Face the FACS

Facial Expressions in Art, Science, & Technology

forehead dynamics – frontalis vs. occipitalis – PREVIEW

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forehead dynamics

frontalis vs. occipitalis

When it comes to forehead expressions, two categories of facial movements get all the attention:
eyebrow raising – caused by frontalis
eyebrow lowering – caused by procerus, depressor supercilii, and corrugator supercilii (Corrugator also knit the brows.)
While it’s crucial to know how different facial muscles drive our brow expressions, the eyebrows don’t tell the whole story. There is more at play in the forehead region.

secret functions of the frontalis

We are generally familiar with frontalis’s work as an eyebrow elevator; however, it is often neglected knowledge that frontalis also works as a hairline depressor. Though this idea may seem counterintuitive, once you are familiar with some muscle basics, things will start to make sense. Watch the video below for a visual breakdown of how it works.

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hairline drag: beyond the basics

Now that we’ve covered how. . .
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. . . let’s talk about what factors contribute to different degrees of hairline drag.
The extent to which the scalp drags from frontalis varies on multiple levels. CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

individual variation

As covered in “Frontalis Variation,” frontalis varies across humans in . . . CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

situational variation

It is not simply structural differences that influence scalp drag during frontalis contraction. CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

breaking it down

Consider the GIFs below. GIFs A and B features myself and my brother. In this context he has . . . CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

A

GIF B: CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

GIF C: CONTENT REMOVED PREVIEW POST

final words

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sources + further reading

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action units (FACS AUs), animation, art, AU1, facial anatomy, facial expressions, facial muscles, frontalis, inner brow raiser, previewsmelindaozelComments off

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forehead dynamics – frontalis vs. occipitalis
eyelid crease variation

About Melinda

I'm an expression researcher who used to work on face tracking tech at Meta and Affectiva. Now I use my expertise to help teams build expressive characters. Learn more here.

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Eric DrobileAnimator, Artist, Mentor
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.

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If your work involves putting a face on a screen Melinda’s website is here to save your life. Her site is a crucial knowledge hub to all sectors of entertainment including film anim game tech etc. If you are here you know FACS exist. For most people learning traditional FACS is not feasible. It requires very costly specialized degrees and years long commitment. And the half century old research with fuzzy photos was not made for artists.What Melinda has done for our industry is take the dense scientific information and streamlined it into very easy to digest entries and videos catered to artists. In my opinion her work surpasses the inventors of FACS by vastly expanding on the original content by filling in numerous gaps of information. with modern medical research, breakdowns of facial genetic variation, applying the information to animals and stylized characters. Instead of combing the whole internet or getting a phd on the subject you can just subscribe to this one stop shop.

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I can't imagine working without Melinda Ozel's FACS research. 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. She swoops in out of nowhere and teaches us all about FACS using any tools at her disposal; including rap! I highly recommend her as a primary resource for any budding (or experienced) blendshape artist, facial sculptor, facial animator or just about anyone who is interested in faces!

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Having worked in the industry for more than 20 years, I've always searched for the best resource on anything related to the complexities of the human face. Face the FACS in my opinion is bar-none, the best resource out there for any artist and company dealing with facial animation. The way in which Melinda delivers knowledge is detailed, but fun and compelling enough to make you want to keep learning. For a topic that could have easily been boring, she inspired me to keep learning. And learned I have. I've learned so much from Melinda and it's great to see her share all her knowledge to everyone through this treasure of a site.

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If you're doing AU's (action units), this is the site you're going to need to bookmark. Melinda has gone above and beyond to create what I feel is the ultimate resource guide for AU's. Each AU explained , annotated and demonstrated with extreme clarity. You'll experience plenty of "aha!!" moments using Melinda's work as your guide! Again, amazing work Melinda!

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