POPPY FIELDS
Written & Created by: Mand Paskuski
LOGLINE
(Gonzo Drama Series)
A young drug-dependent woman struggles to cope with her depressing existence in Regency England when a wounded stranger's life falls into her hands.
INTRODUCTION
&
SYNOPSIS
POPPY FIELDS is a one hour dramatic multi-episodic recurring series.
Set in Regency England circa 1812, Poppy Fields is the obscure marriage of Hunter S. Thompson and Jane Austen. Our dearest Poppy Baincroft, is twenty one, mischievous, hot-tempered, charming and completely addicted to opiates. In fact, she’ll do almost anything for an escape. This is where we meet her, floating, high in a lake with her best friend and close neighbour, Penelope, whereby all the flowers bobbing on the surface of the water rise into the sky for her to finger-paint with. A beautiful hallucination to set up a recurring theme throughout this series, spreading the gap between illusion and reality. Much in the way that Terry Gilliam masterfully crafted in visual format the effects of drugs on the brain in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS we will see this type of smash cinema for the first time against this historical backdrop. Borrowing from the giants of the reel, we will get to witness dazzling, fresh filmmaking. Much in the way ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND subverts the line of truth within memory, we will get to witness the bend in Poppy's current distorted worldview.
This is no fairytale, though there is a mean step-mother – the bain of Poppy, her twin brother and little sister’s existence whom in their father’s strange death, she inherited. But no money and when we meet them, they’re barely surviving bread-loaf to bread-loaf. All seems bleak, until a wounded solider finds himself at their doorstep and at their mercy. They doctor him through the hard night and save his life and we get a real glimpse at the potential for love sparks. Audiences will yearn for tormented torrid moments between her and our smarmy new stranger, Fields. A Gonzo Romance for the ages.
STRUCTURE
The show should have a similar structure to that of Joe Wright's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (2005) meets Terry Gilliam's FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998). Borrowing from these two vastly successful but contracted cinematic masterpieces will lend itself to a new visual and creative playground; One in which, experimentation will be welcome.
At the beginning of every episode a new "problem" will be issued for our characters to combat. Also with every episode should come a new lens with which we see the world through Poppy's drug-addled eyes and gain deeper insight into the mysterious disappearance of her father - lost at sea and presumed dead. Depending on her state, we will get to see many things, equally beautiful and horrific.
By the end of each episode the small problem will have been addressed, though a larger looming cloud will hang over season one, the issue of keeping the Baincroft Estate afloat, saving the house and grieving the father lost all while trying to take over the (not so legal) family business. Our big cliffhanger comes when... (SPOILER ALERT)... Fields' memory returns just in time to be arrested under suspicion of murder and it's revealed he's not who everyone thought he was after all.
CHARACTERS
POPPY BAINCROFT (21), is our tormented heroine, addicted to heroin; Opium or Poppy seeds being her preferred substance of choice. When we meet her, she is naked in a lake watching the world paint itself colourful around her. She is deeply stubborn, head-strong, brazen at times but all the while, inexplicably charming. Her presence is felt upon entrance and missed upon exit. She is a force to be reckoned with, like the sea storm.
FIELDS (25), is calculated, level-headed, balanced and as fate would have it also very hot-headed. He likes to be challenged, to challenge himself and others and as such can be quite competitive. When we meet him, he is wounded yet all the while, somehow, keeping spirits light. A smarmy, snarky, rascal who even in the darkest times remains hopeful and kind. There are not many men like him but the ones that are, are worth finding and holding onto.
GERALD BAINCROFT (21), Poppy's twin brother and the battery of the family. As he is somewhat newly the man of the house, he keeps this burden close to his chest and strives to be proud, courageous and strong for his sisters. Romantically, he is quite reserved - preferring the company of other men to women but not yet ready to admit such to anyone. He's had a long-standing dalliance with one of Poppy's best friends, Heath, whom both have kept secret.
AMELINE BAINCROFT (15), Sweet, smart serious and earnestly innocent, dearest Ameline cares only for the comforts of her precious books. Yes, an avid reader she could lose days to pages. That being said, she's arriving at an age where certain interests are beginning to open up to her.
MRS. ELLEN BAINCROFT (50's), would cook the cat for meat, sell the family heirloom for money and ditch the babe to feed one less mouth. She's a mean person, rough around the edges, rougher at the core. It was her cunning that lead to her advantageous marriage to Mr. Baincroft. Loving him is a side-effect she hadn't planned for. Losing him was just as unforeseen.
ELDRICH BAINCROFT (60's), though presumed dead, his presence resounds through the lives of all our characters. Kind, cheeky, stubborn and much too like our darling Poppy. He struggled to provide a good life for his family which led him down a dangerous road into the service of Teni Tsu. Captain of a trade ship that under her orders ran import / export into and out of London. We see him mainly through Poppy's hallucinations while high.
PENELOPE SINCLAIRE (21), Best friend and neighbour to Poppy since infancy, Penelope is a close confidant and loyal companion. Always with best interest, she is the support, crutch, shoulder on which to cry if needed, sometimes the mother long lost. Penelope, make no mistake, is single-handedly the most important person in Poppy's life. As it were, she's also terribly reliant on heroin and having a lower tolerance and constitution than Poppy, will struggle with this addiction throughout the season.
HEATH LONGBOURNE III (21), The thespian of the bunch! Heath happens to be a sensational talent now and since the age he could speak. His love of the stage trumps all else except perhaps for Gerald Baincroft. The two have been sweet on each other since they were young boys but due to society's rigid social constructs, have been unable to host their relationship publicly. At the end of season one they are spotted by someone and the threat of having their secret exposed weighs heavily on them both.
UNCLE HORACE - is Eldrich's older brother and the children's uncle. Owner of THE GULLERY shop in town where Gerald has picked up some work to help manage the estate. Horace wants nothing to do with the family business, he means only to keep his side of the walk clean.
TENI TSU (60's), with eyes like an eel, is the most dangerous person we will meet in this world. Boss to the opium empire budding throughout England and Europe en grande, she is the fearsome drug-lordess we don't want to cross paths with if we can avoid it. When Poppy's father is lost at sea, she's tasked with seeking out Teni Tsu for help.
TONE
&
STYLE
Marrying a gonzo world with a dream-like Jane Austen era will be no small feat. Through the combining of these two aesthetics we will be opening a new cinematic door; or perhaps even building a bridge per say and it won't be easy but it will absolutely be worth it. Constantly in the pursuit to shift our audience's perspectives, perceptions and even awareness at times. The viewer should feel slightly out of pocket, high along with our characters even as they go through this world together. Our guide and teacher for this in terms of technique is Michel Gondry's ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, specifically utilized with the techniques executed by cinematographer Ellen Kuras. This, mixed with scenes of astounding psychedelic beauty and fear - nature heightened ten-fold, surroundings and senses elevated - the air around us magnified to see rainbows and prisms between our fingers - the fifth wall open, the sixth sense unlocked - exquisite images as an undercurrent to deep dark drama. We should at all times feel like we're immersed in Poppy's experience, witnessing the world as she does in real time.
