The "New" Jerusalem

The "New" Jerusalem set is located on the LDS Motion Picture Studio South Campus in Goshen, Utah, less than 60 miles south of Church headquarters in Salt Lake City. It is not a replica of Jerusalem, but a re-creation of important locations in the city. It covers over 10 acres and was first used to create the New Testament Scripture Library Project—a series of vignettes portraying important scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.  Right now there are 80 acres dedicated to building other structures to be used in the filming of Jesus’ life.

On the July 5th we went with our friends and people we work with to the  LDS Motion Picture Studio (outdoors) outside the town of Goshen.  At first we did a service project of gathering tumble weeds and placing them in a huge truck.
(I'm finishing weeds in the Pool of Bethesda, many miracles here)

When the truck of filled we went on a fantastic tour for 2 hours of the great set.  This is not open to the public and they are having fewer and fewer tours.  It took 2-3 months to get it set up. We feel very blessed to have been able to be on this wonderful set that took us through Jesus life.

We also were able to go into a storage building that had the boats, wagons, swords and most props necessary to set a town scene up.  Didn’t see any wardrobe which I’m sure was someplace more fitting to keep it in good shape.

The videos shot at the Jerusalem Movie Set will provide new material for the Church Educational System, Mormon Messages, missionary films, conference broadcasts, and more. But most importantly, they will help all people better understand and appreciate the life of Jesus Christ.  These videos can be viewed on lds.org.

Project executive producer and production designer John Uibel said filming on the set is more realistic than filming on location in Israel because the look of Jerusalem has changed so much since Christ’s time.

Another obstacle the workers encountered was building a set that would look as large as the buildings actually were. In ancient times, the temple mount was among the largest man-made creations on the earth.  “We just need it to look right as it goes through the camera’s lens,” Brother Uibel said. “Certain areas . . . are close to full scale; most of it is half-scale; some of it is even less.”

On one large open area of the set, the Beautiful Gate is set into a wall, granting entry to the Court of the Women. Here, the woman mentioned in Mark 12:41–44 will cast in her mite, Christ will free the woman taken in adultery (John 8:1–11), and He will also declare, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Areas of importance—the Court of the Women, the Pool of Bethesda, the inn where Mary and Joseph sought shelter, the house of Caiaphus, where Pontius Pilot sealed Jesus fate (The upper floor with the railing and arches)—are represented and are also versatile enough to be used for other scenes.

Besides the acreage on which the Jerusalem Motion Picture Set is located, the property includes desert similar to the Judean Plains, sand dunes, a river that ideally resembles the ancient River Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and an area suited for the Garden of Gethsemane where the Savior atoned for the sins of mankind.

“The challenging part of the design was trying to jigsaw-puzzle this project into the smallest footprint possible,” said Uibel, “thereby saving money, but still providing those views that will more accurately depict the Savior’s earthly ministry.”

An open courtyard at the north end of the back lot serves as Solomon’s Porch, the complex that surrounded the ancient temple where Jesus drove out the money changers.

Meticulous research has gone into the detail of the replicated ancient city. Using photographs of the architecture of Jerusalem, artisans have carved and shaped, by hand, blocks of Styrofoam, turning them into realistic stone walls, arches and columns. Plywood walls are covered with stucco that mimics ancient plaster and its erosion from age.

The films shot at the Jerusalem Motion Picture Set will benefit the Church Educational System, the Sunday School program, missionary efforts, visitors’ center exhibits and various other projects. Moreover, the projects resulting from the set will help all people better understand and appreciate the life of Jesus Christ.

“Ultimately, the goal is to create a body of work that we can draw from that absolutely speaks to every aspect of Jesus’ life,” said Uibel.