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Subject:	Re: FLASH: Lip-syncing
From:	Brian
Date:	Fri, 4 Aug 2000 16:13:45 +0100

Ryan, thanks for your response!
However, all this I know.
I am trying to respond to a clients' desire to find some clever way to
automate this process, such as how you can with other software (namely,
Ventriloquist from lipsinc.com, a plug-in for 3D Studio Max). Personally,
I'll sit there all day and lip sync out the wazoo, but the client is
looking, as usual, to cut corners and try to make the process as easy (read:
cheap) as possible.
I'm pretty sure this is all a shot-in-the-dark question, but I have to make
the overture.

-Brian Matthews
http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer/SAPCENT.html
SAPRINGER CENTRAL: The Best STAR TREK Parody Site On The Net!
Featuring STONE TREK: The Flash Animation!

> i've done a bunch of lip-sync stuff across different animation programs,
and
> the classic tried-and-true method of making mouth charts is the best way
to
> go.
>
> So you have to draw a bunch of mouth symbols in various mouth positions. i
> use a double letter code because ... well, because i like to. The charts
i
> find vital are:
>
>
> AH - Mouth open wide, maybe showing some tongue & uvula
> EH - Mouth somewhat open, good for unimportant words like 'the'
> MM - Mouth closed position ... depending on the character's level of
detail,
> you might want to add a few creases to the lips. This shape doubles for
PP
> and BB
> FF - Bottom lip tucked under front teeth, if the character has any (!)
> LL - Mouth open, tongue curled up behind top front teeth
> SS - Lips apart, teeth together
> EE - Same as SS, with mouth stretched at the sides and teeth apart.
> OH - Mouth in a broad 'O' shape
> OO - Mouth in a more acute little circle
> TH - The EE chart with a tongue tip poking out from between the teeth
>
> Of course, you can redraw all of these charts using different emotional
> expressions depending on how your character is feeling. Now draw your
> character in Flash sans mouth, set your dialogue to Streaming so that you
> can scrub the bar, and drop in the mouth chart symbols where necessary.
>
> Be sure not to get too literal when putting in mouth charts. If the mouth
> appears to strobe, or flicker, when the character speaks, you've got too
> many. It's all puppetry. Note that Kermit's mouth doesn't open on
ev-er-y
> sin-gle -syll-a-ble, but moves more generally with the prolongued vowel
> sounds.
>
> Hope this helps. Good luck, and have fun!
>
>
> - Ryan Creighton

> > Hi, all!
> >
> > Has anyone done any work involving some sort of automated (?)
> > process of
> > lipsyncing an animated character to a sound file?
> > I have the chance at what appears to be a pretty big-time
> > ongoing bit of
> > work that involves an animated character that will need to be
> > updated every
> > week or so, and I was hoping someone has tried something
> > similar in Flash
> > with interesting results.
> >
> > Thanks for any input!
> >
> > -Brian Matthews

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