…the go-getter

For a Digital Storytelling visual assignment, I made animations from the movie The Go-Getter. I chose this movie because I like the unusual story it told and the unique way the movie brought the two characters, Kate and Mercer, together in an unconventional sort of love story. The first time I watched The Go-Getter, I remember always being afraid that Kate wasn’t really there. While making the gifs of the key scenes in the movie, I still had that fear. In the first half of the movie, all the scenes with Kate are from Mercer’s imagination. When she finally appears, I still had a hard time believing she was really there. The ending still leaves me unsure, however I want her to be real for him, so I end up believing she’s there anyway.

a gif by gif breakdown

#1: In this animation, the title of the movie is shown and Mercer, the protagonist, is introduced.

#2: This animation shows the key action of the movie, when Mercer steals Kate’s car.

#3: Throughout the first half of the movie, Mercer talks to Kate on the phone, imagining her being there with him. This animation shows one of many scenes of Mercer talking to Kate.

#4: This animation is one of Mercer’s imagined scenarios. I chose to make a gif of it simply because it’s always been my favorite scene of the movie just based on aesthetics.

#5: This animation shows Mercer and Kate finally meeting, which is a turning point in their story. After this point in the movie, I was always afraid he’d wake up from a dream and she wouldn’t really be there. That didn’t happen, but I couldn’t relax for the entire second half. (Although, they did sort of meet once before, but you’ll have to watch the movie.)

#6: I chose to animate this scene because of the quote Mercer says about the dream that he had. After this scene, it shows Mercer’s dream. His dream is a popular scene from the movie featured in many gifs already, which is why I animated the scene right before his dream, showing their feet touching.

#7: Mercer began his roadtrip to find his brother, and this animation shows his first encounter with his brother.

#8: This animation is a representation of what Kate is for Mercer throughout the movie. She is there to help him on his journey. First, she kept him company on the phone, and in this animation, she’s helping him up and guiding him to where he needs to be.

#9: Because Mercer’s search for Arlen is the focus of the movie’s plot, this animation shows their final interaction after Kate helps Mercer back to his feet.

#10: The last scene of the movie is featured in this animation. Kate and Mercer are going back home. She’s driving, and he’s letting her take the lead. Although the journey Mercer intended to take was the journey to his long-lost brother, he ended up driving all the way to Mexico to find Kate so she could bring him back home.

The gifs were made using this tutorial and Adobe Photoshop CS5.