I Am A Witness

http://iwitnessbullying.org/

This anti-bullying website features a short but powerful, interactive animation to spread an anti-bullying message. The animation features Jack, a boy who is bullied at school, and shows what happens to him on a bad day at school. These events include being kicked around, having food thrown at him, and being cyberbullied, among other things. What makes this animation so cool is that in each case of bullying there is an interactive feature that allows you to click an eye-shaped emoji to report the bullying, which instantly makes Jack's day better. They literally brighten up his day.

What makes this animation so powerful is how relatable it is. Everybody who has ever been bullied has felt the same way that Jack does, or have had similar things happen to them. The animation also really helps show what a powerful effect bystanders can have on harassment. Just simply reporting the bullying when it happens can help turn somebody's day around and even create friendships, or at the very least, understandings. This video needs to be one everybody is required to watch, due to its powerful and effective message.

Besides for the message, the actual animation and creation of the video was done very well. The animation isn't clean, but it shouldn't be. It helps retain a sense of closeness with the character, and prevents the audience from being too distracted by the animation. It keeps the audience close to what is happening to Jack. The character design of Jack is a bit strange, as he is seen as a one-eyed, blue-skinned boy, but it helps make the video less creepy in a way. A super-realistic animated person feels fake and creepy, so having an unrealsitic character design helps secure Jack to the medium he is presented in. Also, his cyclops nature helps relate to the eye emoji in design.

The music of the video is sweet and simple, just doing its job of supporting the content without drawing attention to itself.

There are, however, other qualities about the video that stand out. One of these things is the fact that there is no dialogue in the entire video, just sounds and music. This is a smart move by the creator- it conveys the message that actions speak louder than words. The other thing that sticks out is the fact that when one clicks the eye emoji, Jack's world literally gets brighter and the once mean actions turn nice- for example, instead of being pushed into his locker, Jack is given a high-five.

Overall, this video is very effective and relatable, and needs to be a video that society should live by. Report bullying when you see it.