Inspired by Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s Oscar-nominated short film “Mother,” I thought about when I was my little brother’s age, we never had to duck, cover, and hold for an active shooter. I noticed how saturated depictions of school shootings are in the media today. Afraid to fuel the fire of violent shock-value melodrama, I knew I didn’t want to hear a single gunshot in this film. I could hear a sigh of relief from the crew when they realized what the coda meant. One take, Nial, the Sound Operator said, “Wow, I forgot to breathe.” I smiled because I’d forgotten too.