Lip Syncing Process

Step 1: Make a Flash document with a green background and a dot depicting where the tracking dot will be.

Step 2: Draw and animate the facial features while always covering the tracking dot.

Step 3: Open up the stop-motion scene on After Effects.

Step 4: Export the facial animation from Flash as an image sequence and import onto After Effects (make sure you change the frame-rate to your preferred fps by right-clicking and then clicking Interpret Footage). After that, you just remove the green background by changing the screen colour to the same shade of green on the Keylight menu.

Step 5: Create a Null Object and place its centre point over the tracking dot.

Step 6: Open the tracking menu, place the Track Point over the tracking dot, and edit the Motion Target to the Null Object. Then click the buttons next to Analyse and if the Track Point moves the way you want it, click apply.

Step 7: Make sure the facial features cover the tracking dot and are aligned well with the null object, and then parent the facial animation with the null object.

Final Step: Look through the footage and make sure it syncs up well, and that it covers the tracking dot the whole time, before rendering it. You can edit the path of the Track Point in the tracking menu, plus you can resize and move the facial animation but it won't affect the tracking at all.

What Has Changed Since the Final Crit

• The original recording was changed to one sung by somebody else, as the original wasn't as energetic.
• The character design for Symphony was altered so that she would wear lipstick, since originally the mo-cap dots would show far too much whenever her mouth was closed.
• Scenes that were meant to be animated in front of a green screen had to be changed, this was not suggested during the crit, rather it was something my team decided to change soon after it, as it would have gotten in the way of other projects being made by different groups, and the lights would have been too much of a hassle to book for the stop-motion room.
• There are now going to be tints added to the characters faces.
• If there is time, we will add a silhouetted crowd in the intro and certain other bits.
• There will be credits added to the intro scene.

Final Crit Feedback

The feedback for our final crits was mainly positive. Everyone enjoyed the animation, both with the expressions and the stop-motion animation, and laughed during it. I'm really proud of my team right now actually. They told us we should maybe add a silhouetted crowd and more sound effects, but overall every one really liked it. I think giving the time constraints, we could manage to add every neat little touch that we were pitched, but there may be compromises here and there.

Final Track for Animation

Original Recording of Song

Nearly Finished Set!

Band Drum Logo Designs

Set and Armatures Progress

Work Schedule