On The Lot

ChunkyC · 05-22-2007, 08:49 PM

Tonight is the night for the premiere episode of Fox TV's latest reality show, On The Lot, where 50 hopefuls vie for a development deal with Dreamworks.

This is one reality show I'm actually looking forward to in hopes it entertains us while giving us an inside look at how movies are made.

Anybody else planning to watch?

Stew21 · 05-22-2007, 09:23 PM

Definitely. It looks so interesting. (and I am hopeful it is more successful than Project Greenlight).

small axe · 05-23-2007, 03:58 AM

I'm already lining all the dolls up in front of the tv to watch! I'm thrilled by the potential! But ... I was thrilled by PGL too ... and "On The Lot" sure sucks as a series title ...

Fingers crossed! Hope it has the Spielberg magic/success!

"Next year in Hollywood!"

Toothpaste · 05-23-2007, 09:55 PM

You know it was weird. Normally I like watching the auditions where people humiliate themselves (American Idol etc) but I think it is because these days most EVERYONE wants to be "famous" and not a "singer" or "dancer" and so don't really realise they have no talent and I like to see them knocked down a peg.

But last night's episode of this show and the pitches I found really hard to watch because these people already made it a certain way, and it was their dream and it just seemed so sad when they froze, or overdid it or just plain sucked.

Looking forward to when they start making movies though!

Rainy Night · 05-23-2007, 10:39 PM

IMHO - I think a lot of the people that made it this far are skilled directors... they know where to put a camera and put shots together, but when it comes to telling a story they find it difficult. I think for the pitch sessions you really needed to be a good writer, finding a story in the logline and presenting it with confidence.

AdamH · 05-24-2007, 12:56 AM

True...but the skill of directing is to artfully tell a story on film. If you can't get it out in words, how can a director expect to direct his crew to make them understand where to go next. I mean, they don't have to be actors, or writers. But they still have to express a story properly unless they intend on doing all the work.

But it was a fun show to watch. I think it would be better as soon as I see some of their work. Then I could relate more.

Rainy Night · 05-24-2007, 01:36 AM

I agree, but the director is working from a script. His job is to present the story in a visual way. Unless you are a Tarantino or M. Night usually the director's involvement with the script or story is only to help present the story visually. The challenge last night was to create a story from the logline given and pitch it. I may be wrong, but usually it's the writer pitching the script.

Meerkat · 05-24-2007, 06:08 PM

I thought the first episode was brilliant--great idea, executed in a fair manner. What an interesting parallel the "pitch" has to our query letters of various degrees of success. And the dilemma of two film crews too close in proximity in the railyard is priceless. The good directors would find a way to make it work out for BOTH parties--screening, atlernating...some form of cooperation that they had better have for the rest of their career. Otherwise the world will not be big enough for them...or their egos. If they end up throwing mud clods at each other, both should be kicked off next week. I love this show!

ChunkyC · 05-24-2007, 08:11 PM

Didn't get a chance to pop in here yesterday....

I liked it too. I really felt for those poor kids who choked. That first guy, with the jacket and tie, dear gawd that was hard to watch. And yeah, Meerkat, the parallel to querying was intense, wasn't it? I found myself wondering if I would be able to pitch my novel without making a fool of myself if I ever found myself in an elevator next to Teresa Nielsen Hayden or someone like that.

I think having them do the pitch was a good way to cull the herd. After all, even with a script written by someone else, the Director needs to be able to tell the story. He or she is the one in charge, the one who puts it all together to make sure a coherent story is what ends up on screen. So this lets them find the ones who can tell a story themselves, which I think would bode well for their ability to interpret and film someone else's story.

Tonight's show should be really cool, I can't wait to see these short films.

PS -- my wife and I were falling all over ourselves laughing when that guy started smacking the stage with his belt. Holy cow!

small axe · 05-25-2007, 03:23 AM

I wanna see the movies they shoot too. I didn't think any of the pitches were very impressive, and a few the judges seemed to be disdainful of I thought weren't any worse than the ones they liked (plus, show us one good one; they said "have a strong beginning/middle/end ... but none of the pitches had much of all three)

Sex it up, add conflict, but they gotta step away from American Idol, where it's just the celeb Judges bloviating. Show the movies, show the personality clashes, get that one chick nekkid ... I know the shining path when I see it laid out before me.

Meerkat · 05-25-2007, 06:25 PM

I cannot believe the special effects those three (couple's argument stopping time) came up with in 24 hours! THAT is the team to watch in the endgame...

ChunkyC · 05-25-2007, 06:49 PM

Oh YEAH! Wasn't that awesome? There's a team that was able to see past personalities and make the most of each of their talents. What a thrill it must have been for those kids to hear the reaction of the audience when the hangers froze in mid-air. I don't think anyone, the judges included, expected to see something like that. Wow!

As Marshall said, the average movie costs $100,000 per day to shoot. Time pressure on a big time director will be enormous, so which of these 'contestants' can come through under that sort of pressure? The next test is more of the same. I think it's a pretty good way to cull the group down to the final 18.

Meerkat · 05-25-2007, 06:51 PM

Charlie, I think you just defined the key to success in EVERY field of endeavor.

Rainy Night · 05-25-2007, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meerkat

I cannot believe the special effects those three (couple's argument stopping time) came up with in 24 hours! THAT is the team to watch in the endgame...

I think that's a fairly easy effect, still it made everyone's jaw drop, and I agree what a way for a team to pull together.

I also liked the first short, I can't remember the name, the random act of kindness one, in the laundry mat... I thought that team did a excellent job.

I wish we could have seen all of the shorts, maybe they have them on line.

ChunkyC · 05-25-2007, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainy Night

I think that's a fairly easy effect, still it made everyone's jaw drop, and I agree what a way for a team to pull together.

I think it was the fact they were able to get it done in the time they had that was so amazing. Some of the other teams were so busy bickering they barely got their raw footage in the can.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainy Night

I also liked the first short, I can't remember the name, the random act of kindness one, in the laundry mat... I thought that team did a excellent job.

Agreed, that one was great. They told a complete story with humour and style.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainy Night

I wish we could have seen all of the shorts, maybe they have them on line.

Ooh, wicked; they have them right here.

Rainy Night · 05-25-2007, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChunkyC

I think it was the fact they were able to get it done in the time they had that was so amazing. Some of the other teams were so busy bickering they barely got their raw footage in the can.

Agreed

small axe · 05-26-2007, 02:12 AM

I loved the "frozen time" fx too ... but my issue (had I been on that team) would've been: "we're putting all our eggs in the one FX guy's basket"

It's not even an issue over the gamble on "can he do it in 24 hours?" so much as ... the Judges will know we were riding on his coat tails, right? So he'll get through and we'll be stuck be judged on the 'simple camera work' that made it possible for him to shine via his (not the other 2 guys') mad FX skillz.

I'm sooooo happy that the raving egotist guy (who kept shoving his littler team mate aside) got booted: I hate that guy. All weepy and "I'm using these crappy digital cameras ... boohoohoo" Black eyes to you, nazi, we'd all have loved to have you shot, and most wouldn't have been half the jerk you were!

I wanted to cry for the girl who got booted because the snotty DP messed up her visuals ...

I really think it's bad that the Directors are being so rushed ("You have a half hour to go plan your next shoot and then one hour to shoot, and you haven't slept for 48 hours! And did we tell you about the rabid weasel we will sew inside your body cavity? Now ... GO!")

Please: yes, there's "pressure" in shooting ... but there's also the fact that some greatly creative people only show it if you let them be quiet and think, okay? This should be about creativity, not Trumpian bosses setting impossible tasks that weed out the artistry and the contemplative creator.

It's the whole "medical intern on a 36 hour shift" problem: I want my life protected by someone who's had some sleep ... I don't care how "tough" they are.

Anyway ... hope we'll see more of the films and more actually process, not the "survivor island" headgames = ratings schtick.

Love the show. Not sure it has a chance in hell of big ratings success. I'd bet $100 that many (many) of us could've designed a better, more entertaining, more enlightening show.

Guy like Spielberg, I know he's busy, but c'mon ... do the studio suits screw around with his ideas too, or is this just the show Spielberg wanted to make?

ChunkyC · 05-26-2007, 02:39 AM

Good points about speed vs creativity, and I totally dig what you mean about the 36 hour shift.

I'm betting that the majority of directors working in Hollywood have crazy schedules and money guys breathing down their necks all the time, so while what they're putting these kids through is extreme, I think what they're looking for in the final 18 are those people who can be creative while under the gun. Just my take on the tasks they've been given so far.

Quote:

I'm sooooo happy that the raving egotist guy (who kept shoving his littler team mate aside) got booted

I was glad to see him turfed too. What a jerk. All you have to do is look at the extras on a few DVDs to see that most successful directors are nowhere near that condescending. How the heck are you supposed to get the best effort from someone if you make them hate you?

Quote:

Anyway ... hope we'll see more of the films and more actually process, not the "survivor island" headgames = ratings schtick.

Me too.

small axe · 05-26-2007, 03:51 PM

Um, okay, I was writing in fragments above ("Hey! I haven't slept in 48 hours, and they sewed a rabid weasel in my body cavity!") but this one wasn't an immediately-obvious typo, so I need to clarify:

Quote:

I'm sooooo happy that the raving egotist guy (who kept shoving his littler team mate aside) got booted: I hate that guy. All weepy and "I'm using these crappy digital cameras ... boohoohoo" Black eyes to you, nazi, we'd all have loved to have you shot, and most wouldn't have been half the jerk you were!

I meant to write "We'd all love to have your shot" [at being in the competition] ...

While his team mates may have wanted to have him actually 'shot' ... myself, I just meant I was glad to see him booted off the show. I wasn't advocating anyone's assassination.

Yet.

ChunkyC · 05-26-2007, 08:53 PM

LOL!

Rainy Night · 05-29-2007, 08:49 PM

What was your favorite short that they premired last night?

I liked Danger Zone and Dance Man. The majority of shorts were well made but it seemed to me that those shorts that told a story were the best... concept was king.

Toothpaste · 05-29-2007, 09:03 PM

I liked Dance man too, and what was the one called where the cop pulled aside those aliens? I thought that was cute.

Did anyone else get a little tired of Gary Marshall explaining to the women how it was their job to bring a female perspective to everything they filmed? Aren't women allowed to just, you know, make a movie?

ChunkyC · 05-29-2007, 10:00 PM

No kidding! He kept on like having a woman director would be this amazing new thing. Um, Gary ... your sister Penny? Or Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High)? Hello?

I also liked that mister 'I don't need no stinkin' film school' made probably the worst one of the bunch.

Rainy Night · 05-29-2007, 10:09 PM

Isn't Carrie Fisher the new Paula Abdul, every critique was prefaced with the "You're a great filmmaker..." ugggg... I longed for a Simon Cowell.

ChunkyC · 05-30-2007, 09:02 PM

Egads!

1 - why is Kenny still there?

2 - how the heck did "Get a Rhoom" make it into the top three?

05-22-2007, 08:49 PM	#1
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	On The Lot Tonight is the night for the premiere episode of Fox TV's latest reality show, On The Lot, where 50 hopefuls vie for a development deal with Dreamworks. This is one reality show I'm actually looking forward to in hopes it entertains us while giving us an inside look at how movies are made. Anybody else planning to watch? __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund

05-23-2007, 03:58 AM	#3
small axe memento mori Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,931	I'm already lining all the dolls up in front of the tv to watch! I'm thrilled by the potential! But ... I was thrilled by PGL too ... and "On The Lot" sure sucks as a series title ... Fingers crossed! Hope it has the Spielberg magic/success! "Next year in Hollywood!" __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves. -Mahatma Gandhi. Seven sins of life: Politics without principle. Commerce without morality. Wealth without work. Education without character. Science without humanity. Pleasure without conscience. Worship without sacrifice.

05-23-2007, 09:55 PM	#4
Toothpaste OUTCAST is out now!!!! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 7,462	You know it was weird. Normally I like watching the auditions where people humiliate themselves (American Idol etc) but I think it is because these days most EVERYONE wants to be "famous" and not a "singer" or "dancer" and so don't really realise they have no talent and I like to see them knocked down a peg. But last night's episode of this show and the pitches I found really hard to watch because these people already made it a certain way, and it was their dream and it just seemed so sad when they froze, or overdid it or just plain sucked. Looking forward to when they start making movies though! __________________ OUTCAST is out NOW!!!!! My Blog, My Website, Follow Me on Twitter! Alex_and_the_Ironic_Gentleman Timothy_and_the_Dragon's_Gate The_Friday_Society Corsets_&_Clockwork YA Steampunk Romance Anthology The Girl Who Was On Fire HUNGER GAMES essay Anthology

05-23-2007, 10:39 PM	#5
Rainy Night INFJ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Stuck in Dell Hell Posts: 1,376	IMHO - I think a lot of the people that made it this far are skilled directors... they know where to put a camera and put shots together, but when it comes to telling a story they find it difficult. I think for the pitch sessions you really needed to be a good writer, finding a story in the logline and presenting it with confidence. __________________

05-24-2007, 12:56 AM	#6
AdamH Pumped Up Kicks Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Canada's Ocean Playground Posts: 1,125	True...but the skill of directing is to artfully tell a story on film. If you can't get it out in words, how can a director expect to direct his crew to make them understand where to go next. I mean, they don't have to be actors, or writers. But they still have to express a story properly unless they intend on doing all the work. But it was a fun show to watch. I think it would be better as soon as I see some of their work. Then I could relate more. __________________ hAunted (working title)

05-22-2007, 09:23 PM	#2
Stew21 teh evil broad SuperModerator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: with coffee Posts: 25,095	Definitely. It looks so interesting. (and I am hopeful it is more successful than Project Greenlight).

05-24-2007, 01:36 AM	#7
Rainy Night INFJ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Stuck in Dell Hell Posts: 1,376	I agree, but the director is working from a script. His job is to present the story in a visual way. Unless you are a Tarantino or M. Night usually the director's involvement with the script or story is only to help present the story visually. The challenge last night was to create a story from the logline given and pitch it. I may be wrong, but usually it's the writer pitching the script. __________________

05-24-2007, 06:08 PM	#8
Meerkat Claims the loan was a gift Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: "site, place, position" --Roget's Thesaurus Posts: 3,600	I thought the first episode was brilliant--great idea, executed in a fair manner. What an interesting parallel the "pitch" has to our query letters of various degrees of success. And the dilemma of two film crews too close in proximity in the railyard is priceless. The good directors would find a way to make it work out for BOTH parties--screening, atlernating...some form of cooperation that they had better have for the rest of their career. Otherwise the world will not be big enough for them...or their egos. If they end up throwing mud clods at each other, both should be kicked off next week. I love this show! __________________ quick, everyone buy these books: Jade Rabbit Zen Scorpions Boilerplate-Reich

05-24-2007, 08:11 PM	#9
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	Didn't get a chance to pop in here yesterday.... I liked it too. I really felt for those poor kids who choked. That first guy, with the jacket and tie, dear gawd that was hard to watch. And yeah, Meerkat, the parallel to querying was intense, wasn't it? I found myself wondering if I would be able to pitch my novel without making a fool of myself if I ever found myself in an elevator next to Teresa Nielsen Hayden or someone like that. I think having them do the pitch was a good way to cull the herd. After all, even with a script written by someone else, the Director needs to be able to tell the story. He or she is the one in charge, the one who puts it all together to make sure a coherent story is what ends up on screen. So this lets them find the ones who can tell a story themselves, which I think would bode well for their ability to interpret and film someone else's story. Tonight's show should be really cool, I can't wait to see these short films. PS -- my wife and I were falling all over ourselves laughing when that guy started smacking the stage with his belt. Holy cow! __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund Last edited by ChunkyC; 05-24-2007 at 08:13 PM.

05-25-2007, 03:23 AM	#10
small axe memento mori Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,931	I wanna see the movies they shoot too. I didn't think any of the pitches were very impressive, and a few the judges seemed to be disdainful of I thought weren't any worse than the ones they liked (plus, show us one good one; they said "have a strong beginning/middle/end ... but none of the pitches had much of all three) Sex it up, add conflict, but they gotta step away from American Idol, where it's just the celeb Judges bloviating. Show the movies, show the personality clashes, get that one chick nekkid ... I know the shining path when I see it laid out before me. __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves. -Mahatma Gandhi. Seven sins of life: Politics without principle. Commerce without morality. Wealth without work. Education without character. Science without humanity. Pleasure without conscience. Worship without sacrifice.

05-25-2007, 06:25 PM	#11
Meerkat Claims the loan was a gift Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: "site, place, position" --Roget's Thesaurus Posts: 3,600	I cannot believe the special effects those three (couple's argument stopping time) came up with in 24 hours! THAT is the team to watch in the endgame... __________________ quick, everyone buy these books: Jade Rabbit Zen Scorpions Boilerplate-Reich

05-25-2007, 06:49 PM	#12
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	Oh YEAH! Wasn't that awesome? There's a team that was able to see past personalities and make the most of each of their talents. What a thrill it must have been for those kids to hear the reaction of the audience when the hangers froze in mid-air. I don't think anyone, the judges included, expected to see something like that. Wow! As Marshall said, the average movie costs $100,000 per day to shoot. Time pressure on a big time director will be enormous, so which of these 'contestants' can come through under that sort of pressure? The next test is more of the same. I think it's a pretty good way to cull the group down to the final 18. __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund Last edited by ChunkyC; 05-25-2007 at 06:55 PM.

05-25-2007, 06:51 PM	#13
Meerkat Claims the loan was a gift Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: "site, place, position" --Roget's Thesaurus Posts: 3,600	Charlie, I think you just defined the key to success in EVERY field of endeavor. __________________ quick, everyone buy these books: Jade Rabbit Zen Scorpions Boilerplate-Reich

05-26-2007, 02:12 AM	#17
small axe memento mori Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,931	I loved the "frozen time" fx too ... but my issue (had I been on that team) would've been: "we're putting all our eggs in the one FX guy's basket" It's not even an issue over the gamble on "can he do it in 24 hours?" so much as ... the Judges will know we were riding on his coat tails, right? So he'll get through and we'll be stuck be judged on the 'simple camera work' that made it possible for him to shine via his (not the other 2 guys') mad FX skillz. I'm sooooo happy that the raving egotist guy (who kept shoving his littler team mate aside) got booted: I hate that guy. All weepy and "I'm using these crappy digital cameras ... boohoohoo" Black eyes to you, nazi, we'd all have loved to have you shot, and most wouldn't have been half the jerk you were! I wanted to cry for the girl who got booted because the snotty DP messed up her visuals ... I really think it's bad that the Directors are being so rushed ("You have a half hour to go plan your next shoot and then one hour to shoot, and you haven't slept for 48 hours! And did we tell you about the rabid weasel we will sew inside your body cavity? Now ... GO!") Please: yes, there's "pressure" in shooting ... but there's also the fact that some greatly creative people only show it if you let them be quiet and think, okay? This should be about creativity, not Trumpian bosses setting impossible tasks that weed out the artistry and the contemplative creator. It's the whole "medical intern on a 36 hour shift" problem: I want my life protected by someone who's had some sleep ... I don't care how "tough" they are. Anyway ... hope we'll see more of the films and more actually process, not the "survivor island" headgames = ratings schtick. Love the show. Not sure it has a chance in hell of big ratings success. I'd bet $100 that many (many) of us could've designed a better, more entertaining, more enlightening show. Guy like Spielberg, I know he's busy, but c'mon ... do the studio suits screw around with his ideas too, or is this just the show Spielberg wanted to make? __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world - that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves. -Mahatma Gandhi. Seven sins of life: Politics without principle. Commerce without morality. Wealth without work. Education without character. Science without humanity. Pleasure without conscience. Worship without sacrifice.

05-26-2007, 08:53 PM	#20
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	LOL! __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund

05-29-2007, 08:49 PM	#21
Rainy Night INFJ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Stuck in Dell Hell Posts: 1,376	What was your favorite short that they premired last night? I liked Danger Zone and Dance Man. The majority of shorts were well made but it seemed to me that those shorts that told a story were the best... concept was king. __________________

05-29-2007, 09:03 PM	#22
Toothpaste OUTCAST is out now!!!! Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 7,462	I liked Dance man too, and what was the one called where the cop pulled aside those aliens? I thought that was cute. Did anyone else get a little tired of Gary Marshall explaining to the women how it was their job to bring a female perspective to everything they filmed? Aren't women allowed to just, you know, make a movie? __________________ OUTCAST is out NOW!!!!! My Blog, My Website, Follow Me on Twitter! Alex_and_the_Ironic_Gentleman Timothy_and_the_Dragon's_Gate The_Friday_Society Corsets_&_Clockwork YA Steampunk Romance Anthology The Girl Who Was On Fire HUNGER GAMES essay Anthology

05-29-2007, 10:00 PM	#23
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	No kidding! He kept on like having a woman director would be this amazing new thing. Um, Gary ... your sister Penny? Or Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High)? Hello? I also liked that mister 'I don't need no stinkin' film school' made probably the worst one of the bunch. __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund

05-29-2007, 10:09 PM	#24
Rainy Night INFJ Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Stuck in Dell Hell Posts: 1,376	Isn't Carrie Fisher the new Paula Abdul, every critique was prefaced with the "You're a great filmmaker..." ugggg... I longed for a Simon Cowell. __________________

05-30-2007, 09:02 PM	#25
ChunkyC It's hard being green Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: trapped between my ears Posts: 12,338	Egads! 1 - why is Kenny still there? 2 - how the heck did "Get a Rhoom" make it into the top three? __________________ "Hey, Steve, just because you broke into Xerox's store before I did and took the TV doesn't mean I can't go in later and steal the stereo." -- Bill Gates, Mac Week, March 14, 1989 Stories of Strength My listing in the Absolute Write Library. Support the Author Advocate Defense Fund

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