BANSHEE Becomes First TV Series To Premiere As A GIF

This week, BANSHEE will be the first ever TV show to premiere its entire first episode as a GIF through a creative partnership between Cinemax and Buzzfeed. In addition, Cinemax has also launched a Tumblr site dedicated to BANSHEE GIFs which lets viewers experience a variety of cinematic short-form sequences from the show that offer a taste of what’s to come in the action-packed series.

On the Tumblr “GIF Shop,” created by New York agency Campfire, the online hub of shareable animated GIFs will give fans of suspense and edge-of-your-seat dramas access to the most intriguing and provocative moments from the new series – from brawls and fights to narrow escapes and looks and reactions. A great way to introduce viewers to the fun and fast-paced show, the site also allows for all 80+ GIFs to be captioned and made ready to “GIF to a friend” via social media.

The BANSHEE GIF premiere and Tumblr are a culmination of a GIF program celebrating the GIF format and its ability to remain relevant in modern culture while harkening to a classic age of the internet. Cinemax has also partnered with fan sites to distribute custom-edited GIF trailers and GIF animated “collectable” lobby cards – paying homage to the classic movie-marketing tool, but with a modern twist.

WelcomeToBanshee.com extends engagement with the world of BANSHEE beyond what viewers see on the show. The first section, Banshee Origins, will launch with the show's premiere. It features 13 prequel videos (over 30 minutes of unseen material) that tell "the story before the story" of the key characters in BANSHEE. The site'sother component, The Vault, will launch during the season and update episodically, and it is "unlocked" with the code combination seen in the show's opening titles. Utilizing cutting-edge interactive video technology, The Vault will host all 10 versions of the show's evolving title sequences and allow viewers to uncover their cryptic meaning with commentary from the creators.

In addition, there is a prequel comic “Banshee Origins” that displays a custom-illustrated comic, written by Jonathan Tropper (one of the series creators/writers) andwill be distributed free of charge in two segments (pre-premiere and mid-season) at retail comic shops and across digital platforms. The comic sets up the relationship between the two main protagonists Lucas and Carrie and tells their story 15 years prior to the series narrative.

There will also be a Twitter story extension featuring Carrie’s teenage daughter, Deva, to communicate Deva’s perspective on the town/characters of Banshee and what happened in each episode.

Viewers can also engage with other fans, post comments and get up-to-date information on BANSHEE via Twitter and Facebook.