Now this is a cool idea. 20th Century Fox is teaming up with the University of Southern California to give film buffs an exciting look at the early works of such directors as George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis, all collected onto one convenient DVD called Reel Talent: First Films from Legendary Directors. We will finally get to see the short student films that may or may not have revealed the talent that these Hollywood giants possessed before they really started their careers. This is kind of the same idea behind the Directors Label DVDs that have showcased music videos and short films of filmmakers like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Mark Romanek.

I have to admit, as I’ve been watching the woefully-handled reality show On The Lot, I couldn’t help but wonder what short films some of the judges had turned in so many years ago. All filmmakers have to get their start somewhere, and it’s an intriguing thing to try and spot hints of brilliance in a five minute movie. I’m very curious to see what these guys were able to do before they had millions of dollars behind them. The DVD is a 2-disc set and features films from the following people: George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum), Stephen Sommers (The Mummy), Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure), James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross), Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld), Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko) and Richard Bare (Maverick). There are audio commentary tracks from Lucas, Zemeckis and Bare. One question… where the heck is Spielberg? Maybe they’re saving him for Volume 2. Reel Talent hits stores on August 21st for a suggested retail price of $19.99.

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