 30-second caption-led dialogue sequence using DIALOGUE exactly as supplied. Identify SPEAKER_A and SPEAKER_B with readable text labels or another explicit convention. Keep each speaker's caption position consistent where the composition allows, but do not rely on position or color alone if identity remains ambiguous. Align captions to the actual spoken phrases and preserve their order. Do not reveal the response before the question finishes. Include MEANINGFUL_SOUNDS when they contribute information unavailable from dialogue alone, using concise accurate descriptions. Reserve CAPTION_ZONE so captions do not cover faces, diagram labels or the visual action being discussed. Give each exchange enough time for reading and finish on a coherent resolution. If the supplied dialogue exceeds the runtime, propose an approved edit or a longer plan rather than speeding speech and captions indiscriminately. Review the sequence muted with captions, then compare it against the soundtrack. Caption production and broader accessibility review are separate responsibilities; do not claim automatic compliance.
Make it your own
- DIALOGUE
- Paste the final approved words and speaker attribution.
- SPEAKER_A and SPEAKER_B
- Provide the names or roles that viewers should see.
- MEANINGFUL_SOUNDS
- List sound events necessary to understand the exchange.
- CAPTION_ZONE
- Define protected placement and any scene-specific exceptions.
Fill a short exchange
An illustrative exchange reads “Mira: Is the channel open?”, then “[latch clicks],” then “Tomas: Now it is.” Keep the speaker names when identity is otherwise unclear. The latch caption matters because the sound connects the question to the changed state.
Adapt the visual arrangement
For a diagram conversation, use a stable caption band outside the labeled mechanism. For alternating speaker views, keep the attribution convention consistent after cuts. W3C's caption guidance includes meaningful non-speech information and notes that captions should not obstruct relevant video content.
Correct ambiguous turns
If color is the only speaker cue, add names or roles. If captions overlap the important action, recompose the scene or move the protected zone consistently. If a late audio edit changes a line, update the caption text and timing against the final soundtrack.
Review checklist
- Every ambiguous speaker change has an explicit identity cue.
- Caption timing follows the actual exchange.
- Meaningful sounds are represented accurately.
- Caption placement preserves essential visuals.
Sources & further reading
- W3C: Captions (Prerecorded)
Explains synchronized captions for speech, speaker identity and meaningful sound, plus the text-alternative exception.