Filmmakers compete in Starz doc

US network Starz has greenlit an interactive documentary marking its first move into original unscripted series, in which two directors compete to make the best film from the same script.

Created by Oscar-winning exec producer Chris Moore, The Chair follows directors Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci as they use the same screenplay and identical budgets to create their own films.

The resulting shows will then air on Starz, with viewers voting to decide which director should be awarded US$250,000.

The 10-part series is being exec produced by Moore and Anthony B Sacco, in partnership with Starz, Steel Town Entertainment Project and Before the Door Pictures. It will premiere in the fall.

The show being adapted, How Soon is Now, follows college freshmen who return to their home towns at Thanksgiving. The script’s original producer, Josh Shader, will mentor Dawson and Martemucci.

Carmi Zlotnik, MD of Starz, said the series was “a truly unique and compelling project that gives viewers an inside look at the filmmaking process and allows them to weigh in on the final product and see how creative minds can interpret the same material in different ways.”