Christmas video shoot in September: Behind the Scenes
I know it’s only September. But if you want to share a Christmas film in December, you have to start making it long before anyone is ready to put up a tree.
We recently had the first day of a Christmas video shoot for a campaign I’m working on for the Lutheran Church. The film is based on a true story, and I’m excited to share it when it’s finished. For now, I want to keep the story itself under wraps and show you a little of what happened behind the camera.
Because making Christmas happen on a 95-degree day takes some work.
A Christmas video shoot in a live store
Part of our first shoot day took place in a store that was open for business. Customers were shopping while we filmed, so we had to work around the activity in the aisles—and give them room to work around us.
That was a challenge with a giant, 70-pound light and a lighting modifier among our equipment. We needed the light for the scene, but we were also trying to make it all fit in a crowded space. It’s the kind of problem that takes attention all day, even though you’ll never see it in the finished film.
Our actress, Bridgette, had her own challenge. She was dressed for Christmas in a long coat and scarf while it was 95 degrees outside. I have to wonder what the shoppers thought when they saw her walking through the store in full winter attire.
On screen, the hope is that it simply feels like Christmas. Behind the scenes, it was very much September.
Making a Christmas tree glow at 6 p.m.
We also filmed an evening scene at home with a Christmas tree. The trouble was that it was 6 p.m., and daylight was coming through a nine-foot window.
We wanted the tree to have that warm glow you notice in a room at night. To get it on camera, we covered the entire window with black cloth. Once we blocked the daylight, the tree lights could finally show up the way we wanted them to.
It’s a small example of how much of filmmaking happens outside the frame. A quiet moment on screen can depend on a very large piece of black cloth just out of sight.
And then there’s the snow
The weather wasn’t going to give us a winter landscape in September, either. We’re using AI to add snow to the ground in some shots, helping the setting feel like Christmas even though we filmed it in the heat.
I’m looking forward to seeing that transformation alongside everything Bridgette and the team brought to the shoot. The project is still coming together, but these first clips offer a little peek at the work behind it.
At the heart of the film is a true story that means a great deal to me. I don’t want to give away where it leads just yet. I hope you’ll enjoy this early look, and I’ll share more as we get closer to Christmas.
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