"Sense of Emergency": Madeline Down on First Responder PTSD

Three Key Takeaways

Sense of Emergency is a deeply personal story inspired by a real-life rescue and explores PTSD in first responders.
Madeline Down’s filmmaking style blends economical storytelling with innovative time manipulation to reflect trauma’s effects.
Independent filmmaking thrives on community, collaboration, and mindful compromise, values central to this film’s creation.

Seattle-based filmmaker Madeline Down brings her documentary and sports storytelling expertise to her latest narrative short, Sense of Emergency. Selected for HollyShorts 2025, the film stars Luke Barnett and weaves a poignant story of a veteran paramedic grappling with PTSD. Produced alongside Brad Johnson, the project is a labor of love that honors the unseen sacrifices of first responders.

Q&A Interview

What drew you to make this film? Why this story, and why now?

In March of 2024, my mom suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at my wedding reception in Rochester, Michigan. She survived against all odds (less than 2%) thanks to the life saving work of first responders. As she recovered, we were told time and again how rare it was to survive this, often by the first responders themselves.

It became clear that her recovery was a wonder to the men and women in these professions. And, during our time at the hospital, and since, it became clear to me that “wins” like my mom don’t come often enough in a profession that demands such a great physical and mental toll.

This experience is at the heart of why I wrote Sense of Emergency.

Inspired by Bryan, a real first responder in Rochester Hills, MI who loves renaissance fairs, playing the drums, and saving the lives of people like my mom, Sense of Emergency is a love letter to first responders, and tells the story of a local medic struggling with the emotional, mental and spiritual highs and lows that come with his profession.

At the core, this is a story about an ordinary human, who does the extraordinary. Today, we live in a world of extremes. There is little coverage or stories about people who quietly change lives. Often, we don't think about those kinds of people until we need them most. With this being a true story, we hope it inspires everyone to appreciate the unsung heroes around us everyday.

What surprised you most about the filmmaking process this time—creatively or logistically? Was there a moment on set or in post that completely changed how you saw the story?

What surprised me the most about the process was in the breaking of the story itself. I wanted to play with time and use it as a mechanism to represent it passing but also moments where the main character felt "stuck" in time. That meant I had to have a strict set of rules of how many times I would do an effect (before it felt gimmicky) and how much I would trust the audience to pick up on small cues. One of my greatest pet peeves is when as an audience member I am not trusted to see or hear key elements of the story. However, that resulted in a LOT of conversation with my crewmembers on how much trust is TOO much (i.e. now the story is too opaque) and how much was too little.

Before we filmed, I changed my script and added a couple elements that changed the story to actually make the ending a bit more personal. That was on draft 10 or 11 of my rewrites, as I "changed hats" from being the writer, to the director - I felt some of the story just wasn't working. I am very happy I added those elements, and I hope it helps with the time play and the twist at the end.

Is there a moment in the film that feels the most you—something only you could have made?

I think the place where my style peeks through a lot is in the montage leading up to the twist, as I come from a sports/docustyle background where I spent years playing with making a big impact in a little amount of time.

Overall, I hope the film feels very economical. I was very mindful that I felt it flowed, even though the pacing should feel methodical and a bit wishy washy with time, I think my sense of economy in the edit is something also unique to my style - because of my background in hyper-short editing and directing.

What was the hardest creative decision you made while making this film?

With this being a personal story, it was always a balance for me of how MUCH of myself I inject into this. In a nutshell, I wanted to this feel universal enough to print onto anyone's experience with PTSD. My hope is that people watch it and takeaway my core point: that those who struggle with trauma everyday can often see trauma in OTHERS before they recognize it in themselves. I was mapping my own way of coping with a tough experience onto a profession that I felt were the 'experts' if you will of having to push through as trauma is so linked to their daily work.

I think the most difficult choice was how I decided to end the story with my sister sitting in at the last scene and my mom in the bed (you'll get it when you see the film). I wrestled with this, because I was asking my family to relive their own wounds, recreating a moment that hurt us all. We had a lot of conversation about it and ultimately made the decision together. It created a palpable emotion in the room for our Lead Actor, Luke, that I think cemented the film's last scene in a reality that would not have worked otherwise. I am very grateful to my family for extending their hearts and minds in order for the emotions of the film to really hit.

What do you hope audiences take away from your film?

“Rather than glorifying heroism, this film questions what it costs.”

We see Bryan’s struggle to maintain a facade of normalcy while dealing with the silent accumulation of pain that emergency workers are often expected to carry without acknowledgment.

At its core, Sense of Emergency is about invisible wounds; and how those who have suffered trauma can often recognize its toll in others, before they see it in themselves.

I would love if audiences took away that sacrifice takes many forms - and often the bravest thing is to simply keep going.

Independent filmmakers often rewrite the rules out of necessity. What do you think is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into that on this project?

I think the greatest strength of any filmmaking process is your community. Through my years in different filmmaking environments I think the one skill I have honed the best is my assembly of the team behind the film. I am very, very proud to be surrounded by the people who join me on every set. Inherent in that strength of community is the willingness to work together and a lack of ego.

“I believe independent filmmaking at its best is a group of people having a blast, nearly pinching themselves, that we get to tell stories all day with people we love.”

For me, that's what filmmaking is all about, and I can tell in the product when a group has it or not.

For a broader answer, when I give advice to anyone starting out, I always say pick the three things you care about. Making a film or series is all about mindful compromise. There are about 100 things you'll need to make decisions on, most of which you will need to bend your previously conceived notion of how it will go. Pick 3 you really care about. Think about it BEFORE you even start. What won't you compromise on? Then, have the mindset of collaboration and the willingness to learn on the other 97. By the end, it will not only feel like YOURS it will feel like THEIRS (your crew, your mentors, etc) and that to me is the best end product. For example, one of my three is always a no-ego crew. I'll let you guess the other two :)

What does it mean to you to have your film selected for HollyShorts?

It is such an honor to be selected at HollyShorts. Not only for the high esteem this festival is held in within the community, but because of the networking and opportunities it presents. Last year when I was selected in the Sports category, I was at the festival for 2 days. In those 2 days I met so many people I am now working on projects with in the past year. That is so, so incredibly valuable to me. HollyShorts is a fantastic festival and place to learn, grow and build your filmmaking career.

Where do you see this film going next?

Our goal is to continue our festival run for the next year or so, with HollyShorts being our first selection. After our festival run is over we will announce where it will live, likely an online release.

"At the core of all my work is a desire to tell cinematic, human stories with honesty, empathy, and a sprinkle or two of humor."

Cast & Crew

Madeline Down — Director, Writer, Producer. Seattle-based filmmaker with a background in sports storytelling and documentary style narratives; co-founder of Studio89.
Brad Johnson — Producer. Screenwriter and director with a focus on character-driven stories; advocate for inclusivity in entertainment.
Luke Barnett — Lead Actor. Known for Faith Based and roles in Dark Winds and List of a Lifetime.