NBC MAN

PREMISE

The idea began as a music video concept Sertao Blues (slovo), particularly the lyrics which inspired me; see below for more on this. It would follow one character clad in NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) gear as he explored a barren world, leading the viewer to believe this is a post apocalyptic landscape. This concept came from the idea that if the end of the world was imminent my brother said he would take what he could and retreat to the Wye Valley in Wales (where we camped as scouts) to find refuge.

The climax of the short piece would end with the main character discovering another live human, but instead of the two meeting and talking, the main character proceeds to beat and kill this new person and then take his food and belongings.

The ultimate goal of the piece is to retract the common cliché of post-apocalyptic depiction as typified in the horrifyingly bad show The Tribe (where kids have time to apply laboriously detailed makeup to themselves instead of thinking about survival).

The second point of the piece is to depict the absence of civilised humanity and the cynicism it would breed in surviving individuals. There is no trace or hope of re-building society, no righteousness with the character; he is intended purely on animalistic survival.

The third point is to highlight the fallacy of the character’s assumed protection from the outside world, or more importantly the assumption that the protection is perpetual and indestructible without any need for service. By wearing an artificial layer which physically distances himself from the world around him the protagonist believes he can do no harm and no harm can befall him even though he must break the suit’s protective integrity to eat and shit.