Despicable Me - Clip 2
What principles were used?
Arc
Appeal
Exaggeration
Follow through
Solid drawing
Secondary Action
Analysis
In this clip, we can see Gru, hanging onto a minion while trying to lift the weapon he was trying to steal a weapon he needs to steal the moon.
As we see him straining to move the weapon up, we can see secondary action taking place. The primary action is simply lifting the weapon up using his legs. While the secondary actions are Gru closing his eyes and that his arms start shaking which clearly shows the audience that he is struggling to lift the weapon as it is heavy. Due to Gru not being strong enough, his legs fall back down. Here we can spot two principles: arc and follow through. The principle of arc is shown as the legs fall in a curved path, making the length of his legs constant. The second principle, follow through, is visible as his legs don't stop in the middle but rather continue moving backwards and then falling back to the middle. This is a good move as this makes the audience aware that he is not stiff or robotic.
Another principle we can see is appeal and exaggeration in Gru's character design. Gru's upper body is greatly mis proportioned compared to his lower body, giving him a proud look which in turn adds charisma to the character. Hence the principle, appeal, also appearing in the clip.
To summarise, this clip shows how to use follow through and secondary action to make a scene realistic. Not only that, how a simple change in character design can add a principle(appeal).
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