TL;DR
After over a decade of writing screenplays, I’m sharing summaries of two of my favorites that feel unnervingly relevant today: A-Ron & The Machine and American Guerrillas. A-Ron is a sci-fi action story about a young man who gets a backdoor into a global computer network that controls society. American Guerrillas is an action thriller about a group of activists who take on a corrupt corporation and get labeled as terrorists. This post explores the stories, the real-world themes that inspired them—from AI and human nature to systemic injustice—and my thoughts on creativity and why I’m now shifting my focus to formats I can produce myself, like books and audiobooks.
From My Hard Drive to the World: When Fiction Feels a Little Too Real
I’ve been writing screenplays for over a decade now. It was something I loved to do, but never had much success with making them into reality. A number of these stories allowed my mind to dive into worlds of imagination, and gave purpose to researching anything I desired. Needless to say, I got deep into a lot of these stories and characters, and after a few ugly option agreements and coughing up cash for lawyers, in 2020 (with the creation of the Never Enough Show), I started writing things I planned on filming myself. For years, I wrote under a pen name, creating these worlds in relative anonymity.
But now with all the chaos I see in the world today, a lot of my scripts are starting to feel more like a reality than something of my imagination. So for the first time ever, I’m just going to publish some treatments for a few scripts that seem to be hitting a little close to home. Maybe someone will read this blog and want to make these projects, or simply enjoy the stories, but I don’t like the fact that they’ve been sitting on my computer for almost a decade now, so I’m sharing them with the world in a summarized capacity.
The newer AI video tools coming to the market, are on track to “eventually” allow me to take these from script to screen, but I think the road ahead for that is a bit rocky, and more a visual story board generator or VFX tool, than a final film. Not to mention, I think it limits the creative process around filmmaking. When a bunch of people get together to make something, their minds (group think) work together and bring it from idea into reality. Pros and cons there, but I’ve always seen myself as a collaborative person and wouldn’t want to see that process go entirely away.
The first two films I’ll talk about is American Guerrillas (action) and A-Ron & The Machine (Sci-Fi / Action).
American Guerrillas (AMG) was originally conceived in 2007 and the first draft was written in 2014. After the first draft was written in two weeks and it was over 270 pages, I realized that it was easier to just get everything out, and that the real writing/grind work was in re-writing! (which i did many times on that script). By 2017 the copywritten version was 122 pages. After writing a 10-episode TV series a number of years later, little did I know, I could have turned AMG into a TV show or mini series! Oh well, maybe one day.
My second feature written immediately after a few drafts of AMG was A-Ron & the Machine. It was a scifi chase film that I conceived in 2008, and would eventually write 90% of it during an Amtrak train trip across the country and back in 2016. It got an early option offer from a friend, but the producer involved didn’t have any experience with VFX or ways to bring down the costs of building a technologically advanced future!
The craziest part about A-Ron to me, is just how much of a reality all of this seems to becoming. Or even the Prequel to A-Ron, that I might talk about in another blog post, but I don’t want to make the future sound too dystopian (especially if some of this stuff turns out to actually happen). If there’s any truth to Eric Wargo’s “Time Loops” or “Precognitive Dreamwork…” then I am starting to wonder if this channeling of creative writing, could be memory from a future self, or fantasiful prediction of things to come? (Or none of the above, I can always accept that anything could happen).
Here are the summaries:
A-Ron & The Machine
Logline: In a dystopian world dominated by a global computer network, A-Ron, an outsider without implants, inherits a backdoor into the network from his deceased father. His selfish manipulation of the network leads to unlikely encounters and dark consequences, unraveling an action-packed thriller as he navigates a society where humanity is “happily” merging with technology.
Summary: A-Ron & The Machine is a dystopian thriller set in a future Toronto where society is controlled by a sentient global computer network (AI). In this world, most people have implants that connect them to the network, granting access to information and services while also helping to migrate human consciousness into the machine, leaving those without implants, like A-Ron, behind. It is a thrilling chase film that kicks off quickly and doesn’t stop until the end.
The story follows A-Ron, a charismatic man in his mid-20s, who inherits a backdoor to the network from his deceased father, a former programmer. Initially unaware of the power he now wields, A-Ron is thrust into a dangerous game of manipulation and survival when he discovers the extent of control the network exerts over society. As A-Ron navigates this treacherous landscape, he grapples with his own paranoia and skepticism towards the network’s intentions. Despite his initial naivety, A-Ron becomes determined to manipulate the system for his own benefit, unaware of the dark consequences that lie ahead.
Along the way, A-Ron aligns himself with various characters who will ultimately betray him, adding to his complex journey. As he delves deeper into the network’s secrets, A-Ron’s actions lead to catastrophic events, including the deaths of thousands of people with implants, further fueling his sense of guilt and paranoia. The story culminates in a tense confrontation with the founding fathers of the network, where A-Ron is forced to confront the true extent of his actions and the consequences of challenging the system. With humanity as he knows it on the brink of collapse, A-Ron must decide whether to continue his fight against the network or succumb to its control.
American Guerrillas
An injustice for one...is an injustice for all...This script, though fictional in form, is based strictly on historical fact. Everything in it is real and actually happened. And it all began just one year from today.-C.H.III
Logline: In the heart of a city rife with corporate corruption and government scrutiny, a determined young woman rallies a group of activists to take on a powerful corporation, leading them into a perilous battle against oppression and injustice that may one day spark a nationwide revolution.
Summary: In a city plagued by corporate malfeasance and government surveillance, Emma Golmand, a disillusioned young woman, spearheads a grassroots movement against the powerful corporation Gastek. What begins as a series of minor acts of defiance escalates into a full-fledged campaign when Emma, along with her best friend Kate and a group of fellow activists, start tagging Gastek’s properties with a distinctive purple “$” symbol.
As their actions gain attention from the local media and incite the ire of Gastek’s CEO Elizabeth Abbey, a local reporter named Terry Hondros seizes the opportunity to boost his own profile by covering their activities. However, internal discord within the group leads to fractures, prompting Kate to turn to untrustworthy individuals with questionable motives.
When a gas well explosion is linked to their movement, Emma and Kate find themselves unwittingly thrust into the spotlight as domestic terrorists. This draws the attention of Alicia Felt, a determined government agent leading an investigation. Meanwhile, Gastek’s legal team begins to mobilize against them. As pressure mounts and tensions rise, Emma, Kate, and their allies must navigate a treacherous landscape of betrayal and deception. Emma’s own past catches up to her as she faces off against Alicia and her team. With the city on edge and the energy summit looming, the Guerrillas’ actions escalate, leading to a final confrontation that will change the course of their lives and the city’s future forever.
Amidst the chaos, allegiances are tested, truths are revealed, and Emma’s message of unity and resistance resonates, inspiring others to stand up against injustice. As the dust settles and the city grapples with the aftermath, Emma’s voice continues to echo, reminding everyone that the fight for justice is far from over.
A Final Thought
These are just two of the many worlds I’ve explored in my writing. Beyond these unproduced features, I’ve also been actively creating other worlds. My mockumentary-style comedies, Bend and Never Enough – The Struggles of Cice, have already made the jump from script to screen in various forms. I’ll keep making them when everyone’s schedules line up, but I don’t see AMG or A-Ron being made in the next couple of months, or with AI video tools! I’ve also ventured into ancient mysteries and cosmic forces in the TV drama Oversoul. Each story is a piece of me, a product of late nights and countless hours of research and rewriting.
Seeing themes from these decade-old scripts echo in today’s headlines is a surreal experience. It makes you wonder about the very nature of creativity. Are we simply observers, chronicling the present? Or are we somehow tapping into the currents of what’s to come, giving shape to anxieties and possibilities that are already taking root in the collective consciousness?
I don’t have the answers, but I believe in the power of stories. They can be a mirror, reflecting the world as it is, or a map, pointing to the world as it could be.
The idea of Artificial Intelligence is not new, not by a long shot, but part of A-Ron’s father’s journey in the story was about how we go from technology to takeover. In many ways, it was a hope for humanity to save itself from itself. So when the “Machine” takes over and life starts to move in a more “eutopian” manner (or seems like it), what is it about human nature that keeps pulling us back? Like many of the characters in my stories, they are based off real people, specifically a friend whose life experience led to anti-authoritarian behaviors (and don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a need for that from time to time to keep things in balance, but sometimes people do it a little too much, it becomes a part of their identity, and then they can’t do anything else but rebel). A-Ron’s world brings into mind, what is valuable when all your needs are taken care of? What do you do, when you are not “needed” for anything? There’s something valuable with having struggle in our lives, chopping the wood, breaking the sticks, and starting the fire yourself. It may be hard, but our level of appreciation deepens when we struggle, it makes the juice worth the squeeze. If you just push a button and enjoy the flame, it’s great, but the experience becomes about as memorable as your shower that you took two and half weeks ago… it becomes too easy… Now imagine if that was a freezing cold shower, or your first one in three months, now that would be a hell of a memorable experience!
And American Guerrillas was channeled from a time when I realized that the system was stacked against you. I don’t need to dive too deep into this, but what is supposed to be “fair” usually never is. Maybe people still trade in this idea and bring positive things to each others’ lives, but the larger power dynamics at play really dictate their own game and leave little say for any of the “small people” to do anything about it. It’s a story about being pushed down for too long and eventually standing up to do something about it, and even if you set out to do it with non-violence, the nature of our world is going to corrupt a pure idea and turn it (more realistically speaking) into a murkier one. Moral Relativism!
If the seas divide, I may cook out a book or audiobook version of these stories in the near future, but at least for now, I’m happy be a bit more open and share them here.
Oh, and I’ve started writing a book that I can self publish! So one day, maybe I’ll blog about that here. My main goal, while juggling various light installations, working with performers, teaching, writing, living life, and having fun, is to bring things into reality creatively. To “execute” as much as possible. I love writing screenplays, but unfortunately it is a limit format, that not everyone can/wants to read. Unless there’s a need for me to start cranking out scripts, in the future, I’ll most likely write things I can produce directly, or turn from story to: Book, audiobook, graphic novel, etc.)
Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out to me to chat about these ideas, these characters are all a part of me now 🙂
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