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On the Lot Has Gone Off Track

There are lessons that can be learned from the Steven Spielberg/Mark Burnett reality TV show On the Lot, despite the mistakes they've been making in crafting the show. Many of the mistakes fall into the "what not to do" variety, but such is the way. I know Brian Villalobos has been following this series on the TV page, but I wanted to throw in my own indie two cents.

IN THE BEGINNING…

The first thing I want to say is that the show started out great. I loved the idea of having their first challenge be pitching a story idea to a panel of judges. Many of the pitches were painful to watch and a couple of them were good, but the whole thing was an interesting glimpse into the whole pitching process. It was also a good way to introduce us to the participants. But my god, did there have to be so many participants? I think the show drove away audiences in these early episodes by having too many people. It was impossible to root for anybody, much less try and figure out who anybody was.

Except for the glut of contestants, the show was still on track for the next challenge. Groups of three were formed and together they needed to write a three-scene movie where each person directed one of the scenes. This was sort of a valuable lesson for indie filmmakers because it shows how easy it can be to mismanage time and resources while on set, even a small set. With so many sets to cover, however, the producers couldn't do justice to anybody, and it was still tough to root for anybody. If they had a reasonable number of filmmakers, this wouldn't have been as much of a problem.

The next challenge was going to be another valuable one for indie filmmakers to see. With a professional crew to support them, each filmmaker was to be given one hour to shoot a one-page scene. This sounds easy on the surface, but knowing that every time the camera is moved for close-ups or other angles requires at least a five or ten minute (or longer) lighting change, time runs out pretty quickly. Every run-and-gun filmmaker who is used to picking up a camera and shooting with available light would have learned a thing or two about working with a professional crew and how much time it really takes to shoot a scene properly.

Unfortunately, they dropped this episode; three filmmakers mysteriously disappeared from the show without explanation; the producers changed the format; and the show went into the toilet. What started out as a way to demystify the filmmaking process has turned into a show where amateur filmmakers make short films and we're supposed to vote on them. I mean, isn't that what the Internet is for? I expected more out of this show.

WRONG MOVES:

The reason so many job-related reality shows on TV are interesting and draw audiences is because they take you behind the scenes and show you how their respective industries work. Whether you love or hate Simon Cowell's taste in music, you believe his blunt comments match what a record executive would say. With Top Chef or Hell's Kitchen, the challenges all have to do with running a kitchen. And who would have thought fashion could have been so fun to watch before Project Runway came around?

The biggest mistake On the Lot made, even bigger than having way too many contestants, was that it modeled itself on American Idol and not on Project Runway. The people picking the winners should be industry professionals, like agents and producers, and not the general public. We should be able to see and hear the thoughts of those professionals whom every indie filmmaker is trying to impress when they eventually head to Hollywood. There's a lot more to making movies than simply playing to the lowest common denominator, and a lot of ways that this show could have been better.

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Andy Spletzer still watches On the Lot, but thanks to TiVo he can skip right over the inane comments of hostess Adrianna Costa.

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