Kieth Merrill
Encyclopedia
Kieth W. Merrill is an American
filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry
since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the Directors Guild of America
, and received an Academy Award for The Great American Cowboy
(1973) and a nomination for Amazon
(1997).
He is a founding partner of Odyssey, which pioneered IMAX
-format film technology. He is also a founding member of Audience Alliance Motion Picture Studios (AAMPS), a production company committed to motion pictures that embrace virtues and values. AAMPS is a growing broad based membership organization giving "card carrying members" the opportunity to weigh-in on scripts and go behind the scenes of AAMPS motion pictures.
, a small, pioneer-founded town 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City. As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or LDS Church), he made the decision to serve as a missionary
for the Church and was called to Denmark
where he served for two and a half years.
Merrill graduated with a BA
from Brigham Young University
(BYU) in 1967. He is married to Dagny Merril, née Johnson. They have eight children and reside in Northern California
.
In addition to his mainstream Hollywood projects, Merrill was commissioned by the First Presidency
of the LDS Church to produce the films Legacy
and The Testaments
for the state of the art 70 mm Legacy Theater
at Temple Square
in Salt Lake City, Utah
.
Merrill has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Virginia University
and president of the BYU Alumni Association. He received the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award from BYU when he delivered the commencement address to the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 2007.
His first novel, The Evolution of Thomas Hall, waspublished in May, 2011 by Shadow Mountain.
and 70mm. He has created feature films, documentaries, television commercials, and miniseries.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker who has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
since 1967. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
and the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
, and received an Academy Award for The Great American Cowboy
The Great American Cowboy
The Great American Cowboy is a 1973 documentary film by Kieth Merrill. The film, which won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is about the battle between two rodeo stars for the world championship: veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne.-External links:* at the Internet Movie...
(1973) and a nomination for Amazon
Amazon (1997 film)
Amazon is a 1997 short documentary film directed by Kieth Merrill. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.The film features ethnobiologist Mark Plotkin, who discusses the role of rainforest conservation and the benefits of investigating it further in the interest of...
(1997).
He is a founding partner of Odyssey, which pioneered IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
-format film technology. He is also a founding member of Audience Alliance Motion Picture Studios (AAMPS), a production company committed to motion pictures that embrace virtues and values. AAMPS is a growing broad based membership organization giving "card carrying members" the opportunity to weigh-in on scripts and go behind the scenes of AAMPS motion pictures.
Biography
Merrill is the son of the Utah artist and landscape architect, David Merrill, and playwright and actress, Leola Green Merrill. He was born and raised in Farmington, UtahFarmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,255 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Davis County...
, a small, pioneer-founded town 20 minutes north of Salt Lake City. As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or LDS Church), he made the decision to serve as a missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the Church and was called to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
where he served for two and a half years.
Merrill graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) in 1967. He is married to Dagny Merril, née Johnson. They have eight children and reside in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
In addition to his mainstream Hollywood projects, Merrill was commissioned by the First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
of the LDS Church to produce the films Legacy
Legacy: A Mormon Journey
Legacy: A Mormon Journey is a 53-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Legacy depicts the life of two recent converts from the 1830s to the 1890s...
and The Testaments
The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd
The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd is a 67-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Testaments depicts the life of Jesus in Jerusalem while also depicting the events described in the Book of Mormon from approximately the same time period...
for the state of the art 70 mm Legacy Theater
Joseph Smith Memorial Building
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is named in honor of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. It is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. Previously the Hotel Utah, it is now an administrative building...
at Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Merrill has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Southern Virginia University
Southern Virginia University
Southern Virginia University is a liberal arts college located in Buena Vista, Virginia that promotes standards and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while not being owned nor operated by the Church...
and president of the BYU Alumni Association. He received the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts Award from BYU when he delivered the commencement address to the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in 2007.
His first novel, The Evolution of Thomas Hall, waspublished in May, 2011 by Shadow Mountain.
Filmography
Merrill has done work in various formats including IMAXIMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
and 70mm. He has created feature films, documentaries, television commercials, and miniseries.
- The Great American CowboyThe Great American CowboyThe Great American Cowboy is a 1973 documentary film by Kieth Merrill. The film, which won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is about the battle between two rodeo stars for the world championship: veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne.-External links:* at the Internet Movie...
(1973 Documentary Academy Award Winner) - A Matter of Winning (1973)
- Great American Indian (1976)
- Three Warriors (1977)
- Take Down (1978)
- Kenny Rogers and the American Cowboy (1979)
- WindwalkerWindwalker (1980 film)Windwalker is a 1981 western adventure film, based on a novel by Blaine M. Yorgason, starring Trevor Howard and Nick Ramus. It was shot in various outdoor locations in Utah. To maintain authenticity to the story, the film's dialogue is subtitled in English with Cheyenne and Crow languages spoken...
(1980) - Mr. Krueger's ChristmasMr. Krueger's ChristmasMr. Krueger's Christmas is a 1980 made-for-television film starring Jimmy Stewart, and directed by Kieth Merrill.It was created by Brigham Young University for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir....
(1980) - Wheels of Fire (1981)
- Harry's WarHarry's War (1981 film)Harry's War is a feature length independent film from American Film Consortium and Taft International Pictures, released in 1981. Starring Edward Herrmann, Geraldine Page, Karen Grassle, David Ogden Stiers, Elisha Cook, Salome Jens and Noble Willingham...
(1981) - Rivals (1981)
- The Cherokee Trail (1981)
- Grand Canyon: The Hidden SecretsGrand Canyon: The Hidden SecretsGrand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets is a 34-minute American short documentary IMAX feature film that was theatrically released on June 16, 1984. The film was created, directed, and written by American filmmaker Kieth Merrill and was produced by Destination Cinema...
(1984) (IMAX) - Niagara: Miracles, Myths and MagicNiagara: Miracles, Myths and MagicNiagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic is a 1986 IMAX film directed and produced by filmmaker Kieth Merrill. The film, currently shown hourly at Niagara Falls State Park's Adventure Theater, shows the history of the Niagara Falls, dating back to the earliest legends.The film also shows the creation and...
(1986) (IMAX) - Alamo: The Price of Freedom (1988)
- LegacyLegacy: A Mormon JourneyLegacy: A Mormon Journey is a 53-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Legacy depicts the life of two recent converts from the 1830s to the 1890s...
(1990) - Polynesian Odyssey (1991) (IMAX)
- On The Way Home (1992)
- The Wild West (1993) (TV miniseriesMiniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
) (Emmy nomination) - Yellowstone (1994) (IMAX)
- Passion for Life (1995) (IMAX)
- Ozarks: Legacy and Legends (1995) (IMAX)
- San Francisco: The Movie (1995) (IMAX)
- Zion Canyon: Treasure of the Gods (1996) (IMAX)
- AmazonAmazon (1997 film)Amazon is a 1997 short documentary film directed by Kieth Merrill. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.The film features ethnobiologist Mark Plotkin, who discusses the role of rainforest conservation and the benefits of investigating it further in the interest of...
(1997) (IMAX) (Nominated for Academy Award) - The Witness (1997) (IMAX)
- Olympic Glory (1999) (IMAX)
- The TestamentsThe Testaments of One Fold and One ShepherdThe Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd is a 67-minute film produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Testaments depicts the life of Jesus in Jerusalem while also depicting the events described in the Book of Mormon from approximately the same time period...
(2000) - Secrets of the I-52 (2000)
- The 12 Dogs of Christmas (2005)