Project Greenlight ?

SO, Someone did think to make a reaility TV show about Indie Film Making. Almost.

What do you think ? Intresting Concept. or pile of yankie poop

I read an article on it. Apparently the movie they ended up making was an unmitagated disaster, a weak script with a deranged and deluded director who thought he could realistically recreate the 70s(or sixties) with a 1m budget and who refused to change anything in his "vision" for anyone. So the car chase features loads of modern cars in the backround for example.

This was Damon/Affleck's attempt to give something back. And they're doing it all again next year for some unbelievable reason.

It made something like $61,000 in it's opening weekend [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

Oh yeah the director did seem a little weird and I can't wait to see what Generic said will happen with the film.

One of the funny moments from last night's episode had to be the comment Ben Affleck made to the producer of American Pie.

The producer didn't like a certain script and Ben turns around and says

"Well I guess you would like it if someone was ******* a pie in it." [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

Saw that last night to. The movie did flop. I think the problem they had was to let the same guy who wrote the script direct it. This year they're having a separate contest for a director.

Its an interesting concept and highlights the pitfalls of the movie business. On a different note. Anyone know anything about the rumour that Mat and Ben did NOT acually write Good Will Hunting?

Hey ac_01, I heard that they did actually write the script but it was really bad and needed a lot of work. That's where the real scriptwriters came in.

Good thing they won an Oscar for it [img]frown.gif[/img]

C'mon. They wrote it. Don't you think after they won the Oscar the real authors would've come forward? But all the suggested authors vigorously deny it. Even Kevin Smith, and he's a press w.h.o.r.e. Buy the Evening with Kevin Smith DVD for the story.

Give the guys some credit.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 18, 2003 05:16 PM: Message edited by: untamed_aggression ]</font>

have i missed something here? Im lost

Here's a Yankee's POV of this whole Project Greenlight thing: The guy who won should not have won. His script was horrible in so many ways. As for car chases, there were none. Yes, there were non-70's cars in the BG, but that was not his fault. Ben, Matt, and who ever "greenlit" the production for this film at 1 mill was at fault. Who among us wouldn't jump at the chance to make a film for 1 mill?
The movie did **** (in 3 ways: So much, so bad, and wicked bad). The story was worse then an "after school special".
"I think the problem they had was to let the same guy who wrote the script direct it." - No, the script sucked too. The movie didn't **** from his bad directing because he didn't really direct it. To direct you must take control of the situation (or something like that), and the guy who won basically just showed up on the set everyday and yelled "action". This time they did a writer's contest and a director's contest. For a good laugh you can go to the Project Greenlight forums for writers....you'll run back here screaming.
And last, but not least, read either William Goldman's "Which lie did I tell?" or "Adventures in screenwritting". He talks a little of the "Goodwill Hunting" situation. What did they write before? What have they written since? Food for thought.

Hey there.

"Haven't read Goldman's book but thats the rumour I'm referring to. The fact that they haven't written anything since always sticks in my mind. Just because their names are on the script means very little. Andrew Kevin Walker never got a credit for Fight Club and it was his draft that made it work. Maybe I just like the irony in the fact that a couple of actors that have never written anything hold a contest for would-be writers."

Ive never read such *****cks in all my life.

Two young guys wrote a great script... Get over it. They did well and now they're trying to help others. Thats a GREAT thing to do. Many other writers/directors/actors don't do **** for up and coming talent. As soon as these guys do they get stick for it. So the first PG movie sucked balls. That happens. Myabe the next one will win five oscars. We wont know untill it has been made. Goldman denies everything. It was just rumor created by people in the business. They were a little bitter and twisted at what those guys achieved.

Go listen to the Good Will Hunting commentary track. They talk about the whole development of the script, how it changed and how they stuck to their guns. The wrote that movie because they wanted to star in it. They were offered a lot of money to just sell the script and leave the project but they said no. If the script was nothing to do with them why would a film studio risk making a movie with two relativly unknown actors? They did it because they owned the script.

As for not writing anything else. Good WIll Hunting took them years to do. And that's when they were just jobbing actors and students. Now they are making multimillion dollar movies for many months of the year and getting paid hundreds of millions of dollars to do it. They wanted to be actors not writers. But from the interviews Ive read latley I wouldnt be surprised if they do take a break soon and ecide to write something else.

Good loom to em I say.

Despin out.

What he said. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> And last, but not least, read either William Goldman's "Which lie did I tell?" or "Adventures in screenwritting". He talks a little of the "Goodwill Hunting" situation. What did they write before? What have they written since? Food for thought. </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Haven't read Goldman's book but thats the rumour I'm referring to. The fact that they haven't written anything since always sticks in my mind. Just because their names are on the script means very little. Andrew Kevin Walker never got a credit for Fight Club and it was his draft that made it work. Maybe I just like the irony in the fact that a couple of actors that have never written anything hold a contest for would-be writers. [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 19, 2003 12:52 PM: Message edited by: ac_01 ]</font>

Contest Searchlight was certainly more entertaining.
If only they would put "Jesus and the Gang" on DVD, with commentary track of course...