What Kind Of Special Effects Make A Great Christmas Film?

With Christmas fast approaching, there will be lots of things to look forward to. Not everyone will agree that TV is one of them, but for those who will be spending a lot of time in front of the box, expectations may be high that a classic Christmas film will be on the way.

Of course, what one terms a Christmas film is open to debate:

·       A narrow definition would focus on themes with a strong Christmas theme, from White Christmas to Elf

·       A broader definition will include films not specifically about Christmas, but set at Christmas time, such as Gremlins or Die Hard

·       Some films might have nothing to do with Christmas, but somehow always seem to be shown at this time of the year, like some war or sci-fi films

For the purpose of considering the actual making of Christmas films, it may be best to discount the last definition and focus on productions that have some element of Christmas in them.

In the meantime, of course, there will be plenty of TV programmes with Christmas themes, especially soaps, although few expect many surprises amid the inevitable disasters. Emmerdale’s special effects department likes explosions, so there is no reason to suppose they will stop for Christmas.

What Effects Will You Need To Create?

For a film, however, there is no need to consider continuous themes, just the sort of props and effects that might be used. Examples of this might include:

·       Snowfall (which seldom happens in Britain at all, let alone in December)

·       Flying reindeer and similar themed effects

·       Special effects connected to the film, such as monsters (Gremlins) or explosions (Die Hard)

A key question is whether your Christmas film might need the help that post-production houses can offer in providing the latest special effects, such as CGI, or whether props will be enough.

In the past, films were constrained by the technology available. The trailer for White Christmas, set in the Second World War and made in 1954, promised audiences ”the spectacular new brilliance, clarity and beauty” of VistaVision.

This was in colour, but the main effects still required painted scenery backgrounds, and motion within moving vehicles (in this case, trains) did not look truly authentic.

That should not be to knock the 1950s, a time when many films featured great special effects by the standards of the day, but modern technology like CGI, virtual reality and blue screens have all enabled better special effects to emerge.

How Can You Create A Snow Effect Without Real Snow?

What you choose to use as special effects may vary, of course. Take snow. Relying on it actually falling is unwise, unless you are doing an outdoor shoot up in the Cairngorms. Your alternatives include:

·       CGI snow that is very realistic, perhaps with a computer-generated backdrop too

·       Animated snow that does not look realistic, but is done for artistic effect

·       Semi-authentic snow, made with a snow machine of the kind used at ski resorts

·       Lower-budget options involving substances like cotton wool being dropped from above

These examples show how you can take different approaches, depending on the style of film you are making, whether you want it to be treated as very serious or comedic, not to mention whether it is for adults or for children.

Are Puppets Or CGI Best For Non-Human Film Characters?

Similar questions might be asked if you have characters who play a role in the film, such as a talking snowman (a sufficient subject for an animated film in itself, not to mention characters like Olaf in Frozen), or, of course, Santa and his reindeer.

In this case, there are three possible options:

·       The use of characters in costume

·       Puppets

·       CGI for at least some scenes, such as a sledge being pulled across the sky by reindeer

Once again, the audience and style of film will be the key factors. For example, puppetry had a central role to play in Gremlins, although the Christmas Film element of this was about the timing of the events in the film, all of which were different from Gremlins 2, which used the same puppetry and special effects but set the film in a New York skyscraper.

It might be argued that the options for your special effects are as broad as the definition of a Christmas film in the first place.

Whatever you choose, we can offer the effects you need. While we have access to excellent post-production facilities, we also have a wealth of props and backgrounds, meaning that more basic special effects can be used as required. Whatever your definition of a Christmas film may be, we can certainly help you to make merry.