Artefact 4

For this artefact the Morpheus rig has been used to create a new performance, focusing on facial animation. Although the Max rig has been a useful tool in experimenting with general animation, the facial controllers are somewhat limiting compared to the Morpheus rig. This rig offers much more control over specific areas of the face and has helped craft a new animation with the help of a new audio clip from Bill Hicks’s stand-up comedy routine ‘Relentless’.

Artefact 4 is a decent attempt at conveying the feelings behind Hicks’s words but even when just concentrating on the motion of the face, having a visual reference would greatly improve the performance. It is difficult to imagine specific facial expressions and combine them in a cohesive way that looks convincing to an audience. The lip-synching of the mouth is quite rigid and somewhat robotic; this area specifically deserves more attention. This artefact has helped to show the difficulties that come with animating a person’s face with only an audio clip for context.

There will be much to improve in Artefact 5, when the original scene will be analysed so that a better understanding of the tone and emotions that Hicks displays on his face can be articulated onto the digital character; however, the digital character needs to maintain a certain level of individuality and not become merely a clone of the original performance.