On the Lot Already Bringing a Lot of Ego Issues
On the Lot Episode 2 Already, and Bringing a Lot of Ego Issues by Roxanne McDonald
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So surprising and delightful that just two days after the premiere episode of “On the Lot,” the second installment is here! |
I hope the show does run two nights a week. In fact, I could dig five days a week.
Besides, I can also catch the rest of the names (or almost all of them), to complete my first piece.
But, oooh, this is already getting “reality TV” tainted: the teams are in the middle of the second challenge—to script, direct, film, edit, and produce a two-and-a-half-minute piece.
For this second challenge task, the contestants must work on a team of three, with each directing one of three scenes in the 2 ½-minute short. The three directors will have three actors and three locations, and will have 24 hours to write, direct, edit, and deliver…by 6 a.m. the next day.
There are already ego clashes. Especially with the self-professed masters of directorial cinematography: Marty is getting on Jeff’s nerves, and Kenny is insulting his
partners, Hannah and Jessica, stage left and scene right.
By the time they get to editing, Kenny is telling the girls he is disgusted and disappointed with their crappy editing, and while Hannah is so shocked she just sits with mouth agape, Jess fights back, saying she is also surprised that such a know-it-all director of photography produces out-of-focus shots and doesn’t know the meaning of something as remedial as scene angle….
We don’t get to see all the final submissions, but we do see
1) Random Acts of Kindness, by Hilary, Brent, and Carolina;
2) Vinny’s Vault, by the likely demonic character from now on in, Kenny, and his partners Jess and Hannah;
3) a short (I missed the title of) by Trever, Marty, and Jeff; and
4) Time Out, by Sam, Zach, and Adam.
1 made the judges respond that the team had set the bar and made an audience laugh; 2 was sloppy and had the guest judge, John Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes; Risky Business) prompt them to be sure to ask whether X is the best choice, etc; 3 had Ratner commenting on the fine choice of long lenses for the sidewalk scene but had Avner saying another part was the weakest of the three scenes; and 4 was so spectacular—with such brilliant (stop-motion, I think) techniques that it elicited such comments as “amazing”, “fantastic”, “incredibly inventive,” and “great execution of visual effects.”
12 more contestants are cut, leaving 24 for the third round/final cuts to 18 remaining. “Tomorrow” (which for us means Monday, boo-hoo), the 24 will work at one of four one-paged scripts and corresponding set photos; will have one half hour to prep; and will get one hour to direct.
Jeeeezus. Talk about slamming with the hard stuff right from the start. To do away with the directors who can’t deliver, I suppose.
Update to list for episode one of “On the Lot” [again, only according to what I could glean from the actual episode]:
Phil A., 40, director and writer from New York City
Shawna B., 36, assistant producer at a movie trailer house, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
Mark B., 29, editor, director and poker-player living in Los Angeles, CA, originally from McLean, VA
Jarett B., 29, music-video and commercial director, born and raised in Northport, NY
James Breese, 34, freelance writer and director living in Bristol, England
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Will Bigham., 31, film editor, originally from Canyon, TX, currently living in Glendale, CA
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Jessica Brillhart, 22, computer specialist, grew up in York, PA, currently living in Brooklyn, NY
Jarrett C., 24, graduate student living in Los Angeles, originally from Virginia Beach, VA
ELIMINATED ROUND 1: Jeremy Corray, 30, creative services manager for an animation distribution company, from St. Louis, MO, raised in Highland, IL
ELIMINATED ROUND 1: Michael C., 22, freelance commercial director from Bloomfield, MI, currently residing in Chicago, IL
Opie Cooper, 31, creative director raised in Biloxi, MS, currently living in Jackson, MS
Karla Jean D., 25, tape operator living in Atlanta, GA, originally from Lynchburg, VA
Tamela D’Amico, 27, singer, actress and filmmaker living in Los Angeles, raised in Deer Park, NY
Jason Epperson, 30, owner of film production company, born and raised in Winchester, KY
Matthew E., 24, director, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Sam Friedlander., 27, web producer, living in Santa Monica, CA, raised in Westchester, NY.
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Hilary Graham, 37, stay-at-home wife and mom who lives in Francestown, NH, and raised in Chelmsford, MA
Kenny G., 39, director, writer, producer, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
Phil Hawkins., 22, born and raised in Manchester, England, works as a freelance director
Andrew Hunt, 31, promo producer from Minneapolis, MN, raised in Pittsburgh, PA
ELIMINATED ROUND 1: Rahim Jamal, 25, freelance editor/director, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
ELIMINATED ROUND 2: Trever James, 24, film editor, currently living in Los Angeles, CA, and raised in Great Falls, MT
Shalini K., 30, freelance director, raised in Hartford, CT, currently living in Brooklyn, NY
Mateen K., 41, teacher, currently living in Los Angeles, CA, raised in the Bronx, NY.
Gil Kruger, 23, development associate living in New York City, raised in Verona, NJ
Claudia LaBianca., 28, painter and graphic artist, born in Bagheria, Sicily, Italy, currently lives in Miami, FL.
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Zach Lipovsky, 23, special effects editor from Vancouver, BC, Canada.
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Kenny Luby., 28, freelance director and painter, born and raised in Owego, NY.
Justin L., 24, digital post-production engineer, born and raised in Orange County, CA
Dean L., 36, writer/director, living in Los Angeles, CA, originally from New York City
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Brent McKorkle, 34, freelancer producer, born and raised in Dallas, TX
Mark McLain, 22, film editor, born and raised in Dyer, IN
ELIMINATED ROUND 1: Ramsey Mellette, 34, production sound mixer living in Los Angeles, CA, raised in Denver, CO
Tamika M., 33, freelance production supervisor, living in Los Angeles, CA, originally from Miami, FL
ELIMINATED ROUND 2: Marty Martin., 26 creative director of a multimedia company, born and raised in Seattle, WA
David May, 23, admissions counselor living in Santa Ana, CA, but grew up in Aurora, CO.
Abigail S., 37, capital campaign coordinator, living in Los Angeles, originally from Toronto
Amy S., 21, freelance director living in Los Angeles
ELIMINATED ROUND 2: Hannah Sink, 23, freelance producer/director born and raised in Raleigh, NC
Hilari S., 40, independent filmmaker living in Los Angeles, CA, raised in Chicago, Atlanta and NYC
ELIMINATED ROUND 2: Jeff Siebenick, 30, freelance editor, living in Los Angeles, CA, originally from Toledo, OH
Jeff S., 27, filmmaker and waiter living in San Diego, CA, originally from South Lake Tahoe, CA
Kai S., 39, actress living in Los Angeles, CA, originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Randy S., 29, freelance director/editor from New York City
Shira-Lee Shalit, 38, acting teacher, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, now living in New York
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Adam Stein., 29, freelance film editor, born in Miami, FL, currently living in Los Angeles
Daniel T., 26, special events coordinator living in Los Angeles
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Adam W., 24, freelance camera operator from Birmingham, AL
ELIMINATED ROUND 1: Mikki W., 39, filmmaker originally from Sacramento, currently living in Los Angeles, CA
MADE IT THROUGH ROUND 2: Carolina Z., 36, commercial director, originally from Santander, Spain, currently living in Los Angeles, CA
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