It could be about getting people to shop at their mall and visit their historical sites.
It could be an attempt to comfort and sooth the current members. I know for certain a lot of major tithe payers have left the local ward in the last 5 years. Who knows whats going on at the stake level. The SP happens to be a person most members despise and have no respect for. He's a person only SLC leadership could love. I wouldn't be surprised if BKP is his role model. When you walk into his office, he points to the pics of the big 15 on the wall and tells you they know your every thought. In fact, they know if you're lying to him or not. Talk about a light bulb moment. Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.
Initially, it is a PR piece meant for internal consumption. However, it will be put out on DVD (just in time for Christmas!) and members will be encouraged to purchase copies as "gifts" for all their family and friends, which they will do and feel good that they could proselytize without actually having to get to know those "others who are of the world". I fully expect to receive several copies.
I think it's a continuation in inoculating the members. Telling them it's normal AND cool to be a mormon, and to further strengthen their testimony.
The only people that are paying to see this infomercial is Mormons. Made my Mormons for Mormons. The rest of the world can see it for what it is - an infomercial.
I think it is for internal consumption, primarily. I know that the people in church public affairs are really, really bad at their jobs, but I don't think they are stupid enough to think that any significant numbers of non-mormons would pay money to see their infomercial.
Mormons everywhere are being pressured to go see the movie in theaters. Holland put out his video, letters are being read in church. There are letters from the locals and letters from the Area Seventies. Go see it! Buy out blocks of tickets!
Obviously, PR knows it will completely flop at the box office if Mormons don't go see it. They had to know that from the outset. Otherwise they wouldn't have had to do this huge push.
So what is the purpose? Telling the faithful that they are really cool because they are Mormon, and pushing the line that it's OK to be a little different and be Mormon. Just don't be TOO different!
My dad is a bishop and he received an email from his SP asking him to encourage the members to go see Meet the Mormons. The SP said the more people who go see the movie, the longer it will stay in theaters and hopefully more nonmembers will go see it.
It is playing at our big theater here (Idaho), but not one of my many TBM family, friends, or co-workers have mentioned the movie.
Our ward is encouraged to go see it too. They said if it gets enough exposure it affects whether or not it will get picked up by netflix or something like that.
It's showing for 5 days at the local movie theater. I'm very tempted to go see a movie (not that one!) just so I can poke my head in there and see how crowded (or empty) that movie is. The only people that I know that are seeing it is about 3-4 people from the ward.
People buying out the theater for a showing and the rush from the TBMs to see it the first weekend because of urging from their leaders are NOT going to lead to demand in week two. Regardless of numbers they pull out for this weekend I doubt it is going to be around next weekend except in a few places in Utah, and maybe one or two Mormon hotspot communities elsewhere (Gilbert?).
mlsmit7 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > It is playing at our big theater here (Idaho), but > not one of my many TBM family, friends, or > co-workers have mentioned the movie.
Mormons outside the "morridor" (and sorry, yes, that includes Idaho) might be surprised at the lack of showings. I actually tried to find it near me (not that I'd pay to see it), San Diego area. It's playing in *one* theatre. Very far away frome me. With limited showtimes. I doubt they'll fill up one showing :)
They are covering several bases with this movie: affirming testimonies emotionally, (the only way they work!), feeling out other people who may be touched and respond, informing the world they are like everyone else by putting a face on their members that is positive. I think they are hoping it will counter some of the negativity also.
True to all the above. I also believe it will become part of the arsenal used by the missionaries. See were normal, diverse and it's a wonderful place to be.
Of course the missionaries will have to pony up the money for them, which their MP will "encourage" them to do.
It's rated PG. On the news this morning one reason given for this rating is because of its proselytizing content and concern for the young people who watch it. The rating board appears to see the real intent of the movie is for recruitment so that is reassuring.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2014 12:52PM by cynthia.
Brother Romney is going to make another go at achieving the office of POTUS, so showing the folks how "normal" Mormons are in a motion picture format is a part of that plan methinks.
deco Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > But rather a plea to their base??? > > I think it is less about new people and far more > about stopping the hemorrhaging.
It is not a proselytizing tool. I know because that's what the bishop told the congregation. He wouldn't say if it wasn't true.
The bishop said it's a way to help people understand the church better and that we should try to get friends to watch the movie. But for some reason I don't understand, it is NOT a proselytizing tool.
It's about recruitment in the same way that everything they do is about recruitment - I think their primary goal with this is to convince themselves that they are worth making a movie about. This will get the membership excited and thinking that more great things are continuing to happen for the church. In the end, the only people who are going to bother seeing it are Mormons, just like all the stupid memes and facebook pictures. It isn't so much about convincing the rest of the world that Mormons lead exciting, yet normal lives, it's about convincing eachother.
10% recruitment, 90% retention; 50/50 PR (erase from memory or correct some of the problems with the old thing with the same title)/ tithing campaign to be used in third world countries; 99% (regular members) DO MORE, 1% ("leadership") doing fine.
For Mormoni, it is usually about quantity versus quality. Take this infomercial "movie".
I buy the explanation that it was originally for the visitor's center and they decided to distribute it.
I think once they calculated that it wouldn't cost them any more money to distribute it, then the reason didn't matter. It will have more of an impact internally (Wow, look there's a real movie about us, we must be the only true church) than provide any more baptisms.