Amy McClung became one of 200 finalists for On

It’s hard enough to make a movie.

It’s that much more difficult knowing that millions of viewers are scrutinizing every decision along the way.

That’s the premise of “On the Lot,” a new Fox reality show produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett.

Out of 12,000 applicants who applied, 22-year-old Kansas University film student Amy McClung made it to the semifinal round of 200 hopefuls before being cut. When the series debuted Tuesday, 50 remaining finalists were selected to compete for a $1 million development deal with DreamWorks.

McClung found out about the program from an old friend.

“He said, ‘It’s the first year they’re doing this, so you might actually have a good shot at it.’ So I tried out,” she recalls.

After producers liked the short film McClung submitted, she was given a choice of three topics and asked to create another short within a week.

She then flew to Chicago to meet with a casting producer.

“They were looking for very specific character types – he made that pretty clear in the interview,” she recalls. “I either bombed the interview, or they found somebody else like me.”

McClung says she’s wanted to be a filmmaker since age 10 when she borrowed the family camera. She became more serious about it after taking a video production class at her Washington State high school.

She describes her directing style as “flashy.”

“I grew up MTV generation. I like to do quick cutting. I like to structure my stories so that the ending starts at the beginning. I like to switch it up a bit,” she says.

McClung is still debating whether she will commit to viewing the full season of “On the Lot,” which airs at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays on Sunflower Broadband Channel 4.

“It’s so hard to watch because I came so close to being there and experiencing that,” she admits. “But I probably will because it will be cool to see how people handle themselves and what mistakes they make. If I decide to try out again next year, I can learn from their mistakes.”