5ft Look Book Snippets
Over the next few months, we'll be posting some snippets from the 5ft LookBook. Here's the thing, in light of the current situation with the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it's an odd thing to see words, scenarios and plot lines that are occurring in the real word at this moment.
The world of 5ft focuses on a small mid-western town and how they psychologically and physically survive in a world 15 years after a world wide virus has wiped out nearly 80% of the population. The kicker in 5ft is that the virus is triggered in the human body by being near each other. The result; the bodies blood solidifies and unfortunately the person suffocates from within. Therefore, the idea of social-distancing and self isolation is imperative in this universe.
The following is a snippet from 2017 that lays the groundwork for this series.
Virus and apocalyptic productions pit humans against monsters, villains and other humans. They need to overcome their fear of evil and the unknown while trying to survive. 5 Feet also focuses on fear but from a different perspective. There’s the fear of other humans who are too close. But even more gruesome is the the fear of being alone for years or even decades without any human contact. It’s a constant psychological beat down day after day to be surrounded by others yet remain distant.
Each episode will show the struggle and awkwardness of living in a world where 15% of the remaining population is essentially a self contained killing machine. Tension permeates the air everyday with death always present when another person is nearby. A simple mistake as turning a corner without announcing yourself can lead to catastrophe. The Pure aren’t off the hook either, infection and another outbreak is just a breath away if an Infected gets inside the wall.
The main theme of 5 feet is coping. It’s navigating precarious situations and what it takes to get to the next day or even to the next destination. It’s the pressure of an infected person trying to calculate your moves every day so that you don’t get too close to someone and instantly die. It’s supplementing your rations with your own produce in the winter, if it will last that long. It’s a grind for everyone, a slow moving, soul sucking march to either your natural death or one by the closeness of another human. And in the end, it’s a fair question for everyone to ask themselves what keeps them going year after year?
5 feet will explore similar moral discussions that we experience today. What is the responsibility of a smaller population that is in a better position to take care of much larger population that needs help? What rights and under what conditions can a group of people be excluded from a lifestyle like others? What rights do people have to break perceived rules in society and live their own lives on their own terms? There is also the moral dispute of the Pure being confined to their cities and wanting to move on with their lives outside of the walls. Is it their destiny to live decades within the city? Is it acceptable for them to move on with their lives?
The series follows five main characters who each play a critical role to revealing the difficult actions they and others make in order to survive and cope. It also touches on the selfless actions that still exist and shows that people can still remain sympathetic to each other. The storyline traces the lives of a scientist, funeral operator, warehouse worker, lawman and a fatalist in the 2nd ring and shows how their decisions and intersections with each other unfold into chaos. Each episode unveils layers of deceit, corruption and fear to show what it takes to survive in this new society. It also reveals what happens when someone miscalculates another person’s honesty or moral compass.
We'll be posting more from the series over the next few months.
