Three years ago, Kieth Merrill stood in front of a Sundance Film Festival press conference to announce a new movie studio that was dedicated to a certain set of values and virtues.
Now he is letting the public know that the dream is still alive, even in these uncertain times, with the upcoming release of its first major motion picture.
"Well, considering that we were thrown over a cliff by the world economy, I guess one could say that it hasn't gone badly," said Merrill. "Because we are still here.
"We were in a remarkable spot and very close to closing a big international film fund when everything went south."
Merrill, a Utah native who now resides in California, is a longtime director, writer and producer. He took home an Academy Award with his 1973 documentary "The Great American Cowboy." Scattered throughout his long resume have been projects that mirror his Mormon values.
"I have always tried in my films to certainly not proselytize or be denomination-specific. But I certainly tried to make films that share those values," Merrill said.
He has always thought moviegoers want shows that reflect better values, which was supported by a 2005 Fox News survey that suggested 70 percent of people felt Hollywood is out of touch with their values.
"We have known that for a long time," Merrill said. "But it occurred to us that if we could create a motion picture studio, sort of owned and influenced by the audience, billions of people that are disfranchised moviegoers -- that we would have the power of a major movie studio."
Audience Alliance Motion Picture Studios was developed to have a membership fee structure, in which members would have input into what movies are made. But organizers, thanks to the economic bust, soon had to change to a free membership.
The members selected the studio's first movie project, by going online, reading scripts, and choosing the story and production they thought was the best. The winning director was an anonymous selection, but he happened to be Dagen Merrill -- Merrill's son.
Dagen Merrill's movie, "Broken Hill," features an Australian rancher's son who is an aspiring songwriter. The film was test-screened in Utah in September, with a box-office release in Australia in February and shortly afterward in America.
"It's embracing all the things that we stand for," Merrill said. "It's a coming-of-age teenage picture. Yet it has none of the sexual innuendo or immodesty, or any ... of those things that tend to show up in those films. It's a good example of what we are about."
The studio picked up valuable information at the test screenings, Merrill noted. Audiences walked away impressed, especially young teenage girls, but there were still issues, he said.
"We concluded the film needs more specialized handling than the traditional media saturation approach," Merrill said. "As an independent film company, we do not have the excessive marketing budgets of the majors and our experimental attempt to 'saturate' on a modest budget was not particularily successful."
Box-office hit
Since the studio had to forgo paid membership plans and fundraising, even more emphasis has been put on making films that are potential box-office smashes.
"I think the box office has to be important," Merrill said, "I think more so now than before."
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to obtaining box-office gold might lie within their own identity. Some of those in the business say the family-film identity can be difficult to get past.
"It seems that sometimes when people want pretty strict values, they tend to come on a little heavy-handed with their values -- rather than produce a well-made movie," said Scott Halford, director of Ogden's annual Foursite Film Festival. "Because when it boils down to it, that's all that matters."
The Foursite Film Festival looks to promote outstanding films that also meet certain content criteria -- reflecting a rating of PG-13, or PG or G. Halford applauds the studio and said he looks forward to its first movie.
Tori Baker, executive director of the Salt Lake Film Society, said that predicting success is difficult. "What makes a film successful is a difficult thing to quantify," she said, because the tastes and interests of individual audience members differ greatly.
"Some see it as purely entertainment, while others seek personal edification in addition to the entertainment values that the film provides. So, there are likely audiences interested in all factions of this studio's model as well as others."
Turning R to PG
Merrill takes issue with the idea that value-centered movies are problematic because they have to avoid certain material.
"Everybody immediately makes an assumption that they have to be softer films. They have to be more gentle," Merrill said.
He points to directors Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis as capable of creating visual masterpieces without be overtly dirty. Merrill thinks most movies today can be cleaner and still be hits.
"It's amazing how many really intense films there are that have action and intense situations that really could be PG movies -- if they were a little more judicious in the ... violence as a reaction not as an action, eliminate the gratuitous sex scenes, and change the language," Merrill said.
Halford agreed, saying that a film that pushes the envelope in regards to the material could still be a great example of filmmaking -- without touching the envelope at all.
And the key to a well-made movie begins with a good story, he said.
Sure, there are problems in writing language when dealing with a gangster, for example. But Merrill said it's possible. Having sat in production meetings, he says, he knows how easily writers default to obscenity when writing blocks occur in the script.
"But when you twist it and say, 'How else can we show that kind of contempt without using those words ?' -- it's quite interesting," Merrill said.
"Absolutely, it takes much greater skill to create films that will embrace those values and still be highly entertaining."
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