Steven Spielberg is entering the reality TV arena.

The Oscar-winning director has partnered with reality guru Mark Burnett for "On the Lot," an unscripted series for Fox aimed at discovering the next big Hollywood director.

Combining elements of Fox's "American Idol" and Burnett's "The Apprentice," the series, from Mark Burnett Prods., DreamWorks TV and Amblin TV, 16 aspiring filmmakers will compete for the big prize: a development deal with DreamWorks.

"All through my career I've done what I can to discover new talent and give them a start," Spielberg said. "This opportunity with Mark Burnett, DreamWorks and Fox allows all of us to reach out directly to open a much wider door."

The project is based on an idea by Spielberg, who is said to be a big fan of reality television and of Burnett and doesn't miss an episode of Burnett's "Survivor" on CBS.

Burnett was DreamWorks TV's first and only choice for a partner on the project. Burnett collaborated with the company and Jeffrey Katzenberg on the boxing reality series "The Contender," which was hotly pursued by Fox before ending up at NBC.

This time around, after fielding interest from multiple networks, the producers negotiated exclusively with Fox.

"When you have the opportunity to work with people like Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, artists who've redefined this business, you jump at the chance," Fox president of entertainment Peter Liguori said.

"Lot" marks the second collaboration between Burnett and Fox, after the unscripted series "The Casino," and the first time Burnett will executive produce for the network a reality competition show, a genre he put on the primetime map with "Survivor."

Burnett called the opportunity to work alongside Spielberg "a dream come true."

"With the help of our partners at Fox, Peter Liguori and reality maestro Mike Darnell, we're going to make an incredible show about looking for the next great filmmaker by mining the growing segment of the public making their own content and giving them the chance of a lifetime," he said.

Fox executive vp alternative programming Darnell said he became excited about the project the moment he heard the pitch.

"Most Americans consider themselves amateur film critics, and this will give viewers the opportunity to create the next big filmmaker," he said.

After reviewing video materials submitted by the applicants, executives from Mark Burnett Prods., DreamWorks TV and Fox will select 16 finalists, with Spielberg expected to have the final say.

The finalists will be brought to Hollywood, where they will be divided into several teams. Each week, every team will have to produce a short film from a particular genre. One member of each team will be selected as the team's director and the others will be pitching in to produce the film with the help of professional writers, cast and crew.

"Lot" is eyed to premiere in the first quarter of next year, likely running alongside the next season of Fox's "American Idol." Like "Idol," "Lot" will air two episodes a week, a one-hour "Film Premiere" episode and a half-hour "Box Office" episode.

During the "Film Premiere" episode, the films of all teams will be shown to a live audience and a panel of three judges: a high-ranking motion picture executive, a prominent film critic and a succession of guest judges.

The viewers will have the ultimate say by voting on the features. During the "Box Office" results show, the director of the least popular film will be sent home, leaving that team with fewer contestants to work on the next week's assignment.

In the show's final episode, when the winner is announced, the aspiring filmmaker will be whisked away to the DreamWorks studio, where he or she will be met by Spielberg and shown a new office.

Burnett and Spielberg created "Lot" and are exec producing. Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Conrad Riggs are co-exec producers.