In Class:
This week we moved from body mechanics into acting animation. George explained that acting in animation isn’t just about matching lip sync or movements, but about showing what the character is thinking and feeling behind the words. He stressed the importance of emotional transitions—small changes that happen as a character goes from one feeling to another, like from defensive to confident or sarcastic to playful.
We studied examples where animators used subtle facial movements—like eyebrow lifts leading a head tilts—to communicate personality and attitude. George emphasized that these small details often say more than big gestures and make the performance feel more real.
He also encouraged us to deeply understand the character and the line before animating: act it out ourselves, sketch thumbnails of poses and expressions, write down personality notes, and identify key emotional beats in the dialogue. This planning helps create a strong foundation for the animation.
My Progress:
I started planning my acting animation with a line from Gina Linetti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine):
“The only thing I’m not good at is modesty, because I’m great at it.”
I wanted to show the character’s sarcasm and confidence, starting with a fake offended look that quickly changes to a smug smirk. I recorded myself acting it out with different expressions and movements, then analyzed which felt closest to the character.
