Canine Christmas Productions, the company behind the holiday movie renamed A Veteran’s Christmas filmed in downtown Huntsville from Sept. 26 to 28. Roughly 100 to 150 people participated in the production as background actors or bystanders during the three-day shoot.
Katrina Cotterchio and Cara Schiedel, for example, both landed roles as background actors, or extras, after submitting online applications to a casting company, Cast North.
“I put a lot of effort into really pretending that I was on a street with my buddies,” laughed Cotterchio, a Huntsville Public School teacher who wore an orange coat for her shoot. “So hopefully that comes across in the movie.”
The experience, she said, was “eye opening.”
Her roughly eight-hour shoot filmed from Friday at 4:30 p.m. to Saturday at about 1 a.m., despite rain.
“We were basically just walking around,” she smiled. “I think I expected it to be more glamorous than it was.”
But she noted she met a lot of fellow residents in the process.
“That, to me, was probably one of the coolest parts,” she said. “Meeting people I had never met before that lived in town.”
She also noted, as a teacher, that the experience was an incredible opportunity for students who visited the shoot and talked with crew members to see film production first-hand.
“It’s important to see the reality behind the lens,” said Cotterchio. “It’s important to see the process and understand how much work goes into it.”
Schiedel, a speech-language pathologist and Huntsville resident, had fond memories of watching Hallmark Christmas movies with her aunt, who lives in San Diego.
“I applied as a background actor because I thought it would be fun, but it was also a way to connect with my aunt, who lives so far away,” she said.
Her aunt, she said, had already planned a viewing party for when the film airs on Nov. 11.
Schiedel, whose call to action came in an email at 2 a.m. on the day of her shoot, said she was on set on Thursday from 9 a.m. to roughly midnight.
She said she was so interested and excited in the production that her 15-hour day on set seemed over in a snap; industry lingo, fake snow made of singed cotton batting or a shaving-cream-like foam, intricate shots and the behind the scenes creation kept her attention.
“It was so interesting to be on the other side of a movie,” she said.
She wore a bright red hat.
She added that, while the film now had a special place in her heart, it would likely mean much more for Huntsville, too.
“I think more than anything it puts Huntsville on the radar as a quaint town that is an ideal location to shoot a movie or television show,” said Schiedel.
Scott Ovell, economic development officer for the Town of Huntsville, agreed that Huntsville, and Muskoka would likely see additional film production opportunities.
“Muskoka is a destination and this is probably something we’re going to see, hopefully, more frequently in the future,” he said.
Gravenhurst, which created a filming guide, already had a history of feature film, television and commercial shoots.
And Bracebridge would host its own Hallmark Christmas movie production Oct. 13, 16 and 17. General labourers, according to the Town of Bracebridge’s Facebook page, were needed to build set props and those interested could apply with their resume and brief description of relevant experience by email to farrispop@gmail.com and taylormarcc@gmail.com.
Ovell said municipalities would likely have to decide whether to commit to film production (especially multiday shoots) as an economic development opportunity, as interest in the area as a film destination increased.
“But that’s a discussion that we’ll have from council,” he said.
He commented that the Huntsville shoot created exposure for the town on a national level — the mayor, for example, was interviewed about it for a national radio broadcast — and marked the town as a place to do business.
He noted there were discussions planned on the production’s impact on residents and businesses — road closures caused the most frustration — but there were immediate economic benefits, too, as crews spent money on accommodation, food and retail in town.
The actual economic impact of the production was still being calculated.
But there were broader implications, too, such as civic pride, performing arts opportunities and youth exposure to the film industry as a possible career path, he added.
Source: https://bit.ly/2UQbJmf
