Like her first entry, Xellessanova Zenith's second Expo submission is SL machinima, entitled "When is a Smile Not a Smile?" She included a detailed explanation for the thought and creative process behind the video, well worth reading-- after the break.
"It's a little bit Paul Ekman facial expression coding and a little bit of a Zen koan," Xellessanova Zenith tells me.
"According to Paul Ekman's research, a smile is one of the seven universal human expressions— a cross-cultural and innate gesture that signifies happiness. However, a real smile differs significantly from a fake smile—a fake smile only pulls back the lips, not tightening the muscles around the eyes; the difference is between a socially required smile of recognition and a true expression of joy.
"There are two standard Linden facial animations for smiling," she continues, "'Smile' and 'BigSmile'. 'Smile' tightens the mouth and a little bit around the eyes, while 'BigSmile' shows teeth and partially closes the eyes. 'Smile' is subtle; 'BigSmile' is overt. 'Smile' is generally more versatile in creating a fake or a real smile, because it allows more emphasis on the facial expression or body language since it distorts the face less. 'BigSmile' almost always codes happiness... unless it's paired with an extreme facial shape that exaggerates the smile so much that it can't possibly be real."
As to how she created the animation: "In order to create the four expressions in the movie," Zenith explains, "I paired the small smile and the large smile with four different shapes (XellSad, XellPout, XellAngry, and XellAmused) and three different eyebrow configurations (Sad, Arched, Arched, Plain) so that each smile combination produces a radically different expression colored by the context.
"Only one smile is genuinely happy—another comes dangerously close to hate, and one shows a false cheer amid sadness, while yet another 'smile' sets the mouth in a tight, stubborn line."
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