Behind the Scenes - Videos

We've included two video clips for you. The first is a one minute behind the scenes clip taken from the eight hours of documentary footage that will be on the DVD when released. The second is a sample of some of the interviews with the cast and crew that will also appear in full form when the DVD is released. Both are around 8 MB in the RealMedia format.  You will need the Real Media player to view them..

• Behind the Scenes video clip
• Interviews with some cast and crew
• Get the Real Media Player

Behind the Scenes - Story

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…

(Amendment I. to the Constitution of the United States of America).

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed a list of amendments to the original constitution in order to ensure that the rights of the individual citizens were maintained and upheld by the rising government. Fresh in the minds of all citizens was the terror and bloodshed that was the result of a tyrannical government suppressing their right to live as their conscience dictated. These amendments, later to be known as the Bill of Rights, were soon ratified and became the backbone in the protection of all Americans for hundreds of years.

But, what would happen if these rights were skirted over; quietly disregarded, far from the glancing eye of its forefathers, in order to preserve a way of life? Could a small town remain unscarred while it suppressed the rights of some, all in the name of resisting change?

These are exactly the questions that Marysville must come face to face with as a legal battle to oust two Mormon missionaries threatens to tear the town apart in this moving court drama: "Day of Defense", presented by Nuworlds Productions and directed by Adam Lawson.

Originally a book written in 1963 by A. Melvin McDonald, the story was adapted to a screenplay in the fall of 2001. By early January, the first draft was finally completed and well into its long preproduction journey, ending four months and about forty drafts later on the first day of shooting early May 2002. Jim Westwood, Associate Producer and Co-Writer expressed well the long hours required to produce a finished script, "we split the script, I wrote the court scenes while he wrote all the other ones. All I can say was that the enormity of it all was truly paralyzing. As far as giving fair representation was concerned, speaking for all Christian religions in that courtroom was a terrifying endeavor." During those four months, executive meetings were held every week where producers, directors, and creative team leaders could be updated on the progress of the film and prepare for the brutal shooting schedule.

One major decision that had to be made was the camera that should be used in shooting the film. NuWorlds chose an approach still in its infancy in many filmmakers' circles and decided on shooting the entire film digitally on a Sony HDW-F900 High Definition (HD) Camera flown in from Boston. This camera has received considerable attention recently because of Lucas' bold choice to use it in shooting "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones." "I opted for shooting on the HD Cam because it's got the resolution of film, but the ease of broadcast digital video. It was a fun challenge to work with this specific camera because we were kind of pioneering the movement here - no one has shot an entire feature film on HD in Utah before. I wouldn't have done it any other way." — Director of Photography, Clark Cooper.

As May quickly approached, everything from auditions to securing locations had to be finalized and ready to kick off a break-neck three-week shoot. Understandably, such a time constraint could be a little intimidating for a director. "Steven Soderberg's film 'Full Frontal' was shot in 18 days, and we just figured we'd give it a go. No, I wasn't intimidated by the time schedule, in fact, my greatest concern was maintaining everyone's focus throughout the whole shoot. It seemed like we'd sleep for a few hours and then be right back on set again." — Director, Adam Lawson.

As for the cast that NuWorlds was able to secure for the film, Lawson spoke very highly of his actors, saying, "I really felt that at the end of the day the cast was able to go home and sleep well knowing that all their performances that day were better than anticipated." In the end, the film benefited greatly from veteran actors: Andrew Lenz, Brooks Utley, and Michelle Wright, who play the leads. NuWorlds also welcomed up and coming talent John Foss and Alan Groves, well known actor Bryce Chamberlain, as well as over 250 extras that filled churches, parks, and courtrooms in order to make the town come alive.

The cast and crew found itself spread over much of Utah Valley, shooting in locations from Farmington to Provo and as far west as Tooele. The courthouse itself was actually shot in three different locations: exterior shots - Davis County Courthouse, interior shots — Tooele Courthouse, and Judges Chambers — Farmington 2nd District Court. "As the cinematographer I was involved in scouting out the different courthouses for photographic appeal. I have always wanted to shoot a scene in front of the old Davis County Courthouse.  The building fit perfectly into our fictional town, however, the actual historical courtroom had been demolished. We had to look elsewhere for the interior shots. The courtroom in Tooele had what we were looking for — small town; not too old, not too new — and wood — lots of wood. It's difficult to get permission to shoot inside a Judge's chambers because of security issues. But, Michelle Wright knows one of the Judges at the Second District Court in Farmington who graciously allowed us to shoot there.  Those three locations make up the single courthouse depicted in the movie."
— Director of Photography, Clark Cooper.

Other locations included the St. Mark's Cathedral, the 1st Baptist Church, and the Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Salt Lake City. Elder Burke and Elder Davis called an apartment in Bountiful home (the Director of Photography's real apartment was used), and the Bryant's called Ken and Sandy Bourne's house in South Jordan their home. The town of Marysville kicked off its summer social in Murray Park and the Christian Town Council held its meetings in the Highland City Hall, while the missionaries met with their Defense Attorney in the high-rise Boston Building in Salt Lake City. The production finished up with shots of haircuts in Farmington, missionaries proselyting on the streets of Midvale, and finally closed on a bridge at the mouth of Provo Canyon. But, as with all productions, there are inevitable difficulties. "The major difficulty we foresaw running into was dealing with very 'delicate' locations - courts, churches, cemeteries, and the like. We had to block off streets in Midvale and invade someone's home for three days. Luckily everything worked out and the people we worked with at these locations were all very kind and helpful and went out of their way to help us finish our shots." — Adam Lawson.

NuWorlds Productions was also unique in their choice of crew. With the exception of seasoned leaders like Salina Hunsaker, Music Supervisor, Tiffany Westwood, Artistic Director, SpankyWard, 1st A.D.; Cory Lorenson, Production Designer; and Steve Riggs, Set Manager; many film students from SUU to the UofU had the rare opportunity to not only take part in, but also to hold important responsibilities on set. "I think the greatest miracle was the interns we had working on the set who spent fourteen hours training and practicing, and then the next day went out and shot a feature film. There were only two things I talked about on set - the scene we were shooting, and the commitment and capacity of the crew." - Director, Adam Lawson. "It was a unique opportunity to be able to do what we were doing. Most students would kill to be able to get the training and experience of working so intimately with a major feature film like this. I had a great time."- BYU student, Josh Romney. "Because this was the first feature shot on HD here in Utah, everyone on crew was a bit of a pioneer. I was impressed with how well everyone picked it up.  And now they've got some real experience they can put on their resumes when they graduate." — Director of Photography, Clark Cooper.

Any production would prize itself on the animating power of its soundtrack, and the original music composed for "Day of Defense" is no exception. Original scores composed and written by Rick Reeve, original songs written by rising talent Justin Utley, Ty Perry and April Meservy and included vocals and assistance from veterans, Sam Cardon, Randy Porter, Jon Schmidt, Peter Breinholt, and the Golden Voices Baptist Choir give the film its rich musical emotion. "I was very excited to find such extraordinary talent to work with. Rick, April and Justin and everyone else were just great to work with. I am immensely pleased with the music in this film."- Music Supervisor, Salina Hunsaker.

During its filming, "Day of Defense" drew onlooker and media alike. Newspaper journalists and television reporters from all over the valley showed up to cover the story.