C’mon Hollywood #178

… bring back Project Greenlight!
by Sturdy

I’m relatively new to the Project Greenlight TV series. I didn’t start watching until season 3 and I just recently picked up the first two seasons on DVD. It’s a shame too, because as a movie fan, this show is amazing. For anyone interested in breaking into the biz, or anyone who is just a fan of the filmmaking process, Project Greenlight is must-see TV. Unfortunately, I don’t know if it will ever make it to a fourth season after the abysmal ratings season 3 received. I’m not sure what to think about the proposed Project Greenlight: Australia.

Season 3 was kind of a catch-22 for Bravo and the Weinstein Co. It’s true that a low budget horror movie like FEAST is likely to recoup any financial investment just because it’s a horror movie, but unfortunately, most of Bravo’s viewers aren’t interested in horror movies (I say this because their top three shows are: Project Runway, Shear Genius and Million Dollar Listing). So season 3 really didn’t stand much of a chance in being successful on the small screen. When Bravo and the gang are thinking about bringing it back, they shouldn’t look at season 3 for any kind of indicator for the show’s success. However, Project Greenlight is not without its problems. So here are some ideas I have for getting it back on track.

I liked season 3, but I don’t think it had a broad enough appeal.

First, they have to do something about how they pick their scripts. No offense to any of the winners, but they’ve picked some lame scripts. I’d be willing to bet that half the schmoes reading this very article could write a better script than the ones that have won the first three Project Greenlights. To do this, they need to remove the “fans” from the voting process. Agencies and production companies are filled with assistants and wannabe agents that do nothing but read scripts. Get some of those people for a couple of months and have them (pseudo-professionals) go through all the scripts. And don’t let the number (10k-20k) of scripts fool you, I’m sure 80% of those never make it past the initial screening (too many/few pages, over budget, wrong formatting, etc.). Picking a good script is key and so far, they haven’t been able to do that. Once it gets narrowed down, let Damfleck and company pick the winner.

I’m not even sure the kids liked the script for season 1.

Second, Matt Damon and/or Ben Affleck HAVE to be involved with the movie. I know they’ve said they don’t want to be because their presence would interfere with the process, but things have changed and the show needs help. Plus, if one of them is starring in the film, it will have a trickle down effect leading to a better script, more money, and an easier film to sell. Plus, Bravo will get a huge audience because people will want to tune in to see Matt and/or Ben in action every week.

I know they’re huge now, but even big stars need a small project every now and again.

Third, no horror or other niche genre films can be considered. Yes, it makes for an easier film to sell, but with Matt/Ben involved, it won’t be necessary. Go with a comedy, or something that’s equally easy to market but also provides enough of a broad scope to get people to pay attention. Whatever genre they decide they want, they need to announce it before the contest begins. This will help reduce the number of submissions, and will help drive the focus for everyone involved.

Remember Shia’s earlier work?