ON THE LOT, executive-produced by
Mark Burnett and
Steven Spielberg, will give aspiring filmmakers from around the world the chance to earn a $1-million development deal at DreamWorks.
Premiering on May 22 and airing once a week throughout the summer on FOX, this reality-competition series features a cast of undiscovered filmmakers who will compete to win the support of the show's viewers, as their fate will be decided by a weekly audience vote.
On the Lot will regularly air on Tuesdays, with a one-hour "Film Premiere and Box Office" result episode.
After a global search and over 12,000 submissions, a group of talented filmmakers have been selected from the applicants. These finalists have been brought to Hollywood, where they have been divided into teams and begun the journey toward their "big break."
Every week, the hopeful filmmakers will produce short films from a chosen genre, running the gamut from comedies to thrillers, dramas to romance, action to horror. They'll have access to the best resources the industry has to offer -- professional writers, cast and crew, and maybe even Hollywood celebrities.
After the teams have battled time frames, budgets and all the usual chaos that goes along with filmmaking, their films will debut and be critiqued in front of a live audience during the "Film Premiere" episode. Judges for the initial "Audition Rounds" include actress/author/screenwriter Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars," "Postcards From the Edge") and directors/producers Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour 3," "X-Men 3"), Garry Marshall ("Georgia Rule," "Pretty Woman") and Jon Avnet ("Fried Green Tomatoes", "Risky Business") with more well-respected guest judges to be announced as the show progresses, such as directors who are experts in the week's featured genre. But the filmmakers ultimately will be judged by the harshest critics of all ... the public.
It will be FOX viewers whose votes determine which film should be left on the cutting-room floor. On the next night's "Box Office" results show, the director whose feature garners the fewest votes will be sent home.
The competition continues and directors are eliminated until only the most talented filmmaker is anointed the winner and heads to DreamWorks ... ON THE LOT
