Gfycat Launches 360Loop, for short looping content in 360 and VR

Gfycat has launched 360Loop, a new way for creators to share their short, looping content beyond the standard 2D GIF. The new product reflects Gfycat’s commitment to providing a wealth of short content experiences in the highest possible quality.

360Loop is a media format that puts the viewer at the center of the content, with the action wrapping around the viewer in a fully immersive experience. On desktop, the viewer can interact with a mouse to see more of the content around them. On mobile, the 360Loop uses the phone’s gyroscopes to allow the viewer to navigate the content. It retains the qualities of a 2D GIF — short, silent, and endlessly looping — and augments them with the qualities of 360.

360Loop is distinctly different from 360 videos. While a video is a specific story with a beginning and end, the 360Loop is endlessly looping. To enable this, Gfycat created a new media element that allows the 360 content to be easily consumed and in high-quality. The technology advancement allows consumers to view and share 360 content even when sending messages in iMessage, for example.

“We’ve always dreamed of GIFs as immersive experiences in 360,” says Gfycat CEO Richard Rabbat, “Now, Gfycat’s 360Loop is powering these brand new experiences — you’re straight in the middle of the action. The interactive component brings an incredibly rich experience.”

For movie studios and filmmakers, Gfycat offers an alternative to the traditional movie trailer. Looking at a traditional trailer on a phone or desktop, without the immersive experience of the big screen, often does not do the movie justice. To reproduce the in-theater experience, Gfycat now makes the trailer content more immersive and interactive. 360Loop puts the fan straight in the middle of the scene with motion and visual elements happening in front, behind, above, and below.

For its product launch of 360Loop, Gfycat has partnered with Paramount Pictures to distribute an exclusive series of Gfycat’s 360Loops for Mission: Impossible — Fallout. These action-packed, immersive clips give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the stunts in Mission: Impossible — Fallout.

“Gfycat’s 360LoopTM is enabling new viewing experiences — you can watch a moment unfold over and over from multiple perspectives, with a unique experience every time,” said Ernestine Fu, Board Director at Gfycat and Partner at Alsop Louie Partners, “The behind-the-scenes 360 content from Mission: Impossible — Fallout showcases what 360LoopTM can accomplish. It’s powerful and punchy, and you feel like you’re really there with Tom Cruise.”

Fans can find 11 360 experiences from Mission: Impossible — Fallout on Gfycat. To see incredible stunt footage, including Tom Cruise performing his own stunt from a flying helicopter, go to https://gfycat.com/@MissionImpossible.