Since a “clif” is a mashup, Cherrier insists that “deep down, [he] did not invent anything.” But if nothing else, he developed a short storyline and brought it to life in a unique format.

The first few GIFs scenes of BXBY are rather lighthearted — a woman wakes up on a leaf-strewn floor with balloons tied to her. Before she has time to brush off the leaves tangled in her tresses, a man approaches her with a rifle in tow. What begins as a quirky pastoral quickly escalates into a chase scene.

Image courtesy of Quentin Cherrier, BXBY

For a while, it seems like the man is hunting the woman, and the heightened tension seems strange for a short film that began with whimsical, optimistic iconography. But as it turns out, he’s simply after the colorful bouquet of balloons floating above the woman’s head. After a few scenes of cat-and-mouse, the man shoots down his target, showering the protagonist with bits of balloon debris.

Image courtesy of Quentin Cherrier, BXBY

Cherrier captured all the footage for the “clif” in one day — not your typical timeframe for a film. Augustin Charnet, the lead singer of the band KiD WISE, provided the soundtrack for the film (a song also titled “BXBY”), and artist Elen Blimo designed the film’s website.

Cherrier’s goal was to create a story you can follow at your own pace. Scrolling through BXBY and the individual GIF components creates exactly this kind of experience.

Image courtesy of Quentin Cherrier, BXBY

http://mashable.com/2013/07/10/bxby-gif-film/