Project Greenlight (2001)

After a brief overview of the Project Greenlight contest by its creators, the season begins with the narrowing down of the top 50 scripts (from an initial 7,000!) to ten, and the directors down to four. Matt, Ben and Chris personally call the finalists to summon them to the 2003 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The excitement of arriving at this indie-film mecca soon turns to anxiety, however, as the judging panel screen directors' scene assignments and observe the screenwriters pitching their stories. Finally, six scripts are eliminated - and four directors and four writers are left standing.

After a brief overview of the Project Greenlight contest by its creators, the season begins with the narrowing down of the top 50 scripts (from an initial 7,000!) to ten, and the directors down to four. Matt, Ben and Chris personally call the finalists to summon them to the 2003 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The excitement of arriving at this indie-film mecca soon turns to anxiety, however, as the judging panel screen directors' scene assignments and observe the screenwriters pitching their stories. Finally, six scripts are eliminated - and four directors and four writers are left standing.

Press photos are shot and ""Stolen Summer"" producer Jeff Balis is surprisingly reintroduced. The group meets for some initial discussion about the winning screenplay. Erica ties up loose ends back home in Ohio as she prepares to move to L.A. The winners meet in L.A. for casting and budget meetings and quickly realize they may have little actual control over certain critical production elements. The producers talk about the winners' capabilities.

Five weeks remain until the start of production, and the heat is rising. The group discuss issues with the casting and script, and Kyle and Efram begin interviewing candidates for the film's key crew members. They also battle over exactly who will edit the film. Finally, the directors extend offers for the movie's main roles in to several actors.

Casting remains difficult, as the team has trouble landing Shia LeBeouf for the main role of Kelly. Erica receives major script notes, but doesn't like the directors' offer to do the rewrites.

Pressures mount as the beginning of production approaches, and Ben joins the team for a final script meeting. Thomas Ackerman is hired as D.P. and the cast -- including Shia LeBeouf, Kathleen Quinlan and Amy Smart -- does a table read. Much to the crew's relief, the first location is finally set.

The first day begins with creative differences and an awkward scene, but Ackerman shows he's up to the task. A casting dilemma is solved when Bill Sadler accepts the role of Abe. With an ambitious schedule in front of them, the team braces for a crucial emotional scene.

Erica decides to play a more active role on set after there's an unscripted shot. Technical problems push the production behind schedule and the directors make more script changes without consulting Erica, who vents her frustrations.

Kyle and Ephram worry that their authority is being undermined and call a meeting to discuss more effective communication. Miramax's Rick Schwartz arrives for lunch with a special guest, briefly lightening the mood.

Cast and crew are feeling drained just three weeks into shooting. Ben and J.Lo visit the set and lift their spirits, especially Erica's. Efram clashes majorly with the boom operator. But when it comes time for the big kiss scene with Amy, Shia is a smooth operator. The final day of production gets off to a shaky start as Shia stumbles over difficult lines, but Kyle helps him through it. Finally it's announced - ""That's a wrap!""

Kyle and Efram begin post-production now that their film's in the can. Within two weeks they screen a rough cut for Chris, Jeff and Erica, who question the tone - is it a drama or a comedy? Miramax exec Rick Schwartz see the next cut and feels the same ambiguity. After four grueling days, Kyle and Efram barely get their tape to the pivotal test screening on time.

The producers decide that the film will be a comedy after the test-screening results are in. Protests from Kyle and Efram go unheeded. Kyle and Efram agonize over several new cuts but finally deliver a version they hope will meet with Rick's approval.

Will it be released or not? Everyone waits anxiously as Miramax debates whether The Battle of Shaker Heights will open in N.Y. and L.A. Chris appeals to Harvey Weinstein to release it in more cities. As the premiere date approaches, the team makes some finishing touches and waits to hear from Miramax. Will they pull out the big guns and open with a bang? Or will they surrender to a limited release and give up the battle for Shaker Heights?

The executive producers and Dimension executives sat down and interviewed the top 3 writers and the top 3 directors. Coming to the conclusion of the script, which was written by both Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. This script is titled ""Feast"" and would be directed by John Gulager.

The group finds out from Dimension that they're not going have an easy time making their movie. They're told that the script's flawed, that the studio has reservations over the director's ability to pull it all together, and that they'll have to rewrite the script in order to make in with the $2 million budget. They then work 12 hour shifts fixing the script by eliminating scenes and combining characters. The director also stubbornly insists that his family members be cast in the lead roles, which causes frustrations the casting director.

Only nine weeks are left in pre-production. Ideas for the film are coming together and the director is finally starting to take charge. The group gets permission from Dimension to look for gap financing from another investor willing to put money into the production. They get an idea from a radio show to hit up the Maloof family for money. Their call into a radio program fails but they arrange a formal meeting through the Maloof family's office. The crew is assembling but the director still butts heads with the others over his insistence that his family be cast in the main roles.

Gulager says he's going to film a test screen of his family and take it directly to Bob Weinstein. Chris Moore puts a stop to it and threatens to fire the director. Casting gets under way. It proves difficult to find a suitable actor and actress to play the Hero and Heroine. Michelle want Navi Rawat cast in a role and submits her name directly to Dimension. The company thinks it's a good choice but the others are upset that Michelle went behind their backs. Actors are found for the lesser roles and additional financing for the 25-day shoot is secured from the Maloof family. The writers are hired to write the new Highlander film. And the monster designs are comining along nicely. At the first read-through of the script with the actors a bomb scare forces their evacuation and postpones the meeting.

Filming is finally ready to begin. Issues with the script, budget, and casting have been settled, so now all eyes are on first-time director Gulager. He has a free-wheeling shooting style and makes too many last-minute adjustments, which get on the DP's nerves. The actors start feeling somewhat lost without proper rehersals and compositions. Studio execs and the producer step in to tell Gulager to communicate better.

Gulager finally schedules an early rehearsal time before the day's shooting. The mood lightens but the good will is short-lived, as the 1st A.D. and the script supervisor let their dislike for each other spill over. Since he has the producers on his side, the 1 A.D. gets the script supervisor fired. Shooting is continually rocky, frustrating the director and many of the others.

Its the final week of production and a lot of movie left to be shot. John starts to feel the pressure when he is found with two camera crews shooting two different scenes of the movie on opposite sides of the studio. John has to run back and forth from both sets to do the directing. Plus they find out that there is a big corporate issue between Disney and Miramax, and feast might get caught in the middle of the battle. To Help motivate everyone on the crew, John sets up a movie short of Feast so that they can get an understanding of what they all have been working so hard.

Production is finally over, now comes the actual making of the movie - Post Production. This episode, John just starts the editing and already everyone wants to get a piece of what it looks like. So John sets up screenings for all the major players of the movies future. The majority of them seem to like what they see with just a few improvements needed. The whole group seems really excited to get this thing done and can't wait to see the final film.

Narrowed down from thousands of submissions, thirteen finalists arrive in Los Angeles to meet with the 'Project Greenlight' judges - Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, executive Jennifer Todd, producer Marc Joubert, producer Effie Brown, HBO's Len Amato, and the Farrelly brothers. As the judges discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant's final project, they also debate the importance of artistic vision versus the collaborative skills required to be a successful director--all leading up to a red-carpet event where the winner will be announced.

With two months until production begins, Effie, Marc and Len try to convince Jason that digital is the only way to keep the project on schedule and within budget. Meanwhile, instead of moving forward with the original 'Project Greenlight' script, Jason pitches his own script: a dark comedy called 'The Leisure Class.'

Key production staff roles are filled, so Effie asks the location manager to scout mansions in the Los Angeles area, but Jason doesn't think any of them match his vision. Meanwhile, Jason continues to resist shooting digitally, which causes friction between Effie and Peter Farrelly.

In the wake of Effie and Pete's fallout, the Farrelly brothers consider their place in the project. Jason takes his digital concerns directly to Ben, much to Effie's dismay, and faces a decision between extra shooting days and shooting on film. Meanwhile, the search for a perfect location continues, causing drama among members of the team, and the cast assembles for a table read in the final days of pre-production.

As production begins, Jason is eager to take charge, but finds his penchant for perfectionism conflicting with the tight shooting schedule Effie is vigilant about maintaining. The crew raises communication concerns during Len's first visit to the set. With the deadline winding down to get the signatures required to legally shoot at night, Effie and Marc present Jason with a less-than-ideal solution.

Pressure mounts as Jason and the crew get ready for the film's most expensive scene thus far: a wedding rehearsal dinner to be shot during a few short hours at dusk. The production team also begins preparations for last shoot of the film, a complicated and potentially dangerous car-crash scene. Though Len tells Jason the scene may be too ambitious, Effie tries to find a way to carry it off as close to Jason's original vision as possible.

On the final day of shooting at the house, the production team grows increasingly frustrated that Jason has not chosen a location for the car-crash scene. Later, Jason meets with the stunt coordinator to map out the crash logistics. During the last night of filming, Jason gets words of encouragement from a surprise visitor to the set, while he and the production team race against the clock to wrap before the sun comes up.

With filming wrapped, Jason gets notes on his director's cut of the film, and, on Ben's suggestion, screens it for a test audience. Though resistant to some of the feedback, Jason looks to make fixes during reshoots - and works round the clock with the editor to get the final cut completed before the film's red-carpet premiere at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles.