On the Lot

If you want to see a good find a director through reality TV television show, skip this one all together and watch Project Greenlight. Or maybe even paint drying would be more interesting. They start out with fifty candidates vying for a spot directing a movie with a million dollar budget. They should have broken it down to twenty candidates before the show went on the air. There is just way too many people to keep track of. You don't care when people are sent home because you really don't know anything about them. Also Steven Spielberg produces but nowhere to be seen. They also dug up Carrie Fisher and Gary Marshall from the depths of Hollywood. Bret Ratner is also there pretending to be some kind of authority. If they were gonna make a not very good cop-buddy with one hundred crappy sequels than I say call Bret. Avoid at all costs!!

I love my movies. I come out of the cinema with lots of opinions and theories (some good - some bad) and my friends tell me to shut up already.

Here we have a bunch of aspiring producers (some good - some bad) having their short films completely taken apart by well known directors each week.

What more can I ask for? Can wait each week to see what new ideas there are. Even the bad ones aren't that bad because they end in 2 minutes.

I pity those that are around me when I'm watching this - like my friends and family say "shut up already and watch the show!"

A cynical title but if this show wants to last, that is exactly what it needs to do. I watch a lot of FOX shows and the advertisements for "On-the-Lot" ran so ramped that i just had to check it out. It air right after American Idol (coincidence?) and . . . i saw no difference. Other then "singing" is replaced with "directing" it fits all other Cliché Reality Show stereotype. The Judges (who are predictable in their banter), The contestants trying to kill each other (oh the Drama!) and the host who is pretty but gets annoying after 5 minutes of hearing their voice. What sickens me the most about this show is that they could of dispensed with this Cliché bull plop and for once had a reality show that dared to actually be GOOD!!!! I am losing interest FAST in the show because of the RS crap between Movies. That's all this show should be showing is the short movies because the movies are the only thing people want to see. If you actually like a contestant enough to remember their name and face then you still won't remember them enough to actually care if they get eliminated. This show had a interesting concept but it's execution was horribly thought out. So in short: "CUT-THE-BULL OR CUT-THE SHOW!"

This show is actually not that bad. But I did actually expect something more original from Spielberg. On Yahoo!, in the statistics section, they said that this show only had a sixth of the viewers from American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Because of Hollywood's reputation, not many people are going to be interested in the reality show behind it because all they can do is pick up the nearest tabloid.

However, for aspiring filmmakers or producers or editors, etc... this show actually will help a lot after you look past the drama. Things from terminology to techniques can be reaped from this show.

My prediction is that On The Lot may not have the most viewers, but will have the most loyal.

Anyways, about the show itself, it's not that different from American Idol or SYTYCD. The only things different I could find is that there is no English judge (though Brett Ratner is pretty much the American version of Simon), there are a lot more challenges in one show, and they skipped the audition process (for good reason, who wants to see hours upon hours of seriously crappy videos?) Watch this if you are a drama addict, or is interesting in seeing into the directing business. But don't see it if you're looking for a unique reality talent search show. (oxymoron...)

There is plenty good about this show and a little bad along the way that spoils the fun. Besides being formulaic in the reality show talent contest format ala Idol, there's a decent show with true content each week. While the demographic to which this appeals to is fairly small I believe it'll survive the dearth of summer original programming and do OK for Fox during the bland summer months.

The directors are varied and each have a particular take, though their own efforts are hampered by frequently mediocre acting. Also at issue is the minimal information that is given about the constraints they work under, so it's hard to judge them objectively.

Example "What is the theme?" "How long do their movies have to be" "What funds/equipment/time are they alloted"... it is hard for the audience to formulate an opinion when these facts are never discussed.

The production values are OK but the judges are a mixed bag. No one, at home or on the show, respects Carrie Fisher's opinion, and if I have to hear the old dirty man tell another 'sweetheart' contestant how 'we need more female directors' and that while her movie sucked he 'likes her smile' I'll puke.

Tune in each week for the surprisingly famous guest judge (who Fox can't ever seem to promote in advance and capitalize on) who is invariably promoting his next big flick and providing the only intelligible commentary and this show should be worth you money on Tuesday nights.