We’ve seen a slew of Hallmark stars share behind-the-scenes photos from the making of Hallmark’s Christmas movies in the past, but up until now, I didn’t really have a good sense of how these productions came together. Eagle-eyed fans have probably realized by now that Hallmark spends a huge chunk of the year getting the holiday productions in order; they film throughout the year, and the schedule allows starts to film content for the network throughout the year. But what does it take to make one of these films?
If you’ve been looking for all those nitty gritty secret details, producers have spilled the beans on everything from fake snow to how hot it can be to film in Christmas coats.
Hallmark Movies Only Take A Couple Of Weeks To Film
During the pandemic, then Hallmark star Candace Cameron Bure let the cat out of the bag that teams were filming Hallmark movies in “pods.” But I didn’t realize the swiftness with which these notoriously “cheesy” holiday movies came together. In fact, a journalist visiting the set of the 2023 holiday movie Mystic Christmas found herself watching a scene in which leads played by Jessy Schram and Chandler Massey distributed fliers. Getting the shot reportedly only took “a few takes,” per the Vogue article.
Even more interesting? The average runtime for these Hallmark movies is only “two weeks,” and previous articles have mentioned this can include the casting process, wardrobe fitting, and learning scripts. These short shoot windows also probably explain how Hallmark was still able to film 40 Christmas flicks last TV season despite the writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Why So Many Canadians Are In Hallmark Movies
A rundown of the making of Hallmark movies from a few years back explained why Hallmark fans see the same faces over and over again. Not only do short filming times allow actors to take on multiple projects with the network a year, but Vancouver Magazine revealed a while back that Hallmark is looking for “tax credits.” In order to receive the full benefits, the cast must be Canadian – which is why so many of these movies feature a bunch of the same Canadian actors.
All The Christmas Cheer? It’s Often Movie Magic, Or Added In Post
One thing that Hallmark movies nearly always have in abundance is snow. Snow on the sidewalks, snow in the yards, snow twinkling from the rooftops. It makes for a charming picture. However, as it turns out, there are very few Christmas decorations actually set up when Hallmark movies are filming. In fact a producer also told Vogue when they were filming at a museum in Mystic that most of the Christmas-y feel of these movies is added later.
I ask a publicist what gives, and she notes that it’s common practice to add both trimmings and snow in postproduction. Later, when I see the finished product, I barely recognize the site—and not only because it appears as a train depot instead of a museum.
This squares with other BTS notes from producers which have called snow “expensive” and revealed that “they just use a soft-focus lens so you don’t notice it’s just white blankets on the grass.” Really.
To be honest with you, I was pretty shaken up to learn this. I always assumed the snow was more of a byproduct of snow machines than movie magic. But I suppose it makes sense to touch up the films given they might film during the summer or at times of the year when the weather might not really be cooperating. Which brings me to one final note about the making of holiday movies at the cabler.
It Can Be Very, Very Hot While Filming
When Mystic Christmas was filming, the town of Mystic was noted as being 67 degrees, which is a far cry from balmy, but not very cold either. This isn’t a surprise given the shoot was happening on the coast in the summer. But it checks out given some of the social media posts we’ve seen from Hallmark stars in the past.
In fact, Candace Cameron Bure shared some pictures back in 2022 filming scenes in a heavy Christmas sweater. She was sweating up a storm and standing in front of what seemed to be a fan. She captioned the image, “When you’re shooting Christmas during a California heatwave.”
In recent years, Hallmark has filmed some new, early holiday flicks for its Christmas in July lineup. The upcoming Hallmark movies are on the way soon, and I'll certainly be keeping an eye on the backgrounds of scenes now that I know some of these major secrets!
