A Case Study of the Impact of Filmmaker Decisions in the Construction of a Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) the Mormons
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Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2010-12-02 A Case Study of the Impact of Filmmaker Decisions in the Construction of a Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) The Mormons Elizabeth Joy Mott Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Mott, Elizabeth Joy, "A Case Study of the Impact of Filmmaker Decisions in the Construction of a Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) The Mormons" (2010). Theses and Dissertations. 2412. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2412 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A Case Study of the Impact of Filmmaker Decisions in the Construction of a Documentary: Helen Whitney’s (2007) The Mormons Elizabeth J. Mott A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Sherry Baker Dale Cressman Brad Barber Department of Communications Brigham Young University December 2010 Copyright © 2010 Elizabeth J. Mott All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT A Case Study of the Impact of Filmmaker Decisions in the Construction of a Documentary: Helen Whitney’s (2007) The Mormons Elizabeth J. Mott Department of Communications Master of Arts Informed by theories of media framing, exemplification, and non-fiction film production, this case study used as its sample for textual analysis the typed transcripts from the final cut of Helen Whitney’s (2007) documentary film, The Mormons, and the interview transcripts of the 15 key commentators interviewed for the documentary. These theories suggest that (a) media producers condense topics in the media by selecting information that connects news stories to a larger context and imbues them with symbolic value; (b) verbal and visual examples have been shown to be more easily retrieved in memory than abstract ideas and are consequently judged by audiences to be more common in the real world; and (c) expository non-fiction films are organized in ways that convey objectivity, belying their constructed nature. With the aid of NVivo (2002), the themes in each text were identified and compared in order to evaluate which themes about Mormons were given salience in the film and which themes were de-emphasized in the film. It was found that the themes about Mormons’ unusual commitment to their faith, as well as the Mormon Church’s historical conflict in the United States and more recently with disaffected church members were accentuated in the film; the film did not equally incorporate the themes of LDS Church officials’ self-description of Mormon beliefs and social practices. By coupling a close examination and comparison of the texts with the filmmaker’s own personal statements about the making of the film, this thesis suggests that Helen Whitney constructed the film through a process that gave voice to minority viewpoints, challenged institutional or ecclesiastical authority, and favored complexity. As a result of these decisions, for example, the film perpetuated confusion about whether Mormons are Christians, the 19th-century LDS practice of plural marriage, and the current treatment of homosexuals within the LDS Church. Keywords: framing, exemplification, non-fiction film, documentary, case study, textual analysis, Mormons, Latter-day Saints ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project has taken me more than a year from start to finish. I wish to thank several people for their assistance and encouragement. Dr. Sherry Baker went above and beyond the call of duty as my thesis committee chair. My friends who have been aware of what I was working on have commented in amazement about her speedy responses to my questions--even when she was out of town; I likewise have been amazed by her precision and insight. Perriann Parks Beyers taught me how to pace myself, manage the stress of writing this thesis, and conquer my fears. Paul Norton always renewed my enthusiasm because he wanted to hear about what I was discovering while researching this topic, and I would hang up the phone re-motivated to get back to work. My cousin and roommate, Denise Hurst, often provided healthy “caloric support,” and I have told her she probably has added a few years to my life. And my Aunt Debbie has cheered me on through graduate school as I know that my mom would have were she here. Brigham Young University SIGNATURE PAGE of a thesis submitted by Elizabeth J. Mott The thesis of Elizabeth J. Mott is acceptable in its final form including (1) its format, citations, and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory and ready for submission. ___________________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Sherry Baker, Committee Chair ___________________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Dale Cressman, Committee Member ___________________ ________________________________________________ Date Professor Brad Barber, MFA, Committee Member ___________________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Steven Thomsen ___________________ ________________________________________________ Date Dr. Ed Adams TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 6 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................. 15 FRAMING THEORY ................................................................................................................................................ 15 EXEMPLIFICATION THEORY ............................................................................................................................... 29 NON-FICTION FILM EDITING ............................................................................................................................ 37 HELEN WHITNEY AS FILMMAKER ..................................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 55 CASE STUDY ........................................................................................................................................................... 55 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS (QUALITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS) ........................................................................... 57 PROCEDURE FOR THIS STUDY ........................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 4 THEMES OF INTERVIEWS TEXT--CHURCH OFFICIALS ..................................... 71 CHAPTER 5 THEMES OF INTERVIEWS TEXT--SCHOLARS....................................................... 86 LDS SCHOLARS ..................................................................................................................................................... 87 SCHOLARS EXCOMMUNICATED FROM THE LDS CHURCH ...................................................................... 106 NON-LDS SCHOLARS ........................................................................................................................................ 111 CHAPTER 6 THEMES IN FILM TEXT .............................................................................................. 122 CHAPTER 7 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF CHURCH OFFICIALS, SCHOLARS, AND FILM TEXT ............................................................................................................................................. 133 CHAPTER 8 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION ................................................... 143 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................... 143 THEORY: FRAMING, EXEMPLIFICATION, AND DOCUMENTARY FILM PRODUCTION ......................... 145 HELEN WHITNEY’S PERSONAL STATEMENTS ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE MORMONS ................... 148 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................................................ 158 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 163 APPENDIX A. NAMES AND TITLES OF PERSONS INTERVIEWED FOR THE FILM ........... 178 APPENDIX B. TABLE OF THEMES…………………………………………………………………………….180 APPENDIX C. NOTES FROM RESEARCHER’S INTERVIEW WITH HELEN WHITNEY ..... 181 v CHAPTER 1 Introduction When Helen Whitney’s film, The Mormons, originally aired on PBS in the midst of the campaigns leading up the 2008 U.S. presidential election, immediately people began talking about the film. The documentary’s viewership broke ratings records in Utah, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s the highest [ratings] we’ve ever had,” said KUED General Manager Larry Smith, adding that such attention on a weeknight was highly unusual (Morehead, 2007, May 3). A large audience outside of Utah also tuned in; KBYU spokesman