St. Charles Youth Makes YouTube Film About Bullying
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An aspiring young filmmaker from west suburban St. Charles has produced a video about bullying that has become a sensation on YouTube.
"The Bully," a 6 minute 38 second video by Jonah Maxwell, who is entering the 7th grade, has been viewed more than 106,000 times since it was posted on Sunday.
Jonah wrote and directed the film, with the help of his parents, and classmates who help narrate the message about bullying.
"It's almost impossible to guess how much of this goes on after school on Facebook, Twitter, Kik, Poke, Whisper, Tumblr, Voxer, Vine, or Instagram. My dad told me that when he was a kid, the bullying would stop at 3:30 every day. I told him it's not like that anymore. They can get you 24/7. They can get you anytime, anywhere," one boy says at the end of the film.
Jonah's classmates star in the film as faceless bullies, and as smiling friends. Narrators say, if you are a victim of bullying, you have to tell someone.
The film ends with the message "it's as easy to be nice as it is to be mean, and manners and respect cost nothing. Our school years are short, but the days can seem forever if it's happening to you."
Reviews on YouTube include "effective," "awesome," and "powerful."