This post is quite short, but after seeing the latest Heavy Rain trailer I just wanted to say something that has been on my mind since GTA IV: convincing facial expressions aren’t just about the eye movement. It’s also a lot about the eyebrows and the mouth! Our eyebrows are always moving as our eyes move, and too often I see facial expressions in video games where the eyebrows simply remain static while the character’s body is in full motion. If you’re going to make the eyes move, make the eyebrows move as well. Heck, make them move at any time, even when the character isn’t doing anything.
Same goes for the mouth, as I’m writing this my mouth as been moving, I swallowed some saliva, I rubbed my tongue against my palate cause I’ve had this cheese after taste in my mouth since I ate some earlier, I yawned, and I made some random expressions I’m not even aware of.
And take a clue from Naughty Dog’s Uncharted while you’re at it!