Northern Protocols
In a bleak Northern spring, an arts collective of seniors navigates the intricate ECO-STAR methodology, seeking to apply its principles in their dystopian reality. They confront the systemic surveillance and cultural suppression, hoping to forge authentic connections through their art, but their quiet resistance may have already drawn unwanted attention.
# Northern Protocols
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a dystopian surveillance state, a small group of aging dissidents repurposes a corporate planning tool to architect a digital cultural rebellion, only to discover their secret sanctuary may have been compromised from the very beginning.
## Themes
* **Memory as Resistance:** The preservation of cultural history and personal stories as the ultimate act of defiance against a regime that seeks to erase them.
* **Age as a Cloak:** How a society that worships youth and productivity overlooks the revolutionary potential of its elderly, whose perceived obsolescence becomes their greatest tactical advantage.
* **Technology as a Double-Edged Sword:** The use of both salvaged, obsolete tech and modern encryption as tools for liberation, while simultaneously acknowledging that the digital world is also the primary tool of their oppression.
* **The Imposed vs. The Authentic:** The tension between the Authority's manufactured reality—filtered air, corporate narratives, projected needs—and the genuine, underlying environment and culture the group fights to uncover and reclaim.
## Stakes
The personal freedom and collective cultural memory of their community are at stake; discovery by the Authority would mean not only the end of their lives but also the permanent erasure of the history they are trying to save.
## Synopsis
In a dusty, hidden workshop within a bleak, controlled city, five elderly dissidents gather. EDMUND, their weary leader, projects a corporate framework called "ECO-STAR" onto a stained screen, intending to subvert its business-speak for their own revolutionary purpose. The group—LUCIE the artist, STEFFI the pragmatist, SIMON the cynic, and CHARLIE the quiet technician—begins by dissecting their "Environment," painting a grim picture of industrial pollution, constant surveillance, and manufactured scarcity imposed by the unseen "Authority."
As they move through the framework, they define their "Customer" as the city's disconnected populace and their "Opportunity" as the gaps in the Authority's total surveillance. Lucie proposes their solution: a "digital folklore archive," an untraceable, decentralized network to preserve the stories, songs, and memories the Authority has tried to erase. Charlie demonstrates how it could work, using encrypted, analogue pockets of the old networks.
The plan sparks a debate over the "Team." Bringing in skilled "data weavers" from the marginalized Outer Districts is essential for success but poses a huge security risk, a point Simon vehemently argues. Steffi counters, reminding him that they are all partfrom the same forgotten community, and Charlie proposes a technical safeguard. Their resolve solidifies as they define their "Advantage": their age and perceived irrelevance makes them invisible to the Authority. Their measure of "Results" won't be data points, but the rekindling of their community's spirit.
A fragile sense of triumph settles over the room. Just as Charlie is about to close the file, a sharp, unauthorized alert pings on his console. A stark red indicator flashes—an external breach. Their secure digital door has been knocked on. The hope instantly evaporates, replaced by the cold, terrifying realization that they are being watched.
## Character Breakdown
* **EDMUND (70s):** The group's anchor and facilitator. His body is failing him, with arthritic hands and an aching knee, but his mind and resolve are sharp. He guides the group with a weary patience, his hope a fragile but persistent flame against the encroaching darkness.
* **Psychological Arc:** Edmund begins the meeting feeling the immense weight of their task, his hope a "weary thrum" battling his physical and emotional exhaustion. Through the collaborative process, he is re-energized by his team's spark of defiance, ending with a renewed sense of purpose. This fragile triumph is instantly shattered by the final alert, plunging him from cautious optimism into a state of cold, stark dread.
* **LUCIE (60s):** The artist and the soul of the collective. Deeply observant, she translates the world's harsh data points into sensory, emotional truths. She is the keeper of the "why," providing the cultural and humanistic grounding for their technical rebellion.
* **STEFFI (60s):** The pragmatist and strategist. Calm, precise, and firm, she connects their abstract ideas to historical context and practical reality. She is the voice of reason that tempers both Simon's cynicism and Lucie's idealism.
* **SIMON (70s):** The cynic and realist. Jaded and deeply suspicious of everything, he serves as the group's necessary devil's advocate. His paranoia is born from painful experience, but beneath it lies a fierce, protective loyalty and a buried desire to be proven wrong.
* **CHARLIE (60s):** The silent technician. A man of immense skill and few words, his hands are always busy on a console, building the digital architecture of their plans. He is the quiet, essential engine of the operation, making the impossible seem plausible through code.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE FRAMEWORK:** In a hidden workshop, Edmund introduces the "ECO-STAR" model. The team's initial, weary discussion of their "Environment" establishes the oppressive nature of their world and their individual personalities.
2. **THE OPPORTUNITY:** The group identifies their "Customer" as the disenfranchised and their "Opportunity" as the unmonitored, analogue gaps in the system. The idea for a "digital folklore archive" is born—a way to give people back their own history.
3. **THE SOLUTION & THE RISK:** Charlie visualizes the decentralized, untraceable network. The plan solidifies, but a debate erupts over recruiting outside "data weavers," pitting Simon's security concerns against Steffi's belief in community trust.
4. **THE ADVANTAGE:** The group defines their unique advantage: their age and societal irrelevance make them invisible. They find a shared purpose, agreeing their success will be measured in renewed community spirit, not data. A moment of quiet, unified hope.
5. **THE BREACH:** As the meeting concludes on this high note, an unexpected, external system alert sounds. A stark red indicator flashes on Charlie's screen. Their secure network has been compromised. The five dissidents freeze, their fragile hope instantly replaced by the chilling certainty that they have been found.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style is grounded and lo-fi, characterized by low-key, naturalistic lighting. The color palette is desaturated and cool—industrial greys, muted blues, and the brown of dust and decay—reflecting the oppressive, sterile environment. The only sources of vibrant color are the pixelated greens and blues emanating from the salvaged computer screens. The camera will favor intimate close-ups on weathered faces, arthritic hands, and the intricate details of obsolete technology repurposed for a new age.
The tone is quiet, cerebral, and tense, blending the intellectual rigor of a strategic planning session with the simmering paranoia of a Cold War spy thriller. It is a slow-burn narrative that builds atmosphere through dialogue and subtle environmental details, culminating in a sudden, sharp moment of dread. **Tonal comparisons:** Aligns with the grounded, near-future speculative fiction of *Black Mirror*, the quiet intellectual rebellion of *Fahrenheit 451*, and the lo-fi sci-fi aesthetic of *Primer*.
**Format:** Short Film / Anthology Episode | **Est. Length:** 10-12 minutes
## Logline
In a dystopian surveillance state, a small group of aging dissidents repurposes a corporate planning tool to architect a digital cultural rebellion, only to discover their secret sanctuary may have been compromised from the very beginning.
## Themes
* **Memory as Resistance:** The preservation of cultural history and personal stories as the ultimate act of defiance against a regime that seeks to erase them.
* **Age as a Cloak:** How a society that worships youth and productivity overlooks the revolutionary potential of its elderly, whose perceived obsolescence becomes their greatest tactical advantage.
* **Technology as a Double-Edged Sword:** The use of both salvaged, obsolete tech and modern encryption as tools for liberation, while simultaneously acknowledging that the digital world is also the primary tool of their oppression.
* **The Imposed vs. The Authentic:** The tension between the Authority's manufactured reality—filtered air, corporate narratives, projected needs—and the genuine, underlying environment and culture the group fights to uncover and reclaim.
## Stakes
The personal freedom and collective cultural memory of their community are at stake; discovery by the Authority would mean not only the end of their lives but also the permanent erasure of the history they are trying to save.
## Synopsis
In a dusty, hidden workshop within a bleak, controlled city, five elderly dissidents gather. EDMUND, their weary leader, projects a corporate framework called "ECO-STAR" onto a stained screen, intending to subvert its business-speak for their own revolutionary purpose. The group—LUCIE the artist, STEFFI the pragmatist, SIMON the cynic, and CHARLIE the quiet technician—begins by dissecting their "Environment," painting a grim picture of industrial pollution, constant surveillance, and manufactured scarcity imposed by the unseen "Authority."
As they move through the framework, they define their "Customer" as the city's disconnected populace and their "Opportunity" as the gaps in the Authority's total surveillance. Lucie proposes their solution: a "digital folklore archive," an untraceable, decentralized network to preserve the stories, songs, and memories the Authority has tried to erase. Charlie demonstrates how it could work, using encrypted, analogue pockets of the old networks.
The plan sparks a debate over the "Team." Bringing in skilled "data weavers" from the marginalized Outer Districts is essential for success but poses a huge security risk, a point Simon vehemently argues. Steffi counters, reminding him that they are all partfrom the same forgotten community, and Charlie proposes a technical safeguard. Their resolve solidifies as they define their "Advantage": their age and perceived irrelevance makes them invisible to the Authority. Their measure of "Results" won't be data points, but the rekindling of their community's spirit.
A fragile sense of triumph settles over the room. Just as Charlie is about to close the file, a sharp, unauthorized alert pings on his console. A stark red indicator flashes—an external breach. Their secure digital door has been knocked on. The hope instantly evaporates, replaced by the cold, terrifying realization that they are being watched.
## Character Breakdown
* **EDMUND (70s):** The group's anchor and facilitator. His body is failing him, with arthritic hands and an aching knee, but his mind and resolve are sharp. He guides the group with a weary patience, his hope a fragile but persistent flame against the encroaching darkness.
* **Psychological Arc:** Edmund begins the meeting feeling the immense weight of their task, his hope a "weary thrum" battling his physical and emotional exhaustion. Through the collaborative process, he is re-energized by his team's spark of defiance, ending with a renewed sense of purpose. This fragile triumph is instantly shattered by the final alert, plunging him from cautious optimism into a state of cold, stark dread.
* **LUCIE (60s):** The artist and the soul of the collective. Deeply observant, she translates the world's harsh data points into sensory, emotional truths. She is the keeper of the "why," providing the cultural and humanistic grounding for their technical rebellion.
* **STEFFI (60s):** The pragmatist and strategist. Calm, precise, and firm, she connects their abstract ideas to historical context and practical reality. She is the voice of reason that tempers both Simon's cynicism and Lucie's idealism.
* **SIMON (70s):** The cynic and realist. Jaded and deeply suspicious of everything, he serves as the group's necessary devil's advocate. His paranoia is born from painful experience, but beneath it lies a fierce, protective loyalty and a buried desire to be proven wrong.
* **CHARLIE (60s):** The silent technician. A man of immense skill and few words, his hands are always busy on a console, building the digital architecture of their plans. He is the quiet, essential engine of the operation, making the impossible seem plausible through code.
## Scene Beats
1. **THE FRAMEWORK:** In a hidden workshop, Edmund introduces the "ECO-STAR" model. The team's initial, weary discussion of their "Environment" establishes the oppressive nature of their world and their individual personalities.
2. **THE OPPORTUNITY:** The group identifies their "Customer" as the disenfranchised and their "Opportunity" as the unmonitored, analogue gaps in the system. The idea for a "digital folklore archive" is born—a way to give people back their own history.
3. **THE SOLUTION & THE RISK:** Charlie visualizes the decentralized, untraceable network. The plan solidifies, but a debate erupts over recruiting outside "data weavers," pitting Simon's security concerns against Steffi's belief in community trust.
4. **THE ADVANTAGE:** The group defines their unique advantage: their age and societal irrelevance make them invisible. They find a shared purpose, agreeing their success will be measured in renewed community spirit, not data. A moment of quiet, unified hope.
5. **THE BREACH:** As the meeting concludes on this high note, an unexpected, external system alert sounds. A stark red indicator flashes on Charlie's screen. Their secure network has been compromised. The five dissidents freeze, their fragile hope instantly replaced by the chilling certainty that they have been found.
## Visual Style & Tone
The visual style is grounded and lo-fi, characterized by low-key, naturalistic lighting. The color palette is desaturated and cool—industrial greys, muted blues, and the brown of dust and decay—reflecting the oppressive, sterile environment. The only sources of vibrant color are the pixelated greens and blues emanating from the salvaged computer screens. The camera will favor intimate close-ups on weathered faces, arthritic hands, and the intricate details of obsolete technology repurposed for a new age.
The tone is quiet, cerebral, and tense, blending the intellectual rigor of a strategic planning session with the simmering paranoia of a Cold War spy thriller. It is a slow-burn narrative that builds atmosphere through dialogue and subtle environmental details, culminating in a sudden, sharp moment of dread. **Tonal comparisons:** Aligns with the grounded, near-future speculative fiction of *Black Mirror*, the quiet intellectual rebellion of *Fahrenheit 451*, and the lo-fi sci-fi aesthetic of *Primer*.