Losing Balance

I started off trying to animate the action of the guy losing his balance a turning to run after the dropped bottle purely by imagining it in my head, which made things very difficult. I just couldn't picture the movement correctly and struggled to draw each pose convincingly, as you can see in the short test below.



I soon gave up on this method, having realised I could get no further without acting the movement out myself. After practising it a few times I got a good idea of how his legs and spine should bend, as well as discovering that his hands should face a completely different direction than I originally imagined when turning around.I asked a friend to video me as well so I could look back and use myself as a reference.



This made animating much easier and more enjoyable, and I think the finished result turned out well. I exaggerated the movement so it would be clearer to follow, giving him a longer, springier step than my own, so it appears he's almost jumping from his back leg to his front rather than just stepping/transferring his weight. I like how this looks as I think it make him appear more urgent and panicked, as well as energetic and desperate to retrieve the bottle.