Monday, February 9, 2009

Can You Provide Some Tips on Showing Characters Thought Process?

Great question! Yeah, there really isn't anything more important than showing thought process (or rather, showing *changes* in though process) when it comes to having a character feel truly alive! It's the internal thoughts that drive everything we do, from the timing of our overall gait and movements to the glances of our eyes.

You could come up with a thousand ways to show thought process in a character, but my favorites are these:

1) Blinks.

I've talked about blinks a lot here and elsewhere, but one of the most important uses of a blink is specifically to show thought process. The timing and speed of blinks can radically change the way we perceive a character's inner turmoil (or lack thereof), and thus radically change the way they seem to be processing information. A ton of blinks will feel as though the character is going to cry, is nervous, uncomfortable, shy, or possibly relieved after a big buildup; while very little to no blinking will either feel dead, stoned, worried, angry, or just very intense.

So, blinks can certainly convey an overall emotion, but what about thought process? Well, if a character shifts from no-blinking to rapid blinking, then we are seeing one of the most obvious physical manifestation a radical change in their thought process. Perhaps they were extremely worried and then relieved at the result.

2) Eye darts.

Very similar to blinking, changes in eye direction (and the speed/timing of these changes) can also describe thought processes. As someone is presented with a challenge or decision, they will very often dart their eyes around a bit as they consider and weigh their options. It's almost as if they are reading an imaginary list of possible choices! You can observe this in any of your friends or family, and layering this stuff into your animation is one of THE best ways to bring your character to life.

Keep in mind, though, that eye darts (changes in eye direction) are NOT random, and should have meaning. Either they are looking for something, at something, or it's being driven by internal thought process. Our eyes don't just drift around for no reason at all unless there is something wrong with us...

3) Overall timing changes.

Any time the overall rhythm of a character's movement changes, we are going to feel a shift in their thought process. A decision has been made, an emotion felt, a memory reclaimed... All of these internal thoughts can heavily affect the way anyone moves, and again, seeing this happen in a scene can once again truly make a huge difference in how alive the characters feel!

Thanks for coming by the blog! Thanks for the great question!


Shawn :)

7 comments:

Francois Maree said...

Our eyes don't just drift around for no reason at all unless there is something wrong with us...

Yeah, like the smell of fried chicken? That sure as hell would make my eyes drift... even out of their sockets. :)

Chetan Trivedi said...

aaah.. neat stuff..
thanx
-Chetan

teguh wibowo said...

obat kutil kelamin
cara mengobati kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin
cara mengobati kutil kelamin
obat wasir
cara mengobati wasir
obat sipilis
cara mengobati sipilis
cara mengobati sipilis
obat sipilis

Unknown said...

Kondiloma akuminatum ialah vegetasi oleh Human Papiloma Virus tipe tertentu, bertangkai, dan permukaannya berjonjot. Tipe HPV tertentu mempunyai potensi onkogenik yang tinggi, yaitu tipe 16 dan 18. tipe ini merupakan jenis virus yang paling sering dijumpai pada kanker serviks. Sedangkan tipe 6 dan 11 lebih sering dijumpai pada kondiloma akuminatum dan neoplasia intraepitelial serviks derajat ringan. Kondiloma akuminatum ialah vegetasi oleh Human Papiloma Virus tipe tertentu, bertangkai, dan permukaannya berjonjot. Tipe HPV tertentu mempunyai potensi onkogenik yang tinggi, yaitu tipe 16 dan 18. tipe ini merupakan jenis virus yang paling sering dijumpai pada kanker serviks. Sedangkan tipe 6 dan 11 lebih sering dijumpai pada kondiloma akuminatum dan neoplasia intraepitelial serviks derajat ringan segera kontak kami untuk mendapatkan obat kutil kelamin manjur

teguh wibowo said...

obat china kencing nanah
cefadroxil obat kencing nanah
cara membuat obat kencing nanah
cara buat obat kencing nanah
cara mendapatkan obat kencing nanah
contoh obat tradisional kencing nanah
cara mengobati kencing nanah tanpa obat
Pengobatan wasir stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Obat Wasir Adalah
Obat Wasir Aman Untuk Ibu Hamil
Obat Wasir/Ambien
Obat Wasir Ampuh Bagus
Obat Wasir Aman Ibu Hamil
Obat Wasir Alami Tanpa Operasi
Obat Ambayen/Wasir
Obat Herpes Alami
Obat Herpes Pada Anak
Obat Herpes Mulut
Obat Herpes Zoster Alami
Obat Herpes Di Mulut
Obat Herpes Apotik

teguh wibowo said...

Obat herpes
Obat wasir herbal tanpa operasi
Obat wasir herbal stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Cara mengobati wasir dan ambeien
Obat ambeien ampuh sembuh dalam 5 hari
Pengobatan ambeien keluar benjolan tanpa operasi
Pengobatan wasir stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Obat wasir untuk ibu setelah melahirkan
Obat wasir tradisional yang ampuh
Cara ampuh atasi wasir pada wanita
Obat yang bagus untuk wasir
Obat de nature khusus untuk wasir stdium 4
Cara mengobati wasir tana perlu operasi
Pengobatan wasir dan ambeien mujarab
Pengobatan wasir tanpa operasi
Obat wasir dan ambeien stadium 4
Obat penyakit wasir herbal De Nature
Obat untuk wasir pada ibu hamil
Cara mengobati wasir yang parah tanpa operasi
Obat ambeien tradisional
Obat wasir herbal De Nature
Obat wasir ambeclear

teguh wibowo said...

Obat herpes
Obat wasir herbal tanpa operasi
Obat wasir herbal stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Cara mengobati wasir dan ambeien
Obat ambeien ampuh sembuh dalam 5 hari
Pengobatan ambeien keluar benjolan tanpa operasi
Pengobatan wasir stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Obat wasir untuk ibu setelah melahirkan
Obat wasir tradisional yang ampuh
Cara ampuh atasi wasir pada wanita
Obat yang bagus untuk wasir
Obat de nature khusus untuk wasir stdium 4
Cara mengobati wasir tana perlu operasi
Pengobatan wasir dan ambeien mujarab
Pengobatan wasir tanpa operasi
Obat wasir dan ambeien stadium 4
Obat penyakit wasir herbal De Nature
Obat untuk wasir pada ibu hamil
Cara mengobati wasir yang parah tanpa operasi
Obat ambeien tradisional
Obat wasir herbal De Nature
Obat wasir ambeclear