Why Animators Hold Ms Bs & Ps for Two Frames

Hold Ms Bs and Ps for 2 frames minimum

One of the rules of animating lipsync is that you should always hold Ms Bs and Ps for at least two frames if you want them to "read" clearly.

The reason for this is that we need to compress our lips together to make these shapes, after which there is a little expulsion of air. 

For Ms Bs and Ps to read clearly, they need to be making the shape on the screen for at least two frames, even if the dialogue is rapid.

Lipsync & Dialogue Resources

Dialogue shot by Escapee Rich Jeffery

We have many resources at Escape Studios on animating dialogue and lipsync. To find out more, follow the links below:

• Why Lipsync Needs Wide and Narrow Mouth Shapes
• Lipsync - Open Wide on the Big Vowels
• How to Block Out a Dialogue Shot
• Sesame St Sound Archive
• How to Animate Lipsync
• Animate Lipsync - The Easy Way
• Why Animators Need "Head Muppeting"

Lipsync Tutorials

Animation by Escapee Anand Sembhi

Also see the tutorials below on animating dialogue and lipsync:

• Lipsync Tutorial with Simone Giampaolo
• Animate Monty Singing "Oh Yeah!"
• Lipsync Tutorial with Marc Stevenson
• Dialogue Tutorial with Monty: "I'm Outta Here!"
• Animate a Sneeze with Monty: "Ah-Choo!"

Vimeo and Panopto Tutorial Channels
The Escape Studios Tutorial Libraries (Vimeo and Panopto) are our main hubs for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easy for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.

Our tutorials cover Animation, 3D VFX, Compositing, Rigging, Motion Graphics, Storyboarding & Character Design, Unreal Engine and Cinematography. Many hundreds of tutorials can be found at our Vimeo and Panopto Libraries.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. 

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