Research
Updated: Dec 6, 2022
I took to researching different types of performance animation and how it could aid me in my work for the unit, how to improve my performance animation and my understanding it.
Firstly, I found this video from BaM Animation. In the video they focus a lot more on 2D animation applications, however it really helped me in understanding how to apply the animation principles. I am very familiar with the twelve animation principles ("The Illusion of Life") however I often struggle to understand how to apply them. The video below showcases a bunch of techniques and understanding how to go about performance movement while using them as principles: ease in and ease out using a ball and car to demonstrate the idea then moving on to easing using a hand pointing.
Below is a video from Alessandro Camporota. They used drawn facial expressions as a reference for the rig's expressions. In the video they show how to study the details in the expression and applying it, with little details. Although I know I will be using filmed reference footage for this unit, I found this an interesting study on how to practice this; especially for industry standard when 3D animation is produced from drawn storyboards. An additional aspect I really enjoyed was seeing how they utilised the 'Breaking Joints' principle that has been explored in animation, since I find it difficult to express breaking joints due to my hesitation of going too far with physicality and expression exaggeration.
Another video from Jean-Denis Haas, who speaks a bit more on how he goes about starting his work. He has a specific order: facial animation blocking first, then performance animation blocking, then when each of them are done he can add any necessary inbetweens to make the spline animation more natural. As much as I like his approach, I later learned I like completing the facial animation first since it gives me more freedom to explore with the body, but I think it's important to mention another process of doing so and trying to explore that at some point.
Another important mention is this short video of a character facial animation. The animator goes very subtle on the facial expressions; perhaps I feel that way because the character's facial hair seems to be covering its lower hemisphere or the animator was following the reference while not exaggerating the facial features to make them clear. I definitely want to exaggerate performance a bit more than the video shows, which I think is a good parametre to set with myself in terms of goals and expectations.
On the other side of this, I think the video below actually explores the type of exaggeration which makes the character's emotions feel convincing and clear as an example of the level of exaggeration I may want to achieve. Using a timelapse to show their methodology actually really helped me understand their thought process in creating said character. Unfortunately, the rig for this unit we are required to use (Eleven) is not intrinsically rigged with as many facial animation controls as the Malcolm rig used. Therefore, I would not be able to create as exaggerated facial animations. I do think it is important to mention that this level of exaggeration as a parametre on the opposite spectrum of the previously mentioned video in terms of the level I wish to achieve.
With gaining knowledge on how to begin the process, the level of animation I want to achieve, and the methods of achieving my goals; I delved a bit further into studying how the human face reacts to information, emotions and objects around them.
To do so I found the below video in where Vanessa Van Edwards, a behavioural investigator, shows and details how the face reacts when expressing certain emotions. In the video, she exaggerates her face to clearly define certain points to express the microexpressions and the subtle yet important aspects of emotions: such as clearly explaining the difference between a real a fake smile from the upper cheeks covering the eyes or not. It makes her expressions far more clear in terms of using it and understanding how it works for animation; and potentially as a good reference for facial animation performance.
This video below highlighted something I should NOT do. In previous units, I have struggled with timing and pacing since I try to overachieve my work in order to tell a complex story. This video highlighted to me the audience's need for pacing. The video goes far too quickly for each facial expression; although at times it is a positive in order to quickly convey emotions, this animation does not stay on a specific expression long enough to have the character's thought process conveyed. For comparison, the Malcolm Face Expressions video prior stayed on a facial expression for a few beats before switching to another; whereas this expression does not convey them to the same clarify because of it. "It's not about the story told, but how it is told."
This next video below was actually pretty interesting and introduced a pretty new concept whereby a character reacts to different elements differently based on the type of information being received and processed. If the character is reacting to emotions, they react using their lower hemisphere (nose, mouth, etc) as a physical indicator of the character's expressions; whereas if they were reacting to information (such as brainstorming or studying) they would react with their upper hemisphere (eyebrows and eyes).
So a character receiving happy news may first start with their eyebrows being furrowed to raised and relaxed as they process the information, then their mouth opens in awe and their upper cheeks cover their eyes as they express their feelings to joy.
One goal we are to achieve for this unit is modelling a prop with UVs. I wanted to make sure I had a clear reference on how to use UVs and apply textures to it so I found the below video which delves into that. The video shows how to create a UV texture on an object with non organic shapes (the example they use is a gun) and this really helped me see a lot of thing I can cover as a reference for the moments I got lost in. I especially really found the way of how to separate different parts of an object to form the UV textures to be especially helpful. Since for the Dice UV model I did, I unwrapped the dice like a cube, but this would help me for objects with a bit more of a complex build than a simple cube.
Although I felt satisfied, I still wanted to explore more of performance animation in books: The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams, and Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks.
In The Animator's Survival Kit, Richard Williams talks about "Flexibility". 'Flexibility' allows for performance animation to limber up, loosen up, give a snap and vitality while keeping the figure stable and solid. He recommends firstly by adding a breakdown separate between the two. He quotes Emery Hawkins:
"Dick, don't go from A to B. Go from A to X to B. Go to A to G to B. Go somewhere else in the middle!"
Williams further describes this by showing several drawings of character expressions; two extremes which remain constant and one breakdown in the middle. Each one of these breakdown expressions completely change the story of the characters emotions. Some examples are below:
By inserting an extremely different breakdown facial expression, the story of the character alters vastly and adds a bit more compelling animation visually.
I struggle a lot with anticipation, overshoot and settle. I find it difficult to understand how to apply this without a great deal of exaggeration since a lot of examples I encounter show this by focusing on exaggerating the anticipation and overshoot by a lot. However, Williams showcases a clear example of how to do this in a closeup shot.
This quick anticipation gives the 'snap' he mentioned previously in order to get this level of anticipation. I have a difficult time applying anticipation, overshoot and settle; however I plan to add this to my work.
In Acting for Animators by Ed Hooks, the content provided in it was very familiar to me as I've done acting workshops for animation and pursued performance acting for a few years. However, I also learned a fair amount from the book when I studied.
In addition to this, I did some studies on the facial references in Mark Simon's book: "Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists." Although I don't have as much to say, it did help me understand faces and movement a lot more.
In the book, Hooks recommends animators set on a conflict-obstacle scenario whereby a character has an obstacle to overcome; whether its a choice between sleeping or eating, or a choice between Paris or Rome for the holidays.
There are 9 basic rules to understanding acting:
1. Thinking tends to lead to conclusions, and emotion tends to lead to action.
2. Action in pursuit of an Objective, while overcoming an Obstacle.
3. We humans empathize only with emotion, not with thinking. Your job as a character animator is to create in the audience a sense of empathy with your character.
4. Theatrical reality is not the same thing as regular reality.
5. Acting is doing. Acting also is reacting.
6. Your character should play an action until something happens to make him play a different action.
7. Scenes begin in the middle, not at the beginning. (And they don’t end at the end.)
8. A scene is a negotiation.
9. Relationships are a factor of how characters feel about one another.
By thinking of these rules, I feel as though I can improve on acting for my reference footage. Hooks also references the human ability to feel the seven core emotions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, contempt and surprise. Babies experience two emotions and develop more as they grow and their values change, and those values also make people respond differently from when they were a child than as an adult.
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