From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #616 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Monday, February 18 2002 Volume 01 : Number 616 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 08:26:03 -0700 From: "bob/bernice hughes" Subject: Re: [AML] Olympics Opening Ceremony From: "Thom Duncan" Can anyone explain to me why anyone would be willing to put themselves through such agony, fight those crowds, etc. to see something in a venue which, regardless of their seats, could never offer a view better than that they could get on TV? From: "bob/bernice hughes" Its like watching Les Miz (or whatever your favorite production is) on video. You can't beat the view in front of the television for that performance, can you? From: "Thom Duncan" It ain't the same. Oh, I see. Whatever you are passionate about has value, but if it isn’t your cup of tea it is a waste of time and money, right? Well, listen folks. Skip the community theater stuff, especially the one-act plays. They are definitely a waste of time and money. It is much better to sit in front of your two-dimensional television set and see what productions PBS has chosen for you. They will have edited out the dross, and the commercials offer a nice respite for relieving yourself. The total experience is irrelevant. Sounds pretty arrogant, huh? But, well, I’ve never seen anyone concede any point on this list, so I guess that’s okay. [MOD: I'd have to disagree. I've seen people concede points on the list. Eric Samuelsen, I suspect, sometimes makes extreme statements just so that he'll have space to graciously concede when people respond to him. I've even seen Thom concede a point or two--but I've been on the List a *long* time.] (In reality I support all the productions of my current local theater, the Egyptian Theater Company. But I will admit that some people prefer other types of art and entertainment. And they do have value.) Bob Hughes _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 09:20:20 -0700 From: "Ethan Skarstedt" Subject: RE: [AML] Race Issues in Mormonism Yet again I have managed to offend the only person on this list that I actually know. It was not my intent and I offer my sincerest apologies. Yes, Scott's post was one of the last that I read before crafting my own. Yes I did add the section he quoted after I read his post, but it was not in reply to his post that I wrote it. Rather it was in reply to a whole host of opinions and attitudes on "RACE" that I ran into while an English major at BYU, which his post(and others) reminded me of. His post did not remind me of those experiences because it was an echo of them; his post reminded me of them because, in my opinion, it was a sincere and honest example of what they should have been. While an English major at BYU I had professor after professor try and guilt(v.) me and my classmates into feeling _responsible_ and therefore sorry for all the terrible race-related things that have been done in our nation. I don't guilt very well and so ended up on the wrong end of the professor's hostilities more often than not.=20 The last paragraph of Scott's post: "To me the apology is not an attempt to take responsibility, but rather an attempt to recognize pain and to indicate my desire to help ease it. It's a recognition that issues exist and that I'm willing to subsume my own rights or desires or concerns for a little while and make the concerns of others my first priority. ..." Is a perfect example of what, in my opinion, they should have been talking about, if they really had to dwell for so long on race issues in those English classes. The literature we studied opened doors in my mind to new areas of understanding. The cultures of other races were exposed to me in ways that are otherwise unavailable. The discussions in class helped me to understand more deeply and therefore empathize more fully with the "others" depicted. There's certainly nothing wrong with feeling sorrow for the pain someone else has suffered. My only objection to what was taught in those classes was that they tried to make us feel responsible for that pain. To me there is a world of difference between the two states. The "apology" that I labeled sentimental sophistry was one that attempted to claim responsibility for the pain being sorrowed over, not Scott's. I hadn't grasped the idea that there could be any other kind of apology in that arena until I read Scott's post. Blind of me I know but then we all have our blind spots, don't we? I want to thank Scott for showing me the true and honest way to feel "sorry" for others pain on a cultural scale. Since my experiences in those classes I fear that I had closed the door on any kind of sorrow for such things, a door which has now been opened. - -Ethan Skarstedt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 10:27:58 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Origins of Revelation (was: Race Issues in Mormonism) I think this is part of our Progression. When we are little, our parents tell us everything from the top down. As we mature and become more comfortable exercising our free agency, we are expected to give input. Our parents are still our parents, but instead of dictating to us they allow us to move forward in fits and starts and even make mistakes. I haven't said anything yet about this "race" and revelation subject yet. And I really like Tony's take on "maturing." (Including our young church.) Remember how when we were kids there was somebody different on the block (Black, Asian, in more poverty than the rest of us). We were "afraid to talk to them or make friends" and part of that was fear that we would say or do something out of habit or out of OUR different take on life to make them feel bad. We didn't UNDERSTAND each other, or ALLOW differences. Well, we're ALL growing up now. Both ways. The blacks are happy to be themselves, finally. And isn't it nice that we're closer to the place where we can CELEBRATE diversity! Hooray! Of course there are differences, and how wonderful differences are (as long as they don't hurt or take away from others who have differences). Diversity keeps the world from being boring! I'm for that! Marilyn Brown - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 11:02:50 -0600 From: "Angela Hallstrom" Subject: Re: [AML] Race Issues in Mormonism In response to Eric's post, speaking for myself, the problem never has been that I thought God was denying certain races blessings in the afterlife. Many people (myself included) do not hold the priesthood in this life and can receive exaltation. What bothers me is the unsettling assumption that, because those with black skin were denied the priesthood, the color of their skin marked them as people who were less worthy or less valient than those who were born with white skin. Although many church members believe that God loves all of his children equally, I think that some still believe that the white race is somehow populated with more "superior" spirits than other races. This assumption can be directly linked to the denial of the priesthood to black members. It is the earthly assumptions that some church members may make about their black brothers and sisters that troubles me so greatly. I have never had any doubt, however, that God intended for anyone born, in any nation, at any time, with any color of skin, to strive for exaltation. - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ethan Skarstedt" To: Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 4:44 PM Subject: RE: [AML] Race Issues in Mormonism Having just read through all 19 posts in one sitting it seems to me that the general consensus is that God denying someone the priesthood is somehow mean; that someone not being able to have the priesthood is a detriment to them. Perhaps my understanding is skewed but I just don't think that's the case. My understanding is that we mortals will be judged at the end of time by how well we lived our lives according to what we knew to be true, nothing more nothing less. Having the priesthood is not a box that we ourselves must check while on the Earth. What else are temples for? I am not saying that gaining the priesthood at some point during one's participation in the plan of salvation is not necessary. I say again, what else are temples for? - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 12:05:11 -0700 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Alternative Mormon News Source Announcing The Sugar Beet, Mormonism's Onion www.thesugarbeet.com In the enterprising and self-sacrificing spirit of the Mormon pioneers, a crack group of Mormon journalists has banded together to bring you the latest and most relevant Mormon news. If it was gossiped about in Relief Society, if it caused muffled snickers in the deacons quorum, if the high priests mumbled about it in their sleep, you'll see it in The Sugar Beet first. Current articles at The Sugar Beet include: Provo Temple Liftoff Successful Local Weatherman Casts Out "Evil Inversion Spirits" Utahn Sees All Olympic Outcomes as Signs That God Favors Mormons Area Man Hospitalized after Trying to Hie to Kolob Area Stream Requests Charitable Donations Empty Temple Bag Stolen from Atop Temple Locker New Caffeine Patch Announced Primary President Announces "Light the Fire Within" Theme Olympic Organizers Want Angel Moroni to Carry Torch Go to www.thesugarbeet.com to be a partaker in this new dispensation of Mormon news. And don't forget to share the good tidings with your friends and neighbors. They'll thank you for it someday. The Sugar Beet: Mormon Matter Uncorrelated A Twice-Monthly Web Publication - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 13:29:53 -0600 From: James Picht Subject: Re: [AML] A Mormon _Fiddler on the Roof_ Sharlee Glenn wrote: >> You make it sound like this is an either/or situation--either Tevye must renounce his daughter or he must renounce his previously held religious beliefs... One can, in fact, love the sinner while abhorring the sin. << It may not be your intent, but even without the contextual material removed your statement is easily construed to mean that marrying outside the church is a sin. I wonder whether that's even the case in orthodox Judaism, as opposed to it being a strong cultural taboo. In this regard Rob Lauer wrote: >> Are Mormons ready for a story in which a devout man (say a Bishop or Stake President) compromises on his belief that the Lord intends for all Saints to be married in the Temple? Such would be the message of a "Mormon 'Fiddler on the Roof'." << Again, are we dealing with the concept of sin, or with the perceived rejection of one's culture? Marriage outside the temple, even to a non-member, isn't _sinful_ - it's worse. I'm told that when my LDS mother married my Unitarian father, her mother was more distraught, yea, outright grief-stricken than she was over the daughter who was pregnant out of wedlock and about to marry the LDS father. I've always found that story oddly charming. I think one of the things that begins to make us a people, not just a religion, is the fact that we look at some behavior as transcending sin (in a bad sense, not a good one). Smoking isn't bad because it violates a commandment and causes lung cancer, but because it sets you apart from the community. Drinking, marrying outside the church, and getting facial piercings do the same thing. Really, I think some bishops would prefer to deal with plain old fornication among the youth - that's merely sinful. The poignancy of the proposed story of the bishop's daughter marrying a gentile isn't that he has to compromise his beliefs, but that he feels he's really losing his daughter. She may live a pure and virtuous life with her loving husband, but that only increases the odds that she'll learn to find contentment outside the LDS community, hence that her bonds to it may be broken. Sin and repentence would be so much easier to handle. How do you get the lost lamb to come back to the flock when it's found love and happiness in another flock? If only her marriage could turn out to be a miserable failure so that she'll want to come home. Jim Picht - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 15:01:40 EST From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] A Mormon _Fiddler on the Roof_ Sharlee wrote: << I say yes! to a Mormon "Fiddler on the Roof." So, who's going to write it? Thom? Eric? (Oh, I forgot. You hate musicals. :-) Marvin and Steve? If you all wait too long, my daughter may end up beating you to it! >> Actually, Steve and I have discussed it. The plot? Eldest son marries out of the temple. Second son lives with his girlfriend. Third son marries a guy. Father still loves them. I like it, but will the saints do what we all do at the end of "Fiddler," which is to stand up applauding, with tears and laughter, saying to our date, "Alright! Happily ever after for everybody in the show!" Who knows? Of course few of us can guess how really fervent Jews (even deeply loving ones) feel about Chava's choice. We don't particularly mind seeing somebody from another faith going inactive. Marvin Payne - -------------------------------------- Visit marvinpayne.com! "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." (from the last page of the Book of Mormon) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 12:10:39 -0800 (PST) From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] _Slate_ Article on LDS Temples Christopher Hawthorne, an architecture and design writer, considers LDS temples in "Slate" magazine ("The Mormon temple is the architectural icon of the Olympic games--it appears in almost every NBC shot of the city.") It's at: http://slate.msn.com/?id=2061977 ===== R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Got something to say? Say it better with Yahoo! Video Mail http://mail.yahoo.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 15:12:00 EST From: Paynecabin@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Race Issues in Mormonism [MOD: I would with great strength second Marvin's request here, for all thread but for this one in particular. Misstatements of people's opinions can do great damage in the real world, not just damage to feelings on AML-List. 'Nuff said.] A tiny request to my friends on the list: Somewhere in this "race" thread, a post of mine got excerpted (which is fine) but somehow got appended to some observations from other folks. Since I don't presume that anyone here should be expected to remember what I wrote in my one and only post on the subject, I'm worried that views that aren't mine might appear to be mine. This is a very important issue, and my feelings are very important to me. The actual request: Let's all be careful with attribution in general. In particular, I'd like to ask that I not be quoted on this subject if you don't still have access to my original complete post, such as it was. I respect all the views I've read here--I just don't want to own them all. Thanks, Marvin Payne - -------------------------------------- Visit marvinpayne.com! "...come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift..." (from the last page of the Book of Mormon) - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 18:03:21 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] Re: Judaism: Race or Religion? (Comp 1) [MOD: This is a compilation post. Some longer posts may be sent out separately.] >From barbara@techvoice.com Thu Feb 14 16:49:04 2002 At 08:45 PM 2/13/02, you wrote: >My very well educated Jewish friends have always been incensed when people >refer to Jews as a race of people rather than a religion. She is descended >from Spanish Jews and he Polish Jews. I would like to write an essay >exploring this theme. Have any of you dealt with Judaism--race v.s. >religion? What about secular Jews -- people who are proud of their heritage, but don't want anything to do with religion? barbara hume - ------------------------------------------ >From jeff.needle@general.com Thu Feb 14 17:06:51 2002 Of course, it's both. As a Jew, I've confronted this from time to time. Strangely, it's much more of a race, or culture, than a religion. Religious belief among Jews vary widely; sometimes they are barely identifiable as Jews. But the culture seems to always be there. I'll tell a funny story, a true one. I am called from time to time to do what is called "Pulpit Supply" in the Seventh-day Adventist churches in the area. As some of you know, I converted to Christianity early in life and became a Seventh-day Adventist. A few years ago I was preaching at the Tierrasanta Seventh-day Adventist Church in San Diego. The custodian, who is a good friend of mine, came up to me after the service and showed me a bulletin that had been left behind. There was a hand-written message, clearly passed from one person to his friend, that read, "I'd bet my left butt cheek that that guy's Jewish." We howled with laughter! The culture -- it just stays there. Jeff Needle - --------------------------------------- >From bmdblu2@attbi.com Thu Feb 14 17:28:46 2002 IMHO: There is only one race, the human race. If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were Jews, and they are descendents of Adam, then we are all Jews (racially and theologically). Adam was the first man he is the grand patriarch of the human race, there is no other race, therefore race is nonexistent. Some may balk at the theological implication, because, after all we do believe in Christ. Some Jews believe in Christ also. Remember the first of the converts in Christ's church were Jews. These modern converts got tired of waiting for the Messiah that their forefathers were waiting for and decided that they had made a mistake. These Jews repented, and accepted the forgiveness Christ extended toward his tormentors. These Jews are now on their way towards eternal progression, and some of them have found the true church and have been baptized. This reminds me of the time I was out doing the friends of scouting assignment for our ward. I was dutifully soliciting the aid of every family in the ward boundaries. I encountered two young men on the street, and asked if they lived in the neighborhood. They said they did. I asked them if they thought their parents would be willing to contribute to scouting. The one boy, whom I didn't recognize, as I was new in the ward, said, "My folks will but not his, he isn't even a member of the church." I went to the non-members boy's house anyway and they made a very generous donation, and asked how there boy could get into scouting. I gave them the name of our scoutmaster. Bill Willson - ---------------------------------------- >From robertlauer@hotmail.com Thu Feb 14 17:54:51 2002 I serve on an inter-faith council with some of my region's top rabbis--Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed. They've tend to reject "race" while still embracing a conept of being a distinct "people." This can be understood as being almost indentical to the Mormons' claims to being a "peculair people." What I've gathered from my conversations with Jewish friends--and from the redaing I've done on the subject--is that one's "Jewishness" is accepting the call of God to live within a special Covenant with Him, observing his Torah (law) and being a light to the rest of the world. The Jewish idea is that God has chosen Israel for a particular role in history. Most Jews don't define that role; they leave that to God. When one answers God's call to play a part in this "peculiar people's" role, then one is a Jew. Though Jews do not seek converts, one may convert. By denouncing all gods except the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and by then obeying the Law of Immersion (completely immersing one's self in a body of pure water), one becomes "the seed of Abraham, Issac and Jacob"--though one had no biological connection at birth. After conversion, there is no genetic difference under Jewish law between a convert and one "born into the Covenant." One's Jewishness can also determined genetically through one's mother. To be born to a Jewish woman makes one Jewish regardless of the religion or genetics of one's father. For instance, I found out two years ago, that my father's maternal grandparents (who immigrated from Germany to Baltimore in the 1850's) may very well have been Jews who tried "to pass" as Christians once they arrived here. If that is true, then, regardless of my great-grandparents conversion to Christianity, their daughter (my paternal grandmother) was a Jew genetically according to Jewish law. Likewise my father--a life-long Protestant--would also be a Jew genetically, because he was born to a woman who was born to a Jewish woman. Despite all of this, however, the Jews that I know tend to reject the notion that Jews are a distinct "race." Since I consider the entire concept of "race" to be bogus, I agree with them. ROB. LAUER - ----------------------------------------------- - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 19:59:29 GMT From: "pdhunter" Subject: [AML] John LYDE, _The Field is White_ (Interview) [Interview conducted and written up by Preston Hunter.] 5 February 2002 - Some audiences have seen Lyde's short film "Turn Here," which was included in the Best of Competition show that was part of the 1st International Young LDS Film Festival (October 2001). But "The Field is White" is Lyde's first commercially available film. Like the first feature-length films of many directors, "The Field is White" is a very low-budget production. How low? Let's just say its budget was low enough that anybody reading this could afford it -- if they already had access to the eqiupment used. The budgetary constraints mean that the production quality (sound and image) are not on par with what you would see in a theatrically released film. Actually, I didn't find the sound distracting, but the lack of professional-quality lighting is noticable at times. (Alternatively, one could say that "The Field is White" follows all the rules of the Swedish-originated back-to-basics filmmaking movement known as "Dogma 95," popularized by critically acclaimed filmmakers such as Lone Scherfig and Lars von Trier: hand-held cameras, natural lighting, real locations, no artificial costumes or makeup, no optical effects.) Budget constraints aside, there is much to recommend this video: The story and themes are unique. "The Field is White" is intended to be inspirational, but it also tells an interesting story with unique and believable characters. There is nothing that audiences will find offensive, yet there is much that is informative and thought-provoking. Parents and youth leaders who preview "The Field is White" might decide it would make a useful (as well as entertaining) video to watch with their families, youth or young adults. The film is also very realistic in its portrayal of missionary life -- in many ways it is more realistic and revealing than other available films with higher production values, such as "God's Army" and "The Other Side of Heaven." The writer and director, John Lyde, is a recent returned missionary, as are the actors portraying missionaries and many of the people involved in the production. There are at least a dozen realistic scenes portraying aspects of missionary life that have probably never been filmed before. All of this gives "The Field is White" a very ethnographic feel. The video would be a welcome addition to any public or college library, or to sociology and religious studies departments in universities. We caught up with filmmaker John Lyde in the first week of February 2002, soon after his movie "The Field is White" was shipped to stores as a video. The video is distributed by Thompson Productions, the company that distributes dozens of other videos to LDS bookstores, including "Only Once" and "Christmas Mission." His detailed answers will be of interest to people considering buying "The Field is White", and to budding filmmakers thinking about making their own films. Q. What equipment did you use to make "The Field is White"? Lyde: I purchased a Canon XL1 earlier in the year to use for wedding videos that I do occassionally on the side. That is what I used to shoot this film. So I already had a camera. I also had a big paint job earlier in the summer, which made it possible for me to purchase a computer and editing software. I used Canapus DV Storm. I did have to pay for the tapes. I used about 9, so I spent around 70 bucks. I also had to purchase a pack of cigarettes for one scene. This was a whopping 4 dollars. All the acting was done for free. I was blessed with a great cast. Everyone in the film is a good friend of mine, in my ward, or a co-worker at BYU. Most of the film was shot in Provo around my apartment. The scene at the beginning was filmed at Tyson's grandparents' house in Benjamin, Utah. Once I had a first cut of the film we transferred it over onto a Soft Image system and gave it a Film Look and did some Color Correction. We also did some sound work on Fast Silver. Q. What was the biggest frustration caused by your limited budget? Lyde: The sound quality and the lighting were some of my biggest limitations. I didn't have a lighting kit and a good mic, so I had to do most of the sound in post production. Rocco Devilliers let me use his DAT Recorder to do most of the looping and Lisle Moore let me use his mic. I think if I used this stuff during production the sound would have turned out a lot better. Also, due to the fact that I wasn't paying any of the actors I had to work around everyone's schedule. Most of them were in school and also had jobs. It wasn't an easy thing to get four people in the same shot. Q. Thematically, "The Field is White" is about missionaries, a topic that a few other filmmakers have addressed. One of the many things that makes your film unique is the focus on returned missionaries struggling with their faith. What made you decide to make a movie about this subject? What is the film's purpose and who is the target audience? Lyde: I was read the Doctrine & Covenants with my wife and we were on section 4. She asked me if I could still quote it. I did and then we checked to see if I was right. While looking at verse four, I thought that it would be a good opening scripture for a movie about missionaries. Then I thought if the verse faded out except for the words the field is white, we had a cool opening title. I started looking in my missionary journals for ideas for the script. While reading I was able to think back about many of my experiences that I had forgotten about. It then came to me - -- the plot of the movie could be about a returned missionary who is struggling with his faith and he finds his missionary journal and starts to read. I wanted to keep this as the theme of the film -- that once we find the truth we have to hold on to it. I think the main target audience is returned missionaries because I think they can relate to the film more. I also wanted to make it enjoyable for families to see. Q. In addition to Church-produced videos such as "Labor of Love," recent missionary-themed films have included Richard Dutcher's "God's Army", Michael Schaertl's "Christmas Mission" and Mitch Davis's "The Other Side of Heaven." Many (perhaps most) of your potential audience is familiar with these films. Did this have an effect on how you made "The Field is White"? Did it make things easier or harder? Lyde: I think every missionary movie will now be compared with God's Army. I thought it was a great movie. I wanted to make my film not quite as real as God's Army and not as "hollywood" as The Other Side of Heaven. I had a very limited budget which made it very difficult to compete with the technical achievements of those two movies. But I am still happy with the way my film turned out. Q. How many of the events in the film were drawn from real experiences, and how many were completely fictitious? A. The story of the returned missionary going inactive is fictitious. It happens, but I didn't really base that character on anyone. Almost every other story in the movie happened during my mission except for the scene with the minister and the scene when the missionaries are attacked. The scene with the minister is actually based on a experience of one of my home teachers. The other scene is fictitious. The character of Elder Taylor was mostly based on myself and the character of Elder Johnson was a combination of several of my companions. Q. The missionaries in the movie encounter a surprising variety of people who exhibit anti-Mormon prejudice, ranging from people who are simply misinformed or rude, to others who are violent. Anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry have been treated extensively by other directors, and anti-Mormonism was touched upon in "God's Army" and "The Other Side of Heaven." But "The Field is White" seems unique in the way this topic is addressed pointedly and realistically, and addressed from many different angles. Why include this in "The Field is White?" Was this a challenging topic to write about? A. During my mission we met many wonderful people, but also many people who misunderstood the church and had no interest in changing their opinions. In writing the script I wanted to keep it truthful by putting in the hard times as well as the good. Sometimes the spirit was able to soften their hearts, but most of the time their hearts were too hardened. Q. What made Tyson Downey and Kirt Fairbank right for the lead roles in "The Field is White?" Lyde: Kirt and I had wanted to do a movie together for a while. While writing the character of Elder Johnson I thought Kirt would be perfect. Tyson on the other hand was a small miracle. A couple weeks before shooting I still didn't have Elder Taylor cast. I thought about doing it myself, but thank goodness that didn't happen. Tyson was off his mission for a couple of weeks and we shot the opening scene with him and it turned out great. I had shot a short film with Tyson when he was 12 and also he had a short bit in a film I did in 1998. Q. Seeing Lynne Carr in "The Field of White" was a great delight. Her character and appearance is so different from her role in "God's Army" that I can imagine many people wouldn't know it was her if her name wasn't in the credits. What made you decide to cast her? Lyde: Lynne Carr is my neighbor here in Provo. When I moved into the ward someone told me that the ward chorister was in God's Army. I thought, awesome. We became friends and when writing the script I always had Lynne in mind. I knew if I could get someone with a lot of acting experience it would help the production tremendously. Q. Was anything specific done to make her look like a heavy smoker? Lyde: The only thing I tried is to use just one light from outside the window which caused some heavy shadows. But doing so is not very flattering for the actor or actress. I promised Lynne that in our next film that I would use more than one light and there would be no shadows on her. Q. The missionary with the foreign accent gave a stand-out performance. Who is he and where is he really from? Lyde: He was played by Dave Kenchington, who is from England. He is going to school at BYU right now and works as a teacher at the MTC. He worked on the BYU Paint Crew with me over the summer and I thought he would be great as a missionary. Q: I thought the editing (which you did yourself) was one of the film's strengths. Did you have a specific approach in mind while editing "The Field is White"? Lyde: Most of the films I have done previously have been action films. With those I have always used rapid cuts to make the pacing seem faster. With this film I wanted to keep the pacing slower and not cut as much to keep the focus on the actor's performance. Q. What directors do you admire or try to learn from? Lyde: I have always enojoyed Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids), John Woo (Hard Target), and James Cameron (Terminator 2). However, sometimes I don't like the content in their films, such as the swearing, gore, sexuality, etc. Two Mormon filmmakers I really admire are Richard Dutcher (God's Army) and Rocco Devilliers (Pure Race). I have found their films to be clean and very well done. I really like Richard's directing style and Rocco's editing style. And both of them are nice guys. Q. Imagine you have the opportunity to make a big budget feature. (Up to $40 million, but you don't necessarily have to use that much.) What's the topic? Who's in it? Lyde: I actually have two scripts that I would love to turn into big-budget Hollywood films. One is a martial arts epic, Kurosawa. I wrote the lead for Mark Dacascos (Only the Strong) and parts for every big martial artist in the industry -- Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lungren, James Lew, Jason Scott Lee, etc. My other script I don't think I am ready to make yet. Maybe when I have more experience under my belt. It is a love story between a Jewish girl and a German soldier set during World War II. It is called The Broken Wall. I would love Natalie Portman (Star Wars) and Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor) to play the leads. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:34:43 -0700 From: luannstaheli Subject: Re: [AML] Tooting Own Horn (was: Responding to Critics) Annette, Is this the book??? They accepted it???? Yeah! Can all of us in your critique group pat ourselves on the back after we pat yours ; - ) ???? CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Annette Lyon wrote: > For those who read my reply to Darlene, the story I told has a new ending. > For those who didn't read the post or have forgotten: I mentioned a book I > had entered into a contest, which the judge practically shredded, he/she > hated it so bad. I didn't take the judge's comments about my writing ability > too seriously, but I did figure something had to be wrong with the book. A > year later and much soul searching and revising later, another contest judge > loved it and suggested I look for a publisher. So I submitted it. > > And (yippee!) it was accepted by Covenant! (Insert Toyota jump here.) I > always hoped I'd get to toot my on horn on the list. I've been working > toward this day for many years. :) > > Annette Lyon > - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 17:56:40 -0700 From: Terry L Jeffress Subject: [AML] Re: AML-List Archives (was: Race Issues in Mormonism) On Fri, Feb 15, 2002 at 03:12:00PM -0500, Paynecabin@aol.com wrote: > The actual request: Let's all be careful with attribution in general. In > particular, I'd like to ask that I not be quoted on this subject if you don't > still have access to my original complete post, such as it was. I respect all > the views I've read here--I just don't want to own them all. Just a reminder, you can get the full text of the messages posted to the AML-List from the AML-List archive. Point your browser to ftp://ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/aml-list/archive The messages get archived by month, so you would look for aml-list.200202 for this month's messages. You can also look at the dates on the digest messages and get just the message for a particular day. - -- Terry L Jeffress | The first thing an unpublished author should South Jordan, UT | remember is that no one asked him to write in the | first place. With this firmly in mind, he has no | right to become discouraged just because other | people are being published. -- John Farrar - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 21:16:30 -0600 From: "Angela Hallstrom" Subject: Re: [AML] Race Issues in Mormonism Oops! I am new to this list, so be patient with me. In my latest response, I said "in response to Eric's post." Actually, I was responding to Ethan's post. Please forgive the lapse. Angela Hallstrom > [Original Message] > From: Angela Hallstrom > > In response to Eric's post, speaking for myself, the problem never has been > that I thought God was denying certain races blessings in the afterlife. [snip] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 22:14:06 -0700 From: "Annette Lyon" Subject: [AML] Richard Hopkins to Speak Our own Richard Hopkins of Cornerstone Publishing will be speaking this Wednesday (the 20th) to the Utah Valley chapter of the League of Utah Writers about beating the slush pile and improving your chances at publication. The meeting will be at 7:00 at the Provo Library at Academy Square, room 201. (The address is 550 North University Ave.) You'll find the room in the renovated building on the second floor (if you enter the north or south doors, go up the stairs, then down the hall). Everyone is welcome! Annette Lyon - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #616 ******************************