Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr. of the Seventy, who heads up the projectβs steering committee, says, βWhat we are producing through the videos and the still images that are being captured are tools that can be used in helping to introduce people to the Book of Mormon.
βThis allows us to put a face to the names and the stories and allow you to see these people who really lived,β adds Bill Elliott, media director of the project. βThey breathed, they walked the land and these stories are real.β
The second season production focused on select chapters in the early pages of the Book of Mormon and highlighted ancient prophets Nephi, Jacob and Enos.
βWhat is happening with the videos is very meaningful to me because of my Lamanite heritage,β said Elder Larry J. Echo Hawk of the Seventy, who is on the projectβs steering committee. βWhen I see what is happening with the Book of Mormon being made into videos, I think about those powerful Book of Mormon prophets that thought and prayed about the days that we live in today.β
The new location for the second season shoot took place in Hobble Creek Canyon near Springville, with new sets depicting settlements out of the Book of Mormon, including an ancient temple.
βI have been in small towns in Latin America, and I just β¦ feel like I’m in one of them,β said Sister Reyna I. Aburto, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency. βSo many details reminded me of family members like my grandma, my aunts, my mom. And I think they did a great job in setting the tone here for the filming of the videos.β
Much of the cast from season one, made up of a diverse group of men, women and children, returned this season.
β[It was]Β great to have everyone back together,β said senior producer Aaron Merrell. βKind of like a family reunion of sorts.β
Portions of the project are being filmed in various locations in North America. The Church began filming the project in June 2017 near the Churchβs Jerusalem movie set in the central Utah community of Goshen.
βThe biggest difference between this season and last season is last season’s story is one long story. It was the story of Nephi’s journey. This season we have several different eras and characters,β Merrell explained.
βHeβs my hero,β said Jackson VanDerwerken, an 18-year-old young man who plays Nephi, a prominent figure in the Book of Mormon.
To play Nephi in his 30s, VanDerwerken spent two and a half hours with the makeup crew every day to glue his beard on.
βItβs important to know that the Lord uses young people for his purposes,β said the actor, who is preparing to serve a two-year full-time mission in Brazil when the filming for his role is over. βThis is just a part of my life that is preparing me for the future, for my mission.β
VanDerwerken bulked up for the role. βWhen I auditioned I β¦ weighed about 165 [pounds]. And I weigh about 180-ish now, and that’s kind of been steady. I gained that weight in less than two months on a really strict regimen, one that I kept up, but also the weight gain was not purely the diet nor the working out, but [I] β¦ certainly β¦ had heaven’s help in it because there’s no way that I would’ve been able to gain that weight. So I give all that credit to God.
Actor Mace Sorensen considers it an honor to play Laman, who is often regarded as a villain in the Book of Mormon. βIβm hoping that people see him differently and sympathize a lot more. β¦ He was complicated and had his virtues as well.β
Sorenson said the stories are being shared in a way that theyβve never been shared before. βThe work that weβre doing here, you know, will be seen for a long time after and so itβs no small thing what weβre doing.β
Kymberly Mellon, who portrays Lehiβs wife, Sariah, said Lehi and Nephiβs family had a strong family unit, but they faced some of the same issues contemporary families are experiencing today.
βI think showing women as powerful coβleaders in the home has been a huge focus of this unit of production,” said Mellen who highlights her character’s strength as a women through non-verbal storytelling because of Sariah’s limited diologue in the Book of Mormon.
βWomen β¦ always have a very strong influence in their spouse, their family, their communities,β said Sister Aburto. βIt is beautiful to see the work that the actors and the scriptwriters and directors and everybody have done in really showing how important women are and the important role that they have played in this history.β
Church leaders hope that those who watch the Book of Mormon videos will also want to read the scriptures contained in the book.
βWhat we’re trying to do are take key doctrinal scenes that will help to bring these characters to life and to illustrate the stories and the doctrines of Christ that the Book of Mormon teaches us,β said Elliott. βIt’s another testament of Jesus Christ.β
Elliott continued, βEverybody has, in their own imagination, an idea of what these characters look like. But really, it doesn’t matter what our Nephi looks like or what our Laman looks like or what any of these characters look like; it really matters what they’re saying and the spirit that you’ll feel when you hear the words.β
βIf we can help people just really get engaged with these people, with the stories, then they’re going to be able to understand the teachings that much better and be able to personalize it and apply it into their lives that much better,β said Merrell.
βThis will be something that adds to the written words of the Book of Mormon to help people feel the power of the teachings of the Book of Mormon,β said Elder Echo Hawk. βThis is a priority effort for [the Church] to bring this message to the entire world.β
The new videos will be similar to βThe Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videosβ that were completed in 2016. The series is being filmed in English but will eventually be distributed in additional languages.
The videos will be available on a new Book of Mormon Videos YouTube channel, LDS.org, Mormon Channel platforms and existing Book of Mormon and Gospel Library apps. In addition, casting needs are being posted online.
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