Fox has announced the 50 aspiring filmmakers who will compete as semifinalists in On the Lot, Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg's new American Idol-like movie-making reality competition series that will premiere with two one-hour audition episodes on Tuesday, May 22 at 9PM ET/PT and Thursday, May 24 at 9PM ET/PT.
ADVERTISEMENT
During the "audition round" episodes, the semifinalists will travel to Los Angeles to visit an actual film set where they'll participate in "Hollywood Boot Camp." Once there, the semifinalists will pitch and screen their submissions films for the previously announced "Hollywood Boot Camp" judges: Star Wars trilogy star Carrie Fisher; X-Men: The Last Stand and Rush Hour 3 director Brett Ratner; longtime actor, producer, director, and writer Gary Marshall; and producer/director John Avnet. The semifinalists will also partake in a "24-Hour Film Shoot" that will require them to shoot and edit a short film in a 24-hour window and a "one-page, one-hour" film shoot that will give them an hour to shoot a one-page scene with the help of a professional film crew.
The Top 18 finalists chosen by the four judges will then move on to compete in On the Lot's first "Film Premiere" episode, On The Lot's version of Idol's weekly performance shows. The first films produced by the Top 18 will air on Monday, May 28 at 8PM ET/PT. Once On The Lot's "Film Premiere" episodes start airing, America will vote for their favorite productions and finalists will be sent home during each week's subsequent "Box Office" results show (On The Lot's version of Idol's weekly results shows). On the Lot's first "Box Office" results show will air on Tuesday, May 29 at 8PM ET/PT.
On the Lot's weekly one-hour "Film Premiere" episodes will then start to air in its regular time period beginning Monday, June 4 at 8PM ET/PT, and the weekly half-hour "Box Office" results shows will air on Tuesdays at 8PM ET/PT starting Tuesday, June 5.
On the Lot's 50 semifinalists were chosen from 12,000 video submissions via the show's website. The semifinalists consist of men and women from across North America -- as well as some from across the Atlantic in Europe and Africa -- ranging in age from 21- to 41-years-old. While they're all aspiring filmmakers, some have previous experience working on pictures while others come from completely unrelated walks of life.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 50 semifinalists competing in On the Lot are:
- Phil A., a 40-year-old director and writer from New York City
- Shawna B., a 36-year-old assistant producer at a movie trailer house who was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
- Mark B., a 29-year-old editor, director and poker-player living in Los Angeles, CA who is originally from McLean, VA
- Jarett B., a 29-year-old music-video and commercial director who was born and raised in Northport, NY
ADVERTISEMENT
- James B., a 34-year-old freelance writer and director living in Bristol, England
- Will B., a 31-year-old film editor, originally from Canyon, TX who is currently living in Glendale, CA
- Jessica B., a 22-year-old computer specialist who grew-up in York, PA and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY
- Jarrett C., a 24-year-old graduate student living in Los Angeles who is originally from Virginia Beach, VA
- Jeremy C., a 30-year-old creative services manager for an animation distribution company from St. Louis, MO who was raised in Highland, IL
ADVERTISEMENT
- Michael C., a 22-year-old freelance commercial director from Bloomfield, MI who is currently residing in Chicago, IL
- Opie C., a 31-year-old creative director raised in Biloxi, MS who is currently living in Jackson, MS
- Karla Jean D., a 25-year-old tape operator living in Atlanta, GA who is originally from Lynchburg, VA
- Tamela D., a 27-year-old singer, actress and filmmaker living in Los Angeles who was raised in Deer Park, NY
- Jason E., a 30-year-old owner of a film production company who was born and raised in Winchester, KY
ADVERTISEMENT
- Matthew E., a 24-year-old director born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
- Sam F., a 27-year-old web producer living in Santa Monica, CA who was raised in Westchester, NY
- Hilary G., a 37-year-old stay-at-home wife and mom who lives in Francestown, NH and was raised in Chelmsford, MA
- Kenny G., a 39-year-old director, writer, and producer, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
- Phil H., a 22-year-old freelance director who was born and raised in Manchester, England
- Andrew H., a 31-year-old promo producer from Minneapolis, MN who was raised in Pittsburgh, PA
- Rahim J., a 25-year-old freelance editor/director who was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA
- Trever J. a 24-year-old film editor currently living in Los Angeles, CA, who was raised in Great Falls, MT
- Shalini K., a 30-year-old freelance director raised in Hartford, CT who is currently living in Brooklyn, NY
- Mateen K., a 41-year-old teacher currently living in Los Angeles, CA who was raised in the Bronx, NY
- Gil K., a 23-year-old development associate living in New York City who was raised in Verona, NJ
ADVERTISEMENT
- Claudia L., a 28-year-old painter and graphic artist who was born in Bagheria, Sicily, Italy and currently lives in Miami, FL
- Zach L., a 23-year-old special effects editor from Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Kenny L., a 28-year-old freelance director and painter who was born and raised in Owego, NY
- Justin L., a 24-year-old digital post-production engineer who was born and raised in Orange County, CA
- Dean L., a 36-year-old writer/director living in Los Angeles, CA who is originally from New York City
- Brent M., a 34-year-old freelancer producer born and raised in Dallas, TX
- Mark M., a 22-year-old film editor born and raised in Dyer, IN
- Ramsey M., a 34-year-old production sound mixer living in Los Angeles, CA, who was raised in Denver, CO
- Tamika M., a 33-year-old freelance production supervisor living in Los Angeles, CA who is originally from Miami, FL
- Marty M., a 26-year-old creative director of a multimedia company who was born and raised in Seattle, WA
- David M., a 23-year-old admissions counselor living in Santa Ana, CA who grew-up in Aurora, CO
- Abigail S., a 37-year-old capital campaign coordinator living in Los Angeles who is originally from Toronto
ADVERTISEMENT
- Amy S., a 21-year-old freelance director living in Los Angeles
- Hannah S., a 23-year-old freelance producer/director born and raised in Raleigh, NC
- Hilari S., a 40-year-old independent filmmaker living in Los Angeles, CA who was raised in Chicago, Atlanta and NYC
- Jeff S., a 30-year-old freelance editor living in Los Angeles, CA who is originally from Toledo, OH
- Jeff S., a 27-year-old filmmaker and waiter living in San Diego, CA who is originally from South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Kai S., a 39-year-old actress living in Los Angeles, CA who is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ADVERTISEMENT
- Randy S., a 29-year-old freelance director/editor from New York City
- Shira-Lee S., a 38-year-old acting teacher born in Johannesburg, South Africa who now lives in New York
- Adam S., a 29-yar-old freelance film editor born in Miami, FL who is currently living in Los Angeles
- Daniel T., a 26-year-old special events coordinator living in Los Angeles
- Adam W., a 24-year-old freelance camera operator from Birmingham, AL
- Mikki W., a 39-year-old filmmaker originally from Sacramento, CA who is currently living in Los Angeles, CA
- Carolina Z., a 36-year-old commercial director who is originally from Santander, Spain and is currently living in Los Angeles, CA
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio