Every year more than 1500 children are reported missing in Belgium. Some remain missing for years. The attention decreases, the 'missing posters' start blending into the background. But just because a case remains unsolved for years does not make it less important to the families and to Child Focus, the Belgian Center for Missing Children. They keep on hoping for answers. Even years later every tip can lead to a breakthrough. We had to recapture the public’s attention for the older cases to reach possible witnesses. People that may know something but have never spoken up. If the whole country starts talking about these children again or shares their search messages, the chance that possible witnesses will feel the need to talk to the police, increases. The objectives were to create a visible, relevant, but most of al striking way to create awareness for long-term missing children in Belgium.

To keep hope alive, we literally brought the original posters of six long-term missing children to life.

Using a 3D mask technique, we brought natural movement to the pictures, from eye movements and blinking to larger movements and facial quirks.

Turning these mostly ignored portraits into gripping confrontations on social media and digital billboards.

The moving pictures were spread via hundreds of digital billboards in major train stations and subway stations. By adding sudden movement to the original posters we surprised people and made them pay attention these children again. Child Focus normally uses normal posters to spread messages. By choosing digital billboards and adding sudden movement to the old pictures, we created something that's never been done before, using the strength of this medium.

Viewers were directed to a separate webpage for each missing child, where they could read more about the disappearances and also share the search messages.

Using a 3D mask technique, we brought natural movement to the pictures, from eye movements and blinking to larger movements and facial quirks.

In social we used the autoplay function of video. By making our video look like it was a still poster for a missing child, viewers were surprised when the image suddenly started moving. The same system was applied in hundreds of digital bilboards in major train stations in Belgium and subway stations in Brussels. By adding sudden movement to the original posters we surprised people and made them pay attention to the missing children again.

Viewers were directed to a separate webpage for each missing child, where they could read more about the disappearances and also share the search messages.