mnn727 Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) They're expecting non-Mormons to pay to see this in a theater? -- or for that matter even get theater chains to show it?Won't happen outside of Mormon Central. Last Mormon movie we had in a theater (around 10 years ago and I forget what it even was) was showing on 3 screens in the entire DFW area (6 million population throughout the entire greater metroplex) and only before regular movie times (ie start time was 9AM) Edited August 20, 2014 by mnn727
mnn727 Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Double posted Edited August 20, 2014 by mnn727
Scott Lloyd Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Having seen a report on last night's news of Elder Bednar talking about the movie during his keynote address at BYU Educsation Week, I think some of us are missing the intent of the project. I don't get the impression it is aimed at being a box office smash. Rather, my impression is that there be a credible product out there in the public consciousness to help quell misconceptions about the Mormon people -- same as was the intent when a movie with the same title was shown back in the '60s or '70s. Whether people see it in a theater or watch it on YouTube or home video doesn't matter so much as whether they see it at all. Exposure over a variety a media ought to be the aim. I'm guessing it is. Edited August 20, 2014 by Scott Lloyd
Daniel2 Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Having seen a report on last night's news of Elder Bednar talking about the movie during his keynote address at BYU Educsation Week, I think some of us are missing the intent of the project. I don't get the impression it is aimed at being a box office smash. Rather, my impression is that there be a credible product out there in the public consciousness to help quell misconceptions about the Mormon people -- same as was the intent when a movie with the same title was shown back in the '60s or '70s. Whether people see it in a theater or watch it on YouTube or home video doesn't matter so much as whether they see it at all. Exposure over a variety a media ought to be the aim. I'm guessing it is.I agree with what you're saying above about the likely intent of this particular documentary movie. I think it will have FAR greater success through vehicles like DVD, youtube, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video Prime, Hulu, etc. To release it as a "feature - length film at the multiplex" will not be successful and probably won't be seen by many. Social media is where it will have the viewership and accomplish more of the aims you describe.To release a feature film at the multiplex, I stand by my suggestion to go with a Book of Mormon epic. The church has the infrastructure and finances in place to do so. I think it would be a huge win for the church.
cinepro Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Anyway, let me reiterate. The point of the movie will not be just to get people to see it, though that is desirable. It is to get people to think about Mormons. That's what we want. Well if that's the case, the Church should be doing cartwheels over the success of The Book of Mormon broadway musical (and possibly motion picture).
mormonnewb Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Having seen a report on last night's news of Elder Bednar talking about the movie during his keynote address at BYU Educsation Week, I think some of us are missing the intent of the project.I don't get the impression it is aimed at being a box office smash. Rather, my impression is that there be a credible product out there in the public consciousness to help quell misconceptions about the Mormon people ....And we do this by creating our own misperceptions? Just wait until people come to our meeting houses looking for the black bishop, the female boxer or the Himalayan anything. It should be titled "The Mormons You Will Never Meet."I applaud the effort at outreach but not the effort to show our "diversity." We are people of the iron rod. We don't believe that all roads lead to Heaven but rather that we have the roadmap -- baptism at 8, priesthood at 12, Eagle Scout at 16, mission at 18, married at 21, BYU degree at 24, bishop at 35, etc.And no, I'm not mocking the path. It works for MILLIONS. So why are we constantly to show the world that we are "just regular people like you?"As for me, I didn't join this Church so that my wife could learn to throw a better left hook (her left hook is just fine as it is). I joined to learn how to become a better husband, father, neighbor and disciple. This Church does a great job of installing those values even in us "boring" members, so why not let the world meet the REAL Mormons? 1
cinepro Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 To release a feature film at the multiplex, I stand by my suggestion to go with a Book of Mormon epic. The church has the infrastructure and finances in place to do so. I think it would be a huge win for the church. Fans of books typically overestimate the cinematic possibilities of their chosen tome. If we love a book, we just can't see why it wouldn't make a great movie. But the history of cinema is littered with the corpses of movies that were made from people's favorite books but were terrible. The Book of Mormon might be a beloved book of scripture by hundreds of thousands of people, but the characters, situations and events in the book would make a terrible movie. In order to make a "good" movie, there would need to be drastic changes to the narrative and characters, which would probably upset the biggest fans (it always does!) A much better option would be the Joseph Smith story being told by a quality filmmaker with the intent to tell the story in an honest and interesting (but non-devotional) way. But ultimately, neither movie would ever be made for a mainstream audience because too many people would stay away. If you spent enough to make a good movie, you would lose a ton of money.
Nofear Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Well if that's the case, the Church should be doing cartwheels over the success of The Book of Mormon broadway musical (and possibly motion picture). Well, for obvious reasons such "advertisement" is not exactly the thing I imagine the Church wants. Nonetheless, it is my understanding that the musical has increased visibility and been a net positive for the Church.
halconero Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Mormonnewb, out of all the people active in the Church today, do you really believe it's millions who hit every point exactly?This isn't about the interesting lives of Mormons, it's about the interesting lives of people trying to be Mormon. I'm all for the diversity, as my guess will be that the point of the movie is "despite all these diversities, these people are trying to be better fathers, Christians, family people."What they're doing is trying to say here is the road map, and you don't need to come from a specific background to follow it. The wards I see in Toronto, filled with blacks, Latinos, Asians, whites, Indians, Indigenous Canadians, Gay & Lesbian Mormons, from all sorts of backgrounds, mirrors this. 4
Scott Lloyd Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 And we do this by creating our own misperceptions?I take it, then, that you have previewed the film and are thus able to judge that it creates misperceptions.
theplains Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 If the LDS Church made a movie instead about their views on the end of days, the SecondComing of Christ, and the New Jerusalem in Missouri, then I believe it would garner moreresponse. Thanks,Jim
katherine the great Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 Well if that's the case, the Church should be doing cartwheels over the success of The Book of Mormon broadway musical (and possibly motion picture). Maybe they are. My son and his companion were when they recently baptized an investigator who told them that The Book of Mormon musical got her interested in learning more. 2
gtaggart Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) <snip> And the Book of Mormon might be inspired scripture, but the actual "story" is actually pretty blah. It's easy to blame the failure of the first Book of Mormon movie on the terrible acting, script, editing etc., but at its core is the problem of the story in 1 Nephi just not being very interesting from a cinematic standpoint. In order to make it a good story, you'd have to change a lot of the characters and situations, which just isn't going to happen if an LDS produces it. It actually says a good thing about the discernment of LDS film goers that that movie tanked.Oh balderdash! 1 Nephi has murder, thievery, family squabbles on par with a Eugene O'Neil play, good guys, bad guys, mob bosses, angels, weeping mothers, hard choices, gold and silver, sacrifice, and on and on and on. I will stipulate one thing: no epics. Tell small stories instead. The opening chapters of Nephi, for example, is a small story that could be well told. That failed Book of Mormon movie, for example, in spite of its many, many faults, did an admirable job of staging the Nephi beheading Laban story. Edited August 20, 2014 by gtaggart 1
Hamba Tuhan Posted August 20, 2014 Posted August 20, 2014 (edited) Just wait until people come to our meeting houses looking for the black bishop, the female boxer or the Himalayan anything. I think you may need to get out more. The entire presidency of the last branch I was in was black. The second counsellor in our current bishopric has a non-member wife and plays in a band. I had a housemate until sometime last year who is an Olympics gold medallist. We have another gold medallist in our stake -- a female. My cleaner from work is Himalayan (from Bhutan, to be exact), and he and his wife came to our ward's Easter musical fireside, and they even brought another Bhutanese family with them. They've recently agreed to come round for dinner and to meet the missionaries when we can get our schedules to line up. We don't believe that all roads lead to Heaven but rather that we have the roadmap -- baptism at 8, priesthood at 12, Eagle Scout at 16, mission at 18, married at 21, BYU degree at 24, bishop at 35, etc. I can't think of a single person in my current ward for whom this would be an accurate description, myself included. I guess we're all 'off the path'? Edited August 20, 2014 by Hamba Tuhan 2
Hamba Tuhan Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) By the way, I think some people have misunderstood the planned distribution of the film. From Elder Bednar himself: 'The film will be released after October general conference in several media and channels—first in select theaters in the United States and then, later, in visitors’ centers and on television, Internet movie channels, and social media channels. Edited August 21, 2014 by Hamba Tuhan 4
Alan Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 Having watched the preview, I have to say it is very non-European.It won't go down well here in my view.
BlueDreams Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) And we do this by creating our own misperceptions? Just wait until people come to our meeting houses looking for the black bishop, the female boxer or the Himalayan anything. It should be titled "The Mormons You Will Never Meet."Well, considering this is a worldwide church, maybe you should just get out a little more. My little circle of lds friends have included a Taiwanese therapist-in-training, a Paraguayan stay-at-home mom, a Mexican special-ed teacher, my nigerian-navajo bro serving a mission in madagascar with a companion straight from there, a lawyer-in-training female cousin, a Mexican-Native American household running a non-profit, etc. I just sat and watched a play with a mixed Navajo family this weekend. This summer it included a thriving church body in Taiwan with amazing people doing amazing things. My travels have also included a small beautiful branch in the middle of nowhere mexico and a rainbow ward in Hawaii, staying with an all-black LDS military family as well as an asian/white couple in love with boats while there. I was once in a ward that counted 32 nationalities represented. And I may have not met the Himalayan, but I've met one native to Pakistan and many from India. It can also include many of your "normal, everyday" members and wards that were filled largely white, middle-class, members with 2-5 kids. My mormons range from those stalwart members and those struggling and those shooting to the moon, but all of them with faith and often many of them being one or the other throughout their life. My faith and life is probably not best described as a person of the "iron rod"....at least in the note that you've written out. First, Because I'm a girl and 3 of those things are already off the list just from that. If anything my iron rod is more like an iron walking stick...my guide and my strength wherever I go. Just because you haven't been acquainted with many of these members does not make them any less "real." Believe it or not, this church is not a conveyor belt. It teaches us to bring what we've got and let what our faith teaches and practices to become a tool of magnification. With luv,BD Edited August 21, 2014 by BlueDreams 4
BlueDreams Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 Oh balderdash! 1 Nephi has murder, thievery, family squabbles on par with a Eugene O'Neil play, good guys, bad guys, mob bosses, angels, weeping mothers, hard choices, gold and silver, sacrifice, and on and on and on. I will stipulate one thing: no epics. Tell small stories instead. The opening chapters of Nephi, for example, is a small story that could be well told. That failed Book of Mormon movie, for example, in spite of its many, many faults, did an admirable job of staging the Nephi beheading Laban story. Haha, this reminds me of the time an investigator was reading about Alma's initial wars and how they cut down so many people that a river was choked up with them and they walked over the dead bodies, scaring the crap out of the Lamanites. He loved it and looked up to inform us that Alma was baller. 2
Boanerges Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 Well, at least they're optimistic... Granted, the production costs on something like this are extremely low. Digital cameras, a director and small non-union crew, no actors, digital distribution, minimal advertising. The budget is probably well below $1M, and probably less than $500K. Other Church productions with actors and sets probably cost more. But who the heck is going to see this? I can understand the loyalty many people feel towards supporting the Church, but are LDS really going to spend $8-12 each to go see this in a theater? Do any Church members feel like we need to "Meet the Mormons"? And why would any non-LDS go to see this? Even a documentary needs to tell a story and have some sort of narrative. With a title like that, it sounds like it's about the most boring thing ever produced. Seriously, would anyone on this message board go see a documentary produced by another Church called "Meet The Catholics!" or "Meet the Scientologists!"? This is honestly the weirdest thing I've heard in a long, long time.Just another vote of agreement here. I know several Catholics and respect them and their beliefs - but I would not go see a movie entitled "Meet the Catholics" (or anything like that) and I don't suspect my Catholic (or Methodist or Baptist) friends will want to see this movie, either. In fact, I'm pretty unlikely to see it - maybe if it ever hits Redbox and I have absolutely nothing else to do. I already know lots of Mormons and everything I want to know about them.
6EQUJ5 Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 I think this is great. We have perhaps allowed, for too long, our critics and enemies to define us in the public sphere. I just hope the film is, you know, interesting. Mormon cinema does not exactly have a stellar track record. For every decent outing (God's Army, The Best Two Years, The Saratov Approach, etc.) there have been five or six deplorable ones (too many to list). God's Army? Wasn't that made by an apostate?
Tacenda Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 God's Army? Wasn't that made by an apostate?He may not have been at the time. You can watch his Mormon Stories interview with John Dehlin. I met him the other day, his name is Richard Dutcher. He signed and gave me a free DVD of his movie States of Grace at a Sunstone Symposium. He may have started out of the church after or during the making of this film, but doubt it was God's Army. I don't know why the church is putting out this movie, when we already had the I'm a Mormon campaign. But to each their own. I wish we could just go on quietly in the Lord's work. It feels so commercial to me. But I haven't seen the movie, so my mind might change.
sethpayne Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 He may not have been at the time. You can watch his Mormon Stories interview with John Dehlin. I met him the other day, his name is Richard Dutcher. He signed and gave me a free DVD of his movie States of Grace at a Sunstone Symposium. He may have started out of the church after or during the making of this film, but doubt it was God's Army. You were at Sunstone? I wish I would have known so I could have said hello.
Tacenda Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 You were at Sunstone? I wish I would have known so I could have said hello. Yes, only on Saturday though. If you were there I was the lady by herself, looking uncomfortable.
mormonnewb Posted August 21, 2014 Posted August 21, 2014 Believe it or not, this church is not a conveyor belt. It teaches us to bring what we've got and let what our faith teaches and practices to become a tool of magnification. With luv,BDYes, that is our official motto and I've even heard talks from Pres Uchtdorf amplifying this message, but it doesn't always translate well in practice. In my Mesa, AZ ward, the cookie cutter is razor sharp and I strongly suspect that we are not an anamoly in the Mormon corridor.And, by the way, I'm not arguing against the size and the shape of the cookies. EVERY one of our young people is a far better person than I was at that age (or even than I am now). I'm just pushing back against our continuing attempts to promote our diversity because it isn't our "thang."And, by diversity, I don't mean just demographic diversity. Mormonism seems to work better when there is a conformity of thought (or at least, action). When ALL worthy members wear the same underclothing (and limited styles of outer clothing), abstain from the same beverages, attend services at their assigned times and locations, and avoid the same kinds of movies and music, we limit the variety of people who can live up to these standards.Once again, that is fine. It may even be just what HF wants. However, to then be like that old lady in the movie Poltergeist and shout, "All are welcome, children" is not quite accurate. After all, the Amish could say the same thing -- all are welcome, PROVIDED that all are willing to live in the 17th century.To their credit, the Amish don't claim to be diverse. They seem to acknowledge and embrace the fact that they are a "peculiar people." Perhaps, we could embrace being a SLIGHTLY less peculiar people:
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