NEGLECT can cause a BIG DAMAGE
Recently, I came across a film that left me shocked and in tears. The film was depicted so realistically that I had trouble distinguishing its re-enactment from real life. It brought to the surface emotions and understandings that I feel should be rustled up in every parent residing in Australia.
This film is called “One Decision” By Redcastle Productions, based in Utah, USA.
It is a child safety film that brings its audience face-to-face with the reality of child vehicular heat stroke. The storyline of the film strongly depicts how the simplest choices we make in everyday life can make or break our future and the future of our loved ones.
So why would Redcastle Productions want to distress parents in such a way?
The answer lies in the recurring headlines of every American and Australian summer, with every loss of a tiny soul at the hands of a seemingly simple mistake and with the choices we can make as individuals to prevent, act and save young children from another horrific tragedy.
Trigger Warning: The following film is extremely distressing, but it presents a problem that we must acknowledge:
One Decision – Redcastle Productions
Joining us today is The Director and inspiration behind the “One Decision” film, Isaac Barker.
First of all, thank you Isaac for joining us today at Tummy Bumps Bubz’n’kids. You’ve certainly become an inspiration in helping to create such an eye-opening film. For our readers who might not be aware of what vehicular heat stroke actually is, could you briefly describe it?
Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak to you and your readers. Vehicular Heat Stroke is hyperthermia within a vehicle. Say for example the temperature outside is 21°C, inside a car that temperature can reach 48°C. Anyone inside of that car, be it a child, adult, or pet, may sustain severe injury or even death with prolonged exposure. Children are the most susceptible to injury or death because the internal temperature of their bodies rises much faster. Within 15 minutes in an overheated car a child can suffer brain or kidney injuries. Once the body’s internal temperature reaches 40°C, organs shut-down and at 41.7°C the child dies.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? How close to home is the topic of child safety to you? One of the things people might be wondering is what inspired you personally to venture into the topic of child vehicular heat stroke?
I am the father of two beautiful young kids, one boy and one girl. In the summer of 2012 my daughter, who was 4 years old at the time, gave my wife and I a huge scare that would forever change the way we think about child safety. One afternoon I was working on my computer, editing a video project. I had this sudden feeling of dread. I couldn’t hear my daughter playing in her room any more. If you have kids, you know that if you can’t hear them they are most likely into trouble. I spent a good 15 minutes running around my house and the yard searching for her. I was beginning to panic, thinking of the awful things that could be happening to her. I was about ready to call the police, but then I had the thought come into my mind to go look in the garage. I went into the garage for the second time in my search and could hear my daughter’s faint cries coming from inside my car. I quickly opened the door and she was hysterically crying and sweating profusely. She had gone into the car to get her umbrella and the child safety locks were engaged, preventing her from exiting. The temperature within the car was nearing 37°C. If it would have taken 10 or 15 minutes longer to find her, she might have died.”
What is the philosophy behind the making of this film? What do you and Redcastle Productions want to achieve?
As a student film maker I was always thinking about what kind of projects I could work on. I began to research vehicular heatstroke and the dangers associated with it. I became obsessed with the idea of making a film related to my experience, in hopes of saving a child’s life. It took me a year to get everything ready to produce the film. I had recently graduated from the University of Utah in Film and Media Arts and was looking to produce my first film. With the help of my two friends Michael Corbett and Scott Stowers, we started our own production company, Redcastle Productions, and shot the film in June of 2013. We hope that this film can be seen by as many people as possible. It has now been translated into Arabic and Hebrew and is being broadcast in various forms all across the world. I know, through messages from those that have seen the film, that children’s lives have been saved. I have produced dozens of films over the past year, but nothing comes close to “One Decision”. It feels so good to know that you have made a positive difference in the world. I hope that the success of this film keeps spreading and like the slogan of our film, our goal is To Prevent, To Help, and To Save.”
It’s very scary to think how quickly these things can happen. Do you think by making “One Decision,” that Redcastle Productions has educated people about the statistics and risks involved in leaving a child in a parked car? I noticed a lot of people in the film see the child in distress, yet they did nothing to save him. Is this an accurate portrayal of real life? Does it happen often?
We would hope that most people who have seen the film understand the message and are taking active steps in either preventing the injury or death of their child or to make a decision to act if they see a child unattended in a car. Our motivation for not having the two women in the film take action, was spurred by a YouTube video titled, “Baby Left in Car – Social Experiment.” If you watch the video, you will see that many people who see or hear the child in the car don’t take any action. Many feel that it isn’t their responsibility or that someone else will take care of it. People who have watched our film have told us how angry they were at the two women and have asked the question, “Why didn’t they do anything?” Hopefully they think that question through and make the decision to take action if faced with the same situation.
(c) Redcastle Productions (Used with Permission)
Do you have any other tips or advice for Australian parents that might help them to take the safest precautions for child vehicular safety?
Yes, do not tell yourself that this kind of accident can’t happen to you. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. A better thing to say to yourself is, “I will not let this happen to me.” Here are some great ideas: Tell your daycare provider to call you at a certain time if you do not show up to drop your child off. Most deaths in the USA actually occur when a parent has forgotten to drop a child off at daycare and went into work. Another thing a parent can do is to place an item such as their purse, wallet, or phone next to the child’s car seat. Sometimes routines change and parents forget they have their child with them. Many new parents have a difficult time adjusting to the care of a child and need a few reminders.
Will Redcastle Productions be looking to produce any further films related to pregnancy, birth or parenting in the future? You did a marvellous job with “One Decision”. We could only imagine what other educational topics you could cover with your high-quality filmmaking.
We haven’t thought about those exact topics yet. Currently we are in production on about six different public service announcement films. They will cover some very challenging, but important material and could potentially be just as difficult to watch as “One Decision.” I think that as human beings we have to be emotionally shaken in order to be motivated to change. We feel that our style of filmmaking is able to do that.
Thank you again for joining us to discuss this topic of such paramount importance. Did you have anything else that you wanted to say?
Thank you again for this opportunity. I would like to extend an invitation to your readers if that is okay. We hope that they can bring themselves to watch our film “One Decision” and to take action. Also, if they would like to see more of our work or send us suggestions for future films, they can follow us on Facebook and YouTube.
According to news reports, there have been 19 cases of young children locked in cars in January alone during one of Victoria’s highest heat waves. Just one of these examples happened a few weeks ago, in Canberra, when a 10-month-old infant was rescued from a locked car by paramedics. This particular child had been left alone by her father outside the Tuggeranong Bunnings store as he went about his shopping for over half an hour. Had locals not taken action immediately after noticing the baby crying hysterically in the back of the parked sedan, things may have taken a turn for the worse.
“One Decision” is certainly a film our country needs to pay attention to. Imagine all the lives saved by the educational and grasping nature of this film.
To find more incredible films by Redcastle Productions, follow the links below to their YouTube channel, Website and Facebook Page.
What do you think? Should “One Decision” be featured on Australian television? Comment below and tell us your opinion.
Please share this important message and help save lives!
originally posted on http://www.homeandbabymagazine.com/?p=1846
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