VReal

Understanding the Face

Resources:
face-and-emotion.com
Vancouver Film School Examples
Another Animation from VFS
Hayling Video – Johnny Hardstaff
RadioHead, I Go to Sleep- Alexander Rutterford
Gantz Graf
Lord of the Rings Videos

Science of the Face – Physiognomy
- Facial expressions reveal the truth in people by expressing their subconscious feelings (Tor Norretrander, The User Illusion)
- The face expresses itself mostly through muscle contractions, however bone structure, blood flow and perspiration also play a role.
- Although expression is culturally biased, it contains innate qualities that are tied to specific emotions
- For example, certain specific muscle movements can be related to specific emotions, eyebrow shape can influence people's perceptions of your character.

Creating Character Expression with CGI
- Making a 3D creation expressive requires some biological understanding of how the face works physiologically
- Animating specific locations of facial muscle expression will allow you to re-create specific emotions
- The main animation points would be mouth, lips, eyebrow, eyes, nose/nostrils, and cheekbones.
- When designing a character it is best to develop ranges of motion for each main muscle group of the face and devise a 'palette' or alphabet of important facial expressions together that you can choose form easily (Gollum – Lord of the Rings, also 'Massive' programming environment has large number of preset movements to choose from).
- For example, the emotion of anger is a set combination of mouth contraction, downward eyebrow angle, and flared nostrils.
- With 3D animation these expressions can be exaggerated and brought to heightened levels of expression. Techniques such as lightening, camera motion and sounds can enhance the expressiveness even more.
- Texture also becomes a method for character expression, since 3D creatures can exist that have changing or evolving skin textures based on their emotions, this provides another dimension of expression outside of humans.

NYC Studios -

Studios
www.the-mill.com
www.mill.co.uk
www.films-action.com
www.core-dp.com
www.curiouspictures.com
www.digitaldimension.com
www.edenfx.com
www.theembassyvfx.com
www.luma-pictures.com
www.thefront.com
www.dreamworks.com/dreamworks_home.html
www.pdi.com
www.psyop.tv
www.rsp.com.au
www.studioaka.co.uk
www.blur.com
www.pixar.com
www.disney.com
www.click.clack.free.fr
www.renaissace-lefim.com
www.godensq.com
www.qurios.com
www.chartex.com
www.thehouseofcurves.com
www.aardman.com
www.alamaison.fr
www.axisanimation.com
www.framestore-cfc.com/television/spaceodyssey/index.html
www.steelevfx.com
www.evileyepictures.com
www.whpictures.com
www.pathe.fr
www.millimages.com
www.afilm.dk
www.dygafilms.es
www.square-emix-europe.com
www.passion-pictures.com
www.cafefx.com
www.miramax.com/aviator
www.allanmckay.com
www.pixelsnack.comwww.dneg.com
www.stalker-game.com
www.arkvfx.net
www.hayesdavidson.com

www.edgeworx.comwww.zoicstudios.com
www.nexusproductions.com
www.pixelshifter.nl
http://docopenhagen.blogspot.com/2005/12/top-50-music-videos-of-2005.html

3d resources
www.vfxworld.com
www.vfxhq.com/
www.highend3d.com
www.insidecg.com
www.conceptart.org
www.cgchannel.com
www.3dgarage.com
www.realillusion.com
www.renderplanet.com
www.gamasutra.com