Just Yell Fire is a freely distributed film aimed at teaching young girls to defend themselves against attackers. Started as a school project by Dallas Jessup and Catherine Wehage, then freshmen at St. Mary's Academy in Portland, Oregon, the project grew to include the celebrity endorsement of Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly of the television show Lost.
The video teaches viewers weak points on an attacker's body and how to effectively cause enough pain to those points to escape. It also tells viewers how to avoid becoming a target for rape and kidnapping to begin with.
The film's title references a point made in the video: that yelling "help" or "rape" may frighten potential witnesses or rescuers away, while yelling "fire" tends to draw a crowd.
Dallas Jessup and Catherine Wehage started this project as part of a community service project for their school. The original intent was to do a quick shoot on a hand-held video camera over single weekend. When that plan was delayed, it gave the film an opportunity to grow, acquiring a professional crew and the celebrity endorsement of Evangeline Lilly.
