PRISM is an independent feature film delving into mysteries of existence

Resolution

Story Notes

Cage awakes with a kind of peace and knowledge. This placid demeanor puzzles and calms Leanna and Bill. Leanna wants to know why Bill came back and he claims it was the prism which she obviously must have left for him. When Leanna knows nothing about this, Cage owns up that it was his parents who moved the prism to Bill's house.

OK. This takes a little bit of explanation and potentially some research. I'll give you the short version. It is based on the principles of the holographic universe theory. Basically the idea that all of us and everything we know is merely an effect, rather than a single unique physical object. Like waves on an ocean which have individual shape, mass, and momentum but are all ultimately made up of an underlying material. If the universe functions anything like this, (and there is a fair bit of evidence that it does), then the "location" of anything is merely an effect of where it's vibrations currently manifest. Physical objects, people, consciousness, all simply vibrations in a vast cosmic ocean.

Virtually everything else in the story up to this point could potentially be explained away in a rational manner. Split personalities of the patients, coincidence, etc. I wanted there to be a clear unequivocal instance of unexplainable benevolent intervention. And so, the prism moves location to the person least likely to believe that such a thing would be possible.

Enough of that. Here is something which is sort of an inside joke. How many movies have you seen where the bad guy gets knocked down, then leaps up at the last minute. It's cliche' right. Seen it a million times.

Well how many have you seen where the bad guy gets knocked down and then rises up, remorseful, sorry, apologetic. Not many I'd suspect. But that is exactly what has happened here. Cage explains that he, Mason, and Ruth are all "awake" now. During the big conversation earlier, the entity described Cage's illness as a great cacophony his mind was unable to process. What has happened to all of the patients touched by the entity is a form of inoculation, for lack of a better word. They now have a higher level of perception, a clarity, which allows them to more effectively filter and process this world, and others.

Leanna is finally able to check on Ruth as Bill escorts the humble Mason back to his cell. Cage seems ready to talk and Leanna is apprehensive about how to explain not only these events, but the horrific murder of his parent which he witnessed at the beginning of this saga. She gathers her thoughts, but Cage quickly puts her at ease. He tells her that whenever she is ready, he will tell her whatever she wants to know.

He's been occupying a plane of consciousness not typically known by most of us, and he has attained a kind of spiritual enlightenment which he will share with her over the ensuing years. He reaches out his hand and Leanna knows that one way or another Cage is now a permanent part of her life.

Filmmaker's Notes

Something you might not have known because I didn't mention it until now. We shot PRISM in fairly close continuity to the script. This is not frequently done for a number of logistical reasons. But we felt it was important to give our actors the visceral experiences in the early stages of production which they would be calling on later. Given that we could not afford to buy our actors out for the entire run, this added a significant number of scheduling conflicts to our already long list of challenges. But I felt it was an important gift to the actors.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter what equipment you use or how big your budget is. If you can capture a few "real" moments to which people can relate and compare their lives, then you have achieved something. I am so thankful to everyone involved in this production for the commitment which allowed some very true and touching moments to be created and preserved for others to share.

Interviews

Selected Scene Explorations

Thoughts and Spooky Production Stories:

HInts and Inspirations.