A new anti-bullying campaign from The Ad Council "aged" three teenage bullying victims ten years into the future to emphasize to their friends how their kindness ultimately affected their lives.

The project, by agency TBD, is designed to show how small acts of kindness can have a profound impact on teenagers growing up. The technology involved making 3D models of the teenagers and virtually aging them (see the behind-the-scenes film, below for more on how it was done). The teens who stepped in for the bullied kids were then surprised with a live message from their "older" friends, thanking them for being there for them when they had been tormented.

"We knew we wanted to age the kids by 10 years in a live, real-time setting to create an emotionally raw experience,” noted Anrick Bergman, the film’s director in a statement.  “To achieve this, we started by scanning data of the teen’s face. Then we digitally changed the shape of a blank face to match their facial features and movements, capturing not just how they look, but how they move, talk, and their small, unique, behavioral micro signals. By using a TrueDepth camera setup, we allowed them to control their older selves in real-time, to create an honest way for them to pay a heartfelt thank you to their friend.”

The project is a follow-up to 2018's "Honest Yearbook" campaign, also by TBD, which also put the spotlight on how kids can help victims of bullying.

“Last year we flipped the concept on how anti-bullying campaigns have always been done in the past.” said Rafael Rizuto, co-founder and chief creative officer at TBD. “This year we wanted to evolve the campaign to show them that their words and actions have a long-lasting impact."