Idaho Falls Temple going live?

[brianj]

The church released interior photographs of the Idaho Falls temple on Monday, prior to the open house as they usually do. Two of the pictures show the front of the Creation and Garden rooms, surprised me, and left me wondering what's happening there.

The pictures can be found on this page: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/i ... mple-opens

Looking at the pictures of the front of those two rooms, I don't see a screen or a spot in the ceiling where a screen would descend from. Does this mean they are no longer going to be doing movies in Idaho Falls, and the temple will return to live acting only. Does anybody here know what the plans are?

[Kingdom of ZION]

Each room that need a projector had one mounted centered on the back wall. No matter how they were able to hid the screens. You cannot just make such a change, without a lot of people being needed to preform an Endowment, and they would not have been able to keep it quite.

[Silver Pie]

Looking at the pictures of the front of those two rooms, I don't see a screen or a spot in the ceiling where a screen would descend from. Does this mean they are no longer going to be doing movies in Idaho Falls, and the temple will return to live acting only. Does anybody here know what the plans are?

It's possible that they filmed the views from such an angle that they can't be seen (they could be extremely narrow). I say this because the projector is obvious in views of that side of the rooms - moreso in one view than in another, so there must be one, since the walls are not white (which would allow for no screen to be needed).

[Sasquatch]

On the topic of the endowment films, does anyone know the history of how they were produced and presented? I understand the impetus for presenting the endowment on film was the opening of the Swiss Temple, where live endowments would have been difficult to present in multiple languages.

I think it's safe to assume the films would have been shot on, well, film. 16 mm or 35 mm?
The films would obviously have been presented on film originally. But was VHS projection used by the 80s or 90s, or were they were always projected on film until digital projection became common?
When they were presented on film, was the projector in the room or in a neighboring projection room?

[Silver Pie]

I initially went through in 1980. I always thought they were VHS, but never actually saw if they were. The movie came from the back of the room in the temples I went to. I'm thinking from a hole in the wall, but I suppose there could have been a machine there (near the top of the room in the back). I didn't pay a whole lot of attention, but if it had been a regular projector sitting in the back of the room, I would have noticed.

[David13]

They may have hidden the screen well, but the projector is sticking out there like a sore thumb.

I heard that they used to have live sessions there. But I guess they all had live until the '50s or so. Or maybe later for some Temples.

I think it would be wonderful if they did go back to live sessions. Those are by far my favorite.

But I don't think they will.

The trend is toward easier, automatic, and less labor intensive. Which will probably continue.

I just hope and pray that Salt Lake and Manti remain live. At least while I'm still around. But if they remain forever that would be better for future generations.
dc

[Sasquatch]

According to LDS.org, the Seattle Temple offers special live endowment sessions throughout the week, and presumably other temples do as well? I guess Salt Lake and Manti are the only temples that are exclusively live.

[David13]

According to LDS.org, the Seattle Temple offers special live endowment sessions throughout the week, and presumably other temples do as well? I guess Salt Lake and Manti are the only temples that are exclusively live.

No. There is a difference between live sessions and sessions for the living.
dc

[Rose Garden]

The live sessions are the best.

[Sasquatch]

According to LDS.org, the Seattle Temple offers special live endowment sessions throughout the week, and presumably other temples do as well? I guess Salt Lake and Manti are the only temples that are exclusively live.

No. There is a difference between live sessions and sessions for the living.
dc

Ah, okay. The website refers to them as 'live endowments' so it's kinda misleading.

[brianj]

Ah, okay. The website refers to them as 'live endowments' so it's kinda misleading.

I lived in Washington state from 1994 to February of this year, and I made more visits to the Seattle temple than I care to count. I have attended several of what the church website refers to as live endowment sessions and can attest that these sessions use the movies just like any other session.

[Silver Pie]

It sounds like they need to be more plain in their description.

[eddiek]

Having been in the I.F. temple many times, I can say that when the church changed from live to film, the progression of each endowment group from room to room did not change. The screens in the rooms that require film descend from the ceiling at the front of the room and are very quiet as they come down, as I remember. I always enjoyed the fact that the old murals were retained and now they are restored as needed. One thing I always wondered was why there are no murals in the Terrestrial room, the room just before entering the Celestial room. The rooms are not huge but the flow is very efficient, with a new session starting at least every hour I guess. When my parents worked there, the temple operated from about 5 am to about 8 pm.

[Rose Garden]

The live endowment sessions are sessions in which people who are going through the endowment for themselves can attend. Not all sessions are open to first-timers because of the other instruction and special treatment they receive that time.

I guess there's no term that really differentiates between a live session for newcomers and a live session in which people perform the endowment rather than watching the movie. As far as I know, Salt Lake and Manti temples are both exclusively live and all the rest are exclusively movies.

By the way, if any of you have never been to a session with live actors and has the chance to do so, I highly recommend it.