Project Greenlight

2001

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

7.3| 0h30m| TV-MA| en
Synopsis

Project Greenlight is a television series focusing on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. It was created by Alex Keledjian, developed by Eli Holzman and produced by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey, and Chris Moore through their production company LivePlanet, along with Miramax Films. Project Greenlight first aired on HBO for two seasons before moving to Bravo for season three.

Cast

Director

Producted By

Pearl Street Films

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!
Micransix Crappy film
Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
brentdci I have enjoyed this series since the first season. Project Greenlight should be picked up again for another project/season. I have to give extra credit for Mr. Damon for standing up for what PGL is all about at the beginning of this run. Hats off to all who support PGL and as one who is in the business, this is time and financial support well worth the investment. The commitment from everyone from the studio/executive level all the way down shows that a project, film, behind the scenes shoot or television run is well worth it and in this case, third time is a charm and everyone involved should feel vindicated and the first two seasons were the investment to get where everyone is today. My hats off to all for supporting PGL and please keep up the good work. --San Francisco, California May 2005
two-robinsons Okay, after a supposedly rigorous selection process we end up with what is repeatedly referred to as a fantastic script by a talented writer and a team of two 'very capable' directors. A very different scenario to the previous series where writer Pete Jones who had never directed before was given the helm. The result was the appalling 'Stolen Summer' which made about a dollar fifty at the box office. This time things were supposed to be very different. Unfortunately right from the start it becomes glaringly obvious that our two talented and experienced directors are nothing of the kind. At one point, one of them asks if they really need a production designer and wouldn't it be better to just tell the prop master what they want? Things get worse when they upset the leading DP candidate by accusing him of talking over them. As a result, he wisely makes the decision to pull himself out of the running. Through six weeks of preproduction,they sit quietly in script meetings leaving producers,Chris Moore and Jeff Balis come up with ways in which the script could be improved. After a meeting with Sharon Lawrence, where they sit staring off into space, their casting director,Joseph describes them as mutes and admits that as an actor, he would have serious concerns about working with them. Once on set they suddenly discover an interest in the script and begin rewriting scenes the night before shooting upsetting both the writer, who they deliberately exclude from the process, and the the producers. Their lack of preparation leads to them falling behind schedule and alienates their actors when it becomes clear they have no idea what it is they want. Watching the writer, Erica Beeney cringe every time they give their actors directions that run contrary to the intentions of the script and story is painful to say the least. In truth, I don't blame the directors , even though they are intensely unlikeable characters. It was the job of the producers to put the project into the hands of the very best candidates and they patently failed to do so. I can only guess that the reason these two were picked is because it was decided that having two directors would make for more entertaining television.At the beginning of each episode, we are told that the intention of the project is to identify talented individuals and help them to launch their careers but in the case of Kyle Rankin, Efram Potelle and Pete Jones this clearly has not been the case. Like 'Stolen Summer', 'The Battle of Shaker Heights' went on to gross about two dollars fifty before sinking without trace. Although Pete Jones has managed to sell an idea to the Farrelly brothers, none of the directors have persuaded anyone to let them anywhere near a film set. Not surprisingly after the third series, Chris Moore declared Project Greenlight to over and then took himself off to become a director. To be honest it should never have begun.
kmscb-1 I watched the first episode of PGL-3......and that did it.I stayed with the whole concept of a competition to offer amateur screenwriters and directors a chance at making their movie all the way through PGL-1 and PGL-2. I mean, I loved the idea; and I really wanted it to work, to be an honest attempt at leveling the playing field a little...just a little.Yes, I groaned at Pete Jones winning for a script I found borderline offensive in PGL-1, but then I recalled there was a great movie about children and death that I saw years ago in college (it was French and made just after WW2..."something Garden"...but I can't remember the name of it) that sounded foul and turned out to be brilliant, so I accepted it as one of those "Maybe this could work" moments. It didn't.Then came 2, and I liked the script for "Battle of Shaker Heights" but the panel seemed to almost deliberately choose the worst two directors to make it, a pair of guys who wouldn't know sensitive unless it slapped them up side the head. But I convinced myself it could be seen as an experiment in trying something different, a collision of Yin and Yang to see if we get fusion (though it took a LOT of convincing). The directors ruined that script.And now...now we have a series where the studio (which I refuse to name because I now despise it) forces the worst script to be the winner of the "competition" (and Matt and Ben roll over like a nice pair of...well, you know whats) and then the middle-aged son of an actor who was in Craven's "Nightmare On Elm Street 2" is chosen to direct, despite him having no vision, no passion, no communication abilities, no concept of the creature, no nothing to show for himself except a pair of fairly decent shorts. It was then I had to admit to myself this show was never about giving amateurs a chance to make a movie, it was just about making another "reality" TV show that is scripted to within an inch of its existence. (Could the set-up be more obvious? The old Lincoln that won't start and with the tape on the seats; the credit cards that don't work; the "Eyeore" personality.) I actually screamed at the TV when I saw it.Yes, I was angry at the suggestion that the viewers are so stupid they can't see through this three-card-Monte nonsense. But even more, I was hurt. I really thought Ben and Matt , considering the breaks they've received (and made very good use of), meant it when they set up Project Greenlight. Well, to paraphrase a too-well known saying, "What fools we mortals be." Blind fools willing to believe anything we're told if we want to, badly enough.So if you want to see how movies get made in Hollywood, go ahead and watch this "reality series". You'll learn it's not what you know or how good you are that gets you ahead, it's who you know and whether or not they like the initial concept. And maybe that's the ultimate message.As for me, I'm still fool enough to hope the movie turns out well. But I won't watch anymore of this thing. All it will remind me of is promises broken.
damir00 Ok, maybe not so glamorous - but then that's a useful thing to learn, no?. This multi-part docudrama takes a fascinating look at making movies by following the making of a movie by a first-time director.I only hope they put this on DVD so others can learn from their mistakes. ;-)