Facial animation is a crucial part of character performance. It gives life, emotion, and personality to animated characters, allowing the audience to connect with them on a deeper level. While body movement tells us what a character is doing, the face often tells us why they’re doing it.
Start with reference: Film your own face or observe real actors.
Keep it simple: Focus on clarity—don’t overcomplicate expressions.
Animate the eyes first: They guide attention and reveal intent.
Use asymmetry: Perfectly mirrored expressions look artificial.
Follow the emotion arc: Align facial changes with the character’s emotional journey.
My prepare for facial expression animation:
As per George’s instructions, I focused only on my character’s dialogue and expression sheet. I explained why the character says this particular line, including their backstory, the context of the line, and the intended tone and delivery. Finally, I also recorded a reference video based on the scene to support the animation.