Lypsyching the cowboy

[paradymx]

I'm trying to put together a portfolio and I want to thank you guys for all your help and crits. I think I'm almost there.

 

This is really an extended topic from the KeeKat's Secret where I asked the question on lipsyching methods.

 

This is a run through using the "manual" method; which at this point I think gets the best results.

 

cow_boy_sam.mov

 

So far so good I got a couple more nit picks to flesh out on this one before I go on to the long monologue.

as usual any C&C is welcome

[itsjustme]

I'm trying to put together a portfolio and I want to thank you guys for all your help and crits. I think I'm almost there.

 

This is really an extended topic from the KeeKat's Secret where I asked the question on lipsyching methods.

 

This is a run through using the "manual" method; which at this point I think gets the best results.

 

cow_boy_sam.mov

 

So far so good I got a couple more nit picks to flesh out on this one before I go on to the long monologue.

as usual any C&C is welcome

 

LOL! I'm not sure if it's directly from the movie (it's been a while since I watched it), but that dialogue is from "Big Trouble in Little China"...one of my favorite movies! Nice choice.

 

Nice job! I only have two little nitpicky things. I think that either the center of the upper lip needs to move higher or the corners need to even out the mouth more by moving down when the mouth widens out since the wide mouth Poses are also smile Poses. Also, when he puts his hands on his head, the shoulders don't move upward...it would make it look more natural if they did.

 

Good work all around.

[paradymx]

Thanks itsjustme

 

Yes it directly from the movie, though I took some liberties with some of the pauses.

Jack Burton himself is a classic hero type in my book(even though Russell plays him as a John Wayne pastiche)

 

When referring to the lips: are you saying that the top lip is making more of a "V" shape as apposed a smooth curve?

[higginsdj]

Not too bad. It may be a limitation of the face rig but the shapes do not all fit the sounds and it appears to lag slightly behind the voice.

 

Remember, you don't need to animate all the sounds - just the main sounds. ie

 

W hen_s o Me W ild_eyed EI ght F oot_t All M aniac ....... etc

 

Capitalised are emphasised sounds and each strung together set of letters represents no mouth shape change (though you may have tongue movement). Then you can tweak it after these key poses have been set - but less is better than more.

 

Cheers

[itsjustme]

Thanks itsjustme

 

Yes it directly from the movie, though I took some liberties with some of the pauses.

Jack Burton himself is a classic hero type in my book(even though Russell plays him as a John Wayne pastiche)

 

When referring to the lips: are you saying that the top lip is making more of a "V" shape as apposed a smooth curve?

 

I didn't get the pose exactly right, but this is what I meant. This is a screen grab from about the 12 second mark of your clip and an approximation of what I'm suggesting. I don't think that you should change it at every place that the lips curve upward, but I think there are several places where the upper gums should be exposed.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

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EDIT

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Not too bad. It may be a limitation of the face rig but the shapes do not all fit the sounds and it appears to lag slightly behind the voice.

 

I'm pretty sure Sam's face can do pretty much any mouth shape...if the FACE controls can't accomplish it, there are more controls in the "Animation_Controls/Face_underlying_controls/lips" folder that isolate sections of the mouth (especially in the "mouth_ud_individual" and "mouth_lr_individual" folders).

[higginsdj]

Sorry - didn't mean to imply there were any limitations to the FACE rig (I don't know of any) - I just didn't know what rig he used for his face and just referred to it generically as "a face rig".

 

Cheers

[phatso]

When I first saw this, my first reaction was, why am I seeing out the back of his head? Of course, I was seeing the tongue... but maybe ya wanna change the background color so this won't happen.

[paradymx]

I see what your saying now itsjustme, some of the "A"s can be pulled up to a greater degree. I'll add that to the polish list.

 

As for the lag, I've been looking at it and I'm not sure where it comes from. At first I though it was just me imagining the lag but. here's what I think.

 

Its either the way I edit the poses.

sometimes in AM clicking on a frame and hearing the sound at that point is trial and error but that's why you test render. Or

I believe it only lags in certain places or seems to lag in my attempt to accent certain phonmes. I read some where that Bs and Fs(and others) should have a build up before you hear the sound. I might be holding it too long and too far ahead.

 

And the mouth thing, yeah it does look like that. But this is only a shaded render. when rendered with the lighting it looks different(he also has scars and a five oclock shadow)

[Bruce Del Porte]

I think for the most part the shapes are pretty good. There is maybe a little more movement than if you looked at your own lips but that is OK, this is a cartoon. The shape I would tweak that hasn't been mentioned would be the opening "W", I think too much teeth is showing.

 

We obsess on mouth shapes because they take so much time but eyes and hands are much more expressive and sell the animation to a much greater extent. Even the Pixar guys keep it pretty simple.

 

One trick is to sync to what seems dead on and then just before render slide the audio two or three frames to the right. The result will appear much more in sync.

 

Nice job

[Nuba X]

GREAT WORK!!!!!

Thats pretty Cool Man!!!

 

Well the only thing I really have to add to what everybody else said is for you to change the Color of his Tounge to that Fleshy Pink Color.

 

Especially if you keep the Background the same color.

 

But Still...

Keep doing ya Thing!