Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Project Greenlight Episode 9

This is it. The last episode of Project Greenlight. It’s been a wild ride from when I first submitted my own screenplay to the final show. John Gulager seems to have become more comfortable talking to people. I think he’s brought something away from this experience. Whether or not he wants to use it on another Hollywood produced movie only time will tell.

This show focused on the test screening. The movie is played for a test audience who gives feedback so the filmmakers can go back and correct some issues. An executive wanted to show it only a week after his own screening. There was a lot to do to get it into shape. So again they didn’t have enough time to get it ready. They had a cut of the film and then spent a day to work on all of the sound. After this test screening though, the sound will have to be redone again. So all of that work is for just one screening.

The audience’s reaction broke into two camps. The first liked the film but wanted to know more about where the monsters come from. So they rated it low. The other didn’t care where the monsters came from and rated it high. Their reactions while the movie played seemed good. Even though they have lower than average scores the executives think by adding another scene at the beginning about the monsters’ origin then the movie will play well.

So they were given a new budget for some re-shoots. It looks like they will be given more time for editing and sound since Feast won’t be released until December. I think I’ll adopt a wait and see before I decide to check it out. Maybe I’ll see if it’s on Rotten Tomatoes and see what kind of reviews it gets.

On a more somber note, regardless of how well the movie does, the ratings for Project Greenlight the TV show was not high enough to keep it going. The Executive Producer Chris Moore had a blog about it. Without the TV show he’s not sure if the contest/movie part will be able to continue. So this could be the last Project Greenlight ever. There were a lot of issues with the way it was run but it was still a nice door into Hollywood. Now that door has been shut.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Project Greenlight Episode 8

So they have finished shooting and have moved on to the editing phase. They only have 6-8 weeks to finish it where usually they would have that much time to just get a rough cut. There was only a couple of problems on this show. First, there was a screening for some of the producers including Ben Affleck. Chris Moore was not invited. He makes up the main three players of Project Greenlight and if the other two are invited then he should be there too.

Once word got out that a rough cut was being shown, the Dimension Films exec's wanted to see it. The producers didn't want them to see it yet. A lot hinges on their first impression and if they see a rough cut then they might not want to release it. I can see how they would be anxious to see how their money was spent but I would think they would want to see a good product too.

The last show will have a screening in Vegas. With the last episode coming up I have a bit of a problem. Do I go out and watch the movie (that is if it is released in the Denver area, the previous two were not)? I want to support Project Greenlight but I don't want to support Feast. I know the script has gone thru some revisions and the director can add a lot to it but I don't want to support the worst of the final three scripts. The executives picked an idea they could market, not the best script that could make some money. I'll have to see the last show and do some soul searching to decide what I'm going to do.

Monday, May 09, 2005

Project Greenlight Episode 7

There's not much to say about this one. It looks like the crew was coming together and getting the job done. I think this was a good learning experience for John. It's a game of give and take when you don't get to run the whole show (such as when you do a short).

There was a few cast problems. One actor had already lined up another job after Feast and he needed to have long hair for it. So he wasn't going to cut his hair. It was a bit longer than it was in other shots. Since all the action takes place in one night it's very important that everything matches. Some of the crew got haircuts like his character and he went ahead and did so too. It made for a funny scene and shows the commitment of the crew but really if your job is to have short hair then keep it short. If you're afraid that a bigger job might come by later on then don't commit yourself to a project.

Also, an actress showed up drunk. I mean really. If I showed up to work drunk I would probably be fired if not suspended. Granted, they do need her so they can't just find a replacement. But I'm sure her name will go around to other producers and the problems that they've had with her. Not brining your best can hurt you, especially when they tape the process and air it on national TV. Oops.