Allan McKay interviews Expression Scientist Melinda Ozel about neuroscience, neuro-marketing and psychology; her contribution to the FACS system and working as an educator; as well as tips for building your own consulting business and the importance of coding, SEO and social media.
Melinda Ozel's background in neuroscience and psychology led her to specialize in facial expressions, particularly focusing on the facial action coding system (FACS).
Marketing and advertising skills, along with coding knowledge, SEO, and social media presence are crucial for success in the industry.
Creating realistic facial animation in CGI requires attention to muscle movements, depth changes, and realistic wrinkle interactions.
Deep dives
Overview of the podcast episode
In this podcast episode, Alan McKay sits down with Melinda Ozell, an expression scientist and consultant, to dive into the world of neuroscience, neuromarketing, and psychology. They discuss Melinda's background in neuroscience and psychology, her contributions to the facial action coding system (FACS), and her work as an educator and consultant. They also touch on topics such as the importance of marketing and advertising skills, the role of coding, SEO, and social media, and the impact of technology on facial animation and uncanny valley phenomena. Melinda shares insights from her experiences in the industry, and offers educational resources and training opportunities through her website.
Melinda's Journey into Facial Expression Science
Melinda Ozell developed a passion for neuroscience after being exposed to an article in Time magazine. This passion led her to pursue psychology and eventually specialize in facial expressions, particularly focusing on the facial action coding system (FACS). Melinda shares her educational background, including a class taught by a FACS-certified professor and an internship at the University of Zurich. She discusses how her studies and experiences led her to the fields of neuromarketing, facial tracking technology, and consulting.
The Importance of Marketing and Advertising Skills
Melinda emphasizes the significance of marketing and advertising one's skills in the industry. She highlights the need to brand oneself and promote expertise effectively to stand out and attract clients or job opportunities. Melinda also touches on the importance of social media, coding knowledge, and search engine optimization (SEO) in boosting visibility and credibility. She shares her own experiences using these tools to build her consulting career and gain attention from well-known clients like Epic Games and EA.
Technological Advancements and Facial Animation
The conversation delves into the impact of technology on facial animation and the uncanny valley phenomenon. Melinda discusses the challenge of creating realistic facial expressions in CGI and highlights common issues such as floating movements and the struggle to replicate natural timing. She emphasizes the need for detailed muscle movements, depth changes, and realistic wrinkle interactions in order to achieve more convincing facial animation. She also touches on the potential of AI and deepfake technology in future projects.
Education and Resources at Face the Facts
Melinda introduces her website, Face the Facts, as a valuable resource for those interested in diving deep into the study of facial expressions and related fields. She offers educational lectures and workshops that cover various topics, from foundational information on facial expression to more advanced studies of muscle relationships, anatomical variation, and temporal expressions. Melinda highlights her passion for providing in-depth learning experiences and welcomes customized requests to cater to specific interests and projects.
Melinda Ozel is an Expression Scientist, Consultant and Educator of all things face related.
Before pioneering a career path in expression science, she worked as a Researcher at Meta and Affective where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now helps companies in film, game and tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Expression Scientist Melinda Ozel about neuroscience, neuro-marketing and psychology; her contribution to the FACS system and working as an educator; as well as tips for building your own consulting business and the importance of coding, SEO and social media.
