It’s the same idea, but this time around, a few key changes have been made. The new filmmakers have been chosen, and HBO’s Project Greenlight is just about to kick off a new season.

Project Greenlight is a Web site that holds a contest where aspiring filmmakers get the chance to make their own independent film. The contestants submit an original screenplay; Miramax Films finances the film and then releases it to theaters. The making of the film is then aired on HBO as a documentary series, titled “Project Greenlight.”

In this year’s contest, three winners were chosen: One screenwriter and two directors for the film. Dan Mundt, Greenlee School of Journalism lecturer, and Andy Langager, graduate student in journalism, said they agree this change was needed.

This year’s winners include Erica Beeney for her screenplay “The Battle of Shaker Heights,” and Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle have been chosen to direct. HBO will begin airing the series on Sunday.

“It’s pretty entertaining and worthwhile to see the whole process,” Langager said. “It’s fun seeing someone who had never directed anything before.”

Langager has won two awards from the Iowa Motion Picture Association.

Dan Mundt, a self-described “guerilla filmmaker,” said he also enjoyed the Project Greenlight documentary series. “It was an accurate depiction of making a movie,” he said.

Langager said he thinks HBO may have dramatized the documentary to a degree. “They made problems seem more serious and dramatic,” he said. “It’s not a life or death situation.”

Pete Jones was last year’s Project Greenlight winner. Both Mundt and Langager said they thought Jones seemed a little overwhelmed with directing the film.

“Pete was out of his element as a director,” Mundt said.

“He bit off more than he could chew,” Langager said. “He didn’t anticipate some problems.”

Jones’ film, “Stolen Summer” was released to theaters and received not-so-positive reviews. It is now available on video and DVD, and can be rented at most rental venues of Ames.

“I thought it was a good film for a first-time director,” Langager said.

“All in all, the movie was a lot better than I thought it would be,” Mundt said.

Jones was given $1 million from Miramax to finance the making of the film.

“Because they are working within Hollywood regulations, it would be very hard to have a lower budget,” Mundt said.

Langager said he thought Jones was good about spending the money he was allotted.

“For only having $1 million, they went far with it by getting several big stars and shooting with vintage seventies props and costumes,” he said. “I can’t even imagine what we would do with $1 million.”

“We’d definitely make the most of it,” Langager added.

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore agreed to executive produce the Project Greenlight contest-winner’s film.

Mundt believes Affleck and Damon are interested in helping other people along in Hollywood. “Both seem very fortunate,” he said. “They’re lending a helping hand to people who want to get into the movie industry.”

“Overall, it was a fun show to watch, especially if you enjoy watching behind the scenes-type shows,” Langager said. “If you ever wondered what the roles of the producer, the director and the cinematographer are, it’s a good thing to watch.”

“A lot of people have no clue what it takes to make a movie,” Mundt said, “Aspiring filmmakers can see what it really takes to get something on film.”