An “Insider” Speaks: “Six Days in August” is “Absolute garbage”

[Doctor Scratch]

Hello, Friends and Colleagues.

It’s been quite some time since I received a message from a so-called “informant,” but interestingly enough, I recently was passed along some “intel” from a person who claims to have actually worked on the crew of the Interpreter movie, Six Days in August. The person requested anonymity for obvious reasons, and I should say that I have not been able to confirm whether the “intel” is legitimate or not. Nonetheless, I wanted to share the information.

For starters, as the title of this thread indicates, this insider thinks that the movie is “absolute garbage.” But they go on to elaborate:

—The movie suffers from “Whitewashed history” and “one-dimensional characters”
—There have apparently been serious problems in the editing room since the current cut of the film has “terrible pacing”
—Apparently the “acting is atrocious”
—And the screenplay, which received extensive feedback from the Executive Producer “is pretentious and verbose.”

This informant notes that the movie has a run time of 2 hours and that 3/4 of the movie elapses before they even get to “Day 1 of the ‘six days in August.’”

Interesting, no? Again: I need to remind readers that I cannot confirm the veracity of these details, but the hints about the structure of the narrative certainly seem like they will eventually be verifiable.

But if this “intel” is indeed correct, it would mean that, once again, a “mole” has infiltrated a major Mopologetic project.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Six Days in August: An Alan Smithee Film

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee

[drumdude]

This informant notes that the movie has a run time of 2 hours and that 3/4 of the movie elapses before they even get to “Day 1 of the ‘six days in August.’”

It's nice that unlike the Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, we have an objective way to test if this informant's testimony is true.

Dan has been told of the existence of this thread, but he himself hasn't read it... He offers this quote in rebuttal:

“The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticise work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life’s realities — all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness. They mark the men unfit to bear their part painfully in the stern strife of living, who seek, in the affection of contempt for the achievements of others, to hide from others and from themselves in their own weakness. The role is easy; there is none easier, save only the role of the man who sneers alike at both criticism and performance.”

Checkmate, anti's.

[Doctor Scratch]

I see that Dr. Peterson has responded—quoting at length from Teddy Roosevelt’s famous “man in the arena” speech, which asserts that “It is not the critic who counts,” which is a stunning thing to hear from the man who helmed the FARMS Review for so many years, and who continues to preside over the highly critical “Interpreter” blog. Roosevelt goes on to decry “ A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform.” Sort of like hardcore, lifelong LDS who’ve never experienced life as adults outside the Church? Hmmm.

In any case, I sense a bit of panic setting in. Could it really be that there is an “insider” who’s leaking embarrassing information about the movie? Dr. Peterson remarks that “ apart from my wife and I and the three principal filmmakers and their wives, I could probably count the number of those who have seen the entire film (even in its current rough form) on the fingers of two hands. Maybe four, if I’m really generous — but there would likely be fingers left over.” I don’t doubt that that’s true. But how many people saw copies of the screenplay, or witnessed (yes, pun intended) various aspects of the production?

Again: I myself am unsure about the truthfulness of what this “informant” said, but it’s very interesting that DCP said nothing about that quite specific tidbit concerning the movie’s narrative structure. And my, *how quickly* he responded! This would seem to lend credibility to the informant’s claims.

[Tom]

Hello, Friends and Colleagues.

It’s been quite some time since I received a message from a so-called “informant,” but interestingly enough, I recently was passed along some “intel” from a person who claims to have actually worked on the crew of the Interpreter movie, Six Days in August. The person requested anonymity for obvious reasons, and I should say that I have not been able to confirm whether the “intel” is legitimate or not. Nonetheless, I wanted to share the information.

For starters, as the title of this thread indicates, this insider thinks that the movie is “absolute garbage.” But they go on to elaborate:

—The movie suffers from “Whitewashed history” and “one-dimensional characters”
—There have apparently been serious problems in the editing room since the current cut of the film has “terrible pacing”
—Apparently the “acting is atrocious”
—And the screenplay, which received extensive feedback from the Executive Producer “is pretentious and verbose.”

This informant notes that the movie has a run time of 2 hours and that 3/4 of the movie elapses before they even get to “Day 1 of the ‘six days in August.’”

Interesting, no? Again: I need to remind readers that I cannot confirm the veracity of these details, but the hints about the structure of the narrative certainly seem like they will eventually be verifiable.

But if this “intel” is indeed correct, it would mean that, once again, a “mole” has infiltrated a major Mopologetic project.

It’s possible. I’ve long heard reports that the Interpreter Foundation leaks like a sieve.

I just so happened to receive a call from the Old High Priest in Ogden tonight, and I mentioned that the Interpreter Foundation is looking for people to serve as “super fans” for Six Days in August. The Old High Priest struggled to understand the idea, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Relief Society sister in Parowan wouldn’t get it either.

In any case, I informed the Old High Priest that the film is scheduled to premiere in October. He responded by asking me if I had heard the curious rumors about President Nelson asking all church members during general conference to engage in a 10-day media fast. I confessed that I had heard such rumors. He also asked me if a movie trailer had been issued. I noted that a cringey video clip had been posted and then taken down without explanation, but that a trailer had not been released. (The trailer for Witnesses was released five months before the movie’s premiere.) I also told him the film team was still trying to raise money for post-production work. He found that peculiar and questioned if the movie would be ready for October.

The Old High Priest’s question made me wonder whether the film’s premiere should be postponed to next spring or summer. A delay of six to eight months or so would give the film team to screen the movie for several test audiences and receive valuable feedback. Has anyone who believes there was an internal conspiracy to kill Joseph Smith seen a cut? Have any church critics seen a cut? Rumors that no more than 15 to 20 people have seen the entire film thus far are not encouraging.

A reasonable delay would give the film team time to raise money to reshoot scenes and improve the pacing. A delay would give the film team time to remove anachronistic elements, recast the cartoonish villains (such as “Sharp’s Henchman”), and tone down the whitewashed history. (I hope that the film makers will come to their senses and delete the moment with the “blind man.”)

I recommend that the film team take the necessary time and spend the necessary money to make a movie they can be proud of. An October release is too soon.

Posted from Deweyville, Utah

[drumdude]

An inquiry on the blog:

One of the very best, if not the best way to generate buzz, interest and advertise for a film is to release a movie trailer for a film. This generally happens many months or even a year in advance.

The October premier is just around the corner. Dan, as far as I know there is no trailer for the film? No trailer on social media or Facebook, YouTube or in the theaters. Is there a reason for this?

The only video they put on the Interpreter page is still down, LOL

https://vimeo.com/880637147/76c80d1778

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Memory is an odd thing. I had two nightmares last night, divided from each other by my having actually awakened and gotten up between them. I can’t remember the actual plot of either one of them now, although I seem to recall that each (especially the second) had a very complex plot. I distinctly remember that the second prominently featured a disaster involving a Russian submarine called the Kursk. As soon as I woke up, I reached for my cell phone and looked up the word Kursk. I thought that I actually did vaguely remember, in real life, something about a disaster involving a Russian submarine called the Kursk, and I wanted to confirm that it was real.It was, in fact, real. (See the Wikipedia article “Kursk Submarine Disaster.”) But why on earth did I dream about it last night? The story — a very sad one, it scarcely needs saying — has never loomed particularly large in my mind. What suddenly dredged it up from somewhere deep in my memory? I wish I could remember the plot of the dream. Perhaps that would shed some light.

My God, Afore! Isn't it obvious?

The Kursk was a monument to incompetence (much like the Titanic). The Kursk was supposed to be the pride of the Russian navy, but due to design and structural engineering incompetence with the ammunition and the submarine, it was destroyed along with the lives of 115 people.

Afore, even though you won't admit it, your subconscious is telling you that Six Days In August (which is the pride of the Interpreter Foundation and Afore) is actually an abject and monumental failure/disaster (much like the Titanic and the Kursk). The sooner you come to terms with this fact, the sooner your nightmares will cease.

Afore, you had a great opportunity, but according to people who are close to the film, you've created another Kursk and wasted donor money, again. Regardless, I will be objective and write/post an honest review on opening night. I can't wait.

[drumdude]

Dan claims a trailer is coming.

JA: "One of the very best, if not the best way to generate buzz, interest and advertise for a film is to release a movie trailer for a film."

Yes. And I'm aware that that the absence, thus far, of a trailer for Six Days in August is a major item of feigned concern over at the Peterson Obsession Board.

JA: "This generally happens many months or even a year in advance."

Do you have any figures on how often it happens a year in advance? I would be interested to see them.

JA: "The October premier is just around the corner."

It's slightly more than two and a half months away.

JA: "Dan, as far as I know there is no trailer for the film?

I can't really comment on how much you know. But there is a trailer.

JA: "No trailer on social media or Facebook, YouTube or in the theaters."

But there will be. And I know when it will be released.

JA: "Is there a reason for this?"

Yes.

Please reassure your friends that everything is under control.

Witnesses had its trailer released on January 7, 2021:

https://youtu.be/1NEiXWtijQw

Which was well in advance of its June 4th premiere.

[Everybody Wang Chung]

Dan claims a trailer is coming.

JA: "One of the very best, if not the best way to generate buzz, interest and advertise for a film is to release a movie trailer for a film."

Yes. And I'm aware that that the absence, thus far, of a trailer for Six Days in August is a major item of feigned concern over at the Peterson Obsession Board.

JA: "This generally happens many months or even a year in advance."

Do you have any figures on how often it happens a year in advance? I would be interested to see them.

JA: "The October premier is just around the corner."

It's slightly more than two and a half months away.

JA: "Dan, as far as I know there is no trailer for the film?

I can't really comment on how much you know. But there is a trailer.

JA: "No trailer on social media or Facebook, YouTube or in the theaters."

But there will be. And I know when it will be released.

JA: "Is there a reason for this?"

Yes.

Please reassure your friends that everything is under control.

Witnesses had its trailer released on January 7, 2021:

https://youtu.be/1NEiXWtijQw

Which was well in advance of its June 4th premiere.

That is very interesting. It's pretty evident that even the Afore has thrown in the towel.

Movie studios have literally spent hundreds of millions of dollars conducting market research, psychological research, hiring consulting and advertising firms to identify when the best time is to release a film trailer for maximum profits and viewership. Their research tends to show that you should release the trailer 4-8 months ahead of the movie premiere for maximum marketing results.

The trailer for Witnesses was released 6 months prior to the premiere, but no trailer yet for Six Days In August. The premier is just over 2 months from now. Even if the Afore released the trailer today, he has missed the marketing "sweet spot" for people to attend. This coupled with President Nelson's upcoming 10 day media blackout admonition, surely spells doom for Six Days In August.

Maybe the film is just so bad, the Afore is having trouble even coming up with 60 seconds of worthwhile film to show as the trailer? It just doesn't make any sense why the Afore didn't use his best efforts to market this film with a trailer during the 4-8 month "sweet spot" to give his film the best chance at maximum viewership. What a wasted opportunity. Regardless, I can't wait to see the film.

[drumdude]

I’ve just re-uploaded the video that they deleted, I can see now why they didn’t want anyone to see it!

https://youtu.be/yTg3LwCBCTU