Coaching Models in the Photo Session

We typically had about 45 minutes to collect all of the desired photos from each model. This amounted to about 6 minutes per emotion, on average. Some poses were accomplished relatively quickly (such as joy), while more complex expressions (i.e., fear and sadness) sometimes took up as much as 1/2 of the total session time. There were at least 3 individuals working with the models during the shoots: 1) a FACS trainer who coached models on the AUs, and took photos using a remote control when the expression was satisfactory; 2) A posture checker sitting in front of 5 computer monitors, making sure that the model's head and body were correctly in frame from every angle; and 3) a posture coach stading behind the FACS trainer, who relayed information from the posture checker to the model. This allowed the FACS trainer to concentrate solely upon the face without also worrying about giving posture instructions.

Posture Checker (Oliver Langner) and FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk)
Photograph by Bert Meelberg

FACS Trainer (Skyler Hawk) Posture Coach (Gijs Bijlstra)
Photograph by Bert Meelberg

Job van der Schalk and I have shared interests and backgrounds in dramatic arts, including acting and directing, that were essential to our jobs as FACS coaches. Not only did we have to elicit the correct AUs from models, but it was important to stay energetic, give constructive feedback, and keep them in good spirits. It's important to note that this whole process could be quite exhausting for the models, both physically and mentally. We tried to keep things going smoothly by giving short breaks, if needed. When models had trouble making certian AU combinations during the shoot, we provided further on-site instruction with the use of a hand-held mirror.

Sometimes, the exhaustion that can come with exercising the facial muscles in this way required us to move on to another expression that used completely different sets of AUs, coming back to the former expression as time allowed. This was especially true if models didn't already use these AUs in their own expressions of certain emotions. We found that 1+4 and 1+2+4 combinations required the most sustained effort, although lower-face AUs such as 15 and 20 also tended to "fade out" without continued feedback to keep things at the desired strength.