Can You Provide Some Tips on Showing Characters Thought Process?

Great question! Yeah, there really isn't anything more important than showing thought process (or rather, showing *changes* in though process) when it comes to having a character feel truly alive! It's the internal thoughts that drive everything we do, from the timing of our overall gait and movements to the glances of our eyes.

You could come up with a thousand ways to show thought process in a character, but my favorites are these:

1) Blinks.

I've talked about blinks a lot here and elsewhere, but one of the most important uses of a blink is specifically to show thought process. The timing and speed of blinks can radically change the way we perceive a character's inner turmoil (or lack thereof), and thus radically change the way they seem to be processing information. A ton of blinks will feel as though the character is going to cry, is nervous, uncomfortable, shy, or possibly relieved after a big buildup; while very little to no blinking will either feel dead, stoned, worried, angry, or just very intense.

So, blinks can certainly convey an overall emotion, but what about thought process? Well, if a character shifts from no-blinking to rapid blinking, then we are seeing one of the most obvious physical manifestation a radical change in their thought process. Perhaps they were extremely worried and then relieved at the result.

2) Eye darts.

Very similar to blinking, changes in eye direction (and the speed/timing of these changes) can also describe thought processes. As someone is presented with a challenge or decision, they will very often dart their eyes around a bit as they consider and weigh their options. It's almost as if they are reading an imaginary list of possible choices! You can observe this in any of your friends or family, and layering this stuff into your animation is one of THE best ways to bring your character to life.

Keep in mind, though, that eye darts (changes in eye direction) are NOT random, and should have meaning. Either they are looking for something, at something, or it's being driven by internal thought process. Our eyes don't just drift around for no reason at all unless there is something wrong with us...

3) Overall timing changes.

Any time the overall rhythm of a character's movement changes, we are going to feel a shift in their thought process. A decision has been made, an emotion felt, a memory reclaimed... All of these internal thoughts can heavily affect the way anyone moves, and again, seeing this happen in a scene can once again truly make a huge difference in how alive the characters feel!

Thanks for coming by the blog! Thanks for the great question!

Shawn :)