‘Tis the season.
Hallmark’s Christmas movies are winter staples. Their typical qualities have become such well-worn cultural territory that they’ve been parodied on “SNL” numerous times, and in viral memes.
Their plots usually involve a premise along the lines of: a woman from the big city returns to her quaint small town and finds love with a humble Christmas tree farmer.
What does it take to create those famous aesthetics?
Production designer Daniel Koenig, who has worked on several Hallmark movies, told The Post, “I always have a tree on standby,” in case a scene needs emergency holiday cheer.
For each movie he works on, Koenig focuses on including “key elements” of decor, such as trees 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 worked on movies 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 home, he’ll have four or five different trees that are used in various shapes and sizes.
“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.”
While the trees are fake “in most cases,” at times a script may 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 movies are set in small towns, but the look of the town can change depending on what the script calls for.
“I always love a town square,” he noted, adding that he makes it look “charming” and “as clean and beautiful as possible,” but the time of day is also a big factor.
“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.”
Sourcing the decor can present a challenge, since Hallmark Christmas movies film outside of the holiday 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.”
“Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story,” however, “was incredibly easy” to film due to its Buffalo, NY, location.
Since many Hallmark movie towns look alike, he said they do re-use decor – but, 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 contrary, furniture is often rented and returned after a project because those props are too dependent on a specific set or script.
As for the fake snow?
“As time has gone on, we’ve been using less and less fake snow and more digital snow,” he noted.
It’s more cost-effective, easier to clean up, and easier to edit, he explained.
Fake snow is still used on occasion 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.”
