Temple changes since conference

[Dan McClellan]

9 hours ago, rpn said:

They discontinued the movies when their producer/director was arrested in 2018.   Maybe temples outside the US didn't do that?

The plan to move to still-frames was announced to us in Sacred Materials Translation more than six months before the producer/director was arrested, and it obviously had absolutely nothing to do with their decision. It was about timing, matching dubbing to action, production time and cost, etc. The new ordinances went live on January 2 in all temples around the world. There were only a handful of minority languages where the new ordinances were not released until months later, but none of those languages were the primary languages of any temples. 

[Hamba Tuhan]

On 11/3/2019 at 9:36 AM, 2BizE said:

The church is in a bit of a conundrum with this because the filming director of the temple films has plead guilty to sexually abusing children.  

This is a classic example of post hoc ergo propter hoc. In fact, the switch from live-action to still images occurred with updates to scripts. I know it has become popular in certain apostate forums to link this to the arrest of Sterling Van Wagenen in order to try to make the Church look bad in some way, but the fact is that the still images being used in the temples come from the exact same films directed by Van Wagenen. Are you really going to argue that the Church, in reaction to this arrest, felt compelled to make Mr Van Wagenen's images stop moving? That makes no sense.

9 hours ago, rpn said:

Maybe temples outside the US didn't do that?

I live outside the US and serve in a temple. All temples updated at the beginning of 2019.

53 minutes ago, Bernard Gui said:

It’s like a graphic novel, but maybe the intent is to appeal to the new generation of temple-goers.

The change means that the experience is now the same for both English speakers and non-English speakers. I'm not sure that's the only (or even main) reason, but it appears to me that Church leaders are serious about making sure that all Church member are on equal footing. Elder Bednar told us during our training nearly five years ago that the Church needed to stop being something that happened in America and then got 'translated' for everyone else. If anyone has ever watched a foreign-language film that has been dubbed over, you will have some understanding of how the endowment has been experienced by many in the Church until this year. Now we all have the same experience, even when the languages are different.

[Hamba Tuhan]

33 minutes ago, Dan McClellan said:

The plan to move to still-frames was announced to us in Sacred Materials Translation more than six months before the producer/director was arrested, and it obviously had absolutely nothing to do with their decision.

Thanks, Dan. I am perpetually amazed at the tenuous connections critics of the Church concoct and then repeat as some sort of established truth, especially when ascribing motives.

[Bernard Gui]

18 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

The change means that the experience is now the same for both English speakers and non-English speakers. I'm not sure that's the only (or even main) reason, but it appears to me that Church leaders are serious about making sure that all Church member are on equal footing. Elder Bednar told us during our training nearly five years ago that the Church needed to stop being something that happened in America and then got 'translated' for everyone else. If anyone has ever watched a foreign-language film that has been dubbed over, you will have some understanding of how the endowment has been experienced by many in the Church until this year. Now we all have the same experience, even when the languages are different.

I was being a bit facetious. The characters still appear to be “made in America,” but I  don’t know how to get around that except to go back to local members performing a live  endowment. That would really make it “international!” It would also probably involve a substantial increase in the numbers of temple workers.

Frequently  changing still images don’t engage my attention as effectively as live or filmed performances. They seem more impersonal to me. I find that to be comfortable and not distracted, I need to look away from the screen.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Bernard Gui

[Bernard Gui]

46 minutes ago, Dan McClellan said:

The plan to move to still-frames was announced to us in Sacred Materials Translation more than six months before the producer/director was arrested, and it obviously had absolutely nothing to do with their decision. It was about timing, matching dubbing to action, production time and cost, etc. The new ordinances went live on January 2 in all temples around the world. There were only a handful of minority languages where the new ordinances were not released until months later, but none of those languages were the primary languages of any temples. 

Was there anyone on board that had experience producing graphic novels? It definitely has that feel.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Bernard Gui

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Bernard Gui said:

Frequently  changing still images don’t engage my attention as effectively as live or filmed performances. They seem more impersonal to me. I find that to be comfortable and not distracted, I need to look away from the screen.

Fair enough. And I find watching dubbed films distracting, uncomfortable and, eventually, tiring.

[rpn]

13 hours ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

certain apostate forums to link this to the arrest of Sterling Van Wagenen in order to try to make the Church look bad in some way,

But I don't think doing that makes the church look bad at all.   I think it acknowledges that that information means that people watching it could become distracted from the temple purpose and/or that the church didn't want to be associated in any way with a serial child predator.   Either of which is entirely appropriate and smart.

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, rpn said:

But I don't think doing that makes the church look bad at all.   I think it acknowledges that that information means that people watching it could become distracted from the temple purpose and/or that the church didn't want to be associated in any way with a serial child predator.   Either of which is entirely appropriate and smart.

But the images are still associated with Van Wagenen.  The stills come from his productions.  

[rpn]

He made/produced films.   I doubt he took a single picture.

[bluebell]

48 minutes ago, rpn said:

He made/produced films.   I doubt he took a single picture.

But, that doesn't change the fact that the stills come from his production.  If the reason for the switch to the stills was to stop their association with Van Wagenen, then why would they still use the pictures that came from his production?  I think that's the question that Hamba (and myself) are asking?  How much sense does that really make?  

[Kenngo1969]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:45 AM, MustardSeed said:

Disregard, am drunk. Lol 😜

Then how did you get a recommend?  Did you relapse recently? *

* Yes, I know substance abuse and related ills are no laughing matter, but, to reference M*A*S*H's Hawkeye Pierce, if the two choices are "laugh or scream" ...

[MustardSeed]

3 minutes ago, Kenngo1969 said:

Then how did you get a recommend?  Did you relapse recently? *

* Yes, I know substance abuse and related ills are no laughing matter, but, 

...but our humanity offers plenty to laugh about

Proud teetotaler here, but it’s a good thing because if I ever did drink I’d hate to think what nonsense I might post. 

[Ahab]

The changes I noticed, when I noticed the changes. (and what I thought of them)

1 monitor high in the center, apparently permanent, instead of 2 monitors that come down by remote, 1 on each side.  (My wife is deaf so we always ask for the closed captioning. i thought it was less distracting and an even better improvement over bringing the monitors in on a cart as they used to do)

Still pictures instead of a streamed video. (I appreciated that it was different than watching a movie  we watch a lot of movies and we like that this is something different than a movie.  good art work too)

Didn't have to switch which side the robe is on, from left to right.  Just put it on once, on the right side.  (maybe because the Aaronic priesthood is part of the Melchizedek too?  better symbolism I think and a lot less hassle)

Lights didn't brighten when transitioning from telestial to terrestrial kingdoms, just more lights on when approaching the veil (i thought the symbolism was good on that)

There may have been some other changes that I can't remember right now.  Will try to pay more attention and remember better the next time.

[MustardSeed]

31 minutes ago, Ahab said:

The changes I noticed, when I noticed the changes. (and what I thought of them)

....

Didn't have to switch

I’m a little uncomfortable with this detail being shared here- we were asked not to discuss details of changes, and there are many here who don’t hold our temple rituals sacred. 

 

I will say that the men’s garment bottom SEEMS to have changed—either that or my husbands legs got about 5 inches shorter in the past 6 months 😂

[Dan McClellan]

19 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

Was there anyone on board that had experience producing graphic novels? It definitely has that feel.

I imagine so. The AV crowd is generally on the younger end and tends to have more diverse outside experience. 

[Kenngo1969]

2 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

...but our humanity offers plenty to laugh about

Proud teetotaler here, but it’s a good thing because if I ever did drink I’d hate to think what nonsense I might post. 

Some people think I post nonsense while I'm stone-cold sober!!! 😀

[MustardSeed]

Just now, Kenngo1969 said:

Some people think I post nonsense while I'm stone-cold sober!!! 😀

I once got pulled over for drunk driving.  Nope , just a bad driver.  

[Ahab]

19 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

I once got pulled over for drunk driving.  Nope , just a bad driver.  

Oh, so you are one of THOSE people.  I hope you at least drive the speed limit, otherwise you will be one of those people I refer to simply as traffic, like when my wife asks me how my drive was going home or going to work.

Pretty good, I usually say, unless there was a lot of traffic out there.  Someone driving too slow or getting into a wreck which caused everybody behind that person to spend more time on the road than they wanted to.

 

[Hamba Tuhan]

2 hours ago, Ahab said:

Lights didn't brighten ...

This is a consequence of closed captioning.

[Ahab]

6 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

This is a consequence of closed captioning.

... or their choice to not turn up the lighting?  When they used the monitors for closed captioning before the lighting would still change. 

I'll have to pay more attention next time to see when they transition from telestial to terrestrial.  I don't remember now but it may be after we're all done with the monitors, and if so that wouldn't be the reason for the difference.

[Hamba Tuhan]

1 hour ago, Ahab said:

... or their choice to not turn up the lighting?  When they used the monitors for closed captioning before the lighting would still change. 

I work in the temple. This was explained to us. We used to have separate screens for closed captioning too, but now the captions are on the main screen. When these captions are displayed, the system automatically overrides the signal to brighten the lights. It's so that the captions remain easy to read. The captions continue for the entire ordinance.

The Church has also made it an option to have closed captioning always on, which is what our temple is doing. Feedback from patrons has been very positive. We are a very multicultural society in the Church here, and many people who have become functional enough in our national language not to need headsets still find it helpful to see the words that are being spoken.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Hamba Tuhan

[Scott Lloyd]

22 hours ago, Dan McClellan said:

The plan to move to still-frames was announced to us in Sacred Materials Translation more than six months before the producer/director was arrested, and it obviously had absolutely nothing to do with their decision. It was about timing, matching dubbing to action, production time and cost, etc. The new ordinances went live on January 2 in all temples around the world. There were only a handful of minority languages where the new ordinances were not released until months later, but none of those languages were the primary languages of any temples. 

Did the plan predate President Nelson becoming Church president? I’m curious, because I know him to have a penchant for the simple over the elaborate and ostentatious. 

[Calm]

56 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I work in the temple. This was explained to us. We used to have separate screens for closed captioning too, but now the captions are on the main screen. When these captions are displayed, the system automatically overrides the signal to brighten the lights. It's so that the captions remain easy to read. The captions continue for the entire ordinance.

The Church has also made it an option to have closed captioning always on, which is what our temple is doing. Feedback from patrons has been very positive. We are a very multicultural society in the Church here, and many people who have become functional enough in our national language not to need headsets still find it helpful to see the words that are being spoken.

I always have closed caption on these days except when it is annoying up high and covering faces. This helps me concentrate and not have to rewind to catch a quip. 

I got into the habit watching British shows where there were enough missed quips to be annoying and then found I prefer it for all now.  Don’t know if it is age or just my always preferred visual learning mode. 

[Ahab]

48 minutes ago, Hamba Tuhan said:

I work in the temple. This was explained to us. We used to have separate screens for closed captioning too, but now the captions are on the main screen. When these captions are displayed, the system automatically overrides the signal to brighten the lights. It's so that the captions are still easy to read. The captions continue for the entire ordinance.

The Church has also made it an option to have closed captioning always on, which is what our temple is doing. Feedback from patrons has been very positive. We are a very multicultural society, and many people who have become functional enough in our national language not to need headsets still find it helpful to see the words that are being spoken.

In my experience and from what I can recall the screen is not used for the prayer circle, or for the part at the veil.  I don't remember exactly when the monitor is turned off but it is sometime before the prayer in the prayer circle.  In the past before they used the 1 main monitor, when they were still using the 2 separate monitors, the lighting would still transition from the telestial to the terrestrial level.  I know the lighting is turned down when the monitor is about to be used but when the monitor was turned off before it still went to whatever lighting level it was before the monitor was used for that part of the ordinance.  And now the lighting remains at the telestial level when at the prayer circle, going to the terrestrial level only when it is time to go to the veil.

It would be nice for my wife to have a card to read at the veil.  They provided a card for her in the past but now a matron repeats everything for her so she can read her lips.  My wife can't see the person behind the veil so she needs to see someone say something if she can't see it in writing.  A headset would not help my wife.  She has a cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aid in the other that gives her about 10% of normal hearing in that ear, and a headset doesn't do anything to help her.  At movies she uses the closed captioning device that sits in a cup holder which displays the text for her to read.

[longview]

3 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I will say that the men’s garment bottom SEEMS to have changed—either that or my husbands legs got about 5 inches shorter in the past 6 months 😂

My gut is getting bigger, thus making my bottom sloop lower.