This document discusses using facial expressions to convey emotion in animated works. It provides examples from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" music video. Specific facial expressions are described, such as widened eyes showing surprise, eyebrows angled down showing anger, and a smiling mouth but furrowed brows showing unease. Analyzing these examples can help the document's author effectively portray emotion through the expressions of animated characters in their own stop-motion music video project.

1. CHARACTER
EXPRESSIONS
In animated film, TV and Music videos

2. Why study expression in
animation
 Because I am planning to do an animated
music video I’ll need to show a lot of
expression with my animated figures.
 Study other music videos as well as films will
help me to understand how to achieve this
effectively.

3. Avatar the last Airbender
Although I am
planning to do
stop motion for
my piece I
have deiced to
study 2D
animated
expression as
2D animated
project are
known for their
strong facial
expressions in
their characters
so maybe I
learn a thing or
two from 2D
animation and
reflect that in
my work.

4. In this screen shot we see Azula is upset because at this point she is
imagining her deceased mother talking to her about how she controls
people with fear. We can see how Azula is feeling upset from the
scrunched up face and her lips which are turned down.
Azula brakes down

5. Here Azula is angry at her hair which is getting in the way of her face.
Through the strands of hair we see her eyes under her angered eyebrows
and her mouth in a grimace, all connoting that Azula feeling anger.
Azula Breaks down

6. Here we see Hama bloodbending, she seems sadistically pleased with her
power. We can tell this from her eyebrows being angled downwards over her
eyes (symbolizing anger) but there is a smile on her face (symbolizing
happiness) . These two facial expressions together makes the audience feel
uneasy as they know that Hama is not all there.
Katara Learns Bloodbending

7. Here we see Katara upset. We know this as she is crying and her mouth is
open expression her sadness. Although this is a simple expression it is an
effective one as many people recognize sadness.
Katara Learns Bloodbending

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Fantastic Mr.
Fox is a stop
motion
animated
film.
Studying
how
expression
is used here
will help me
to
understand
how I can
use
expression
in my stop
motion
animated

9. We can tell Bean’s son is happy to see his Dad on the telly as his eyes are
wide and his mouth is in a small smile. But the fact that he is pointing at
the telly as he in mid laugh suggests that may be his dad is doing
something stupid.
Bean’s son sees his Dad on the Telly

10. From the wide eyes and mouth we can see Badger is shocked at what he
sees. The picked up ears also add fear to the characters facial
expression.
Badger sees the wolf

11. From Ash’s foror brow and alter eyes we tell he is concentrating on the break in
whether Kristofferson’s wide eyes and timid stare shows he's afraid of what's to
come.
Kristofferson and ash break in

12. From Mrs Foxes glare as well as body language (her hands on her hips)
we can tell she is annoyed at her husband for stealing from the farmers.
Mrs fox catches Mr Fox stealing

13. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
This is an
animated
music video
and so
studying it
can help me
to
understand
how music
videos show
emotion
through
animation.

14. Peter high eyebrows and huge smile shows he happy to see this train.
Train

15. Peters wide eyes and high eyebrows suggest he either really happy or
surprised but because we can’t see his mouth we can’t really tell.
Trumpet

16. Because we can see Peters face in this screen shot we can tell that Peter
is surprised. His mouth is in a ‘O’ shape which, with the wide eyes and
high eyebrows, tell us that Peter is surprised.
Roller-coaster

17. Here we can see Peter is in pain because one of his eyes is closed and
the other is wide open showing his shock on impact also that his mouth in
a grimace and teeth closed which shows how painful the sledgehammer
is.
Clay Peter