Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have spent hundreds of millions of dollars telling us their stories, but in The Choice 2012, FRONTLINE goes beyond the spin and the behind the slogans to answer a simple, urgent question:

Who are the men running for the presidency?

To find out, our political team, led by veteran producer Michael Kirk (Bush’s War, Money, Power and Wall Street), did hundreds of hours of research and dozens of original interviews, journeying deep into the candidates’ worlds, among their friends and family, critics, and closest colleagues.

After nearly a year of production, what did our producers learn about Barack Obama and Mitt Romney? What motivations have propelled their paths to power? What lessons have they learned along the way? What are their core beliefs, and what shaped them? Perhaps most importantly, what kind of leaders have they shown themselves to be?

We asked two of the film’s producers — Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser — to join us for a live chat on Wednesday at 1:30 to discuss what learned with you and a group of the country’s leading journalists featured in the film, including James Fallows from The Atlantic, Jason Horowitz from The Washington Post, and Scott Helman from The Boston Globe.

The chat will consist of three segments:

1:30 – 2 pm. Audience questions for the filmmakers.
2 pm – 2:30. A conversation between the filmmakers and the biographers.
2:30 – 3. The biographers discuss the candidates and take your questions on the race.

You can leave a question in the chat window below, and come by at 1:30 p.m. ET on Wed., Oct. 10 to join the live discussion.