“Behind the Scenes of Vocal Point’s ‘I Stand All Amazed’ (with video)” Liahona, December 2017
Behind the Scenes of Vocal Point’s “I Stand All Amazed” (with video)
We interviewed several members of Vocal Point to hear what they learned while filming the Mormon Messages music video “I Stand All Amazed.”
When Brigham Young University’s a cappella ensemble Vocal Point recorded the December Mormon Messages music video, it wasn’t the first or last time they sang the familiar sacrament hymn “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns, no. 193), but it may have been the most memorable.
The video, released on December 14, 2017, features the nine members of Vocal Point singing an arrangement of the hymn at the Jerusalem movie set in Goshen, Utah, USA.
To learn from their inspiring experience, we talked with four members of Vocal Point, including McKay Crockett, artistic director and producer for Vocal Point; David Steele, who joined the group a year ago; Jantzen Dalley, featured soloist for the first verse of the music video; and Jason Bromley, soloist for the second verse.
Q: Why did you perform a sacrament hymn, “I Stand All Amazed,” for Christmas?
McKay: This isn’t a typical Christmas song, but it works really well.
Jantzen: I was surprised when I found out “I Stand All Amazed” would be used for a Christmas message, but it actually makes a lot of sense, because what’s the whole point of Christmas? It’s to remember and think about the birth of the Savior. And the whole point of His birth—the reason He came to the earth—was to become our Savior by atoning for our sins.
David: Having the opportunity to connect that hymn with Christmas changed the way we sing it. The celebration of Christ’s birth is a celebration of His entire life. The Savior didn’t just come down to earth to amaze us—He came down to allow us to overcome sin and death.
Q: How was this experience different from any of the other videos you’ve made?
David: When we film music videos, we are usually joking around. But this time was different because we felt this reverence. Each time the camera cut, we looked at each other and thought, “Is this really happening? Are you guys feeling this?”
Jantzen: We hope when people watch the video, they have the same experience that we all had on set—feeling the Holy Ghost testify of the power of Jesus Christ.
Q: Can you share any experiences that were particularly meaningful to you?
Jantzen: The reason for Christ’s birth hit home for me as I filmed one scene during the first verse. The lyrics are “I tremble to know that for me he was crucified.” It was moving to sing those words while looking up at the crosses on set.
Jason: It was a special experience to sing the words “I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine” in the second verse. While singing, I looked up at the camera descending from the sky. That moment was real to me. I felt close to the Savior, a perfect Being who came down to earth to save us, imperfect and needy as we are.
Q: How will you approach this Christmas season differently after this experience on the Jerusalem set?
McKay: It’s important to take a moment every day and reflect on what the Savior has done and how He has really made everything possible for everyone.
Jason: The hymn calls for us to be amazed and think about and marvel about the things Christ did for us, and that’s exactly what the Christmas season is all about.