Torches at High Noon: A Fog Machine, Power Lines, An Angry Extra and Brigham Young’s Electric Boogaloo

[Doctor Scratch]

I thought they had used, and paid for, a professional film company to produce this series? They would not have made such a stupid blunder. Are you pulling our legs Everybody Wang Chung?

The end result of this cinematic trainwreck is so staggeringly inept that it 100% confirms Dr. Scratch’s suspicions that this was never about Brigham Young. It was purely a vanity project and an opportunity for the Afore to feast and fly on the widow from Parowan’s mite.

LOL! Another Interpreter Production! How exciting! Glad to see the usual inclusion of things like electrical wires and fog machines! Bravo, guys!

And yes: I read a rather hilarious rebuttal to the bit about the Afore's "expenditures." He claims that he can't possibly be flying around and charging his travel, room and board, meals, etc. to Interpreter's expense account because he "donates" to Interpreter! The thing is: those two things aren't mutually exclusive. It *is* possible that he donates to Interpreter *AND* that he charges his Interpreter-related travel, lodging, and meals to Interpreter's "expense account." (Same goes for Bradshaw: is he paying for his own flights to DRC?) And in a way it's kind of genius: toss $500 bucks or so at the organization, and then rack up tens of thousands of dollars worth of travel and dining expenses, and you can still tell all the credulous boneheads at "SeN"--with a straight face!--that you honestly don't accept any payment from Interpreter, and you are a donor to boot! Quite clever, no?

And then there was this interesting remark from him the other day:

If I ever troubled myself to think about them, I suppose that I might be grateful for the donors to Interpreter. Maybe tomorrow.

Sure: it's probably best to stay focused on all the travel and eating that he'll be doing.

[I Have Questions]

I wasn't 100% sure that this wasn't an in house production rather than something professionally done. So I double checked and found this...

’m back here in western Missouri through Saturday to film material for episodes of the Interpreter Foundation’s forthcoming series of short video features, Becoming Brigham. With me are our core team of filmmakers from RedBrick Film Works — Mark Goodman, James Jordan, and Russell Richins — as well as Camrey Bagley Fox (who played Emma Smith in Witnesses and in Six Days in August) and John Donovan Wilson (who performed the role of Brigham Young in Six Days in August).

I don't think Netflix or Apple TV are going to be knocking on the door of RedBrick Film Works anytime soon.

[Tom]

A few comments on the production:

1. As Everybody Wang Chung notes, a power line is clearly visible at 00:00:32. The line is gone in a similar shot at 00:00:52. The production team should have caught the inconsistency.
2. There are some distracting shadows in several shots. They seem to be the shadows of a camera/camera operator. See 00:02:15, 00:02:22, and, especially, 00:02:58 (notice the movement).
3. It’s unclear why the film team opted to use footage from Joseph Smith: American Prophet (2017) rather than Six Days.
4. The footage at 00:03:06-00:03:07 is a bit puzzling. John Wilson seems to say, “That seems farfetched,” but his lips move less than a ventriloquist’s.

[I Have Questions]

A few comments on the production:

1. As Everybody Wang Chung notes, a power line is clearly visible at 00:00:32. The line is gone in a similar shot at 00:00:52. The production team should have caught the inconsistency.
2. There are some distracting shadows in several shots. They seem to be the shadows of a camera/camera operator. See 00:02:15, 00:02:22, and, especially, 00:02:58 (notice the movement).
3. It’s unclear why the film team opted to use footage from Joseph Smith: American Prophet (2017) rather than Six Days.
4. The footage at 00:03:06-00:03:07 is a bit puzzling. John Wilson seems to say, “That seems farfetched,” but his lips move less than a ventriloquist’s.

Tom, I’m not a professional film maker. I’m under the impression that you are not a professional film maker. Everybody Wang Chung is not, to the best of my knowledge, a professional film maker. But I’m of the opinion that the professional film makers who made, processed, and edited this series of films, and who were paid to do so, should have spotted these very basic errors before putting it out for consumption. Or am I being unreasonable?

[Doctor Scratch]

Excellent observations, Tom. You have to wonder why they don't bother with test screenings--or, more specifically, why they don't simply send some screeners out to eagle-eyed viewers like yourself or Everybody Wang Chung.

Meanwhile, I note that there has been no effort whatsoever to deny the charge that Interpreter executives are reimbursed for their various Mopologetics-related travel, lodging, and dining expenses.

[drumdude]

my anonymous Malevolent Stalker hisself(sic) showed up to express his decades-long disdain for me and to thumb his nose at Becoming Brigham. He’s distinctly more clever and inventive than the Mini-Stalker is, but he’s also more cold-bloodedly malignant, and he’s still pushing his narrative — it’s several years old now — that I profit lavishly and dishonestly from donations to the Interpreter Foundation. Incidentally, you’ll be interested to know that, this very afternoon, he pronounced you, the readers of this blog, “credulous boneheads.” He’s a peach of a fellow.

[Shulem]

2. There are some distracting shadows in several shots. They seem to be the shadows of a camera/camera operator. See 00:02:15, 00:02:22, and, especially, 00:02:58 (notice the movement).

It reminds me of the production problems experienced on the set of the original TV series Dark Shadows in the 1960's, my favorite TV series of all time with so many wonderful bloopers!

Yep, those camera shadows in sunlight are as bad as it gets. Dan's cameraman is a dope.

[Kishkumen]

[Shulem]

Note how the Smith brothers don't have a 5 o'clock shadow but look clean shaven and polished and are sporting their neck ties when they should be relaxing during the heat of the afternoon.

I'm not a historian like Dan Vogel, but I checked with AI and asked some questions about the conditions of the Carthage jail on the day Joseph and his brother were killed. I learned they had managed to acquire the upstairs 31 square foot family bedroom the day previous which included a fireplace and a regular-sized bed. On June 27th it was hot and humid and they were permitted to open the eastern window to help ventilate the stuffy room.

I also learned the entire jail did not have running water and the only water source was from the well located outside and any water taken upstairs for consumption and hygiene was transported in buckets and pitchers, thus any washing would have been done using those receptacles. There was no toilet inside the jail other than a chamber pot that had to be manually dumped by jail staff.

So, why does Joseph & Hyrum look so neat and clean shaven prior to getting their asses blown off at 5PM during the heat of the day? Why do they look so fresh and tidy as if they were about to address the saints in a church setting?

FAKE!

Dan Peterson is also a fake and a liar!

[I Have Questions]

The mob, when approaching the jail through the little out-of-place puffs of smoke from the smoke machine, fight a running battle with gunfire against…well…seemingly nobody. What were they firing at? Is there mention that the mob had to overcome a resistant bunch of jailers with gunfire before gaining access to the building? My understanding of the history is that the defending militia had already been removed and that the remaining few guards were either sympathetic to the mob or were quick to stand aside. No big gunfight to gain access to the jail. But maybe I have that wrong and Interpreter aren’t misleading viewers.