Abstract

This article summons the results of an applied research in digital animation based on the recording of breathing patterns and their respective body movements when expressing mixed or complex emotions. To collect this information, we have analyzed video capture of emotions performed by an actress specialized in the acting method Alba Emoting. Such an acting method is based on the analysis of three elements, to access and express emotions: body posture, facial gesture and breathing patterns. The first two are traditionally used in animation, while breathing patterns have been less used when trying to convey emotional messages. On the other hand, the method postulates that there are six basic emotions and that, from combinations of their effectors, the entire expressive range available to the human being can be accessed. The results allow the construction of an experimental three-dimensional model to test how the breathing patterns can open access to a series of mixed emotions, which are difficult to convey using only body posture and facial gestures. These results are arranged in a matrix that picks out the effectors of the six basic emotions to produce a wide range of mixed or complex emotions. Finally, the essay proposes a practical methodology to build an animated sequence that expresses mixed emotions based on breathing patterns.