Record your voice the right way
Better Facial Expressions – Tips for both actors and models
Many models and actors seem to have a problem with their expressions. While they may look beautiful, or interesting, they fail to convey desired emotions with their face and their eyes. To help all of you out there who have such problems, here are some pointers to help you work on and improve your expressions:
Scenarios
If you are one of those people who cannot always turn on a desired emotion at any time you wish, you should use a technique called scenarios or emotion memory. That means you will either remember an event in the past that will bring back the desired emotion, or you will make up a story in your mind that will yield that emotion.Mimicking
Try to mimic expressions in front of a mirror. There are many people who do this but still fail to deliver those expressions during a photoshoot. Now there is a little trick to properly practice in front of a mirror. Take a look at the expression that you want to mimic (whether it is a still from a film, or a picture from a magazine), and practice in front of a mirror until you get it. Now close your eyes and remember how your face feels, how the muscles interact to form that expression. Now relax your face and open your eyes. Close your eyes again and mimic that expression with your eyes close. Open your eyes and see how close you came. Repeat this until you achieve the desired result several times in a row. Then try the same technique on another expression until you are happy with the result. Then go back to the first expression, close your eyes and mimic it. Do this over and over with as many expressions as you like.Webcams
During a photoshoot you would rarely stand as you would in front of a mirror, your face would most likely be tilted in some angle that would make it hard for you to concentrate on the mirror. Instead, use a webcam and record yourself. This way you will be able to see how your expression looks from different angles.
If you are one of those people who cannot always turn on a desired emotion at any time you wish, you should use a technique called scenarios or emotion memory. That means you will either remember an event in the past that will bring back the desired emotion, or you will make up a story in your mind that will yield that emotion.Mimicking
Try to mimic expressions in front of a mirror. There are many people who do this but still fail to deliver those expressions during a photoshoot. Now there is a little trick to properly practice in front of a mirror. Take a look at the expression that you want to mimic (whether it is a still from a film, or a picture from a magazine), and practice in front of a mirror until you get it. Now close your eyes and remember how your face feels, how the muscles interact to form that expression. Now relax your face and open your eyes. Close your eyes again and mimic that expression with your eyes close. Open your eyes and see how close you came. Repeat this until you achieve the desired result several times in a row. Then try the same technique on another expression until you are happy with the result. Then go back to the first expression, close your eyes and mimic it. Do this over and over with as many expressions as you like.Webcams
During a photoshoot you would rarely stand as you would in front of a mirror, your face would most likely be tilted in some angle that would make it hard for you to concentrate on the mirror. Instead, use a webcam and record yourself. This way you will be able to see how your expression looks from different angles.
Look past the Camera
If you look straight into the camera for photo shoots, your eyes will sometimes look boring and posed. For something different, focus your eyes at about the point where the photographers eyes would be, or slightly off to one side. This adds more depth to your expression and drama to the shot.
Music
Many people are intensely affected by music and actually feel what the artist is singing about. If you are one of those people, make yourself some CDs with music that causes you to feel such emotions. If you are given permission to play those CDs during a photoshoot, it may help you to express those emotions.
The Eyes
Last but not certainly not least – the eyes are the most important aspect of your emotions. No matter how much you practice your facial expressions, your eyes are what conveys an emotion. If your expression is happy but your eyes look bored, you will never be able to be convincing. ALWAYS keep in mind that you do not only need to be able to mimic an emotion, but you also need to feel it to an extent that your eyes will convincingly portray that emotion.
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