Starz TV series “The Chair” premieres tonight at 11PM

Dan Schoffer is an actor, writer (WGA) and one of the stars of the new Starz documentary series “The Chair” which debuts tonight at 11PM (Eastern). I’ll be doing a Q&A with Dan, but wanted to let folks know about the show because it’s relevant to what we do here:

Directors Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci were given the same original script, How Soon Is Now by Dan Schoffer, a comedy that chronicles the first homecoming on Thanksgiving weekend by a handful of college freshman who are fumbling towards adulthood. The directors were each given the same budget, a 4 week shooting schedule in Pittsburgh, PA, and final cut on the film. They were asked to work with the screenwriter for one rewrite, after which they would have the opportunity to do their own pass on the script if they so chose. Furthermore, the directors were given free creative license with the script. The only restrictions were that they be at least 85 minutes long, keep it R rated or less, stick to the general plot, keep the character names, and not go over budget. After the movies are released this fall, fan voting will determine which director is awarded the $250,000 prize.

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at “The Chair”:

If it reminds you of “Project Greenlight,” that shouldn’t be a surprise as “The Chair” is the brainchild of producer Chris Moore (Good Will Hunting, American Pie), who also produced all three seasons of that HBO documentary series.

This is a real script-to-screen process and it should be interesting to see how two directors take the same screenplay, and put their distinctive spin on the material. It should also be intriguing to see how Dan Schoffer, who is featured in all 10 episodes, responds to the different takes on his story. And in a GITS exclusive, you can download Dan’s original screenplay “How Soon Is Now” here to compare it to what transpires in the series over the course of script development, production and post.

The show premieres tonight on Starz. Additionally, the first 5 episodes will be available this today on Starz On Demand and via Starz Play. The movies (Not Cool, Hollidaysburg) play in theaters in NYC and LA beginning Sept. 19 and will then be available on iTunes and OnDemand Sept. 23.

For the official Starz site of “The Chair,” go here.

For Chris Moore’s tips about each stage of filmmakng via Studio System News, go here.

Look for my Q&A with Dan in the next few weeks.