Tuesday, June 05, 2007

On the Lot

Sometimes I'm glad I check out random shows on TV. I started following the latest reality show called On The Lot. This show pits a bunch of wanna-be film directors against each other for the opportunity to make a movie with Steven Speilberg.

I had been planning to write this post for a few days, but I only now figured out what I want to write about it. So what do I like about the show?

The contestants seem to be obsessed not with being personalities and beating everyone else, but they're obsessed with showing their talent and winning on their merits. There are a lot of reality shows out there which purport to put people against each other and find te winner best suited to the job. Shows like The Apprentice are supposed to be about finding the best business talent, but in the end, that show is just about Trump, his personality, his personality, his personality, and the cattiness of all the contestants.

People may have a lot of bad things to say about American Idol, but I think the reason the show is so popular is because people like to see everyone trying their darnedest to show their talent and win on their merits. Granted, with that show talent comes down to basic pop, but all the same, the show isn't about pitting people against each other, it's about talent.

On The Lot is very similar in that sense. These budding film makers don't spend much time talking about themselves. They talk about their films and the challenges or cool things they faced while making them. What's more, every contestant obviously has some level of talent they bring to the table, so while you may not like the contestant's submission, you've gotta admit they know a little bit about film making.

A couple of things to note...even though I don't watch too many movies, I've found that I really like the concept and process of film making (discovered while zoned out in front of Final Cut). And this type of contest is right up my alley.

Another thing to note? There's a Indian-American girl on the show and she actually seems to try at making a statement. Her submission tonight was a mockumentary about a South Asian Gay comic. Regardless of the subject, it was definitely very different than the other submissions. Her previous week's submission wasn't all that great, but the fact that she made a little bit risky film is pretty cool. Check out her film right here:
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=6&vd=66

This week's show just passed but if you want to check out the submissions, you can still check them all out here:
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/