A Little “On the Lot”
Some critics of Christian movies decry them as “sanctified schlock” and accuse the filmmakers of lacking originality. That’s not limited to Christian films and filmmakers. When Fox announced a new show called “On the Lot,” my hopes were high for a show that really encouraged and rewarded creativity in filmmaking.
When I heard Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg were the producers, I had great expectations of the show. David De Vos, who wrote, directed and starred in The Theory of Everything, was one of more than 13,000 directors from over 30 countries who submitted an entry for this reality show. Surely we’re going to see fantastic originality and leave the tired schlocky stuff behind!
Alas, I don’t think that’s going to happen. After watching the episodes so far, it seems like a weak spin-off of “American Idol.” It has the same format and a hostess that mispronounced Carrie Fisher’s name one week and frequently stumbles over her lines. There are pauses intended to create greater tension (I think); instead, it just seems there isn’t enough action to fill up an hour (more like 45 minutes with the multiple commercial interruptions). And who do you think might be a major sponsor? If you guessed Ford, you’re right! i
I do enjoy Garry Marshall’s critiques of the films and his advice to the directors. He’s a very funny man and has great insight. Any director, no matter their level of accomplishment, could learn from his remarks. It’s a little surreal to see Princess Leia with short hair sitting in the judges’ chair (she wrote the screenplay for “Postcards From the Edge); she’s the Paula Abdul of this show.
The guest judges are directors of current theatrical releases: Jon Avnet (Risky Business), Brett Ratner (X-men: The Last Stand), D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) and Michael Bay (Transformers), and they are generous with their praise and honest with their remarks. The winner of “On the Lot” walks away with a $1,000,000 development deal at DreamWorks, but in reality these contestants are gaining something equally valuable - the exposure they’re gaining, not just to the American public, but to Hollywood professionals.
Last week, Garry Marshall told one of the contestants he was going for a “cheap laugh,” and that he expected something better than that. As I watched tonight’s entries, it seems that’s a popular thing to do. Anyone can think up jokes about rings falling into toilets, meeting the possible future (Jewish) in-laws for the first time, and blind dates. I think my favorite from the evening was Adam Stein’s “Dough: The Musical.”
It’s like attending a miniature film school every week and getting a glimpse into the mind of some of Hollywood’s best. Who do you think will win? Is it possible one of the contestants might be the next Steven Spielberg? I’m curious to find out if any are Christians, and how that might come out in the films they produce in the future. The only way to know is to keep watching “On the Lot.”
