Fusing and entertainment & security

• 'Hard Target' seeks to bridge a gap not noticed before

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

Robert Finzi-Smith is a familiar face from the television series Royal Palm Estate, where his Inspector Madden character is as much villain as lawman. He is also very comfortable on the live-performance stage, having figuratively split sides as a stand-up comedian.

However, the former Jamaica Defence Force member and security chief at the University of Technology (UTech) does not joke with the matter of security.

So, although there is an entertainment element to the television series done by Ricketts Productions, which he hosts, Hard Target, now about one-third through its first season, he is adamant that it is primarily about security.

The idea was born out of seminars he would do for various companies, where there would be anywhere from 20 to 100 persons attending to learn about workplace and personal security.

"Not every company had the money to lay down the cash to do a seminar, although they needed it. Everybody needs it. Not everybody can pay for it," Finzi-Smith said.

He asked himself how he could reach the widest audience possible at a low cost. He also was focused on prevention, as there are many programmes which show what happened after a crime, but did not take a preventative approach.

Making it easy

Coupled with this was the feedback from the husband of a woman who attended one workplace seminar, who said that he had made the content, about a decidedly serious and even grim subject, come across easily.

"I use the comedy background I have to make some of the things palatable. I would put it across with a humorous tinge so people remember, but they learn," Finzi-Smith said.

He conceptualised a TV show that was a combination of America's Most Wanted, Cops and Def Comedy Jam.

But there was a critical point that he wanted to zero in on, the point in a particular situation where everything started to go haywire.

"I said suppose I did a re-enactment and then said to people there is this point where everything starts to go bad. Suppose I showed them where things started to go wrong?" Finzi-Smith reasoned.

"You make it (the scenario) play right through to the end and then you rewind it." And, when it hits the point where things could have taken a different turn, he would show where the outcome could - and should - have been totally different.

Finzi-Smith gives the hypothetical scenario of a man who is about to leave his home, sees a car and feels afraid but, because he does not want to be considered a coward, leaves the safety of the dwelling anyway and ends up getting shot. At the point of seeing the car, he could - and should - have stayed inside the house and called the police.

"If it is somebody harmless, no harm done. If it was somebody dangerous, you have saved your family a funeral expense," Finzi-Smith said.

The connection with Ricketts Productions came when CEO Tommy Ricketts visited UTech to pitch a totally different project.

"We did a couple skits and started showing people. We showed an advertising firm and the head sat down for three hours with us. When the head of a major advertising firm gives you three hours, you have a winner."

So far, Hard Target episodes have been shot for school, home security, automobile and club situations. The last lends itself to vulnerability because of alcohol consumption, a general atmosphere of being unaware and what Smith calls the "lone-wolf mentality", where someone goes fun-seeking on their own.

"I am not saying you must not go out alone, but understand the potential dangers," he said.

He is aware of one critique, saying "we are aware that some people look at the programme and say we are talking about security to uptown people. Some of our sets might look that way but, as the programme progresses, we want to dispel that. Security issues affect us all, no matter your status in life."

There are already plans for the new season, where Finzi-Smith "will do a security home makeover for a single lady who has her own house".

He will do a walk-through, assessing the house and, for example, if the front door is not as firm as it should, a suitable one will be sourced at a hardware store and it will be installed to swing the correct way. He is confident that sponsors are already on board plus those willing to support Hard Target will provide many of the items.

"The person will go from a normal home to Fort Knox," Finzi-Smith said.