They got me…
Next week the new reality show “On the Lot,” in which aspiring directors compete for a $1 million development deal, premieres on FOX. What, you ask, didn’t “Project Greenlight” already do this? Not exactly. “Greenlight,” the brainchild of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Chris Moore, began in 2000 as a well-intentioned Web-based screenplay competition. In its initial incarnation, the winner received a $1 million budget to shoot his film. The whole script-to-screen process was filmed by HBO and shown as a documentary series.
The second “Project Greenlight” was split into two contests, one for screenwriting, one for direction, but it was basically the same deal: a competition that culminated in a televised series. Unfortunately, neither of the resulting movies was as fascinating as watching the “making of” process itself, with its glimpses of behind-the-scenes film-biz machinations.
For its third and final season in 2005, “Greenlight” was demoted to Bravo, where it morphed somewhat from “documentary series” to reality show, albeit a really interesting one. This shift, with its focus on horror films, reflected the intention to develop a commercial film this time around. However, the winning entry, “Feast,” like its predecessors, never got major distribution.
“On The Lot,” on the other hand, screams mainstream Hollywood from the getgo. First of all, it’s brought to us by Mark Burnett, the “visionary” (according to the show’s website) behind “Survivor” and “The Apprentice.” I doubt there’s going to be much talk about artistic sensibilities “on the lot.” Second, it’s on FOX, whose dunderheaded programming in general makes Bravo look like PBS in comparison. (Undoubtedly there will be roadblocks thrown in for extra fun: “You have two hours to make a feature film. The challenge is… your crew is a class of fourth graders!”) Lastly, the public, a la “American Idol,” will ultimately decide who the winner is, via phone-vote. Yes, The Public, many of whom are still awaiting a sequel to “Titanic.”
Here’s the deal: 12,000 short films were submitted by aspiring directors, and the Top 50 will compete for a development deal at DreamWorks, Steven Spielberg’s company. Oh, right, forgot to mention: Burnett’s “On the Lot” co-creator and co-executive producer is none other than Spielberg himself.
According to the show’s website:
Every week, the hopeful filmmakers will produce short films from a chosen genre, running the gamut from comedies to thrillers, personal dramas to romance, sci-fi to horror. They’ll have access to the best resources the industry has to offer — professional writers, cast and crew, and maybe even Hollywood celebrities.
Furthermore,
Judges will include a high-ranking motion picture executive, a prominent film critic and a succession of well-respected guests, such as directors who are experts in the week’s featured genre.
Could the hype be any heavier? And yet, and yet … for a movie buff like me, it’s all very hard to resist. I know it’s contrived, I know it’s not “reality,” I know it has about as much relevance to real movie-making as “Six Feet Under” has to the funeral business. But…I want to see those hopeful filmmakers! I want to see their short films! I want to see how the judges conduct themselves (Maybe they were able to nab Tarantino. The man can talk!) So, yes, I’ll probably watch it. I won’t like it, I’ll complain bitterly, but I’ll watch. Damn you, Mark Burnett. You finally got me.
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