On The Lot

[MacGuffin]

Spielberg To Create A Reality Show?
Source: Hollywood North

Steven Spielberg is looking to bring a little bit of Greenlight to his next big project -- a reality television show. The director wants to create a show in which aspiring Spielbergs compete to direct a movie that he will produce. Right now, it's being pitched as Project Greenlight meets The Apprentice meets another show only us movie geeks will watch.

[©brad]

i don't want this to happen.

[Pubrick]

you know, the last time spielberg mentored someone.. ratner happened.

[Pozer]

i don't want this to happen.

You know you'd watch.

[modage]

i don't want this to happen.

You know you'd watch.

both are true.

[Alethia]

thanks a bunch stevey, we really need another one of these fuckin shows 

[grand theft sparrow]

Whatever keeps him from making Indy 4.

[MacGuffin]

Spielberg has a 'Lot' on plate with reality TV
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Steven Spielberg is entering the reality TV arena.

The Oscar-winning director has partnered with reality guru Mark Burnett for "On the Lot," an unscripted series for Fox aimed at discovering the next big Hollywood director.

Combining elements of Fox's "American Idol" and Burnett's "The Apprentice," the series, from Mark Burnett Prods., DreamWorks TV and Amblin TV, 16 aspiring filmmakers will compete for the big prize: a development deal with DreamWorks.

"All through my career I've done what I can to discover new talent and give them a start," Spielberg said. "This opportunity with Mark Burnett, DreamWorks and Fox allows all of us to reach out directly to open a much wider door."

The project is based on an idea by Spielberg, who is said to be a big fan of reality television and of Burnett and doesn't miss an episode of Burnett's "Survivor" on CBS.

Burnett was DreamWorks TV's first and only choice for a partner on the project. Burnett collaborated with the company and Jeffrey Katzenberg on the boxing reality series "The Contender," which was hotly pursued by Fox before ending up at NBC.

This time around, after fielding interest from multiple networks, the producers negotiated exclusively with Fox.

"When you have the opportunity to work with people like Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, artists who've redefined this business, you jump at the chance," Fox president of entertainment Peter Liguori said.

"Lot" marks the second collaboration between Burnett and Fox, after the unscripted series "The Casino," and the first time Burnett will executive produce for the network a reality competition show, a genre he put on the primetime map with "Survivor."

Burnett called the opportunity to work alongside Spielberg "a dream come true."

"With the help of our partners at Fox, Peter Liguori and reality maestro Mike Darnell, we're going to make an incredible show about looking for the next great filmmaker by mining the growing segment of the public making their own content and giving them the chance of a lifetime," he said.

Fox executive vp alternative programming Darnell said he became excited about the project the moment he heard the pitch.

"Most Americans consider themselves amateur film critics, and this will give viewers the opportunity to create the next big filmmaker," he said.

After reviewing video materials submitted by the applicants, executives from Mark Burnett Prods., DreamWorks TV and Fox will select 16 finalists, with Spielberg expected to have the final say.

The finalists will be brought to Hollywood, where they will be divided into several teams. Each week, every team will have to produce a short film from a particular genre. One member of each team will be selected as the team's director and the others will be pitching in to produce the film with the help of professional writers, cast and crew.

"Lot" is eyed to premiere in the first quarter of next year, likely running alongside the next season of Fox's "American Idol." Like "Idol," "Lot" will air two episodes a week, a one-hour "Film Premiere" episode and a half-hour "Box Office" episode.

During the "Film Premiere" episode, the films of all teams will be shown to a live audience and a panel of three judges: a high-ranking motion picture executive, a prominent film critic and a succession of guest judges.

The viewers will have the ultimate say by voting on the features. During the "Box Office" results show, the director of the least popular film will be sent home, leaving that team with fewer contestants to work on the next week's assignment.

In the show's final episode, when the winner is announced, the aspiring filmmaker will be whisked away to the DreamWorks studio, where he or she will be met by Spielberg and shown a new office.

Burnett and Spielberg created "Lot" and are exec producing. Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Conrad Riggs are co-exec producers.

[©brad]

fuck.

[Alethia]

"Most Americans consider themselves amateur film critics, and this will give viewers the opportunity to create the next big filmmaker," he said.

good god what the fuck are we in for?

seriously, this is depressing.  may be a tad overdramatic but this sounds very evil to me.  very bad.  i like alot of spielberg's films, and the man himself seems very nice and humble and intelligent but honestly, i really can't blame so many "snobs" for hating him so much, given shit like this anyways

[MacGuffin]

Starting today, video submissions and online applications are being accepted at TheLot.com. Do keep in mind Spielberg probably won't be watching these videos, so you may want to scrap that "I think I'll dress up as E.T. and do a silly little dance in front of the camera" idea now.

[©brad]

i'm just hoping that all the submissions are terrible enough to make Steveo do a "fuck this i'm outta here."

[MacGuffin]

Sign Up Now for Fox's On The Lot!
Source: Fox

Aspiring filmmakers can take the first step toward fulfilling their dreams of becoming a Hollywood director by applying to participate in Fox's new reality competition series "On The Lot." To enter, applicants over 13 years of age must submit a self-directed short film, up to five minutes in length, to TheLot.com.

Hundreds of video submissions are now up and ready to view and critique on the newly expanded website. In addition to series info and application forms, the website also offers movie news and box office results, as well as message boards, personal blogs and photo galleries.

"On The Lot," executive-produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, will give aspiring filmmakers from around the world the chance to earn a $1-million development deal at DreamWorks.

Premiering next spring on Fox, this unscripted series will feature a cast of 16 undiscovered filmmakers competing to win the support of the show's viewers, who will decide their fate in a weekly audience vote.

The competition will air over two nights weekly, with a one-hour "Film Premiere" episode followed the next night by a half-hour "Box Office" results show.

The global search is already under way, but it's not too late. Once the submission period ends Dec. 1, applicants will be winnowed to a group of 16 talented filmmakers. These finalists will be brought to Hollywood, where they will be divided into teams and will begin the journey toward their "big break."

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 possibly even Hollywood celebrities.

After the teams have battled time frames, budgets and all the usual chaos that goes along with filmmaking, their films will debut and be critiqued in front of a live audience during the "Film Premiere" episode. 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.

But the filmmakers ultimately will be judged by the harshest critics of all the public. It will be Fox viewers whose votes determine which films should be left on the cutting-room floor. On each "Box Office" results show, the director whose feature garners the fewest votes will be sent home.

The competition continues and directors are eliminated until only the most talented filmmaker is anointed the winner and heads to DreamWorks, to be met by Steven Spielberg and shown to his or her new office "On The Lot."

"On The Lot" is produced by Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television and Amblin Television. Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg are creators and executive producers. Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Conrad Riggs are co-executive producers.

[gob]

Hell I'll watch it.

[MacGuffin]

Hollywood: Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett
The acclaimed movie director takes a stab at reality TV. Will he be a survivor?
Source: Newsweek

Dec. 25, 2006 - Jan. 1, 2007 issue - The most-anticipated new reality show of next year was conceived in Steven Spielberg's backyard. In early 2006, the Oscar-winning director was at his Los Angeles home chatting with Mark Burnett, the creator of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice." The topic was not television, but a movie they'd like to make together. The movie remains a secret, but "in the course of talking about the film, I mentioned that I was interested in sweeping the world to find new actors and directors," Spielberg recalls, standing next to his black luxury golf cart on the Universal lot. "I said, 'You know, it could also be a reality show'." Why yes, Steven, it could. A week later Burnett was back with a pitch for "On the Lot," a Fox reality series that pits 16 young film directors against each other for a shot at a $1 million development deal with Spielberg's studio, DreamWorks. "It's a fairly simple concept," Burnett says. "Most good things are fairly simple."

"Lot" breaks the contestants into four teams, which shoot a short film each week. The films premiere before three judges, and America votes for the best movie. (They said it was a simple idea, not an original one.) The director of the film with the fewest votes gets axed. "We all watch movies and sit there saying this movie is great or that one is crap," Burnett says. "This show gives the audience the experience of being a critic." Spielberg will not be playing hatchet man the way Donald Trump does on "The Apprentice." He's more like the grand prize. "Lot" will debut in May around the time of the "American Idol" finale, but Spielberg won't show up until the last episode, when he'll escort the winner to his or her new office. "Frankly, I've got too much on my plate to be a member of the cast," he says. Then he grins: "Besides, there's only room on this planet for one Trump." There's barely room for one.