Through the story of one family's near fatal experience, this documentary explores the little known, often deadly, consequences of Shallow Water Blackout or what is known as underwater hypoxic blackout.
Learn about the dangers of Shallow Water Blackout and how to prevent it's occurrence.
OUTREACH
DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH is a short film created because we came in contact with a family that had experienced a Shallow Water Blackout. Having never heard of this random medical event, we were compelled to listen. As the story unfolded, I found myself immersed in the collective drama of a family dealing with this crisis and its aftermath with a non-tragic ending. Survival is a complicated road to travel and always powerful when layering individuals in the same family navigating its path. Editorially, the film lent itself to documentary storytelling; who they were, how it happened, and where the incident took place. Yet, cinematically, the vision was a hybrid approach, using actors to portray the family in certain instances. Mixing the family members back and forth with their doppelgangers without coloring within strict lines, allows a viewer to see the characters as real but the action as dramatic representation. We believe this film tells a tender family story, with a harrowing emergency scenario, and the search for answers to “why am I still here.”
All films are challenging in their own ways, Don't Hold Your Breath was both logistically and editorially a strange mix of art, tech, science and emotion. As we worked to create a truly cinematic and emotional viewer experience, we worked hard to have the technology and artistic touches needed to make the film seamless. The idea was to a literally "immerse" the audience into the story as if they were right there, a family member witnessing this unexpected event. We were blessed with a tremendous wealth of talent on our crew, an amazing DP, talented casting director and top-notch coordinator, crew, and editorial/postproduction team, as well as the unflinching support of the Watson family we worked to lay bare the essence of their experience publicly, but sensitively so that all could learn how to avoid this scenario. Our mission was to take people on an unforgettable cinematic journey that would impact the way anyone views entering the water again. Impact, information, and original ideas and financing for films is the recipe that most producers dream of...this had all of that and more. We are grateful that we were picked to share this story and that we had the ability to interpret it in such a rich visual style with all the tools and talent we could muster. Thanks to all the families who lost their children to this tragedy who helped support the making of this film.
With Gratitude for the opportunity to tell an important story once again,
Lee Anderson, Producer
