LDS Motion Picture Studios (MPS) is a film studio based in Provo, Utah, and is a directly-managed division of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church). The MPS is part of the LDS Church's media production division, which includes producers, editors, animators, sound stages, editing bays, and a collection of 19th-century buildings on a backlot.

History

It began as the

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

(BYU) MPS in 1953, led by Wetzel Whitaker. LDS Church

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

David O. McKay worked with Ernest L. Wilkinson and others to open the studio, appointing Whitaker as head."History of Church-Produced Mormon Films"
''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the ''MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is t ...

'', 6 October 2014. Retrieved on 30 March 2020. Originally the studio was located in a building called the Green Barn where BYU's

student center A student center (or student centre) is a type of building found on university and some high school campuses. In the United States, such a building may also be called a student union, student commons, or union. The term "student union" refers mos ...

is now located."Inside the LDS movie studio"
'' The Universe'', 4 April 2003. Retrieved on 30 March 2020. During Whitaker's 22-year term at the MPS, a host of films were created. Some were privately funded, but most were created at the request LDS Church departments. In 1991, the MPS separated from BYU and became a directly-operated function of LDS Church, as part of the church's Audio Visual Department.

MPS South Campus

The MPS South Campus, in

Elberta, Utah Elberta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 256 at the 2010 census. It was founded as Mt. Nebo. After the water failed in 19 ...

, was approved by the church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

in 2010 and construction began on a set of biblical

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Elberta, population less than 1,000, was chosen because of the surrounding area's similarity to Jerusalem’s geography—hills, plains, cedar trees, and a stream.Wrigley, Heather Whittle
"Jerusalem Movie Set Dedicated, Ready for Filming"
''

'', 3 August 2011. Retrieved on 30 March 2020. Lynn G. Robbins, executive director of the church's Media Services Department, was instrumental in the creation of the MPS South Campus. In 2013, the LDS Church released several scenes of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

's life that were filmed there as part of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

film project. In 2017, production started on a visual library producing a series of films from the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...

Fire at the MPS building

In 2014, a morning fire, caused when an electrical box exploded on top of the studio, resulted in power outage and a fire.Hesterman, Billy
"Fire at LDS motion picture studio in Provo quickly extinguished"
''

Provo Herald The ''Daily Herald'' is a daily newspaper that covers news and community events in Utah County, central Utah. Much of the coverage focuses on the Provo-Orem metropolitan area in Utah Valley. The ''Daily Herald'' is owned by Ogden Newspapers. Th ...

'', 26 March 2014. Retrieved on 30 March 2020. Occupants evacuated the building, the Provo City Fire Department soon put out the fire, and no injuries were reported.

References

Additional reading

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External links