Filmmaker discusses latest project based on Book of Mormon and criticism toward LDS-themed movies

Darin Scott successful a segment from “The Oath.” Watch our question and reply pinch him successful nan video above. | Screenshot from trailer

IDAHO FALLS — A caller movie group successful ancient America tells nan communicative of a Hebraic fugitive moving to sphere nan history of his fallen federation while being hunted by a set of tyrants.

“The Oath,” which came retired successful prime theaters nationwide successful December and was precocious released connected DVD and Blu-ray, is inspired by events successful The Book of Mormon.

Among nan formed of nan independent movie is Billy Zane, champion remembered arsenic Cal Hockley successful “Titanic,” and Darin Scott, who appeared successful an section of “Yellowstone” successful 2018. He is possibly astir recognizable for his starring domiciled successful different faith-based movie titled, “Ephraim’s Rescue.”

Scott is nan director, writer and prima of “The Oath,” a movie that was 14 years successful nan making.

It was a Kickstarter task that started astir 2010. He and his squad raised respective cardinal dollars for nan production, pinch galore delays and challenges on nan way.

After seeing nan task travel to fruition, Scott tells EastIdahoNews.com he’s pleased pinch nan last merchandise and nan wide reception. It has an 85% people connected Rotten Tomatoes pinch much than 500 reviews.

But though location is simply a batch of praise for nan film, there’s besides a batch of criticism. And successful position of container agency gross, galore would opportunity it’s a failure. It earned a small much than $500,000 successful summons sales, according to IMDB.

“Financially, it was not a success, and that’s unfortunate,” Scott says, praising nan film’s quality.

He’s peculiarly proud of nan film’s score, which is composed by Trevor Morris. Scott feels nan people is Oscar-worthy and he’s grateful for Morris’s “immense sacrifice” successful being a portion of this movie.

He and his squad are hoping to make backmost immoderate of nan profits done a DVD trading campaign.

Despite its financial woes, Scott says that’s not nan only measurement to measurement success. He knew from nan opening it would beryllium a arguable film, but felt compelled to show it anyway.

Scott, a personnel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Utah, regards nan Book of Mormon arsenic scripture. He’s spoken successful galore interviews astir his emotion for nan book and really it was peculiarly meaningful to him arsenic a teen erstwhile his dada passed away.

He’s been progressive successful galore Latter-day Saint movie projects passim his profession and “The Oath” was his first clip penning and directing a characteristic film.

The cardinal characteristic successful nan movie is Moroni, who is simply a awesome subordinate successful nan last chapters of nan Book of Mormon. Latter-day Saints judge he vanished nan grounds of his people, written connected golden plates, and buried it earlier Joseph Smith recovered nan grounds 1,400 years later and translated it.

Scott explains why he specifically chose to attraction connected Moroni’s story.

“We intended initially to attraction connected Captain Moroni successful nan mediate of nan Book of Mormon astir 73 B.C. It would’ve been an epic communicative pinch large battles, but it was excessively expensive,” Scott explains.

Ultimately, it was nan fund that dictated what they chose to attraction on. Scott says nan communicative of Moroni was overmuch much feasible because nan book progressive 1 man pinch a mini skirmish astatine nan end.

Playing Moroni wasn’t thing Scott group retired to do. He initially offered nan portion to a well-known Hollywood actor, who turned it down. He declined to opportunity who it was, but said he’s been successful “Twilight” and different large movies.

“The Oath” movie poster | Courtesy IMDB

‘When group effort and task extracurricular a definite box, they’re punished for it’

“The Oath” is 1 successful a agelong statement of Latter-day Saint-themed films complete nan years. Last month, Richard Dutcher, whose movie “God’s Army” launched nan niche marketplace that earned him nan title “the begetter of Mormon cinema,” gave america his position connected nan improvement of nan industry.

RELATED | ‘The begetter of Mormon cinema’ reflects connected career, manufacture he created and why he near nan faith

He referred to circumstantial movies that poked nosy astatine Latter-day Saint civilization aliases told “sentimental, polite stories” alternatively than providing meaningful explorations of faith.

“Because of that, Mormon cinema is insignificant successful its powerfulness and effectiveness. I really deliberation that’s a shame,” Dutcher said.

Scott’s extremity pinch “The Oath,” which earned a PG-13 standing for convulsive content, was to show a realistic communicative and humanize Moroni without throwing nan belief themes successful people’s faces. On that front, Scott feels for illustration nan movie succeeded.

Yet, Scott says nan movie still has a connection that’s applicable for nine today.

“It’s astir a man who kept his oath and retained his grant successful a dishonorable time,” says Scott.

He feels galore Christian and LDS-themed movies “have a inclination to preach to nan choir” and show wrong jokes that only definite group get. Often, much superior stories are watered down, Scott says, because “no 1 wants to consciousness frightened aliases anxious.”

He cites T.C. Christensen, whom Scott worked pinch for “Ephraim’s Rescue.” Christensen’s latest film, “Escape from Germany,” tells nan existent communicative of an LDS missionary who helped rescue his associates successful nan days earlier World War II collapsed out.

RELATED | Movie premiering successful eastbound Idaho tells communicative of section missionary who led removal retired of Nazi Germany

To date, it’s grossed complete $2.5 million astatine nan container agency — a sizable profit for an independent film.

Scott says Christensen’s films typically enactment wrong a definite container because that’s nan safe point to do.

“When group effort and task extracurricular a definite box, they’re punished for it,” he says.

The astir successful LDS stories person focused connected missionaries aliases events successful religion history, but Scott is nan first filmmaker to attraction connected this play successful nan Book of Mormon. That whitethorn beryllium portion of nan logic nan movie suffered financially, he says.

“The first 1 is ever bloody,” he says. “It takes that first 1 to say, ‘It’s good to spell here.'”

One of nan biggest criticisms for “The Oath” revolves astir a emotion communicative betwixt Moroni and different woman, which galore religion members discredit because it’s not successful nan book.

Darin Scott, left, arsenic Moroni and Nora Dale arsenic Bathsheba successful a segment from “The Oath.” | Screenshot from trailer

Others person called retired nan movie for introducing caller characters and communicative elements.

“People connected nan sidelines want to beryllium and propulsion rocks astatine group who are trying (to create thing meaningful),” Scott says. “If you conscionable construe book to screen, you get a ace boring movie. No 1 successful nan world wants to spot a dude successful nan wood for an hr and a half.”

Some of nan top supporters of nan movie person travel from group who are not members of nan church, Scott says.

Scott was nan only formed personnel who was a Latter-day Saint and nan unit were amazed to perceive astir religion members’ “mass resistance” towards nan film.

“Jews support each different (in imaginative endeavors), Christians guidelines by each other. We’ve ne'er seen this benignant of behavior,” nan movie unit said, according to Scott. “It doesn’t look bully (to group of different faiths).”

Latter-day Saint history is afloat of unit and “heroic, heart-wrenching, uplifting, inspiring stories,” Scott says, and audiences’ unwillingness to spot them portrayed successful nan first place, overmuch little pinch immoderate realism is “narrow-minded” and demonstrates a “lack of maturity.”

After 14 years of activity connected this task and a mediocre container agency performance, Scott is not apt to get progressive successful thing of this scope successful nan adjacent future. But he hopes it inspires others to show value Latter-day Saint stories going guardant and that audiences will beryllium receptive to it.

WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.