Aaron Denius's Blog, page 7

The Book is Done!

Well. It has been quite a while since I have posted in this blog. To my defense, I was knee deep in my book. I felt like a thoroughbred running the Kentucky Derby with blinders on. The finish line was all I had in my sights. Now, 7 months and nearly 360 pages later, it is done!

This was one of the most daunting tasks that I have ever immersed myself into. But at the end of it all, it has been incredibly rewarding. One of my life long dreams has been to write a book. Now I can’t stop smiling at the fact that I can truly call myself an AUTHOR!

The book is now at the editors and I should be getting it back in the next couple of weeks. This means that come mid-October, my Young Adult Dystopian book will be available for everyone to read. In the meantime, enjoy the cover!

 

Amazon.com: A Collection of Clarity & Insanity eBook: Aaron Denius Garcia: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: A Collection of Clarity & Insanity eBook: Aaron Denius Garcia: Kindle Store:

I am giving away my poetry book for free for a limited time. Check it out! Write a review. 

Ch Ch Chugging along.

This update has a bit of everything.

First off. My book. I am already 60 pages in and am having a blast writing it. I am ahead of schedule and excited to see where it goes next. The interesting thing about this process is that aside from a basic outline, I really don’t know where I’m going with the story, so I am experiencing the fun of reading a book while I write it. I have however taken a little break from writing it because…

Part two. I am writing a Brooklyn Nine Nine spec script. As part of the many TV writing programs that exist in Hollywood, a writer must have a spec script on an existing show. I was struggling on what show to write for until an idea hit me in a flood of ideas. This occurred just yesterday and since then I have been in the zone. In my first 4 hour session I wrote 14 pages.At this rate I should be done with the spec by the end of the weekend. They always say athletes get into the zone and play their best games. I feel like right now I can’t miss. 

Hopefully this carries over into writing opportunities because I applied for the Amtrak Writer’s Residency. This is an amazing program that Amtrak has put on where they will offer writers a 3-7 day roundtrip train ride across the country to just write. I really can’t thing of a better way to write. So wish me luck and hopefully I will be rewarded with this amazing opportunity.

Until next time folks!

A Treatment for Ghostbusters 3 - RIP Harold Ramis

As an homage to the passing of comedic genius Harold Ramis, I present a treatment for Ghostbusters 3 that a friend and I wrote 7 years ago.

A TREATMENT FOR GHOSTBUSTERS III – BY AARON DENIUS GARCIA & OREN REHANY 

ACT ONE

February 23rd, 2007, 11:00 am.

            In a Hollywood studio archive, a film canister shakes and the top flies off releasing a beam of bright light. Elsewhere, reading graphs at the seismology center in his L.A. apartment, is SAM CASPER. A stubborn seismologist in his 30’s, who is cynical and enjoys exposing other people’s gullibility. He is a lonely man, but hides it well. Sam reads a 10.6 earthquake on his Richter scale, but oddly, no shaking occurred. Across town, a paleontologist works on cleaning bones at the La Brea Tar Pits, she is PATTY GOOLBERG. Sam’s independent, non committal ex-girlfriend, who left him because he was pressuring her for marriage. She is a confident, eco-friendly vegan, who wants to believe in the unknown.  Patty receives a call from Sam, requesting that she come over. She agrees and persuades MAC the security guard to fill in for her while she is gone. At Sam’s apartment it is revealed that the “phantom” earthquake occurred all over Los Angeles.  Sam tries to kiss Patty, and she pulls away upset. They argue, Patty leaves, and Sam runs after her. They both stop as they notice out a  window that the HOLLYWOOD sign – has become HOLLYWOODLAND.  Across the street, during filming in a run down theater, Will Smith gets possessed by Judy Garland, and gets followed around by Toto’s ghost.

            SVEN SPECTER, a flamboyant aspiring actor, who believes he is one day away from stardom, visits his power driven, Hollywood executive brother, ROBERT CLIFT. He asks for rent money but gets turned down and belittled. Back at the tar pits lab, Mac, a Los Angeles native with tough skin and a good heart, receives a phone call from his wife TERESA. She says she is in trouble, so Mac leaves the lab unattended to help her. Teresa, housekeeping for Tom Hanks, is experiencing strange phenomenon around the house. The TV turns on to “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and the shower starts upstairs. Teresa investigates, and when she pulls back the shower curtain, there is no one there and no water is running. A giant swarm of seagulls fly passed her, and she runs downstairs screaming. She enters the study and closes the door behind her. In the middle of the room a typewriter sits alone on a table and slowly types three letters. Teresa walks over and reads: “BOO”. She screams and runs towards the door that is now locked. She collapses to the floor, as hundreds of pages fly out of the typewriter and around the room.

            Mac arrives at the house. He opens the door to the study and piles of paper fall out. Teresa calls for Mac and he digs through and pulls her out. Teresa frantically tells Mac what happened as he calms her down. As they walk out they see the shadow of Alfred Hitchcock appear on the wall, as in his show. Suddenly, the ghost of ALFRED HITCHCOCK jumps out of the shadow and scares Mac and Teresa away.

            Patty and Sam are at a diner arguing. Patty believes there is connection between the phantom earthquake and the HOLLYWOODLAND sign. Sam disagrees and thinks the sign is a publicity stunt. Mac and Teresa run in and tell them that they have seen a ghost, and Patty claims that the ghost is connected as well. Patty asks Mac: “Who is watching the tar pits?” At the abandoned Tar Pits lab bones begin to assemble themselves. Back at the diner, Mac pleads that he had to save his wife from the ghost.  Sam says: “There is no such thing as ghosts”. When outside the diner, they see people get out of their cars and run away. Our heroes run out of the diner to discover a GIANT SKELETAL MAMMOTH walking down Wilshire Boulevard. Patty asks the stunned Sam for his cell phone and he asks: “Who you gonna call?”. Patty replies: “Ghostbusters”. Teresa says: “Ghost WHO?”.

ACT TWO 

In New York City, former Ghostbuster DR. RAYMOND STANTZ shows two German tourists around the old Ghostbusters headquarters which is now a museum. The red phone rings surprising Ray, and he runs to answer the phone. On the other line, Patty explains that his help is badly needed in Hollywood. Ray excited by the opportunity tells her to find a place for the Hollywood Ghostbusters headquarters, and that he will be on the next flight out there.         

            The next day Mac and Sam scout locations, while Patty picks up Ray and his boxed equipment from the airport. Mac and Sam strike an incredible deal for an abandoned Beverly Hills Salon / Spa, and the landlord quickly leaves after getting the rent. Mac and Sam hear noises coming from upstairs as Patty and Ray arrive. Ray, excited to make his first “ghostbust” in 18 years, unpacks a Proton Pack, arms himself, and leads them upstairs to investigate. Sitting in a hair dryer chair in a white robe, cucumbered eyes and a facial mask, is Sven. Ray points the gun at him and asks: “Who are you?” Sven screams, everyone else screams, as a proton stream shoots towards Sven who barely gets away. Ray, shell-shocked, continues shooting everywhere as Sam screams “STOP SHOOTING, IT’S NOT A GHOST,” and pushes Sven out of the way.  Sven, scared, jumps into Sam’s arms and asks “THERE’S A GHOST?”

Later, after nearly killing Sven, who had been squatting the place, Ray realizes he cannot “Ghostbust” anymore. Suddenly, across the street, patrons scream and run out of a Starbucks, as a ghost rampages inside. Patty looks at Ray and he just shakes his head, disappointing her. Ray takes off the equipment, hands it to Patty and says “GO.”  Patty: “ME?” Ray: “ALL OF YOU”.  They put on the equipment and Ray tells them “You press the button, trap the ghost in a stream, roll the trap underneath, and open the trap”. Sam: “That’s it?”  Ray: “Yup”. The new Ghostbusters march across the street, when Ray screams “WAIT, ONE MORE THING” they turn and Ray says “BRING ME BACK A LATTE”. 

The next morning, Mac uses his computer skills to create GHOSTBUSTERS.COM to send out spam emails to advertise, Sam tries to hit on Patty again to no avail, and Sven designs the new Ghostbusters uniforms. They start getting calls, and manage to capture a few non-celebrity ghosts. At the headquarters, occupied ghost traps pile up. Mac solves the storage problem by affixing a USB port to the traps, and downloading the ghosts to his IMac. He installs an alarm system and warns that leaving a ghost file open could be dangerous.   He and Ray begin working on an Ultrasonic Mega Gun to make the ghostbusting easier.

A call comes in from Governor Schwarzenegger saying “I need the Ghostbusters”.  The Governor’s campaign fundraising party is being haunted by the ghosts of  THE THREE STOOGES. The Ghostbusters arrive very late at the scene because their car could not make it up the hilly roads. They see the Three Stooges chasing guests and haunting in a slapstick manner. The Ghostbusters spring into action and manage to hold The Three Stooges in the proton beams but cannot capture them in the trap, so the Larry, Moe, and Curly escape. Arnold and the guests praise them, but they end up arguing regarding payment for the Ghostbust. They compromise and the Ghostbusters end up with a brand new Hybrid Hummer, which they turn in to the new Ghostbusters car, ECTO-2.

Later, back at the headquarters, the team tries to figure out why the traps didn’t work. Suddenly, Sven screams as PATRICK SWAYZE walks through the door. Patrick and Ray became friends when Patrick did research for his movie “Ghost” back in New York. Patrick suggests that the reason they aren’t capturing celebrity ghosts is because they have a stronger will to survive. They debate about what could trap them, and Sven suggests a camera. He gets ridiculed, but Patrick calls it is a brilliant idea and suggests an older camera because they are older celebrities.  Sven, elated, calls his brother’s assistant and secretly asks for an old camera.  The assistant complies and sends the camera, but Robert finds out and fires the assistant.  Mac affixes a ghost trap to the camera and Patrick Swayze joins the Ghostbusters.  Patty and Patrick begin flirting, making both Sam and Sven jealous.

The Ghostbusters head out to catch celebrity ghosts. Gilligan waits in line for Survivor reality auditions - Busted. Jimmy Hendrix lights guitars on fire in the Guitar Center - Busted. Marilyn Monroe scares Paris Hilton - Busted.  They try to capture Ed McMahon on the street, and he screams “I’m still alive you freaks”.  Haley Joel Osment calls the Ghostbusters with: “I see dead people”, Sven replies “So does everyone else!” and hangs up. The Ghostbuster have become overnight celebrities.

Sven, high off of the sudden fame, appears on JAY LENO representing the Ghostbusters. After a quick interview, in which Sven pretends to be one of the Ghostbusters, Leno cuts to a live feed of the other Ghostbusters capturing a ghost. Jay then asks the Ghostbusters, “Do you think any ghosts will show up at the Oscar’s Friday night?” Sam replies, “Don’t worry, we have everything under control.” 

The next day, while the Ghostbusters contemplate about why the celebrity ghosts are returning, Robert enters the Headquarters and confronts Sven about stealing the camera. Patrick calms him down and offers to buy the camera, but Robert still says “NO.” A call comes in and the Ghostbusters leave to respond, taking the camera. Sven tries to persuade his brother to let them keep the camera, by taking him on a tour of the Headquarters and explaining the processes and equipment. Sven finally intrigues Robert by showing him the laptop with the trapped ghosts. Robert, gets and idea, and excuses himself to the bathroom and makes a phone call to Sven’s agent with a fake audition. He then opens the bathroom window before he exits.

Sven excitedly tells his brother of his audition, and Robert, with a sudden change of heart, congratulates him and tells him he can keep the camera. They leave together, and Sven locks up. After Sven is out of sight, Robert climbs back through the window and steals the laptop. An alarm beeps in Ecto-2, alerting the Ghostbusters that the laptop has been stolen. They immediately jump in the car, call Sven, and leave. Sven realizing he’s been had, changes his course to his brother’s studio.  Sven refuses the Ghostbuster’s help, and insists on confronting his brother on his own.

At the studio, Sven runs into his brother’s misplaced assistant who helps him get in. Robert searches through the trapped celebrity ghosts on the IMac, as he deviously plots on how to use them to make money and rule the movie industry. Sven knocks on the door and Robert answers, leaving the laptop with HOUDINI on the screen. Sven and Robert argue as Houdini breaks free from a straitjacket and then escapes from the laptop by ripping a hole in the screen. After Houdini leaves, Sven tries to shut off the computer, but before he can, a Musketeer sword and arm poke through the hole. Sven stumbles back and cowers with his brother, as DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, the Musketeer, squeezes out.  Right then, the Ghostbusters storm through the door and immediately start shooting their proton beams at him. Douglas gets caught but uses his sword to break the beams. He tells the Ghostbusters, “THIS IS A NEW BEGINNING!.” He then slices through the laptop with his sword, releasing all the ghosts and says “YOU CAN’T STOP MODERN TIMES!” He dramatically flies out the window, and all hell breaks loose.

ACT THREE

  James Dean races a gangster car on Sunset Boulevard. Jaws and Flipper swim in the Playboy Mansion pool. Groucho Marx does standup at The Comedy Store. Lucille Ball comes out of a TV in a Rodeo Drive chocolate store and acts out her famous chocolate scene. Gene Kelly in the Beverly Hills fountain “Singing in the Rain”.  Marlon Brando shouts “Stella” at a window. Frank Sinatra sings karaoke at a bar. A crazed fan asks Audrey Hepburn for an autograph. E.T. on a cell phone asks “Can you hear me now?” Traffic reports of Ben Hur’s chariots slowing down the 405 Freeway.

On the way back to the Headquarters, the Ghostbusters look out their windows to the gray clouds rolling in. As they pass the tar pits, Patty notices something odd and tells them to pull over. They walk over to see that all the tar pits are swirling into the ground and notice that it is getting colder.  They continue their drive to the Headquarters and notice that every single person on an advertisement and billboard has a Charlie Chaplin mustache and hat.

Back at the Headquarters, Sam pulls Patty aside to ask her about her relationship with Patrick. She says the nothing is going on.  Sam tries to kiss Patty again, but she pulls away and walks into another room, where the other’s research everything they have witnessed. They discover that Douglas Fairbanks along with Charlie Chaplin established United Artists, and that Chaplin’s last silent film was “Modern Times”.  A movie about a man that struggles with modern advancement and turns against modern society and progress.  Patty comes to the conclusion that “The ghost of Chaplin is trying to take over Hollywood and the Entertainment Industry, and return it to the way it was.”  Sam: “Well, where do we find him?”  Sven walks in holding two outfits and asks which one he should wear, and the Ghostbusters scream “The Oscars!”  They gather their gear and ask Ray if he will join them, and Ray says “I told you I am not doing this anymore, I’ll answer the phones.”

At the red carpet a limousine pulls over, and a celebrity runs out screaming. Jean Harlow’s ghost steps out after and poses for pictures. In the background, Will Smith skips by, wearing a blue dress and carrying a basket with Toto in it. Inside the Kodak Theater, Billy Crystal presents the clip that honors the talent that passed away. The music and film start, and then abruptly stop. All the doors to the theater slam shut, and the lights blow out. Outside, ghosts rise up from their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and gather at the entrance to the Kodak Theater.

The Ghostbusters arrive to see the massive gathering of ghosts at the front, so they proceed to the back door where they are stopped by two security guard ghosts from “Planet of the Apes”. Patrick Swayze says his name, but the apes reply “Not on the list.”  Patrick then says, “Err…I meant Jamie Fox”. The apes check the list and let them in.

Backstage, the Ghostbusters peek through the curtain on stage as the ghost of CHARLIE CHAPLIN appears in a spotlight. He kick-twirls his cane and all the ghosts from outside enter through the walls and fill the isles. People try to get up out of their seats, but can’t move. Charlie twirls his cane again and the ghosts sit down on the celebrities, possessing them. Sven witnesses his brother get possessed by Douglas Fairbanks and runs out shouting for him. He stops on the stage as a spotlight shines on him and Charlie and the audience stare. Charlie gives Sven a mean look, taps his cane on the ground and a trap door opens dropping Sven under the stage. Charlie then opens the curtain revealing the Ghostbusters. The possessed audience claps.

Suddenly, Mac smacks Sam on the back of his head, and Patty tries to poke Patrick in the eyes. They fight slapstick style, as The Three Stooges appear. Patty’s leg gets tied up with a rope and she gets hung from the rafters. Larry and Curly swing Patty back and forth as Moe begins releasing sand bags down on the other Ghostbusters. As they dodge the sand bags, Moe releases Patty. She falls and Sam catches her before she hits the ground. The Ghostbusters regain themselves as the Three Stooges fly towards them. The possessed audience ooh’s and aah’s. Patty says “LIGHTS” and they shoot their proton beams, holding the Three Stooges. Mac follows with “CAMERA” and turns on the camera. Sam adds “ACTION” and the Three Stooges’ ghosts get sucked into the lens. Patrick finishes with “THAT’S A WRAP”.

Charlie turns around and looks at them, wiggling his mustache. As they shoot he scoots to the side in his “Tramp” manner avoiding the beams. His hat falls, as they shoot again and as he bends over to reach it, the beams miss him. The Ghostbusters shoot once more, and Charlie kick twirls his cane in to the air and collects all the energy from the proton beams. They stop shooting and Charlie brings his cane down and taps it on the ground. This sends off a shock wave towards the Ghostbusters, causing them to fall down and their equipment to overload. The shockwave continues over the Hollywood Hills and into the Valley to Universal Studios. Under the Kodak Theater stage, Sven comes to in a dark room and says “Oh my God,” as he realizes he is inside an old film archive containing hundreds of film canisters. 

The Ghostbusters try their proton guns, but they don’t work. Suddenly, Ray blasts through a door and surprises Charlie with the Ultrasonic Mega Gun. Charlie gets zapped and disappears, as his hat falls to the ground. The Ghostbusters high five and pat Ray on the back for saving them. Ray says “That was easy, compared to fighting a giant marshmallow man”. Suddenly, the ground shakes as large footsteps rumble outside. The back wall gets ripped off and a big ape arm reaches down and grabs Patrick, who screams. The possessed audience cheer and clap, as the remaining Ghostbusters look out into the street. 

Outside, snow falls and tar comes out of the manholes in the street, creating a black and white Hollywood. Universal’s mechanical KING KONG roars as he leaves with his new sweetheart, and Mac runs after them. Patty: “Why didn’t he take me?” – Ray: “Because he’s Patrick Swayze!” King Kong tries to climb the Capitol Record building and becomes frustrated because it is not tall enough. The “HOLLYWOODLAND” sign is in the background. The two “Planet of the Apes” security guards cheer for King Kong. 

Back inside the Kodak Theater, Charlie’s hat rises and hovers. His mustache appears, followed by his cane and shoes. The cane twirls and the possessed audience stands. Ray shoots the Ultrasonic Mega Gun at Charlie, but the beam goes straight through. Patty, Sam, and Ray are at a loss, when suddenly, a beam of light appears from the projection room. “Modern Times” starts playing and Charlie reappears. He turns mesmerized by the movie, and Sam and Patty talk to Charlie. They tell him that Hollywood wouldn’t have existed without him, that he has never left, and no one in the world would ever forget him. Charlie, understanding his folly, walks back into the film, as spirits leave the possessed audience. In the film, Charlie turns and tips his hat to a standing ovation from the Oscar audience. He heel kicks and the iris closes on the screen. On Hollywood Boulevard, the spirits return to their sidewalk stars. As the light recedes back into the projector, Sven turns it off, removes the film, and closes the tin can. The Ghostbusters exit to the cheering crowd, where Mac and Sven meet up with them. Robert comes up to Sven and hugs him. Patty walks up to Sam and he apologizes for his advances. Patty says “Just shut up and kiss me”. They kiss. Then Sven asks: “Hey, where’s Patrick?”

King Kong is sitting on the crushed “LAND” part of “HOLLYWOODLAND”. He’s smiling and petting Patrick Swayze, who whispers: “HELP!” During the credits, Slimer and the ghost of Elvis have an eating contest.

THE END.

My book "Gene. Sys." is on it's way!

So my goal is to write 1 page a day so that by the end of the year I will have a 330 page book. I am happy to say that 19 days in I am on page 30. This is a completely different world for me but I am thoroughly enjoying it. So to help keep me honest I am going to share bits and pieces of the book along the way. Here is the first part. It’s from chapter 2:

He leads us down a couple more hallways to an elevator. We get in and he puts his hand on another screen. “Rene Anfang.” I can feel it taking us down. After a few moments, it stops and the doors open. What I see before me is so overwhelming that I can barely take it all in. There is a giant room filled with machinery and monitors. It seems like around thirty scientists are working on the various equipment. In the center there appears to be twelve giant tubes. Dad turns to Ev and I. “Welcome to the Center for Genetic and Obstetric Design, or the Center for G.O.D. This Atom and Ev was where you were created.”

She and I look at each other, not sure what to make of this information. Dad takes us down a set of metallic stairs to the ground floor. I get a better look at the twelve tubes and can’t move. Ev takes my hand and grips it tight. If she was at all angry with me from last night the shock of what we see before us has changed her mind.

The first two tubes are empty but the remaining ten have bodies floating in green liquid. Five males and five female. It has never been a secret that Ev and I were created this way but we thought we were the only ones. I feel betrayed and I just want to run out of there but I can’t look away. Each one of them looks different. Different skin tones, different hair color.

Dad comes up behind us and puts his hands on our shoulders. “These, my dear Atom and Ev, are the other Genetic Systems. Together you will all be Earth’s regenesis.”

Sailing the Atlantic in a Canoe

So a couple of weeks ago I teased about a project I was going to be embarking on. Here is the official announcement of sorts.

This year I have decided to write my first novel. It is the first in a trilogy of books for the same target audience as The Hunger Games and Divergent. 

The plan was to start February 1st and write 1 page a day, thus having a 334 page book by the end of the year. I am already ahead of schedule, as I am 10 pages in. This will however be a daunting task. I am excited and ready for it. 

I won’t go into too much detail on the book just yet, but I will throw out a little teaser image with the title and the first three sentences of the book:

"The world is supposed to end in about a year.  My dad says that things are going to be very different.  He won’t tell me why but he said that it’s the reason I was created."

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades

I was certainly hoping that I would be writing a different blog post today, but as is often the case, I fell just short.

Last week I found out that I was selected as one of 8 finalists for a Latino Screenwriting Project that was co-sponsored by The Sundance Institute. Out of hundreds of applicants, I was one of 8. This news felt great and I partook in a phone interview with the Directors of the program where they told me that they would be selecting 4 writers to participate in this year’s program. I waited with baited breath until today when I finally got the news that I would not be one of the 4 writers that would be flown out to San Antonio for the program. 

Am i disappointed? Sure. The truth is though that I actually feel pretty great for having gotten that far. As any other performer or artist can attest to, we all thrive off validation. It’s what tells us that we are walking the right path. It’s still never easy hearing “No”. Actually, “No” is not the problem. We hear it so often we become desensitized to it. It’s the “Almost Yeses” that are the most painful. To come so close, only have it taken away. It seems like it happens a little too often. I know it will happen for me one day though. So I just need to keep working harder. At least I know I’m getting close, which is better than where I was 5 years ago. But then again, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. 

My Top 10 Films of 2013

I plan to blog more this year. Especially as I embark on a giant journey. (Details to come next week). 

Let’s kick it off with my Top 10 of 2013:

1. GRAVITY - Sandy sees dead Clooney…In Space!

2. HER - Do you love me SIRI? “Yes, but I’m also a whore”

3. THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY - What every guy thinks he has to do to win the approval of a woman.

4. NOW YOU SEE ME - What’s that behind your ear? Magic Bitch!

5. 12 YEARS A SLAVE - They should have used Django’s soundtrack

6. FROZEN - Hottest animated princess ever!

7. DALLAS BUYER’S CLUB - Anorexia wins you awards

8. SAVING MR. BANKS - They should have used Django’s soundtrack

9. WE’RE THE MILLERS - Rachel stripping. Ross would be mad

10. RUSH - The car crashes were still a better love story than Twilight

Just missed the cut:

WARM BODIES - Best movie about stockholm syndrome

STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS - Cumberbatch’s sexy voice

THIS IS THE END - Watch annoying actors die!

Best 3D Re-release Special Award:

JURASSIC PARK 3D - Jeff Goldblum shirtless and in 3D. Nuff said

Production Blog

Hey everyone, I wanted to invite you all to check out and follow the production blog for my film “In Sickness and In Health”. We are about a month away from filming and I am soooo excited.

http://insicknessandinhealthfilm.tumblr.com/