1. Dialogue Shot Workflow
- Dialogue animation follows three stages:
- Blocking – key poses and main facial expressions.
- Blocking Plus – breakdown poses, facial transitions, and major mouth shapes.
- Polishing – in-betweens, lip sync refinement, and performance details.
- Build the performance gradually instead of focusing on details too early.
2. Lip Sync Workflow
- Lip sync is created in three steps:
- Jaw Opening – establish speech rhythm.
- Phonemes – add mouth shapes for different sounds.
- Polish – refine transitions and facial details.
- Focus on accents and key syllables in the dialogue.
3. Animate the Sounds, Not the Words
- Create mouth shapes based on sounds (phonemes) rather than spelling.
- Lip sync should reflect how words are pronounced, not how they are written.
- Mouth shapes should work together with the existing facial expression.
4. Common Phoneme Shapes
- M / B / P → lips fully closed.
- F / V → lower lip touches upper teeth.
- Oo / U → mouth corners move inward.
- Ee / Eh → mouth corners move outward.
- Hold important mouth shapes long enough to be readable.
5. Polish & Performance Details
- Add subtle details to improve realism:
- Breathing
- Tongue movement
- Squash and stretch in the lower face
- Frame-by-frame lip sync checks
- Facial performance should support the character’s emotions and acting choices.
Workshop: Overlap