{"id":15394,"date":"2011-05-04T22:59:39","date_gmt":"2011-05-05T03:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=15394"},"modified":"2011-05-05T08:29:28","modified_gmt":"2011-05-05T13:29:28","slug":"mormon-filmmaker-explores-sex-and-singleness-at-duck-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2011\/05\/mormon-filmmaker-explores-sex-and-singleness-at-duck-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Mormon filmmaker explores sex and singleness at Duck Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15450\" title=\"nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l\" src=\"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l-300x219.jpg\" alt=\"nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l\" width=\"300\" height=\"219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l-300x219.jpg 300w, https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The topic of sex and the Mormon single is a perennial favorite in the bloggernacle, and recently it has drawn <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/01\/09\/fashion\/09Modern.html\">national<\/a> attention as well. No treatment of the topic would be complete without a look at the Duck Beach phenomenon, an informal annual gathering of east coast LDS singles in North Carolina that is equal parts Jersey Shore and Temple Square. LDS filmmaker Stephen Frandsen (my cousin) and his production company <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bigironproductions.com\/\">Big Iron Productions<\/a> have<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1455369505\/duck-beach\"> trained a thoughtful lens<\/a> on this singular affair, and are currently in the process of financing and producing a documentary exploring its relevance.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re pleased to share an interview with Stephen Frandsen here, and we invite readers to add their own experiences with or impressions of Duck Beach in the comments. The filmmakers are actively seeking further participants who are willing to share their stories, and they will be pleased to respond to questions in the comments here.\u00a0 Finally, please do consider<a href=\"http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1455369505\/duck-beach\"> donating to the project<\/a> via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/help\/faq\">kickstarter<\/a>, a unique online instrument for grassroots funding of interesting and worthwhile projects\u00a0 &#8212; of which we expect you will fully agree this is one!\u00a0 (Stay tuned after the interview for a bonus extra: &#8220;One Way Ticket,&#8221; a charming documentary short made by Stephen that follows one man&#8217;s journey through online dating to a surprise twist ending.)<\/p>\n<div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"410px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1455369505\/duck-beach\/widget\/video.html\" width=\"480px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div><em><strong>RW<\/strong>: What drew you to Duck  Beach as a subject, and why documentary rather than a fictional  feature?<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><strong>SF:<\/strong> With outsiders to the faith, whenever I bring up the fact that I&#8217;m a single <span id=\"lw_1304563866_3\">Mormon<\/span>,  a barrage of questions follow. Not only the sex questions (Are you a  virgin? What is or isn&#8217;t allowed?), but also many sincere questions  about Mormonism. \u00a0At least here in <span id=\"lw_1304563866_4\">New York<\/span>,  I&#8217;m often the only Mormon people have known personally. \u00a0So, a story  that not only talks about sex and chastity, but also discusses how to be  faithful in Modern America definitely has legs. Why a documentary? A feature that tells this story wouldn&#8217;t be believable. \u00a0It&#8217;s almost too strange for fiction.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW:<\/strong> Describe the backgrounds of the directors and producers, and how you came together and work together.<\/em><\/div>\n<p><strong>SF<\/strong>: Hadleigh Arnst  is a producer at an ad agency here in New York. \u00a0He produces television  commercials. \u00a0We started working together a couple of years ago, and  recently started Big Iron Productions together. \u00a0Besides my Big Iron  work, I freelance on commercial sets. \u00a0Laura is a photographer and  filmmaker making work in New York City and abroad. \u00a0Hadleigh is an  outsider to the faith, but with a pretty strong knowledge of both the  culture and doctrine. \u00a0Laura has moved away from Mormonism, but has been  active in the Mormon Singles&#8217; scene, so provides a valuable insight.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW:<\/strong> How are you financing the film, and what is your plan for distribution?<\/em><\/div>\n<p><strong>SF<\/strong>: Up  to this point (for our research and preliminary shooting) we have  self-financed. \u00a0For the production portion, however, we are using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/1455369505\/duck-beach\"> Kickstarter<\/a>. \u00a0It&#8217;s a great way to give people the opportunity to be  involved in the filmmaking process. \u00a0They sort of take ownership of part  of the film, and get rewards for doing so. Also, we have found an  investor in NYC who will match the money we raise on Kickstarter.<\/p>\n<p>Our goal is to then submit the film to the major <span id=\"lw_1304563866_5\">film festivals<\/span>.  Which means a frantic summer of editing, with some sort of draft ready  to submit by late August. \u00a0We&#8217;re probably looking at over 100 hours of  footage, which is a daunting task to confront and organize. \u00a0So, the  money will help us find people to work on that.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW:<\/strong> The film  follows four principal characters, each very different and each  representing a certain type of Mormon single. How did you select the  four, and why?<\/em><\/div>\n<p><strong>SF<\/strong>: What we have found in getting to know our  four different subjects is how wonderful they each are. \u00a0I know that  sounds trite, but they really are interesting, great people. \u00a0And each  has a unique story. \u00a0Initially, we made our selections to show the our  wider (not Mormon) audience how varied and different the Mormon scene  is. \u00a0And when you first meet them, you are likely to make certain  assumptions about who they are and what they do; however, I&#8217;ve found  that as we&#8217;ve interviewed them and learned about their life history,  those first assumptions I&#8217;ve made have completely changed. \u00a0That&#8217;s what I  love about documentary film making. \u00a0So many times in life, you have  conversations that are half-baked and insincere. \u00a0But, when you pull out  a camera, you have license to ask intimate questions, and people are  willing to share. \u00a0And, (Warning! I&#8217;m about to sound trite again)  through the process, I&#8217;ve felt my faith in humanity and to some degree  the church, strengthened.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW:<\/strong> Does the Duck Beach  phenomenon teach us something about singleness and the Mormon marriage  market more broadly, or do the particular circumstances of the event  make it a totally unique social situation?<\/em><\/div>\n<p><strong>SF<\/strong>: To some degree  it&#8217;s a microcosm of Mormon single life. Obviously, it has its  differences. And there are a large number of single Mormons who do not  like Duck Beach at all. Either way, the interesting thing about Mormon  Single parties (at least here in New York) and I think at Duck Beach, is  that you have a large group of people thrown together in a traditional  social situation who only have Mormonism in common. So, it makes for  some awkward evenings, and some incredibly interesting and fascinating  times. \u00a0You have financial analysts and lawyers mingling with designers  and musicians. \u00a0There&#8217;s always something new to learn, or there&#8217;s always  something off-putting. \u00a0 Add to that the pressure to find someone to  date, and you have some built-in conflicts that make a great story.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW:<\/strong> Who is your intended audience, Mormons or non-Mormons? How much basic &#8220;meet-the Mormons&#8221; explanatory work will you do?<\/em><\/div>\n<p><span id=\"lw_1304563866_6\"><strong>SF:<\/strong> Wikipedia<\/span> has changed the way we tell stories as <span id=\"lw_1304563866_7\">documentary filmmakers<\/span>.   One of the things I admired about Big Love was how little Mormon   explanation they gave. \u00a0They jumped right into it: characters talked   about Young Womens and Choosing the Right with no explanation.\u00a0 Our goal   is to follow suit. \u00a0We want the film to be about the people and the   situation. \u00a0Mormonisim provides the context, but the film is about our   four wonderful people. Stopping to explain every single Mormon word they   use will get laborious. \u00a0Let the viewers go to other sources for   Mormonism 101.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, we are making the film for the  broader American  audience. \u00a0Not as an expose, but as a way to tell a  great story that  include the universal themes of religion and dating.  Add to that the  fact that a couple of Mormons are running for President,  and that a  Broadway play about Mormons is running away with Tony  awards, and we  find ourselves in an ideal time to tell a Mormon story.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><strong>RW<\/strong>: Finally, the question we all want to ask: who has it worse at Duck Beach, the girls or the guys?<\/em><\/div>\n<p><strong>SF:<\/strong> To answer this question, I will share the ending of an actual Duck Beach email invite.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;P.S.  If you have cute friends that are girls, feel free to forward this  e-mail to them.\u00a0 If you have cute friends that are guys, don&#8217;t.\u00a0 If you  have friends that are girls that aren&#8217;t cute, don&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Stephen! Enjoy &#8220;One Way Ticket&#8221;, and then share your experiences with the Mormon single experience at Duck Beach &#8212; or anywhere! &#8212; in the comments.<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/21398111?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The topic of sex and the Mormon single is a perennial favorite in the bloggernacle, and recently it has drawn national attention as well. No treatment of the topic would be complete without a look at the Duck Beach phenomenon, an informal annual gathering of east coast LDS singles in North Carolina that is equal parts Jersey Shore and Temple Square. LDS filmmaker Stephen Frandsen (my cousin) and his production company Big Iron Productions have trained a thoughtful lens on this singular affair, and are currently in the process of financing and producing a documentary exploring its relevance. We&#8217;re pleased to share an interview with Stephen Frandsen here, and we invite readers to add their own experiences with or impressions of Duck Beach in the comments. The filmmakers are actively seeking further participants who are willing to share their stories, and they will be pleased to respond to questions in the comments here.\u00a0 Finally, please do consider donating to the project via kickstarter, a unique online instrument for grassroots funding of interesting and worthwhile projects\u00a0 &#8212; of which we expect you will fully agree this is one!\u00a0 (Stay tuned after the interview for a bonus extra: &#8220;One Way Ticket,&#8221; a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":15450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1254,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","category-mormon-life"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/nikon_beach_romantic_64845_l.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15394"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15452,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15394\/revisions\/15452"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}