Decode the anatomy of facial expression.
An educational platform and consulting service exploring all things faces: from anatomy and motion to expression mechanics and the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Made for animators, modelers, riggers, and researchers across disciplines.
For individuals
Free breakdowns, live cohorts, courses and membership.
For teams
Training and consulting for teams in film, games, AI and robotics.
Free breakdowns
Facial pose reference libraries, cheat sheets, guides, articles, and more.
About
I’m a facial systems expert working across animation, AI and robotics. I was a founding member of the Meta Quest Pro face-tracking team and am a co-inventor on three patents in avatar animation. My film work includes AI de-aging on Here, AI lipsync on Watch the Skies and chimpanzee expressions for Jane.
Courses
Buying seats for a team? See team training
Next live course: Winter 2027
Expression Mechanics: Foundations
The mechanics of facial expression. Read compression, tension, and displacement. Learn how muscles, fat, wrinkles, and tissue depth shape the poses we see. Live: 2.5 hours of lecture plus 30 minutes of Q&A.
Get updates on early bird prices, course drops, and more.
Get first dibs on seats
Newsletter subscribers hear about new cohorts first.
Instant-access
All About Lipsync
How mouth anatomy and timing come together, for animation and AI-driven lipsync.
Instant-access
FACS Cram Session, V2
A 2-hour intensive on the mechanics behind base Facial Action Coding System action units.
Live: Dates TBD
Expression Mechanics: Combinations
What happens when facial muscles fire together and how to disentangle their effects.
More details coming soon.
“Melinda Ozel’s knowledge of FACS is exceptional, and her classes are the best I’ve ever seen on this subject. Where she truly excels is the level at which she understands facial anatomy and expressions, how and why each shape fires, combines or breaks, but also what tone or emotion they are to convey.
Of all the the classes I’ve seen on this subject none have ever married the technical aspects with this level of artistic execution, nor explained it so clearly, enthusiastically and thoroughly as Melinda has. From the beginner level all the way to the most senior artists, I’ve witnessed everyone learn and improve from her detailed instruction. If you are seeking to learn or level up your team, I cannot recommend her enough.”
Shannon Thomas, Artist Supervisor @ Workshops with Blizzard
“I’ve been working as a Facial Blendshape Artist across film and gaming and have watched the quality of my work improve exponentially since I’ve had access to this wealth of knowledge that Melinda has so thoughtfully put together. Her documentation is clear, appealing, and comprehensive. If Paul Ekman is the father of FACS, Melinda has become the cool aunt.”
Ioana Alexandra Pirvu, Lead Blendshape Artist @ Rockstar Games
“Melinda Ozel’s resources on face anatomy, motion, and FACS are industry standard. During my time working on The Last of Us Part II (and other unannounced Playstation titles) I referred to it almost exclusively on a regular basis. The free material is great but the pay material is worth the cost.”
Eric Drobile, Technical Animator
Premium posts and guides.
In-depth breakdowns and member resources. Pick the plan that matches your project and study needs.
From AAA games to robots, chimpanzees, and emoji: if it has a face, you’re in the right place.