To raise awareness about the trafficking of young people in the US, Ohio agency Catbird chose Studio AKA director Manddy Wyckens to directly engage children ages 11 to 18 with this animated work for child service agency Bellefaire JCB.

Manddy Wyckens: “Bellefaire was a singularly beautiful project. The most challenging part was figuring out how to represent complex notions; depersonalization, isolation, and entrapment, while staying relatable for teenagers who might be facing those situations.

“We relied a lot on visually impactful colors to convey the fluctuating feelings of happiness, uneasiness, fear, and the hopelessness that represents the emotional journey of the victims.

“The client guided us on real-life experiences and how to best to depict them, and I hope that visually the viewer experiences the emotion and empathy in this film.

“The characters were animated by hand in TV Paint and After Effects and the environments that both entrance and ensnare the protagonist evoke the trials of the abusive relationships in which the trafficked victims often find themselves.”
 

Client: Bellefaire JCB

Agency: Catbird
Creative Director: Kevin Floyd, Paul Forsyth
Producer: Nikki Di Franco

Production: Studio AKA
Director: Manddy Wyckens
Producer: Nikki kefford, Sharon Titmarsh
Designer: Manddy Wyckens
Animator: Léa Justum/Marlène Beaube/Reg Isaac/Anne-Louise Graoww
Coordinator: Justine Waldie
Assistant: Matthias Cuciniello, Matthew Armitage, Michael Douglas
Compositor: Paul Cheshire
Editor: Nic Gill

Music: David Pape