# Show a text conversation that plays out on screen > In Tella, ask the Tella Agent for a chat conversation. Tella Motion builds it from rounded shapes and text and pops in each bubble after the one before. Put it in its own clip (Add clip → New Tella Motion clip), or ask for it as an overlay on your recording, timed to what you say. Every bubble stays editable, so you can ask the agent to change the wording, colors, sides or timing. Page: https://www.tella.com/motion/animated-chat-messages · Part of Tella Motion (https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion) ## How do I make an animated text message or chat conversation for a video? In Tella, ask the [Tella Agent](https://www.tella.com/agent) for a chat conversation. [Tella Motion](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion) builds it from rounded shapes and text and pops in each bubble after the one before. Put it in its own clip ([Add clip → New Tella Motion clip](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion#add-a-tella-motion-clip)), or ask for it as an overlay on your recording, timed to what you say. Every bubble stays editable, so you can ask the agent to change the wording, colors, sides or timing. ## Prompt to start from ```text In this Tella Motion clip, show a text conversation between Priya and the Brightwick support team on a dark gray background. Put Priya's bubbles on the right in blue #2F6BFF with white text. Put Brightwick's bubbles on the left in light gray #E5E7EB with dark text. Give all bubbles a 24 px corner radius. Pop in one bubble every 1.2 seconds: "My export failed twice", "Sorry! Which file?", "quarterly-report.mov", "Fixed. Try again now". Before each Brightwick reply, show three dots that bounce for half a second. ``` ## More prompts ### Over a recording ```text When I say "this is what your customers see", show two chat bubbles in the top right corner: a customer asking "Where's my Larkspur order?" and a reply saying "Out for delivery, arriving by 5 pm". Pop them in 0.8 seconds apart, hold them for 4 seconds, then fade both out. ``` ### Friends' text thread ```text Make a text thread between two friends, Mo and Dee, planning a hike at Copperleaf Ridge. Use six messages on alternating sides, with green bubbles for Mo and white bubbles for Dee, all with a soft drop shadow. Pop each message's words in, and start each bubble 1 second after the one before. ``` ## How to do it in Tella 1. Open your video in the Tella editor. If the sidebar with the Tella Agent chat is hidden, press Shift + S. 2. For a standalone scene, choose Add clip → New Tella Motion clip. For an overlay on your recording, say which words it should appear on. 3. List the messages in order and say who sends each one. 4. Describe the look: bubble colors, which side each sender is on, corner radius and the gap between messages. 5. Preview it, then ask for changes like "slower" or "move the reply higher". ## Good to know - Available to everyone: through the Tella Agent on a paid plan or the 7-day trial, or through Claude or ChatGPT on any plan. - The agent draws each bubble as a rounded rectangle with text, so describe the style you want instead of naming a messaging app. - A Tella Motion clip has no transcript, so bubbles in it are timed in seconds. You can only time bubbles to your words when they're an overlay on a recorded clip. - Reset all overlays on the Overlay timeline removes motion graphics as well as text, media and sound effects. ## Questions people ask ### Can I add a typing indicator or a sound for each message? Yes. Ask the Tella Agent for three dots that bounce before a reply. Tella Motion can loop that animation. For a sound, open [Overlay → Sounds](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/sound-effects) and add a click or pop from the Interface sounds where each bubble appears. ### Can the text inside a bubble type out or appear word by word? Yes. Tella Motion can animate text by character, word or line, with presets such as typewriter, pop and rise. Tell the Tella Agent which preset to use and how fast. ### Can Claude or ChatGPT build the conversation instead? Yes. An AI assistant connected to Tella's [MCP server](https://www.tella.com/mcp) can build Tella Motion clips and overlays with the same commands the Tella Agent uses, including shapes, text and timing. ## Related - [Typewriter text that types itself onto your video](https://www.tella.com/motion/typewriter-text-animation.md): Text that types itself on, one letter at a time. - [Turn customer testimonials into animated quote cards](https://www.tella.com/motion/animated-quote-card.md): Customer testimonials as animated cards in your video. - [A checklist that ticks off each step as you say it](https://www.tella.com/motion/animated-checklist.md): Check off each step as you talk through it. - [Create motion graphics with Tella Motion](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion#add-a-tella-motion-clip) - [Add motion graphics over your recording](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/tella-motion#add-motion-graphics-over-your-recording) - [Add sound effects](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/sound-effects) - [All of Tella's AI features](https://www.tella.com/ai.md)