SyFy: 12 Monkeys

The Background

The SyFy Channel was preparing to air it's new television show, 12 Monkeys, based on the original 1995 science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, and looked for unique ways to keep fans engaged. In the weeks leading up to the premiere my team and I created a highly interactive digital experience that would leak extra story material to excited fans of the movie, promoting the new show. The website served as an online platform where fans of the show could access information about the series, watch trailers and teasers for upcoming episodes, read fictional documents, and uncover mysterious backstories from the plot of the show. Once the show began premiering the site continued to feed more information from the plot of the show that could engage users, and keep them waiting for the each new episode.

The Creative Direction

The website was be designed to reflect the style and theme of the series, with a dark, gritty look and feel. We took scenes and environments from the episodes and recreated them as an immersive virtual setting for fans to feel like they could participate in the storyline. The site was successful with the audience and got recognition for it’s inspired format while still being user-friendly and easy to navigate, with clear links to the various sections of the site.

Timeline

6 weeks

Role

Visual Designer

Skills

UX Design,
Visual Design

Client

Welcome Intro

Upon arriving at the microsite the user is prompted with a message describing the experience and offered the choice to begin or view a trailer for the show.

Trailers

Should the user choose to view the trailer prior to entering the main experience it would expand into a larger player with unique framing, while also allowing the user to expand further to fullscreen mode.

The Virus

When moving into the experience the user initially lands on the Virus Wall which describes the virus in the fictional world of the show. Each wall displays content built around the shows storyline in a format that visually fits the apocalyptic theme of the show. The wall itself is modeled after a board of collected intelligence within the show’s universe.

Expanded Images

When the user clicks on a piece of image content it expands to offer a better view.

Expanded Documents

When the user clicks on a piece of text content it expands for a better view, also allowing the user to zoom in to read finer pieces of text.

Dr. Railly

The wall of information on one of the show’s leading characters, Dr. Railly. This page allows users to discover secrets around how entangled she is in the main plot of the series.

The Temporal Facility

This page allows users to explore a wealth of information on the Temporal Facility, a fictional location in the show. Some of the show’s main events occur at this location and here the user can even find diagrams and maps that enhance the believability of the location.

Groups

In the series there are many fictional groups of people that form to establish their own way to power. This page features a wall of information on the main organized Groups in show's story.

Video Diaries

The wall of Video Diaries created to tell more about the show. These episodic updates are released over time on each new episode’s air date. The locked folders become new videos with deeper secrets of the show’s plot revealed.

When clicking on a video diary entry it expands to be viewed at a scale comfortable for the browser window.