It was only a matter of time before the sticky fingers of reality television slithered their way into the movie industry. However, reality television’s greed is the viewer’s gain, with a hot new series coming to the Fox network in May.
“On the Lot” is promising to be the “American Idol” of the movie business. Aspiring filmmakers worldwide will get to compete each week for the chance of a lifetime: a grand prize development contract with DreamWorks, valued at over $1 million.
These competitors will produce and present short films each week to a panel of judges, and perhaps a stronger critic, America. And true to reality television, the viewer gets to decide who stays and who gets eliminated.
DreamWorks Television, along with Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, provide the backbone for this show. In a short promo for the film on Fox’s Web site, Spielberg and Burnett described the show and their enthusiasm for this new series.
“The films that these kids make will be so entertaining and so diverse that there will never be a dull moment,” said Spielberg. “If there is a dull moment, we will cut it out because the power of the final cut is that you get to cut out all the dull stuff.”
Spielberg and Burnett both said the show will boast short films in all genres, ranging from horror to comedy to drama to mysteries.
Although the reality hype has already begun, the show is not set to premiere until Tuesday, May 22. And just like “American Idol,” the first show will be dedicated to the auditions.
Now, America is left wondering whether Spielberg’s role in this new hit will mimic that of Simon Cowell’s in Idol. It doesn’t seem too likely with Spielberg’s positive attitude.
“We’re going to achieve a great result with this series,” said Spielberg. “And I am totally excited. So here we go! Action!”
Now for those who don’t just want to watch people make films, but want to create them yourself, Yahoo! and the MTV Movie Awards has a chance for you to shine with their “Best Movie Spoof” Contest.
According to the contest’s official rules, anyone is allowed to submit their original five minute movie short parodying selected films. The films available for use are all listed on the Web site, but include titles such as “The Departed,” “Borat,” “Click,” “300”, “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky.”