Character Animation: Dialogue

2h 15mIntermediate2014-09-29

Authors

George Maestri

Animation Director and Producer

Course details

Facial animation makes your character's inner life shine through. This course—focused on the principles, not the tools, of animation—explores how anatomy, expression, and emotion intertwine, and how animators can simulate emotion in the face of almost any character. George Maestri shows you how to animate three shots, of increasing complexity: a silent "double take" that transitions from one emotion to the next, a simple close-up dialogue shot, and a full-body dialogue shot that accounts for posture and secondary motion.

Learning objectives
Understanding the role asymmetry plays in facial expression
Conveying basic and mixed emotions
Planning shots
Blocking out timing
Reading dialogue
Animating lip sync
Adding blinks and eye movement

Skills covered

Character AnimationAnimation and IllustrationDeep Dive (X:Y)

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Welcome
02 - Rig overview - CINEMA 4D
03 - Rig overview - Maya

1. Facial Anatomy and Emotion

04 - Basic emotions
05 - Mixed emotions
06 - Asymmetry in facial expression
07 - The eyes and emotion

2. Animating a Silent Shot - The Double Take

08 - Planning the shot
09 - Blocking out the timing
10 - Adding facial expression
11 - Adding overlap and follow-through

3. Animating Dialogue

12 - Reading the dialogue track
13 - Blocking out the initial poses
14 - Final blocking
15 - Adding facial expression
16 - Animating lip sync
17 - Final touches

4. Animating a Full-Body Shot Containing Dialogue

18 - Setting up the shot
19 - Blocking the body poses
20 - Adding moving holds
21 - Animating secondary motion
22 - Animating the dialogue pass
23 - Adding blinks and eye direction
24 - Finalizing the shot

Conclusion

25 - Next steps