LDS Motion Picture Studios (MPS) is a film studio based in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

, 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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(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-day ...

(BYU) MPS in 1953, led by

Wetzel Whitaker Wetzel Orson "Judge" Whitaker (September 30, 1908 – November 1, 1985) was a filmmaker and animator. He is most known for his early work as a Disney animator, particularly the animation of the stepsisters from Cinderella (1950 film), and his w ...

. 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 ful ...

David O. McKay David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...

worked with

Ernest L. Wilkinson Ernest Leroy Wilkinson (May 4, 1899 – April 6, 1978) was an American academic administrator, lawyer, and prominent figure in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was president of Brigham Young University (BYU) from ...

and others to open the studio, appointing Whitaker as head."History of Church-Produced Mormon Films"
'' Church News'', 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 is now located."Inside the LDS movie studio"
''

The Universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Ac ...

'', 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, was approved by the church's 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"
'' Church News'', 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 Christ ...

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 date ...

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. The ...

'', 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