A New Trailer Drops for the "Witnesses" Movie

[_Doctor Scratch]

A few seconds playing with eq even with a basic free sample could have prevented this whole problem in the first place. It's definitely different, no ringing in my ears this time. I actually missed it twice being distracted with something else --- is it just me or did they also block the ability to rewind?

I think they did! I can just imagine DCP saying, "Well, if they're going to nitpick it and make fun of it, then we'll force them to watch the whole thing each time!" LOL!!! They should be thanking us for the free publicity.

[_Doctor Scratch]

I don’t know about you, but I will never be able to view the Plates the same way again. Now, whenever the Plates are mentioned, I’m always going to picture Joseph using the Plates to bash his assailants over the head into unconsciousness.

We all know that Joseph never used the Plates in the translation process, but we can all take comfort in the fact that at least Joseph was able to find a use for the Plates. Namely, as a blunt force weapon.

Mormon and all the ancient prophets didn’t compile the Plates in vain. The were actually crafting a powerful weapon that someday would be used by Joseph Smith.

Well, of course. This is an "Interpreter" production, meaning that it is also de facto a Mopologetic production, so of course they would need to find a way to smuggle some violence into this film.

[_Doctor Scratch]

You know, it occurs to me that all the weird stuff involving the plates was "ordered up" by the Executive Producer. If I'm not mistaken, he mentioned something on "SeN" at one point about how the production was being held up until "acceptable rewrites" of the script were good to go. What do you think that means? "Acceptable" in the eyes of whom, exactly? Because *some*body is going to need to take the blame for this stuff: the almost fetishistic touching and caressing of the plates, plus Joseph Smith swinging the plates as if they are a weapon. Is this really what the script writers came up with? Or was this something where they just had to kind of nod and go along with it--rolling their eyes the whole time--while Peterson et al. sits there and insists that this needs to be in the film? (I hope you've seen The Player--the Altman film from the '90s, with Tim Robbins. I'm willing to be that similar things were at play with the "Witnesses" movie.)

[_Philo Sofee]

Everybody WangChung
If you watch from 1:02 to 1:05 you can clearly see the wireless microphone and wires hanging from the back of Martin Harris (guy in the red shirt kneeling).

Too much! This just made my day man.......

[_moksha]

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[_Gadianton]

With all the problems this trailer has, I think what's bothering me the most is the soundtrack. It's not that it's bad, but does it really fit New England in the 19th Century? If it's not directly borrowed from James Paget, it sure as heck was written as homage to Paget. I like Paget's stuff. For those unfamiliar, just look up "Light" or "Throw off Bowlines" and you'll see that you actually are familiar, and go, "Oh yeah! That's it!"

Paget's stuff is cool, but it's like exclusively elf and orc adventure music. I bet it was the Executive Producer's idea. If not requested by name, possibilities were played and he picked this. Recall, the Executive Producer is one of the most devoted fans of Lord of the Rings alive today, and it was only a matter of time until the Joseph Smith story and the adventures of hobbits got crosswired in his mind. So yeah, this becomes the magical real-life epic he's always wanted to believe in.

But while that may work for a few of the TBMs out there, I'm not sure it's really going to connect with people in general. The Church doesn't make great film, but for what it was, How Rare a Possession was something you could show a non-member friend and not cower in embarrassment. In this case, the music is going to prompt viewers into thinking they're going to see angels and all kinds of weird fantasy stuff one might associate with gold bibles. It's a really disjointed combination: The First Vision Story told to epic elf music.

[_Lemmie]

Maybe because I looked at it on a different device, because I didn’t see this before, but did anyone else notice that the trailer is titled “Witnesses Project Overview” ? Was it named that when it first was posted?

[_Doctor Scratch]

Holy crap: it just keeps getting better and better. Get a load of these comments on "SeN":

Daniel,

I previously posted this, but you removed it for some reason. If the content is inappropriate please let me know so I can edit this post and remove the offending content.

I'm glad you changed the punching sound effect. It is much better now.

I'm sure the film is still in the initial rough stages and far from the polished finished product, but here are some continuity, and other issues that are being reported:

-If you watch from 1:02 to 1:05 you can clearly see the wireless microphone and wires hanging from the back of Martin Harris (guy in the red shirt kneeling).

-The plates and the bag, look at about 22 seconds in (after they're knocked from the actor's arms). The plates are clearly exposed and you can see a ring. Now check how the plates/bag look at about 33-34 seconds as Joseph tries to reach for them. I see a bag, but I don't see the plates. At 35 seconds in, we see the exposed plates again. At 36 seconds, Joseph grabs the bag and pulls it toward him. I don't see the plates. Then we see the exposed plates again at 36-37 seconds.

-The plates at 1:30 are clearly different than the ones earlier in the trailer. I have to say that the brown tape does not look good. During the fighting, the plates had a “sealed” part on the bottom that really looked like nothing more than brown duct tape wrapped around the bottom third, but later in the clip the plates are fully shown from the same angle, are much bigger, and there are unsealed plates all the way down? No continuity.

-The trailer seems to show these events with the assailants happening in the day, instead of night. Having Joseph use the sacred Golden Plates as a weapon to beat his attacker is not historical and certainly not something one would have expected Joseph to do. What about using his fists, a stick or a rock. Joseph was supposed to protect the Plates with his life and the Plates would probably not be the first thing he would use as a weapon to bash someone over the head with.

-Susan Easton Black,considering her status as emeritus professor of church history--states that critics have resorted to saying that the witnesses saw the plates with their "spiritual eyes." The implication, of course, is that the critics invented this from thin air. Not so; Martin Harris said this point-blank and critics are merely reminding us what Martin said.

Gen'y: "I previously posted this, but you removed it for some reason."

I didn't remove it. Disqus is quirky and sometimes removes posts -- including mine -- on its own, for obscure reasons. When I see this, I restore them.

Gen'y: "I'm glad you changed the punching sound effect. It is much better now."

Sound smoothing -- or whatever the technical name for the process is -- is a standard part of preparing a film for release. We're in that stage right now.

Gen'y: "I'm sure the film is still in the initial rough stages and far from the polished finished product"

That's true.

Gen'y: "If you watch from 1:02 to 1:05 you can clearly see the wireless microphone and wires hanging from the back of Martin Harris (guy in the red shirt kneeling)."

I had already seen this claim on the Peterson Obsession Board, where it was originally posted (and where negative reviews of the "Witnesses" film have been appearing for at least a year).

It's incorrect. We used no such wireless microphones.

Gen'y: "The plates and the bag, look at about 22 seconds in (after they're knocked from the actor's arms). The plates are clearly exposed and you can see a ring. Now check how the plates/bag look at about 33-34 seconds as Joseph tries to reach for them. I see a bag, but I don't see the plates. At 35 seconds in, we see the exposed plates again. At 36 seconds, Joseph grabs the bag and pulls it toward him. I don't see the plates. Then we see the exposed plates again at 36-37 seconds."

LOL. You guys have too much time on your hands. I'll look at the relevant portions, but I think you and your friends tend to see problems where you hope to see them.

Gen'y: "The plates at 1:30 are clearly different than the ones earlier in the trailer. I have to say that the brown tape does not look good. During the fighting, the plates had a “sealed” part on the bottom that really looked like nothing more than brown duct tape wrapped around the bottom third, but later in the clip the plates are fully shown from the same angle, are much bigger, and there are unsealed plates all the way down? No continuity.

"Having Joseph use the sacred Golden Plates as a weapon to beat his attacker is not historical and certainly not something one would have expected Joseph to do. What about using his fists, a stick or a rock. Joseph was supposed to protect the Plates with his life and the Plates would probably not be the first thing he would use as a weapon to bash someone over the head with."

I'll pass your comments on to the producer and director. I doubt that there's actually much there.

Gen'y: "Susan Easton Black,considering her status as emeritus professor of church history--states that critics have resorted to saying that the witnesses saw the plates with their "spiritual eyes." The implication, of course, is that the critics invented this from thin air. Not so; Martin Harris said this point-blank and critics are merely reminding us what Martin said."

You'll need to take this up with Professor Black. But the plain fact is that this claim has only become really popular among critics in recent years, probably thanks to the efforts of Dan Vogel.

Dan: "It's incorrect. We used no such wireless microphones."

Interesting, that's not what I've heard. I guess it could be any number of electronic devices then. Regardless, I'm sure you will want to have the electronic device CGI'd out.

Thanks for sharing your opinions Dan. I'm looking forward to viewing the finished and polished version.

Gen'y: "Interesting, that's not what I've heard. "

You've presumably also heard that we're borderline insolvent, and that members of the cast and crew have been complaining about our failure to pay them.

I read that a couple of weeks ago over at your message board, from the Mini-Stalker. He just makes these things up. It's not even remotely true. Most of his claims are pure fiction, and this one is no exception.

Gen'y: "I guess it could be any number of electronic devices then."

It could also be none at all.

Gen'y: "I'm looking forward to viewing the finished and polished version."

I'll BET you are.

But you can already read dozens of reviews on the Peterson Obsession Board where you are a participant. No need to wait!

Daniel,

It's interesting how you are lashing out at these constructive comments. It's almost like you believe your short trailer is above criticism.

All I know is if I had devoted so much time, energy and money to a film project I would welcome concerns, comments and yes, even criticism. I would even be grateful.

To each his own, I guess.

Incidentally, my comment about our having used no wireless microphones of the type that you and your friends have "seen" in the trailer isn't a matter of my "opinion."

DaniePeterson: "Incidentally, my comment about our having used no wireless microphones of the type that you and your friends have "seen" in the trailer isn't a matter of my "opinion."

We'll have to agree to disagree.

Regardless of what type of electronic device the actor is wearing, I'm glad you have forwarded this constructive criticism to the director.

Wow--look how touchy he is! Quite funny that he's flat out denying what all of us can plainly see with our own eyes. I hope someone asks about this at the panel this evening. Will the panel be videotaped, I wonder? And put up for viewing on "Interpreter"'s blog site? I bet this one really stings: he's probably enraged that someone would make such a blunder. Why didn't the script supervisor or the editor catch that? And, of course, the only way to fix it is to either delete the scene or spend the money to CGI it out of there. No wonder he's still begging for money!

[_Gadianton]

Wow--look how touchy he is! Quite funny that he's flat out denying what all of us can plainly see with our own eyes!

Hold the phones: have at least three of 'us' seen it with our own eyes? If so, on what grounds does he contradict us?

I would check myself, but since he's disabled the ability to diverge from linear continuous play, it's not worth the time. I really don't get lashing out like that at criticism. Every mistake that he doesn't catch now will be left in the final cut, where he will be unable to prevent rewinding, and there will be exploded views and detailed analysis and links throughout Mormondom exposing the worst of it, and so he's getting for his film what he can't get for papers published at Interpreter -- proper peer review.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

I mean we’re not really nitpicking, are we? These are pretty noticeable, and amateurish, issues that need cleaning up. If we were nitpicking we’d be harping on the fact that in the barn scene the ‘iron nails’ used to bind the boards together are obviously modern, and the thread counts on some of the clothing are true to the 21st century, not 19th century.

Also, the movie sucks. You can tell because the trailer sucks ass. This is a direct reflection of Mr. Peterson’s involvement.

- Doc