In a stunning display of consistency, the Interpreter Foundation’s first episode of Becoming Brigham is every bit the disaster we've all come to expect from these guys. Hopefully, the other episodes will be much better. Hope springs eternal.
Just a few thoughts in no particular order:
At the 32 second mark, you can clearly see the power lines in the lower left of the screen.
If you look closely at the 37 second mark, you’ll spot the fog machine sticking out behind a trunk, shamelessly puffing away. It’s a touching tribute to 19th century technology.
The film’s unintentional comedic peak arrives at the 1:08 mark, where the camera lingers on an extra whose face clearly expressed his boredom and pure, unadulterated spite. It’s the look of a man who has realized, in real-time, that this credit will forever haunt his IMDB page.
The Afore looks very disheveled, as though he rolled out of bed, put in a solid shift at a local dive bar, and then accidentally wandered onto the set while looking for a sandwich.
The camera work is so consistently blurry, you'll feel like you shared a flask with the Afore in that local dive bar.
By the 26 second mark, the film fully abandons physics as a mob charges through the daylight clutching lit torches. Because nothing screams authentic frontier life like lighting a torch when the sun is directly overhead.
Anyways, if any of you are interested, here is the link for Episode 1:
The production quality is so weird, it’s a veneer over something that really should be a 2 minute podcast. I’m reminded of this spoof on modern reality TV:
There’s a certain forced artificial cadence and to the whole thing designed for mass appeal. Even though the substance of the video could be summed up in about 30 seconds.
Again, Dan could have just sat down in his office and pointed a cell phone at himself talking to achieve the same thing without wasting interpreter donation money.
By the 26 second mark, the film fully abandons physics as a mob charges through the daylight clutching lit torches. Because nothing screams authentic frontier life like lighting a torch when the sun is directly overhead.
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?
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
- At the 32 second mark, you can clearly see the power lines in the lower left of the screen.
There simply is no excuse for power lines on set. I would never had allowed that to happen had I been on set directing the show.
Jun 27, 1844, Joseph was shot to death at Carthage at about 5PM or a little earlier, so why in the opening shot is the sun nearly setting on the horizon just above the trees only 6 days after summer solstice? The sun should have been much higher in the sky on the clear day of the opening shot making the use of a torch unnecessary. The smooth faced ruffians look rather dirty and scruffy like they hadn't shaved in days and lo and behold they are dressed for cold weather (jackets & scarves) when it's summer time! They would have been drenched in sweat! 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.
- At the 32 second mark, you can clearly see the power lines in the lower left of the screen.
There simply is no excuse for power lines on set. I would never had allowed that to happen had I been on set directing the show.
Jun 27, 1844, Joseph was shot to death at Carthage at about 5PM or a little earlier, so why in the opening shot is the sun nearly setting on the horizon just above the trees only 6 days after summer solstice? The sun should have been much higher in the sky on the clear day of the opening shot making the use of a torch unnecessary. The smooth faced ruffians look rather dirty and scruffy like they hadn't shaved in days and lo and behold they are dressed for cold weather (jackets & scarves) when it's summer time! They would have been drenched in sweat! 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.
Give me a f-ing break.
Even worse than the power lines, check out the fog machine sticking out behind the tree at the 37 second mark:
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
By the 26 second mark, the film fully abandons physics as a mob charges through the daylight clutching lit torches. Because nothing screams authentic frontier life like lighting a torch when the sun is directly overhead.
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.
Last edited by Everybody Wang Chung on Mon Jan 26, 2026 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."
Even worse than the power lines, check out the fog machine sticking out behind the tree at the 37 second mark:
Well, to be fair, the power lines are worse in my opinion.
I noticed the fog machine but was willing to give them a pass in trying to replicate a campfire pit surrounded by brick or stone. But yeah, it looks to be forced draft fog because there is no actual wind present during the other shots around the property.
- The film’s unintentional comedic peak arrives at the 1:08 mark, where the camera lingers on an extra whose face clearly expressed his boredom and pure, unadulterated spite. It’s the look of a man who has realized, in real-time, that this credit will forever haunt his IMDB page.
John Taylor's hair in the video is parted in the wrong direction, gee-whiz.
The smoke machine is hilarious. You can see it actively “puff puff puffing” out the smoke Dan should have stayed behind the camera. He looks out of place. It really has become an overt vanity project now. As an educational tool, what did we learn that was both important to know, and relatively unknown? Nothing. And they stopped the video of the mob attacking Carthage Jail at a point before they’d have to show Joseph firing. As I understand the history of the event, the mob didn’t start shooting until one of the captives fired a shot at them from behind the door. In the Interpreter video the mob is firing at a jail, from one which no returning shots were ever fired and no resisting jailers were shown. They’ve obviously used good cameras, but whoever put this together needs to find an alternative career, film and video making isn’t their forté.
I also noted that they had turned off the comments section on YouTube. That’s a sensible move.
Premise 1. Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable.
Premise 2. The best evidence for the Book of Mormon is eyewitness testimony.
Conclusion. Therefore, the best evidence for the Book of Mormon is notoriously unreliable.
Dan should have stayed behind the camera. He looks out of place. It really has become an overt vanity project now. As an educational tool, what did we learn that was both important to know, and relatively unknown? Nothing. And they stopped the video of the mob attacking Carthage Jail at a point before they’d have to show Joseph firing. As I understand the history of the event, the mob didn’t start shooting until one of the captives fired a shot at them from behind the door. In the Interpreter video the mob is firing at a jail, from one which no returning shots were ever fired and no resisting jailers were shown. They’ve obviously used good cameras, but whoever put this together needs to find an alternative career, film and video making isn’t their forté.