Project Greenlight: A New Generation

I absolutely love the concept of shows like this and the Chair, but like the Chair my issue is with first and foremost, the finished product is always subpar. However, the most frustrating part of this show is 1. The Director herself is so meek and passive (understandable at 1st this being her 1st time writing a feature) but at some point she needed to STEP IT UP. Equally, if not more frustrating, are the passive agressive Producers who held meetings and then meetings AFTER the meetings w/the Director to complain instead of actually addressing their grievances in the ACTUAL meeting. They spent so much time walking on eggshells for fear of coming across as mean or hurting the directors feelings instead of actually speaking up about the issues. As Producers they failed at their job to show backbone and actually COMMUNICATE with the Director. Who herself, was very meek and passive.

The story they show thinks it's telling, and the reality hiding underneath, creates a fascinating tension. Ostensibly about a first time director, Project Greenlight quickly becomes about the production company, their demands, unrealistic expectations, lack of mentorship, and misguided advice.

Watching the production team twist themselves into knots to cast themselves as the stars and heroes of this documentary is truly magical television. Even with complete control of the edit, the production company comes across as passive aggressive, controlling, and vain. They tell the director constantly to speak up and stand up for herself, but when she pushes back on their suggestions they accuse her of arrogance and a refusal to listen. The "mentors" are completely absent and working on other projects, making their concerns (only expressed behind the director's back) ring hollow.

It's very telling when an HBO Max VP shows up to chastise the director. He admits that they really don't care about the movie; they're doing this for the reality tv show side. This prioritization was already evident from the many times the documentary production pulled key crew aside for talking head interviews about how they were over time and running late, or setting up shots in the way of the filmmakers.

One of the most entertaining things to watch is the tension between the producers' stated values and their actions. They want to empower the director to execute her "vision", and then undercut her every time her vision clashes with their own. They want to create a diverse set of newcomers, but then accuse the Black 1st AD of being "aggressive" when he tries to do his job of protecting the film's set and crew. They want to "do things differently", but then insinuate she doesn't care about the project when she asserts boundaries over her personal time and what additional work she will take on. They say they want her to succeed and will do anything to help, but give her a terrible and unfinished script, insufficient time, insufficient money, and a total lack of real advice. The cast and crew seem to respond really well to the director and all the crises are common on a low-budget set, so their frustrations seem overblown.

If you can refuse to give in to production's edited perspective, you'll have a great time watching the show!

I gave up after a half hour of putting up with obnoxious, "look at me, I'm so great" show biz personalities. I stuck with it that long because I expected to see the 3-minute shorts the "directors" had produced and to hear serious critiques from the "pros." I gave up when it became clear we were only going to see mere seconds of those shorts - not even full screen - with multiple cutaways to facial expressions and un-helpful comments from the "pros."

The original Project was flawed, but always interesting. You actually saw what was going on, and you got thoughtful comments from Ben and Matt, and plenty of enlightening comments from actors and directors. They didn't always produce great stuff, but they were always interesting.

The reboot should have been better, but failed miserably. What were they thinking?

My score of 8 is for Project Greenlight, but that said, it was incredibly frustrating watching chosen director Miko Winbush completely ignore producer's notes regarding shooting alternative versions of every shot. She was told time and time again to take advantage of the resources around her, but also to hold true to her vision. And all she seemed to hear was "stay by your vision" and ignored all the problems that were popping up from producers and the studio.

She was also told about problems occurring between the personnel from PGL being in the way of the movie making, as well as other issues and she shrugged them off as "not her problem." Well yes, all those things are your problem, you're the director! She came across as arrogant and unwilling to make any changes to her process of making a movie. At one point she took off to go to "look at the stars" during the editing process when she should have been there with the editor 24/7! I have never seen someone so uninvested in the opportunity given to her. I really wish the people choosing the director, at the beginning of the series, had considered her lack of communication skills so they could have chosen someone who was better at communicating because she was horrible at it.

The Hoorae team really left Meeko hanging. The point of the show was to uplift female filmmakers and specifically first time filmmakers. They instead played the blame game and gossiped behind her back. I understand Meeko wasn't perfect and wasn't always receptive but the teams from the previous seasons of PGL were 100% more professional and stood by their director while being firm with them. No one on the Hoorae team was clear or direct. It felt like watching catty high schoolers.

Also, the screening scene was rough to watch. I hope it was just edited that way but everyone saying no words at all was heartbreaking.