Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

The catch-all forum for general topics and debates. Minimal moderation. Rated PG to PG-13.
_Everybody Wang Chung
_Emeritus
Posts: 4056
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:53 am

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Everybody Wang Chung »

The legal troubles of the actor who plays Joseph Smith in the Witness film are no secret, but I would like to publicly applaud DCP’s choice to allow diversity among the actors. Below is the actor Michael Zuccola who plays Martin Harris.

I love his tattoo. I wonder if DCP is aware of what the tattoo says? Kind of shocking.

Image

Here is Michael with his partner on a leisurely hike:

Image

Regardless, kudos to DCP. Even though it could possibly mean losing some donors, DCP has come a long way in his thinking. Good job DCP!
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."

Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
_Doctor Scratch
_Emeritus
Posts: 8025
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:44 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

Thank you very much for the update, President Wang Chung. Zuccola and his parter look like a lovely, charming couple (and nice T-shirt, by the way; "Uzi" is my personal favorite of the Wu Tang's songs). And for those of us whose eyesight isn't what it used to be--I'm afraid I've misplaced my monocle--could you please tell us what his tattoo says?

As for what this means for "Witnesses"--I think you're right that, on the one hand, it does represent more diversity. Good for them for hiring a gay actor to take on the role.* You sort of have to wonder if the Executive Producer knew about this, and whether the news about it ("remarkable," as Midgley would say) has sent him into paroxysms of anger. But you are also right that this undoubtedly represents a major problem for a vast number of their readership and donors. Think how many times Dr. Peterson has posted things arguing that businesses should be able to discriminate against LGBTQ+ folks. (As a sidenote: I wonder if this specific issue is related to the complaint that caused him to--rather fruitlessly--attempt to cease posting on political matters.) So, then, did he knowingly sign off on this particular casting choice?

*Does he play Martin Harris or one of the other witnesses? I was under the impression that he was one of the others.... Martin Harris, as you likely recall, was the one with the wireless mic attached to the back of his pants...I was unable to find a listing of the full cast and crew anywhere on Mormon Interpreter's website.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
_Doctor Scratch
_Emeritus
Posts: 8025
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:44 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

You know, I think it's worth emphasizing the fact that it is, apparently, very difficult to locate a list of the film's cast and crew, as one would normally be able to do very easily with a normal movie via IMDB. In fact, I think it needs to be pointed out that this is *highly* unusual, and would never happen with either a Hollywood film or an independent movie: if you treat your actors this badly, then you can forget about working in the industry ever again. Of course, "Witnesses" is primarily intended as propaganda so there is no real issue in treating the cast like a bunch of piss-ants, I guess. (Still, you can find the crew list for, e.g., Triumph of the Will.) And just look at this announcement on Facebook, from back in February, when Interpreter crashed the local LDS film festival:
UPDATE: WITNESSES, a theatrical film from the Interpreter Foundation, will be discussed in a recently added panel discussion (5:00pm, Saturday, February 29, 2020) at the nineteenth annual LDS Film Festival at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem, Utah. All interested in attending are welcome, free of charge. We'd love to have you support us there!

Participants on the panel will include Russell Richins, the film's producer, and Mark Goodman, its director and editor, Daniel Peterson, executive producer [lowercase sic], along with a leading cast member. We'll have at least one important announcement to make.
(emphasis added)

A "leading cast member"? Based on the picture, it's the guy who plays *Joseph Smith*! And yet they won't even grant him the dignity of naming him. It's as if the actors are just chattel--there to serve a purpose, and nothing more. The notoriously austere French director Robert Bresson was famous for referring to his actors as "models," but he never would have stooped to this level of unprofessional disregard. Bresson still the regarded actors as people.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
_kairos
_Emeritus
Posts: 1917
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:56 am

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _kairos »

Reset the stage, get the cameras! I hope this can be done so that Dan can be like Alfred Hitchcock, and find a suitable scene in which to inject himself as Hitchcock did in his films. We would love to see the donut man show himself say in a chair at the house when Joseph Smith shows up from Cumorah and Dan would be in the scene in a cameo appearance, looking at the camera perhaps rolling his eyes- i would defintely pay to see the film just on that account and Dan might steal the scene and maybe the movie !

k
_Doctor Scratch
_Emeritus
Posts: 8025
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:44 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Doctor Scratch »

kairos wrote:
Tue Oct 06, 2020 5:41 pm
Reset the stage, get the cameras! I hope this can be done so that Dan can be like Alfred Hitchcock, and find a suitable scene in which to inject himself as Hitchcock did in his films. We would love to see the donut man show himself say in a chair at the house when Joseph Smith shows up from Cumorah and Dan would be in the scene in a cameo appearance, looking at the camera perhaps rolling his eyes- i would defintely pay to see the film just on that account and Dan might steal the scene and maybe the movie !

k
I don't know about you, Kairos, but I'm excited to see the new "official" trailer for the film. It's supposed to drop sometime soon.
"[I]f, while hoping that everybody else will be honest and so forth, I can personally prosper through unethical and immoral acts without being detected and without risk, why should I not?." --Daniel Peterson, 6/4/14
_Kishkumen
_Emeritus
Posts: 21373
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:00 pm

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Kishkumen »

I can hardly wait to see this film! And, yes, I am hoping for a DCP cameo. I’ll be most disappointed if that—and allusion to the deer Christ—are not included.

I hope we see the official trailer soon!
"Petition wasn’t meant to start a witch hunt as I’ve said 6000 times." ~ Hanna Seariac, LDS apologist
_Everybody Wang Chung
_Emeritus
Posts: 4056
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:53 am

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Everybody Wang Chung »

Kishkumen wrote:
Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:53 pm
I’ll be most disappointed if that—and allusion to the deer Christ—are not included.

I hope we see the official trailer soon!
A lot of people will be very disappointed if deer Jesus doesn’t make an appearance. The director doesn’t even have to use expensive CGI, thanks to advancements in puppetry.

It could look something like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FD670CfMBeI
"I'm on paid sabbatical from BYU in exchange for my promise to use this time to finish two books."

Daniel C. Peterson, 2014
_Dr Exiled
_Emeritus
Posts: 3616
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2015 3:48 am

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Dr Exiled »

Everybody Wang Chung wrote:
Sun Oct 11, 2020 2:52 pm
Kishkumen wrote:
Sun Oct 11, 2020 12:53 pm
I’ll be most disappointed if that—and allusion to the deer Christ—are not included.

I hope we see the official trailer soon!
A lot of people will be very disappointed if deer Jesus doesn’t make an appearance. The director doesn’t even have to use expensive CGI, thanks to advancements in puppetry.

It could look something like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FD670CfMBeI
We all want deer Jesus to make an appearance in this film. Sadly, it's too sophisticated for our mope brethren.
"Religion is about providing human community in the guise of solving problems that don’t exist or failing to solve problems that do and seeking to reconcile these contradictions and conceal the failures in bogus explanations otherwise known as theology." - Kishkumen 
_Philo Sofee
_Emeritus
Posts: 6660
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 9:04 am

Re: Dr. Peterson Thanks Us for Peer Reviewing "Witnesses"

Post by _Philo Sofee »

The deer Jesus will simply NOT be in a film made by a Mopologist. They are not interested in truth, only faith and sustaining the Brethren.
Dr CamNC4Me
"Dr. Peterson and his Callithumpian cabal of BYU idiots have been marginalized by their own inevitable irrelevancy defending a fraud."
Post Reply