Study Task 2 - Talk this Way

Lip-Syncing

I chose Sound 3, where the monotonous HAL 9000 expresses its awe. 

I created a fish character with luscious lips and a fin-mustache:

Using the dope sheet, I was able to map out which lip shape was needed on each frame (mostly worked on twos):

I then experimented with After Effects, using layer modes and the Wave Warp effect:

What went well:

• The monotonous voice fit well with the almost expressionless character,
• The fin mustache highlighted the lip movement,

What could be improved:

• The lips shape is slightly narrow and there needs to be more variation between the moth shapes
• Tweening the mouth shapes would make the visuals flow better

I also researched other methods of lip syncing and one I found quite interesting was the use of KeyframeCaddy, a plugin for Adobe Animate that streamlines lip syncing.