Dan Fergus Design > Student Resources > Syllabus > Class Schedule > Project: Lip Sync

VCA224 Multimedia 2

Project: Lip Sync

Assignment

Create a character and get him/her/it to “speak” by animating his/her mouth, syncing it to 15–30 seconds of audio dialog. In addition, animate at least one other body part (arms, legs, eyeballs, eyebrows, antennae, etc.).

Specifications

• Size: 550 x 400 (default Flash size)
• Frame Rate: 12 fps (default)
• Length: 15–30 seconds (180–360 frames).
• Due Date: week 3
• Deliverables: both the FLA and exported SWF files.

Procedure

1. Create an original character. Keep it simple (don't spend more than an hour-or-so drawing him/her/it). Do sketches on paper first. Get my approval, then draw the charcter in Flash using the paint tools.
2. Draw the mouth separately (off to the side or on its own layer). In addition, any body parts you may want to move (eyeballs, limbs, antenae, etc.) should be drawn separately.
3. Create a series of mouth shapes for your character for different consonant and vowel sounds (see the provided mouth guide reference). Convert each mouth to a graphic symbol to store them in the library. I recommend naming the symbols after the sounds they simulate (“ah” “ee” “d” “s” etc.). It might also be helpful to place all of the sound symbols into a folder within the library.
4. Find some audio. You will need 15–30 seconds of people talking/singing. You could use on long audio clip, or several short ones strung together. The audio does not have to have anything to do with your character. Be creative; be silly. Get my approval on the audio. A good source for random audio clips is www.dailywav.com.
5. Convert the audio file(s) to the AIFF or WAV format (if it is not already). You can use iTunes to do this. If you wish to edit your audio, you can do this in Final Cut or Audacity (a free application available on the web at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ ).
6. Import you audio files into your character’s Flash file. Create a new layer for the audio. Add the audio to the new layer (make sure you choose “Streaming” in the Properties window).
7. Add frames to all layers (multiply the number of seconds by twelve to determine the correct amount of frames).
8. Put the character’s mouth is on its own layer. Any other moving parts (arms, legs, antennae, etc.) should have their own layers as well.
9. Slowly scrub along the timeline until you reach the first frame that contains a vocalization. Add a keyframe to the mouth layer. Select the mouth symbol on the stage, then go to MODIFY > SYMBOL > SWAP SYMBOL. Choose the appropriate mouth from the list of symbols.
10. Advance the playhead to the next vowel/consonent sound and swap the mouth again. Continue until you reach the end.
11. Animate some other body part (eyes, limbs, etc) similarly.

Extra credit

Convert the entire talking sequence to a Movie Clip Symbol and then animate the symbol (have the character move around on stage).

Examples

Course Outline

Syllabus

Student Resources