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« Matt Roush's America's Next Producer Blog
ANP Judges’ Diary Blog: Episode # 5
Who says reality TV can’t be good for you? This is without doubt our timeliest and most pro-social episode yet. America’s Next Producer goes green, and after meeting this episode’s guest judge, Daniel Hinerfeld of the Natural Resources Defense Council, I find myself wishing I’d considered riding a bike to the stage today instead of my rental car.
We’re shooting this episode on the afternoon of Mother’s Day, 24 hours before network TV’s upfront week is to begin on my home turf of New York. Everyone I know is obsessed with what new shows are being ordered and which shows on the ropes might get canceled, so it’s actually refreshing to take my head out of show biz for a few hours and think about more important matters facing the planet at large.
Overall, we’re impressed by the public service announcements the teams have produced. Most have done remarkably well considering the ridiculous time pressures: two hours to research, three hours to shoot, seven to edit. And once again, Zo bursts out of the pack with a powerful on-camera performance in his and Jessica’s well-conceived spot. Picking Zo as a winner this week (his first win, and it’s obvious he feels it’s overdue) is one of our easier calls.
Here are some Zo moments you didn’t see in the final cut. When the contestants line up in front of the judges, Zo is distracted by a gap he notices in the rug under the judges’ table. He asks if it’s OK if he walks over and fixes it, which he goes ahead and does. Talk about hands-on producing. And later, when the contestants return to the floor for the elimination, Zo has attached the NRDC’s logo to his forehead. When Zo tells us he’s a hustler, he’s not kidding. Something tells me he knew he had this one in the bag.
On the other hand: Poor Schliz. I would never have expected him to go out without a fight, but this round really seems to have defeated him. (Later, watching the actual episode, I can see just how demoralized he was by his technical screw-up at overexposing the film during his beach shoot.) His and Evie’s PSA was the weakest on several levels: visually as well as in concept. We like the “It starts with me” mantra that Evie came up with, but why bury that at the end? Still, it’s Schliz’s overall air of resignation that dooms him in our eyes.
When we shake hands after his elimination, I tell Schliz, “You rock,” and he does. His I’ll-do-anything-to-win spirit has been clear from the first challenge, when he volunteered to be an idiot-for-hire on Hollywood Boulevard. He did excellent work directing the Brian Dunkleman sitcom treatment. And he loved working with the kids on the “Shelby’s World” children’s show. But his heart didn’t seem to be in this one (a suspicion confirmed by playing back the actual episode), and combined with his camera snafu, that’s all it takes to be ejected from this tough competition.
More and more, it’s clear that whoever’s going to be America’s next producer is going to have to roll with every conceivable punch, regardless of format. Schliz’s inability to connect with this material is a serious handicap, and we reluctantly are forced to see the back (if not the last) of him.
By the next elimination, I’ll find myself wishing he were still in the game. If the producers of America’s Next Producer had switched the order of this challenge and the one that follows, for which Schliz is infinitely better suited, the final results might have been so different. But that’s the way it goes. (And you’ll see what I mean when you see the episode.)
Saving the world isn’t easy—and I wish you could have seen Daniel Hinerfeld’s rousing final pep talk to the remaining contestants urging them to put environmental messages in whatever form of TV they might ultimately produce. Neither, it turns out, is winning this game.
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Aug 15, 2007 8:59 PM
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Thanks for your blog. I was hoping you would dish a bit more but I know how busy you are overall.
Is Evie as whiny and complaining in person as she is in the produced shows? She can't work with Zo. She can't work with Schliz. It is so annoying to watch and with that mopey sad sack face. Blehhhh. I know that Schliz messed up bigtime but I believe that Evie completely demoralized the poor man, as she's attempted to do with Zo. Isn't producing all about collaboration?
Great topic tonight, as you said.
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Aug 16, 2007 1:34 AM
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First of all ... yay, Zo! It's about time this talented producer gets his props! He has delivered time and time again in these challenges, only to see his partner walk away with the win. Kudos!
Secondly, right on about Schliz. I really thought that he would go further in this competition. Yes, the video was bad ... but couldn't he have used some kind of video effect to make the footage *look* like he meant to shoot it that way? Something that simple may have taken the PSA to a whole new level, and gotten Evie away from that dreary voiceover! But then again, rendering can be murder!
I look forward to next week!
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Aug 16, 2007 3:41 PM
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Wow, another run scored for this show. ANP tackled an important topic in episode 5 and brought home another scoring run. (I've got you 4 for 5 now). Although the PSA's were hastily prepared, the challengers produced three positive pieces, given the time constraints. KUDOS to all the producers.
Now, I saw real passion on the judges panel this episode as well. Of course the guest judge Daniel is vested in this topic but the rest of you stepped up with some heart felt comments as well.
All this boils down to the original intent of the challenge; to produce a winning PSA to be used on NRDC's web site. I believe you picked the best clip, but why shelve the others. Get someone to come back and clean up the others to use as well. All of you agree that Gwen has a talent with pitching. Get Gwen or someone else to come back and revise their PSA's and use them as well.
I'm not an environmentalist but I do care about the world I occupy. Although I'm not sold on the notion of 'global warming', I recognize climate changes, be it man made or not. As Evie said, " It starts with me" right?
ANP has become my favorite reality show by using skill and talent to decide winners. The other reality shows that rely on dumb luck and gross behavior will not stand the test of time. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing the next challenges.
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Aug 18, 2007 4:37 PM
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The dating show episode put out a product that really "sucked" as Evie said. But I don't think that she should have gone home. She desperately wanted her team to work with her and asked them again and again, to no avail. As she said, when she finally got someone who was ready to put in some input, she was "all over it".
This cast is exhausted, which can be seen by their red eyes, and tired looks. They aren't doing their best.
I did not like the manipulation that Zo did to nominate Evie as team leader. He was playing an ego game on his own, and not authentically participating in the team making a great project. It is always all about him...I think he is the one to have gone. He is very abusive and a big turn off. Sure he is talented in some ways, but he obnoxiousness negates his talent. As one of the judges stated, "Zo will get in the way of his own success" (or something like that)!
Evie had heart and soul...and she showed herself truly. I like that girl...she's sharp, witty, intelligent and not all caught up in having people think she is wonderful and talented (like Zo it). Evie is just herself, and like she said in the exit interview, "I am just going to keep doing what I am doing...Will you hear of me? I don't know and it doesn't matter, because I will be doing my projects either way." She really doesn't seem to care what people think about her, and just wanted to do the best job she could. Maybe we need more of that.
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Aug 24, 2007 2:03 AM
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