Welcome to the Purkinje Effect project page!
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Logline: During an eclipse party a biologist specializing in extinct toads discovers that a strange psychoactive substance leads to forgiveness from a dead friend, and a missed opportunity for personal growth. Synopsis: After returning from an expedition to the Black Rock Desert, Jessup, a Biologist, shares the story of his meeting a Czech botanist living with a lost tribe of hippies. The botanist has discovered a unique and very powerful psychoactive substance derived from a rare toad and a specific dung beetle fungus. Jessup brings a sample back to share with a group of grad school friends who are visiting his home to view the total solar eclipse. The substance, which Jessup has named Obliterene, takes effect during totality. The journey that Jessup makes brings him to encounter a dead friend, the forgiveness he has long needed, and a missed opportunity for personal growth. |
CAST AND CHARACTERS (for actors' motivation)
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Jessup (Andrew Dixon) Biologist, late 30s, earned his PhD at Bard College. Currently a tenured professor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. His home there was in the path of totality for the December 21, 2024 total solar eclipse. As it happens, that part of North America had the best cloud-free viewing. While aloof and stoic about it (mostly), Jessup is still deeply disturbed about the unresolved argument he had with his closest friend, Becker ... just before Becker departed for an ill-fated whitewater rafting trip from which he did not return. |
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Thomas (Nautic Von Horn) Late 30s, earned his PhD at Bard College in Religious Studies. Just awarded tenure at Azusa Pacific after publishing his life's major, and only, paper (absolutely seminal!) in the little known online journal Faithful Diets. Likes to think of himself as extraordinarily well-read, the smartest man in the room. |
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Jen (Ashley Arroyo) Earned her PhD at Bard College in Political Studies. In her late 30s, she checks her mailbox twice a day anticipating the notification from the Pulitzer committee that her academically acclaimed and best selling book, "Article I: On The Hairstyles of the Oval Office" has won in non-fiction. Her faculty colleagues at The University of the District of Columbia Community College find her ... tedious. |
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Theresa (Mary Beth Eversole) Never imagined that in her late 30s, with a PhD from Bard College in Political Studies, she would find herself in the academic halls of power at an elite institution. While in thrall with the view of the prairie from the Administration Building at Dakota College at Bottineau, she is secretly ashamed of having become an administrator after failing to earn tenure. |
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Gina (Jata Street) A tenured faculty at the University of Phoenix Chicago Campus, in her late 30s. PhD from Bard College in Sociology. Deep down she knew taking that faculty position was a serious step down. Nonetheless she holds out hope that this will somehow get her onto the faculty at the University of Chicago sometime before her current institution is scheduled to close in 2025. |
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Becker (Jon Corley) PhD in Popular Music from Bard College, a promising guitarist. Close friend of Jessup, dies in a whitewater rafting accident. He was 37 and is survived by his cat, Morph. |
TREATMENT
It's 4 p.m., December 21, as we open with Prof. Jessup Edward Fagan, a 38-year-old Biologist, putting the final touches on a set-up for the reunion-eclipse party. Four of his friends from grad school, all academics, are gathering at his home in Presque Isle, Maine. It's right on the path of totality. As his guests are about to arrive, he's paying special attention to a mix of powders he's grinding with a mortar and pestle. With the table set, he places it next to a warming fondue pot.
There are greetings as the guests arrive, all friends from grad school at Bard College. Jen and Theresa were in Political Studies, Thomas in Religious Studies, and Gina in Sociology. They often attended seminars and social events together. They are all now academics. There was to be a sixth guest, Becker, who was a music major at Bard, and a very close friend of Jessup. Unfortunately, Becker died 9 months ago ago on a whitewater rafting trip. Jessup deeply regrets an argument they had, and never resolved, before Becker left on his ill-fated trip.
They all gather in the kitchen, heavily decorated with holiday lights. As everyone chats we find that they are all quite awful people: rude, egotistical, caught up in their own little worlds, obsessed with the jargon of their academic disciplines. And all very good friends.
As the eclipse approaches Jessup tells the story of how, while in the field investigating a theory about an extinct toad species, he encountered a Czech botanist named Emanuel Purkinje.
Emanuel Purkinje is the great great great grandson of Czech anatomist Jan Purkyně, who discovered The Purkinje Effect. In this effect the eye-brain system perceives a color shift that occurs as light levels fall. Emanuel mysteriously disappeared while in the US desert southwest searching for a toad. This rare toad, when fed a fungus that grows in the dens of the dung beetle, was thought to secrete a substance that causes this effect -- but with extreme metaphysical impacts that could not be adequately described, let alone explained.
Jessup tells the story of how when investigating leads of the toad in northern Nevada he encountered a small tribe inhabiting a cave complex, Emanuel was among them. It was in 2008 that Emanuel met this group of hippies in Winnemucca as they were traveling to the Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert. Emanuel hopped a ride with the group as they followed error ridden Google Map directions to the event, only to become lost in the desert. They had never been heard from again.
But Emanuel had found the toad secretion. Jessup obtained a sample along with several toads and a bag of dung beetle nests containing the fungus. Leaving Emanuel and the Lost Google Tribe to their own fate, Jessup returned to his lab where he replicated the substance. He named it Obliterene, after the Greek Oracle of altered states, Obliterus Maximus.
As Jessup explains this he posits his theory that using this substance during a total eclipse would bring profound insight and open a portal to Becker. They all agree this would be great, and Jessup adds a powder to the simmering fondue.
Jessup announces it's time for the Obliterene. All partake in the fondue and make their way to the observatory, donning their eclipse glasses. As totality approaches Theresa remarks that she's not feeling anything, others agree. Jessup just smirks. Totality arrives, all remove their glasses and revel in the sight.
As totality progresses Jen remarks that it feels like she's been laying there for hours. How log has it been, Gina asks. Thomas gets up, pointing to the sky: "It's getting bigger!"
As they remain transfixed on the sky, we see that indeed the eclipse remains total and it is growing larger in the sky. Fear grows among them, and everybody begins to remark on feeling somehow afloat. Then, one by one, they find themselves transported to a mysterious space of time and wonder, surrounded by swirling clouds of colorful gas and fluid. They find themselves able to speak only in garbled sounds.
One by one the four disappear, leaving only Jessup. Suddenly a ghostly apparition of Becker appears. Becker and Jessup engage in a conversation about the unresolved disagreement they had, just before Becker's death. It turns out that Jessup has always been one of those obnoxious Grammar Correctors. He and Becker had a heated argument over the use of "your" and "you're" in casual texts. Jessup asks Becker to forgive him, he does.
Suddenly we find ourselves back in Jessup's home. Everyone is passed out in the living room and kitchen. Abruptly, Jessup awakens. All of the drapes are drawn, the room is dark, we don't know what time it is. Jessup slowly gets up and goes to the patio door. Quickly opening it we see it's a beautiful afternoon, sunshine and fluffy clouds.
Jessup re-enters the house and picks up a phone from the table. Turning on the camera he reveals a picture of the total eclipse ... filling the sky. Theresa then awakens with an Obliterene hangover. As she discuses this with Jessup we learn that some things never change.
It's 4 p.m., December 21, as we open with Prof. Jessup Edward Fagan, a 38-year-old Biologist, putting the final touches on a set-up for the reunion-eclipse party. Four of his friends from grad school, all academics, are gathering at his home in Presque Isle, Maine. It's right on the path of totality. As his guests are about to arrive, he's paying special attention to a mix of powders he's grinding with a mortar and pestle. With the table set, he places it next to a warming fondue pot.
There are greetings as the guests arrive, all friends from grad school at Bard College. Jen and Theresa were in Political Studies, Thomas in Religious Studies, and Gina in Sociology. They often attended seminars and social events together. They are all now academics. There was to be a sixth guest, Becker, who was a music major at Bard, and a very close friend of Jessup. Unfortunately, Becker died 9 months ago ago on a whitewater rafting trip. Jessup deeply regrets an argument they had, and never resolved, before Becker left on his ill-fated trip.
They all gather in the kitchen, heavily decorated with holiday lights. As everyone chats we find that they are all quite awful people: rude, egotistical, caught up in their own little worlds, obsessed with the jargon of their academic disciplines. And all very good friends.
As the eclipse approaches Jessup tells the story of how, while in the field investigating a theory about an extinct toad species, he encountered a Czech botanist named Emanuel Purkinje.
Emanuel Purkinje is the great great great grandson of Czech anatomist Jan Purkyně, who discovered The Purkinje Effect. In this effect the eye-brain system perceives a color shift that occurs as light levels fall. Emanuel mysteriously disappeared while in the US desert southwest searching for a toad. This rare toad, when fed a fungus that grows in the dens of the dung beetle, was thought to secrete a substance that causes this effect -- but with extreme metaphysical impacts that could not be adequately described, let alone explained.
Jessup tells the story of how when investigating leads of the toad in northern Nevada he encountered a small tribe inhabiting a cave complex, Emanuel was among them. It was in 2008 that Emanuel met this group of hippies in Winnemucca as they were traveling to the Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert. Emanuel hopped a ride with the group as they followed error ridden Google Map directions to the event, only to become lost in the desert. They had never been heard from again.
But Emanuel had found the toad secretion. Jessup obtained a sample along with several toads and a bag of dung beetle nests containing the fungus. Leaving Emanuel and the Lost Google Tribe to their own fate, Jessup returned to his lab where he replicated the substance. He named it Obliterene, after the Greek Oracle of altered states, Obliterus Maximus.
As Jessup explains this he posits his theory that using this substance during a total eclipse would bring profound insight and open a portal to Becker. They all agree this would be great, and Jessup adds a powder to the simmering fondue.
Jessup announces it's time for the Obliterene. All partake in the fondue and make their way to the observatory, donning their eclipse glasses. As totality approaches Theresa remarks that she's not feeling anything, others agree. Jessup just smirks. Totality arrives, all remove their glasses and revel in the sight.
As totality progresses Jen remarks that it feels like she's been laying there for hours. How log has it been, Gina asks. Thomas gets up, pointing to the sky: "It's getting bigger!"
As they remain transfixed on the sky, we see that indeed the eclipse remains total and it is growing larger in the sky. Fear grows among them, and everybody begins to remark on feeling somehow afloat. Then, one by one, they find themselves transported to a mysterious space of time and wonder, surrounded by swirling clouds of colorful gas and fluid. They find themselves able to speak only in garbled sounds.
One by one the four disappear, leaving only Jessup. Suddenly a ghostly apparition of Becker appears. Becker and Jessup engage in a conversation about the unresolved disagreement they had, just before Becker's death. It turns out that Jessup has always been one of those obnoxious Grammar Correctors. He and Becker had a heated argument over the use of "your" and "you're" in casual texts. Jessup asks Becker to forgive him, he does.
Suddenly we find ourselves back in Jessup's home. Everyone is passed out in the living room and kitchen. Abruptly, Jessup awakens. All of the drapes are drawn, the room is dark, we don't know what time it is. Jessup slowly gets up and goes to the patio door. Quickly opening it we see it's a beautiful afternoon, sunshine and fluffy clouds.
Jessup re-enters the house and picks up a phone from the table. Turning on the camera he reveals a picture of the total eclipse ... filling the sky. Theresa then awakens with an Obliterene hangover. As she discuses this with Jessup we learn that some things never change.
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Narrated video story board.
Technical notes, test shots, moodboard ...
Pitch: "Altered States meets The Big Chill, but with heart."
Homages: Steely Dan (multiple), Ingmar Bergman, RHCP, Natasha Bedingfield, The Big Chill, The Guess Who, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Seinfeld, Gordon Lightfoot, Brewer and Shipley, William Shakespeare, Kevin Nolan, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Homages: Steely Dan (multiple), Ingmar Bergman, RHCP, Natasha Bedingfield, The Big Chill, The Guess Who, Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead, Seinfeld, Gordon Lightfoot, Brewer and Shipley, William Shakespeare, Kevin Nolan, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Cinematography.
Leaning into some Ingmar Bergman in terms of blocking and camera movement. References include the "faces" compositions (e..g., from Persona) and a scene from Hour of the Wolf set at a dinner table. Note this series of shots takes the viewer from the outside of the group, then among them, and finally into the center of the group as the dialogue quickly builds. Also working to get close to the color effect from the opening party scene in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (still working on that).
Leaning into some Ingmar Bergman in terms of blocking and camera movement. References include the "faces" compositions (e..g., from Persona) and a scene from Hour of the Wolf set at a dinner table. Note this series of shots takes the viewer from the outside of the group, then among them, and finally into the center of the group as the dialogue quickly builds. Also working to get close to the color effect from the opening party scene in Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (still working on that).
from Hour Of the Wolf
Test shots, mood ...
Scene 1 (the argument) will be done in black and white with grain, old film look, as it is a memory.
Some architectural blocking for scene 2 (Thomas arrives)
Wide and medium table orbit, view out from table center (no subjects)
Overall, detail.
Jessup's monologue will be shot with a specialized vintage lens. Lighting on this being worked on, more face fill to come.
The eclipse (on green screen)