Pizza Hut Just Made a Cinemagraph TV Ad, and It’s Oddly Hypnotic

We've written a lot about cinemagraphs, those mostly still photos that are animated by a small amount of video, producing an image that in some ways is more captivating that either photo or video alone. Now, cinemagraph software company Flixel has produced what it says is the first cinemagraph TV commercial—a Pizza Hut spot that's been airing on truTV's Billy on the Street, featuring comedian Billy Eichner.

The ad shows a couple taking a selfie in Times Square. But while they are still (except for the dude's weirdly undulating dollar bill), everything else is moving around them—at super fast pace. The Pizza Hut branding shows up to the left and right of the couple—in a digital billboards that featuring scrolling text and a static logo that comes and goes.

It's definitely eye-catching, even hypnotic, though way busier than typical cinemagraphs. 

The spot has been playing on truTV for 10 seconds during Billy on the Street as a lead-in to a full Pizza Hut commercial.

The ad was created using a combination of Flixel apps including Persecond for Mac, Cinemagraph Pro for Mac and traditional animation software. Check out the behind-the-scenes footage below.