Inside the making of the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie aesthetic…
‘Tis the season.
Hallmark’s Christmas motion pictures are winter staples. Their typical qualities have grow to be such well-worn cultural territory that they’ve been parodied on “SNL” quite a few instances, and in viral memes.
Their plots normally contain a premise alongside the traces of: a girl from the big metropolis returns to her quaint small city and finds love with a humble Christmas tree farmer.
What does it take to create those well-known aesthetics?
Production designer Daniel Koenig, who has labored on a number of Hallmark motion pictures, told The Post, “I always have a tree on standby,” in case a scene wants emergency vacation cheer.
Kristoffer Polaha and Lacey Chabert in “The Christmas Quest.” Eva Rut Hjaltadottir
Michael Rady and Lyndsy Fonseca in “Where Are You, Christmas?” Robert Clark
For each movie he works on, Koenig focuses on including “key elements” of decor, such as bushes and garlands.
“I don’t know if there’s [such thing] as too many trees,” he quipped.
“You end up using a whole lot [of trees],” Koenig, who has labored on motion pictures such as “Holiday Touchdown: a Chiefs Love Story,” “A Newport Christmas,” and “Nashville Christmas Carol,” added. “I got probably about 24 trees in our department that we are cycling through each day.”
In a typical set like a house, he’ll have 4 or 5 different bushes that are utilized in varied sizes and shapes.
“And then, the next day, we’re prepping those trees that would be used for the next location,” he explained. “So it’s like a cycle, constantly redecorating trees.”
After getting those “key elements,” of decor, “it’s just about trying to enhance it, and make sure that every single frame of each movie is postcard quality.”
Tyler Hynes and Hunter King in “Holiday Touchdown A Chiefs Love Story.” Matt Hoover
Rasool Jahan, Jessy Schram and Wes Brown in “A Nashville Christmas Carol.” John Merrick
While the bushes are pretend “in most cases,” at instances a script might require a real tree.
“Real trees can be a little bit more challenging to decorate, because you have to deal with the branches, and they’re not necessarily always perfect,” he told The Post. “But if a movie is a period piece such as ‘A Newport Christmas,’ [then] we have to use a real tree, if we see it up close.”
Most Hallmark motion pictures are set in small cities, however the look of the city can change relying on what the script requires.
“I always love a town square,” he famous, including that he makes it look “charming” and “as clean and beautiful as possible,” however the time of day is also a big issue.
“If it’s a day [scene], I focus on adding garlands or ribbons that will stand out and pop. But if it’s a night scene, I focus more on having Christmas lights and making sure they’re spread nice and evenly and straight as possible.”
Wes Brown and Jessy Schram in “A Nashville Christmas Carol.” Katherine Bomboy
Sourcing the decor can current a challenge, since Hallmark Christmas motion pictures movie outdoors of the vacation season.
“A lot of times, we film on locations in different places. Different cities have different resources. Also, oftentimes, we’re filming not during the Christmas season. And so, the stores don’t have it out on the shelves.”
“We have to order everything special, or try to find it from locals who have it,” he explained. “[It] can be challenging at times, based on where we’re at.”
Michael Rady and Lyndsy Fonseca in “Where Are You, Christmas?” Robert Clark
“Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” however, “was incredibly easy” to movie because of its Buffalo, NY, location.
Since many Hallmark movie cities look alike, he said they do re-use decor – however, not for every movie.
“Most of the Christmas stuff we put in the storage, and then try to fit it back for the next movie. We try to hold on to stuff that we know will be useful again.”
On the opposite, furnishings is often rented and returned after a project because those props are too depending on a particular set or script.
Tyler Hynes and Donna Kelce in “Holiday Touchdown A Chiefs Love Story.” Matt Hoover
As for the pretend snow?
“As time has gone on, we’ve been using less and less fake snow and more digital snow,” he famous.
It’s more cost-effective, simpler to wash up, and simpler to edit, he explained.
Fake snow is still used occasionally though for “large mounds, or long walkways.”
“But it is fun to do fake snow, because it’s cool to show up on set and see it in the middle of the summer,” Koenig added. “You can see all the snow everywhere, and usually everyone driving by enjoys the look of what we’re doing.”
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